I have been spending a bit more time outdoors at night so I finally went for an entry level night vision monocular. I took a chance with the Bushnell Equinox X650 after seeing good "for the price point" reviews. It is not the same quality as what the military uses but it also does take video/ pictures which some of the military stuff does not. At the price of $129 I am more than happy with it. Link to Amazon
Overall I am really happy with this cheap option for looking around at night while camping or moderate outdoor use. It does not compete with a thousand dollar optic but it does not cost as much easier.
The high points for pros and cons -
Pros - the unit powers on quick, nice visibility through the viewer, controls are easy to use while holding it, and the built in IR illuminator reaches out roughly 150 yds with plenty of coverage, the lowest level of magnification is 5x with adjustments up to 8x digital, the three AA batteries lasted ~ 4hrs with a lot of turning off/ on (next time will probably just leave it on), decent viewing resolution
Cons - the lowest level of magnification is 5x which is a tight field of view under 100 yds, eye piece fogs pretty easy in 20*F weather, little bulky/ heavy for the use but not bad if stationary, low camera/ video resolution
Now some field pics taken free hand; they would have been sharper if I had used a stand of some sort. The Bushnell unit does have a spot to attach the standard camera mount to the base.
Young buck at ~80 yds w/ digital zoom
Same buck on the dark side of the feeder at ~70 yds with no zoom
Another small buck right at 100 yds with the built in IR illuminator
Overall I am really happy with this cheap option for looking around at night while camping or moderate outdoor use. It does not compete with a thousand dollar optic but it does not cost as much easier.
The high points for pros and cons -
Pros - the unit powers on quick, nice visibility through the viewer, controls are easy to use while holding it, and the built in IR illuminator reaches out roughly 150 yds with plenty of coverage, the lowest level of magnification is 5x with adjustments up to 8x digital, the three AA batteries lasted ~ 4hrs with a lot of turning off/ on (next time will probably just leave it on), decent viewing resolution
Cons - the lowest level of magnification is 5x which is a tight field of view under 100 yds, eye piece fogs pretty easy in 20*F weather, little bulky/ heavy for the use but not bad if stationary, low camera/ video resolution
Now some field pics taken free hand; they would have been sharper if I had used a stand of some sort. The Bushnell unit does have a spot to attach the standard camera mount to the base.
Young buck at ~80 yds w/ digital zoom
Same buck on the dark side of the feeder at ~70 yds with no zoom
Another small buck right at 100 yds with the built in IR illuminator