Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive performance but not cheap, February 20, 2008
Bushnell Digital Stealth View 5x42 w/ Super Charged Infrared Monocular
I purchased this scope in Canada; oddly enough when I went to order it from a US website they would not ship it here.
The image is very bright and can be a bit blinding in a dark location. When you remove your eye from the eyepiece it will take you a minute or so to regain your natural night vision in that eye; good job it's only a monocular, at least you'll have one working eye! One push button makes it brighter and another button dims it just as quickly; dimming it reduces the contrast. I got the impression that this is just a feature of infra-red viewing rather than a problem with the scope. After using the scope for a while I have learned to prefer a lower light level.
The only other two buttons are the on/off switch and the super IR switch, both of these are push buttons rather than slide switches. I would prefer a slide switch for the on/off function as it is too easy to turn the unit on simply by picking it up in its flexible case. A small and discrete green led indicates that the unit is on, it is not visible except to the user, and will flash to a indicate low battery. I haven't used it enough to say how long the 6 AA batteries last, but they claim 2 - 8 hours depending on how much you use the super IR.
I am used to using binoculars and found this unit surprisingly ergonomic for a monocular. You will have no problem operating it in darkness once you are familiar with the layout, the buttons are all on top where your fingers expect them to be. Make sure you adjust the dioptre focus properly or you will have a harder time adjusting the main focus tube. I found the main focus tube on mine too easy to turn and would have prefered a stiffer feel. A lens cap is supplied.
The super IR feature works very well. It is not adjustable and is focused at the factory for longer distance, so at short ranges the brightened target will be out of the field of view. But at short ranges the normal IR illuminator, which is always on, is more than adequate. There is no protective lens cap for the super IR lens.
The RCA output is a nice feature, and worked well with my camcorder. Actually what you get is a mini plugin jack attached via two inches of cable to a female RCA jack which is fine because it stores very easily in the case, and it is easily extendible with a regular RCA patch cable. The unit can be powered by an external 12 volt source, but they don't supply one.
Apart from an old TLR camera this is the only thing I own that is made in Russia. It is well finished and has a rubberized military look and feel to it, very solid. It is not waterproof. The warranty is 2 years. The manual covers everything you need to know but only briefly, OK these things are easy to use. There is no schematic or parts list.
Bottom line is I am impressed, which is why I bothered writing this review, something I don't normally do.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing especially for the price., March 25, 2008
I was at first always kind of worried about getting a night optics thinking that it was just some expensive mockery that wasn't worth the money. Well I decided to buy this and just go for it, and was out right amazed and impressed. In complete darkness were I couldn't see my hand infront of my face or any light in the area, I turned this sucker on and without even useing the iluminator add on could see perfectly. The ability to change how bright the light intensity was really helped to so that the picture on the digital screen in the eye piece wasn't bled white. I haven't had the chance to try viewing something at a distance more than a hondred yards but so far I am really impressed and glad that I bought it. Also when you turn the spotlight IR on a circular white huh of all that is illuminated appears on the screen.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed, March 8, 2009
I cannot recommend this product. The black and white low resolution display is the biggest disadvantage of the unit. Firstly, it will take your eye several minutes to get used to the dark after getting white light from the display to your eye. When out in the dark, the last thing you want is to get blinded by white light and I cannot understand why Bushnell came up with the b&w display. Secondly the display has low resolution, so details in the surroundings will not be seen. Thirdly, the display is small. When using the extra infrared illuminator, only things illuminated could be seen, not the surroundings. The on/off switch is placed in such a way that when the unit is in its carrying bag, one can accidently turn it on, resulting in 6 empty AA-batteris and unoperable monocular. It has happened to me several times that the unit is turned on, when opening its carrying bag. I happen to own Prowler 4.0 X 50mm, also from Bushnell, and that is a much better product (not a perfect one of course), giving you much better resolution and better image.
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