ATN NVG7 Generation 2+ Night Vision Goggles

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Reviews, night vision
• Date: Apr 19,2008

Get the best deal on the Web at theNightVisionStore.com

The ATN NVG7-2 is ruggedly constructed out of metal, yet is compact and light weight, metal. The NVG7-2 is a single tube night vision goggle built around High Grade 18 mm Gen 2+ image intensifier tube and utilizes a bi-ocular (not binocular). It has an built-in IR light source, which enables close-up use in complete darkness. It is available with a wide range of image intensifier options to meet a wide array of specialized specification requirements.

The NVG-7 is an exceptional choice for hands free usage, and we have recommended it for a really ‘bizarre’ application (depends on your perspective ) - night-time paintball wargames! Those guys report that it suits their needs perfectly - even when there is very little moonlight.

From a price vs utility standpoint, we can give this ATN NVG7 Generation 2+ Night Vision Goggles our highest recommendation. We also recommend theNightVisionStore.com as the retailer of choice. If you really want (be sure that your really need it) an even higher grade night vision instrument, then theNightVisionStore.com will have it.

ATN NVG7 Technical Specs

• INTENSIFIER TUBE 2nd Gen. High Resolution
• DETECTION RANGE 250M
• RECOGNITION RANGE 175M
• LENS SYSTEM F1:1.2, F35MM
• RESOLUTION (LINES PER MM) 32-40 lp/mm
• MAGNIFICATION 1X
• FOV 40 deg.
• OBJECTIVE FOCAL LENGTH 25mm
• FOCUS RANGE.25m
• DIOPTER ADJUSTMENT - 6 to + 5
• EYE RELIEF 15mm
• EXIT PUPIL 16mm
• INTERPUPILLARY DISTANCE Fixed 56 to 73mm
• IR ILLUMINATION 50m
• OPTICAL MATERIAL Heavy multi-coated glass
• MATERIALS Aircraft quality CNC machined Aluminium composite
• WEIGHT 0.45KG/1LBS
• DIMENSIONS (MM) 140X100X60
• IMMERSION 1m for 60 min
• OPERATING TEMP-30 ° F TO +125 ° F
• INPUT VOLTAGE 1.2 to 1.5 VDC
• BATTERY One 3 V Lithium
• BATTERY LIFE 10-20 HOURS
• SWITCHON/OFF/IR POWER SWITCH TYPE Push button
• IR SWITCH TYPE Push button

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How to choose a night vision device

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Buyer's Tips, Uncategorized, night vision
• Date: Apr 15,2008

It is very important to note that affordable night vision optical systems require some light to work. This can be moonlight, artificial ‘ambient’ light or artificial infra-red light.

Image intensifying night vision devices are by far the widely used. The other type is thermal imaging, which ’sees’ only areas of heat on a body, or which have been left behind by some event or thing. Image intensification is also referred to as gain multiplication.The ‘trick’ with night vision goggles, monoculars and binoculars is that they collect infrared and visible light with the objective lens and focuses it on a battery powered image intensifier, which amplifies the signal as follows:

• a photo-cathode inside the tube absorbs the light energy and converts it into electrons
• the ‘image’ formed by the energized electron strikes a phosphor screen
• the phosphor screen fluoresces, forming an image that the user sees through the eyepiece(s)
• Note: the phosphor screen is colored green because the human eye can differentiate more shades of green than other colors, thereby providing very a realistic ‘gray scale’-like image.

Selection criteria 1: Light Amplification

As can be expected, the major difference between various ‘grades’ (and prices) of night vision devices is the quality and sophistication of the intensifier tube:

Generation 1

These instruments have medium gain values giving good images, and their intensifiers are made up of simple electrostatic tubes, which are able to amplify available light by 500-20,000 times. They work more or less as described above.

While Gen-1 night vision devices cost less and are almost always larger and heavier than instruments from the other categories, don’t turn your nose up at them because they’re ‘only’ Gen-1 (there was a generation 0 ). If you don’t have a big budget, and do not need to use your night vision device in very dark environments, then they make good financial sense. Note that Generation 1 night vision devices’ utility can be greatly expanded when infrared illuminators are used - even when there is ZERO ambient light present.

