Night Owl Galactic View 5X Night Vision Star Gazer

by Night Owl

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000WL9IJ6
• Item model number: GVIEW
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,753 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 1, 2004

Product Description

See 5 times more stars, even in brighter suburban skies, with the Galactic View 5X Night Vision Star Gazer from Night Owl Optics(r). Great for watching comets, meteor showers, shooting stars, planets and more, this monocular features a rubberized frame that's ergonomically designed for easy handling. The high grade aluminum objective lens and powerful infrared illumination deliver crystal clear viewing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very bright picture, and no adjustment for it., March 22, 2011

By 

Mike (Northern California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Night Owl Galactic View 5X Night Vision Star Gazer (Electronics)

I had purchased this product for the same reason it is designed for, to look at the stars, or anything flying up by them.

Here are the pros to this item:

1. The product is very light weight and portable.

2. It has a well padded and semi durable case for storing and transporting the item.

3. It is appealing to the eye and looks very "state of the art"

4 The image, when focused in, is very clear and detailed. You know what you are looking at.

5. The IR light is very luminous, and lets you see a large area.

Here are the cons to this item:

1. The item is not ergonomically correct, and it can easily be held so the IR light is blocked.

2. It takes a 3 Volt battery instead of the usual AA or other common type.

3. The item can be tricky to focus, and must be taught to each user. Requires a combination of 2 adjustments.

4. I noticed no difference of the image with the power on or off.

5. The image is very bright and there is not a brightness adjustment. Results in temporary blindness within a few seconds.

6. The carrying case can be secured onto a belt, but has too much play and can be a hassle.

7. This item is priced higher then other monocular of higher quality. Shop around.

I am veteran of the Army and I am very familiar with the use of night vision (both military and civilian models). This particular model has a very narrow field of view, but that is fine if it is used for it's purpose of star gazing. It may work better with either a partial or no moon. If the moon is any larger, then it is blinding if you get close to viewing it. With this item being manufactured in Russia, I am not sure how easy it would be to have it replaced or serviced. If it is built to last, then it may not be an issue. I personally would have tried to purchase similar items made in the USA. I had no idea that this was manufactured in Russia. If this item would have been more "user friendly" It really wouldn't have mattered where it was made.