You’ll Be Amazed at What You Can See with the Best Night Vision Binoculars

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best night vision binoculars. But, one of the most important considerations is whether or not using night vision devices or even hunting at night is legal in your state. After that, it’s all about generations and lots of other features.

Talking About Tech Generations

Generation indicates the level of technology the device uses. And this only applies to night vision devices.​

Thermal night vision and digital night vision binoculars don’t come in generations. And neither do low or weak light binoculars.​

If you’re in law enforcement or the military, you probably won’t care about Generation 1 (Gen 1 or 1+). But if you’re an average consumer, most night vision binoculars fall into that category.

There are also Generation 2 (Gen 2 or II) and Generation 3 (Gen 3 or III) devices available as well, but law enforcement and the military mostly use those.​

And just in case you come across something labeled Generation 0, that’s the classification for the night vision devices first introduced during World War II.

GENERATION SPECIFICS

Gen 1 devices are the least expensive. They have a maximum range of 75 yards and usually come with a built-in IR illuminator. They also have more distortion or “bloom” in their images.​

Gen 2 and 2+ devices usually don’t need IR illuminators and have a long life expectancy up to 5,000 hours. They also amplify light up to 30,000 times because of an added micro-channel plate or MCP.​

As the levels go up within this generation, so does the quality.

Gen 3 is the best of the best. They provide clear and bright images without any “blooming” and have the longest life expectancy, up to 10,000 hours.​

Magnification Power

Hunting is usually listed in two numbers such as 2×24 or 7×31.​ The first number is how close the binocular lenses will bring your image to you. The second number is an aperture or how much light your binoculars gather.

Some night vision binoculars will only list its zoom capabilities such as 7x or 4x.​ The best night vision binoculars will range from 1x on up, although 5x is the preferred magnification by hunters.​

Gain Level

Gain level is the level of light you see through your lens. Low gain levels produce blurrier images, while high gain levels produce clearer images.​ Gain level is also sometimes called resolution or image quality.​

Field of View

Field of view is how much area you can see in your night vision binoculars. Linear field of view is usually expressed in yards but is sometimes listed as width or feet.​

Sometimes manufacturers will list the field of view range in degrees. This is called the angular field.​ So, when you’re choosing the best night vision binoculars, select a pair that has a large field of view that will allow you to see a more detailed environment.​

Lens Quality

Lenses are an essential part of night vision binoculars. The best night vision binoculars will have multi-coated lenses.​ Coatings protect your lenses from scratches, makes them water repellant, and gives them anti-reflective properties.​

Eye Relief

Eye relief is an important safety factor when choosing the best night vision binoculars. You don’t want your binoculars shoved up against your eyes.

If that happens, you might not see the bear coming at you from behind because you have reduced peripheral vision.​ So, eye relief will give you space between the device and your eyes while still being able to observe your target.​

Eye relief is also a useful feature for people wearing glasses because you’re naturally going to have space between your eyeglasses and the binoculars.​

Battery Life

How horrible would it be if you’re tracking the perfect hunt and all of a sudden your vision goes dark? Well, that’s why the battery life is essential.​

The best night vision binoculars will have up to 20 hours of battery life. They should also adjust image quality and resolution to save battery life. It’s kind of like what your smartphone does when you turn on the low power mode.​ And just to be safe, always carry an extra set of batteries with you.​

Misc Specs

Other options to consider are whether or not your night vision binoculars offer a waterproof, fog proof, or water-resistant design.​ Plus, you’ll want to consider comfort, size, and weight since these factors will affect your ability to use and carry your binoculars.