Generation 2

These are smaller, lighter and more energy efficient. are generally smaller in size and weight and use noticeably less current. These devices have microchannel plate added under the image intensifier, which ‘pre-amplifies’ the available light signal and thereby significantly improves light amplification - approximately 20,00-75,000 times amplification.

These are by far our most highly recommended grade if you can afford them - much harder to ‘outgrow’ than Gen-1.

Generation 3

These are very costly devices, and are naturally suited for those people whose lives (or livelihoods) depend on night vision, e.g. law enforcement, military, security personnel and even researchers.

As with anything, there are always enthusiasts that want to buy the ‘best’, and spend a lot of cash on Generation-4, which are full military-spec. We would only recommend those if money is not a problem

Selection criteria 2: Intended use

Night vision devices are frequently used for:

• spelunking
• scouting games
• camping and exploration
• observing wildlife
• hunting
• police surveillance
• nighttime security

Once you are sure about what you will be using your device for, and what the worst operational conditions would be, you will need to consider: gain, range and image quality. In our experience, the latter two are primarily determined by the former, which is determined by the Generation/grade. Another thing to consider is whether you will be able to use an infrared illuminator (built-in or accessory), since they drastically improve range and image quality. Infrared illuminators are probably well suited for cave exploration, while they may not be for law enforcement tactical operations. Its quite easy to decide, but you must give it some thought.

While tempting, it is quite difficult to suggest a hard and fast formula for selecting a night vision device, so we’ll offer an example instead:

Some friends of ours are ardent paintball enthusiasts. Recently, they discovered that practicing for their ‘war games’ competitions at night while wearing night vision goggles is not only great fun, but really improved their competitiveness during the day. These guys may actually be onto something and it sounds like great fun, but we cringe at the thought of paint getting all over such fine devices (they claim it does not)! Certainly more exciting than a “Dinner in the Dark Party”, where guests wear night vision goggles while dining!

How we used their needs to recommend a night version device:

• low light operation
• no infrared illuminators
• ‘hands-free’
• ± only 75m range needed
• very good clarity
• wide angle view

We recommended ATN NVG7 Generation 2 Night Vision Goggles, since a Generation 1 device would not work well on very dark nights. Given how well those are working for the paintballers, we would recommend the same for law enforcement and security/surveillance personnel that may have to use their night vision devices during a tactical operation. Of course, if there is a bigger budget, then Gen-3 would be better - not for paint-balling though! Too expensive and sacrilegious …

Note: less magnification generally results in brighter, clearer images. Choose the lowest magnification you can live with.

In ending, we would like to comment on monoculars. It is our opinion that while monoculars are quite a bit cheaper than binoculars, they are too tiring on the eyes when used for extended periods. If you’re going to buy a handheld device, then we recommend buying binoculars over monoculars.

Recommended night vision devices

Bushnell 2.5×42 Night Vision Binocular w/Built-In IR

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Rigel 3200 Pro Night Vision Goggle

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Night Owl Explorer Pro 5x Binocular

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ATN Night Shadow Generation 2+ Night Vision Bi-Ocular

___________________________________

ATN Night Shadow Generation 3A Night Vision Bi-Ocular

___________________________________

ATN NVG7 Generation 2+ Night Vision Goggle

___________________________________

USNV-PVS-7 XD-4 Military Spec

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Review: Zhumell 20×80 SuperGiant Astronomical Binocular

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Reviews, binoculars
• Date: Apr 12,2008

Weight

Right up front, we want to stress that with this binocular, you will need a tripod. That’s probably the most valuable tip we have to offer when it comes to this specific instrument. Its large, somewhat heavy, and the 20X magnification alone makes it hard to get a steady image. While you won’t need the tripod all the time, there will be occasions when you are not able to brace your elbows or when you would want to observe a specific object for more than a few seconds.

While the SuperGiant is heavy, it is not that heavy for its size. Most other high-power binoculars are much heavier, even double the Zhumell 20×80 SuperGiant’s 2kg. Still, 2 kilos is not exactly in the league of your average compact and making use of the built-in that enables use with any standard photography tripod makes sense. For quicker setup and for field trips, a monopod is a great alternative.

