77 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Real Night Vision (within reason), November 8, 2009
This review is from: Bushnell 2.5x42 Nightvisions Binocular with Built in IR (Electronics)
Bought these with moderately high expectations, and fully understanding the limitations of first generation night vision technology, I can say I'm satisfied with the performance. They work ALMOST as good as the military grade night vision gear I used in the 1980's. If you do a bit of research you'll see that 2nd generation night vision optics are significantly more expensive. If you're rich go for 3rd gen equip. Lesson here is Gen 1 stuff is affordable, but comes up a little short from turning night into daytime.
I recently went camping in the boonies and took these along for the following review:
Performance on starlight alone is not acceptable (at least with my pair) as I could not resolve much of anything without the I.R. illuminator turned on (more on that in a sec), but these binocs do work pretty good when there is a moon overhead. I could see further than I needed to except for anything that might have been in shadows. Shadows keep their secrets well unless the illuminator is turned on. No moon tonight? Flip on the I.R. illuminator and see pretty much everything in the dark quite good up to say 60-70 yards. The I.R. lamp (illuminator) has a sort of "spotlight effect" in that everything in the center is really bright, kind of like when you use a flashlight on the wall you will have a really brightly lit spot, and then area outside of that spot is somewhat visible, but much less so.
Each eye is focused independently of each other, and when properly focused is fairly sharp. I did notice that focus is easily knocked out of whack by the lens cover(s), so each time I pulled off the covers to have a look I needed to fine tune them again. I wish they could be locked into place. There is also a macro focus, but I did not investigate that. I was more concerned about what there was to see outside of the camps perimeter.
For those who don't know, everything has a very green appearance, and that's just the way it is. Newer generation night vision may be less green, but since it's so expensive I haven't investigated it. And you can use these during the daytime as well providing the front lens caps are in place. They have daytime filters allowing for daytime use, but I much prefer my regular (and higher magnification) binoculars for daytime usage. In a pinch though, these will do both. Hope this helps some folks out since reviews on these are hard to come by.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
expensive, works ok, October 15, 2010
This review is from: Bushnell 2.5x42 Nightvisions Binocular with Built in IR (Electronics)
The unit itself is easy to hold while viewing. The focusing leaves something to be desired, with the front lenses and the rear lenses that have to be individually adjusted to have the optimal picture. The worst feature is the one piece cap on the rear lenses, that mess up your settings while you put it on or take it off. Otherwise works as advertised.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Jay in San Diego, January 17, 2012
This review is from: Bushnell 2.5x42 Nightvisions Binocular with Built in IR (Electronics)
Bought these thinking they would be good for nighttime boating. There were not. I found them difficult to use, and do not have any long range focus, and don't add much more visually to the night view than you can see by yourself. I sent them back for a full refund.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No