The power, field of view, and optical quality of the Zhumell 20×80 SuperGiant is fantastic, especially when one considers the low price. The first thing that strikes you is its POWER, but experienced enthusiasts will very quickly notice the jaw-dropping BRIGHTNESS of the images. The 80mm lenses collect an enormous amount of light. When viewing terrestrial objects and scenes, this large aperture translates into bright and exceptionally clear views. As an astronomy instrument, it will surprize most owners, especially since it seems so ‘low-tech’ compared to telescopes. In fact, binoculars like these are why in our article “Choosing a Telescope” we try to make a strong point that often a good binoculars is really what some people need, and not a telescope.

All in all, a great instrument. We highly recommend it. Just be sure that it will suit your use.

Recommended uses: Astronomy, Bird Watching, Security/Surveillance, Yachting.

Best deal at time of writing: binoculars.com

Key Features

• Extra-large field of view
• Excellent light transmission
• High-quality multi-coated optics
• Easy to focus
• Perfectly view for people wearing glasses

Specifications

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A Masterpiece! Celestron 11 Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Reviews, Telescopes
• Date: Apr 9,2008

Celestron 11 Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain

On the expensive side, but you’re unlikely to want to trade it for anything else once you have it!

While this telescope is really heavy, its well-placed handles makes it very easy to manage, and it is also easy to level with the well-constructed tripod providing excellent stability.

The Celestron 11 Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain’s built in GPS really does set the instrument up automatically, as advertised. Its auto-align feature works pretty well too - you just pick 3 bright stars without even knowing their names and it does the rest. However, if you can spot and name 2 stars, you’ll be on your way much faster.

The GOTO facility ensures that most of your time is spent viewing rather than searching for objects all night! And with the huge aperture and excellent optical quality, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. Even in the light-polluted suburbian location we used in our tests, we had lots to look at. Its a pity (or maybe its a good thing) that we didn’t have the loaner scope for longer, or we would have been ‘lost in the woods’ for days playing with the Celestron …

We highly recommend this telescope. It is unlikely that any amateur will realistically be able to outgrow this marvel.

Telescopes.com currently has the best deal by far on this scope (link)

Details from Manufacturer

The largest aperture of the CPC GPS line, The CPC 1100 GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope has the most light gathering power and has a limiting magnitude of nearly 15. The CPC 1100 GPS takes full advantage of its vast database of thousands of NGC and Abell galaxies as well as delivering a new level of detail to all your favorite deep sky objects.

The Celestron 11-Inch CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain with StarBright XLT Coatings offers innovative technology that will allow you to look deeply into space. This scope combines new alignment technology, advanced engineering, and a bold new design, all at an affordable price. In fact, Celestron’s Professional Computerized (CPC) Series with revolutionary SkyAlign alignment technology redefines everything that amateur astronomers are seeking. They offer quick and simple alignment, GPS, unsurpassed optical quality, ease of setup and use, advanced ergonomics, enhanced computerization, and value for money. The 11-inch CPC truly has it all.

The CPC Series includes an internal GPS receiver that automatically downloads the date and time from orbiting satellites, pinpointing its precise location. This eliminates the need for you to enter the date, time, longitude, and latitude manually. Thanks to SkyAlign, alignment is a breeze. Simply locate and manually point the telescope towards three bright celestial objects - even the moon and bright planets will work. Celestron’s NexStar software technology will then model the night sky to determine the position of every star, planet, and celestial object above the horizon.

Once aligned, the remote hand control allows direct access to each of the celestial catalogs in its remarkably user-friendly database. The CPC’s database contains more than 40,000 celestial objects, including Messier objects, the Caldwell Catalog, as well as NGC Galaxies, nebulae, and planets. User-definable filter limits make navigating through this expansive database quicker and easier. When using the “filter limits” feature, only those objects that are above the horizon at your exact time, date, and location will be displayed.

The new CPC Series telescopes feature meticulously matched and hand-figured optical systems manufactured in Celestron’s facilities in Torrance, California. In addition, the CPC is available with StarBright XLT high-performance optical coatings. These use state-of-the-art, thin-film, vacuum-deposition technology. To ensure consistent optical coatings of the highest quality, the process is tightly monitored and controlled by highly trained technicians. The result is image clarity so stunning it must be seen to be believed.

This telescope includes the NexRemote software, enabling you to operate it remotely from a PC or laptop. NexRemote supplicates all of the functions and features of the NexStar software on the standard NexStar Hand Control. It also offers speech support, allows you to create and save custom tours, and uses Night Vision Mode to preserve night vision. The drive base and mechanics have been redesigned with larger gears and a quick-release clutch. It includes a new heavy-duty steel tripod with accessory tray and center leg support bracket to ensure stability.

Specifications

Telescopes.com currently has the best deal by far on this scope (link)

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Nikon 8×42 Monarch ATB Binocular

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Reviews, Uncategorized, binoculars
• Date: Apr 9,2008

Nikon 8×42 Monarch ATB

Waterproof, fog-proof and shock-proof!

Great color definition, pretty bright an wide field of view, soft and rapid focusing central knob, good close focus distance. They are also very comfortable being light and rubber coated and are also comfortable for those who wear eyeglasses.

Excellent for birding, hiking trips, watching sports, hunting - an all-rounder.

Details

The Nikon Monarch 8×42 features phase-corrected prisms and fully multi-coated lenses for enhanced optical performance when you need it most: at dawn, dusk, and in poor weather. And state-of-the-art, lightweight construction provides unparalleled strength and ruggedness in a package that is comfortable to carry all day afield. Oversize focus knob and twist-and-lock eyecups make focus easy to maintain and the binocular a pleasure to use for extended periods.

Main Features

• 100 percent waterproof/fog-proof/shock-proof for outstanding all-weather capability
• Ultra-rugged, rubber-armored, roof-prism design for safety and security
• Extended eye relief and central focus for superior viewing convenience
• Fully multi-coated lenses for bright, clear images
• Precision-aligned optics for extended viewing

Specifications

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The versatile Nikon 8×40 Action Ultra-Wide-View Binoculars

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Reviews, binoculars
• Date: Apr 9,2008

Nikon 8×40 Action Ultra-Wide-View Binoculars

Great value for money!

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Orion StarBlast Astro: excellent first telescope

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Reviews, Telescopes
• Date: Apr 8,2008

While the Orion StarBlast Astro is marketed at beginners, it has excellent optics, a wide field of view and no superfluous features. It is very portable and so easy to set up that even experienced amateurs use it as a their ‘on-the-move’ telescope.

The StarBlast Astro is a 4.5-inch f/4 Newtonian reflector scope that is mated to a small altazimuth mount that includes a built-in handle. While the base is quite sturdy it is small and the StarBlast Astro is best placed on a table or other sturdy structure, which also provides a more comfortable viewing height for adults.

The scope uses a set of mirrors to gather light and project the image onto the eyepiece for viewing. The reflector’s mirrors must be in proper alignment. Orion provides a Collimation cap along with excellent instructions that makes the alignment process easy as pie.

The two eyepieces - a 6mm that provides ±75x power and a 17mm that produces ±26x power - along with the f/4 aperture produce a wide field of view that is excellent for viewing deep space objects, which most amateur astronomers are interested in. Aftermarket eyepieces can transform this already very good instrument into a truly great dual-purpose (planetary body and deep space object) telescope.

We highly recommend this telescope as it offers fantastic value for money.

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Choosing a Telescope

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Buyer's Tips, telescopes
• Date: Apr 8,2008

We’ve written this guide for a beginner, or someone who has been disappointed by his/her first purchase(s). Those with more experience will already have learned a lot in the field or from more experienced enthusiasts, and can make more informed choices.

Do you really need a telescope?

Many many times, people buy telescopes because they think its what they need. In many cases, a good binocular is a better tool for the job, and it is much more versatile and portable too!

Do your research. Ask people who already do what you are planning to do. Save yourself some money and frustration. If budget is a limitation, then a good $100-150 binoculars is more often than not much better than a junky telescope - most times that same binoculars is a better bet even when you have a huge budget. Beginners and even intermediate amateurs do not need fancy telescopes!

Since you should get a high quality telescope that you won’t outgrow quickly or lose interest in, it will be hard to keep prices very low - but there are some good choices that are reasonably priced. Just remember - quality first! A bad choice for your telescope will lead to frustration and disappointment rather than enjoyable nights under the stars. Remember, good telescope can last a lifetime - even longer.

If you’re still convinced that you need a telescope, read on…

Types of Telescopes

There are three main classes of telescopes available to the amateur astronomer:

1. Refractor telescopes - classic “department store look” telescopes that use refracting lenses housed in a long, thin tube mounted on a tripod. OK for viewing the sun, moon and planets where magnification detail is more important than brightness.
2. Reflector telescopes - large instruments that use mirrors housed in large tubes. They really ‘grab’ lots of light and are great for viewing faint, deep-sky objects like galaxies, star clusters and nebula.
3. Compound telescopes - also called cadioptric telescopes, They use both refracting lenses and reflecting mirrors, which provides compactness. Designs include those of Schmidt, Cassegrain (Cass), Maksutov (Mak) and hybrids.

Buy from a reputable dealership

While this seems like just pure common sense, many a potential enthusiast has had their envisaged love-affair with optical systems destroyed very quickly because they paid good money for bad equipment from a ‘gadget supply store’. A telescope is not a gadget. It is a marvel of physics and should be seen as such. So buy from a reputable store, whether online or traditional ‘brick and mortar’.

Beware the power/magnification hype!

We say exactly the same thing in our guide to buying binoculars. Shrewd manufacturers and dealers use the promise of magnification to hypnotize and trap the unwary newcomer. The outrageous (for what is being sold) specifications of 400x, 1200x, etc magnification is just hype and has no relation to actual usable power.

Aperture rules, OK?

Just as with binoculars, what you should be after is aperture, which is determined by the objective lens. The more light it can capture, the clearer and brighter the image.

While many lower-end ‘budget’ telescopes perform OK on a bright day, they are almost useless at night. And trust us, even if it was not the originally intended use, most telescope owners eventually turn their instrument to the heavens on a cloudless night, hoping to see what they see in magazines and on the Internet. A large percentage of them end up very disappointed. So, forgo power for aperture (after you have identified a reputable dealer of course).

Both light gathering and resolving power increase as apertures increase, which means that you will be able to see dimmer objects. Note: a 4-inch scope has four times the light gathering power of a 2-inch scope, and not double. (2 x 2 =4).

As can be expected, manufacturers are starting to push larger lenses as ‘beginners’ do more research before they buy. The end result is the production of telescopes with reasonable power ratings, large apertures, and junk optical quality. And there is no substitute for optical quality. If everything is just a blur, then you may as well not even look at it. Trust us, its that disappointing!

Buy the smallest telescope for your needs

Of course the previously mentioned factors are most important, but the more portable and easily usable your scope is, the more likely it is that you will have it with you when a great viewing opportunity presents itself. The smaller sized scope coupled with a good mounting also means that you will be able to set up and focus much more quickly than with a huge scope.

Mount stability

Poor stability will turn working with even a very good telescope into a real nightmare. Be sure to budget with a nice solid tripod in mind, and remember that it can easily set you back more than $250 - but it is well worth it - we would even go so far as to say its essential.

Join a club or an online community!

There is not much to be said about this other than that you should learn from other’s experiences and/or mistakes. Ask questions, learn as much as you can. It’ll save you money, time and potential frustration. The advantage of joining an actual club is that you will be able to work with other members’ equipment, even if just for a quick look and feel. Its a great way to identify a short-list of scopes to make a selection from.

All of the telescopes that we strongly recommend below have also received excellent reviews from others like you, the buyer/enthusiast. You will do well with any of these, but the more sophisticated ones will be with you for a very long time, since its hard for even an experienced amateur to ‘outgrow’ those.

Recommended telescopes (in order of cost & ’sophistication’)

Meade ETX-80AT-TC Astro Telescope with AutoStar

Automatic finding and tracking of thousands of objects

AutoStar Suite Astronomer Edition Software

Instructional video

Compact and easy to use

Zhumell 8-Inch Dobsonian Reflector Telescope

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Telescope

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Choosing a binoculars - beware the ‘power’ hype!

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Buyer's Tips, binoculars
• Date: Apr 7,2008

Basic Binocular Components:

Objective Lenses: The ‘front’ lenses collect light, and therefore enable high-resolution observation of distant objects

Prisms: Since the objectives form images that as upside down mirror-images, special prisms are used inside the binoculars to invert the image so that you see it in its correct orientation.

Eyepieces: The main function is to magnify the image formed by the objective lens.

Main considerations

• required power
• required/preferred image brightness
• field-of- view
• primary purpose
• usage conditions
• comfort (very important)
• COST/budget

Key Binocular Specifications

• Primary specs, e.g. 7 x 35mm
• 7 = Power/magnification = the number of times an object is enlarged
• 35mm = diameter of the further lens in millimeters. Larger lenses capture more light and result in a brighter image.
• Additional specs (optional)
• B = eyepieces are suitable for people who wear glasses. The user can use these binoculars while wearing your glasses without losing much field-of-view.
• GA = binoculars are rubber covered to protect against wear and tear
• BA= binoculars are rubber-covered and have fold-down eyepiece cups.
• WA = Wide-Angle design of the binocular’s eyepieces - able to increase a binocular’s of view by as much as 60%.
• most often given as field with at a certain distance, e.g. 140m at 1000m (the actual width of the view 1000m away is 140m across)
• sometimes expressed in degrees, but in general 1 degree is approximately equal to 17m at 1000m. So if WA=10degrees, then the view at 1000m would be 170m across.

More about power, brightness and field of view

Magnification, or power, is perhaps the most misunderstood and overly ‘hyped’ binocular feature. Higher powers can be useful, but almost always results in duller images and a binocular that is quite difficult to get a steady image with if handheld.
Also, the lower the magnification:

• the wider the field-of-view
• the brighter the image
• the easier to use without a support (e.g. tripod)
• the closer you can focus.

While powers of 7x to 12x are the most popular among regular binocular users, we recommend choosing the lowest magnification that would suit your needs, as it will make your entire experience much more satisfying. There is nothing as bad as needing a tripod when you don’t have one (due to your binocular’s limitation and not due to viewing conditions).

Lens diameter also an important consideration, since it is the primary determinant in the size/bulkiness of the binoculars. Again, find that happy medium - don’t go overboard with lens diameter and you’ll be much happier with your purchase. The field of view decreases as magnification increases, so select a binocular with lower magnification or a binocular classified as wide-angle if field of view is important to you .

The Prisms

The size, design and quality of the prisms used in the binocular design affect what you see and how clearly an image appears across your viewing area. You may prefer one binocular over another because of the design.

Porro Prism

These are the “traditional” binocular design with offset prisms and are the most cost-effective. They are however bulkier and less durable than roof prism models.

Reversed Porro Prism

This design allows for a compact binocular that easily fits in your hand.

Roof prism

These have parallel barrel, are more streamlined and very durable, but good optical quality in this design is quite expensive.

Size

Binoculars can be classified as either full-size or compact and is affected by the size of the objective lens. Full-size models offer the greatest light gathering ability and over-all optical performance. Compact models are more portable than full-size models and work well during daylight hours, but not during twilight or in deep shadows.

Cost

We recommend that you buy the best quality binoculars you can afford since poor quality binoculars can be a great source of frustration. They also lead to eyestrain and headaches, which will force you to get get a better quality binoculars at much greater cost than if you chose quality right from the start. Again, power can be a price-booster - buy the least magnification for your purpose - the image quality will be much better in any case. Also remember that you can get better quality for your money by buying a used model that was well cared for. Amazon.com for example often offer new and used options, and you get the benefit of them ‘enforcing’ customer satisfaction criteria.

Waterproofing

Since binoculars are used in often unpredictable weather conditions, we recommend buying a waterproof model if you can afford it. They cost a bit more as they are actually submersible, but you’ll be able to use these binoculars without fear of getting them wet.

Summary

• don’t fall into the ‘more power is better’ trap
• opt for a wide angle binocular if you need it
• make sure that the binocular is comfortable to use
• preferentially buy a waterproof model
• a ‘second-hand’ instrument can be a very good deal

Recommended binoculars

Nikon 8×40 Action Ultra-Wide-View Binoculars

Great value for money!

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