IR Digital Night Vision

Night vision technology is going digital fast.  Look at all the major vendors and they all have a digital product offering.  IR (infrared red) digital night vision uses a circuit board camera that is very sensitive to visible and IR light.   This alone is why prices are falling and once you go digital IR, you will never go back.

This technology is in an early growth state and is making advances in light sensitivity and power every few months.  In our opinion digital devices are equal in quality to Gen2+ at a fraction of the cost.  The new starlight cameras are coming and will one day be a standard which is hundreds of times more sensitive to light than typical consumer market IRs.

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IR digital night vision camera boards use the infared light band waves that are invisible to human and animal eyes.  But IR sensitive night vision camera technology can also utilize visible light band waves as well.

For example, IR night vision scopes can see around a distant area at night taking advantage of an outside light that is on.  You can point it at an area with a bright street light with no damage, in fact your view is improved. This is something that you may not think is important until you are out hunting in a situation where you want to look into shadows around lighted area.  Can’t do that with a traditional I2 (intensifier tube) night vision device which will either be damaged by bright lights or shut off leaving you with no visibility at all.

The Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on has a 4.3 inch rail mounted monitor that makes it easy to scan dark field or wooded areas without any eye blindness that results from peeking through a bright night vision scope eye piece in the dark.  Your eye can’t adjust quickly back to night vision after looking into the bright scope’s viewer.  This makes it possible to comfortably hunt for hours with virtually no eye strain or night blindness.

Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on parts
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on parts

Just like phones and automobiles, everything will have a display sooner or later.  Why not a rifle scope?

Night Vision Clip-on Reviews

Night vision rifle scope clip-ons are designed to change a standard rifle scope into a night vision scope.  This is typically done by attaching a night vision scope to the front of a rifle scope and using the rifle scope to magnify the mini display on the end of the night vision clip-on.

Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on attaches to the eye piece of a standard rifle scope and uses the optics of the scope.  This is different than just using the optics to magnify the mini display on the end of the clip-on.  With Digital Crosshairs 1000, the better the scope’s optics the better the resulting night vision.

Night vision clip-on prices

Brand Price Image
Armasight Nightvision Clip-On X Riflescope System

 

$1,700  
Armasight CO-Mini 3 Bravo MG Mini Clip-On System Gen 3 w/ Manual Gain $3,500  
Armasight CO-LR ID MG Night Vision Long Range Clip-On System Gen 2+ $2,500  
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on $600

Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-o
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on
EOTech New PVS24-M2124LR Commercial Clip-On Night Vision Device Taupe $9,200  
ATN Night Vision FREE S&H PS28-3 Scope Model: NVDNPS2830 $3,800  
Armasight CO-MR HDi Medium Range Clip-On System Gen 2+ High Definition $2,200  
Digital Crosshairs Starlight Night Vision Clip-on $N/A

Digital Crosshairs Starlight night vision clip-on
Digital Crosshairs Starlight night vision clip-on

 

Best Affordable Night Vision

There are a lot of affordable night vision products on the market today that are pretty good.  Unlike traditional expensive intensifier tube or thermal night vision products that are expensive to manufacture, digital night vision is a commodity based product.  The primary components of digital night vision are not proprietary at all.  Digital night vision is based on standard components:

  1. IR camera board
  2. IR camera board lens
  3. LCD display

Night vision scope manufacturers do not make these components, they purchase them and integrate them into branded products.

Digital night vision scopes can easily see 100 to 150+ yards in the dark. Even the low end is enough for most hog or coyote hunters.

Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on parts
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on parts

Digital Crosshairs 1000 is a $600 night vision clip-on product that uses 1000 TVL (television lines) resolution board cameras, quality lenses, and a large 4.3″ LCD targeting system instead of the mini display used by traditional industry leaders.  Unlike other clip-on systems, Digital Crosshairs clips onto the eye piece of the scope and takes advantage of the optics.  The better the scope, the better the results.

Traditional clip-ons mount to the front of the scope and just use the scope’s optics as a magnifier for the micro display on the end of the clip-on.  A quality scope in that case really adds no value like it does with Digital Crosshairs 1000.

 

Affordable Night Vision For Hunting

A lot more hunters will be enjoying the thrill of night vision hunting when they learn about the new affordable digital night vision products on the market today.

These products are a lot less expensive than the traditional intensifier tube technologies and thermal scopes that have been on the market for years.

Our prediction is that digital night vision will be killing thermal and Gen 3 products popularity.  Not many hunters can afford $2,000 to $10,000 for a night vision scope to shoot hogs and coyote 70 to 100 yards away.  Makes no sense to spend that kind of money.  But $600 or less for a night vision scope that lets you sit in a stand and shoot pray 50 to 150 yards away is a real winner.

One down side of getting a night vision scope is that most people hunt with a family member or hunting buddy.  Hunting in the dark of night, if you are a family member or friend not looking through the scope, you can’t see anything.  Daytime hunting with friends, everyone in the group can see what the hunter is shooting at.  Night hunting is different.

Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision scope clip-on

Digital Crosshairs 1000  is a night vision rifle scope clip-on that lets friends and family members see in the dark too.  It actually has a rail mounted LCD targeting monitor which enables everyone to look over the shooters shoulder in the dark and watch the action.  Now that is fun for everyone.

Cheap night vision clip-on

This picture was taken with Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision scope clip-on device while hog hunting.  You can’t get much clearer than that at any price so don’t let the affordable $600 price fool you.

Hog seen at night using Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on

This product gets 150 to 250 yards visibility at night depending on the quality of your scope.

Actually, do you know any night hunters that are shooting over 100 yards?

Hog shot using Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision
Hog shot using Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on

http://www.digitalcrosshairs.net

Affordable night vision scope

night vision clip-on
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on

Digital night vision is technically based on the IR CMOS board camera used in the build.  If you are researching it ask your vendor what board camera they are using.

They may say a branded name but all CMOS cameras are made in China. Digital Crosshairs 1000 uses 1099 IR CMOS camera boards that are 1000 television lines in resolution.  They also use an IR illuminator based on the Oslon Black 850nm IR emitter, the most powerfull in the industry. Technical facts like these you should ask of any vendor.

China does not make great innovative products but they do make quality component, like CMOS board cameras, batteries, and displays used by all U.S.A. manufacturers.  Your Ford has an LCD made in China.

When looking at digital night vision think of it as the commodity it is becoming today.  IR illuminator, CMOS board camera, mini LCD display resolution or in the case of Digital Crosshairs 1000 a 4.3″ rail mounted LCD display are the future of night vision technology for hunting.

A $4000 dollar night vision product and the $600 dollar Digital Crosshairs product should be judged based on components not brand names.

 

night vision scope clip-ons

Night vision scope adapters that attach to your scope and add night vision capabilities come in digital IR, thermal, and I2 (intensifier tube) models.

It seems that the I2 and thermal models add a lot of weight and length to your scope setup and the digital models are smaller and more compact.

One thing to consider is that the digital and thermal just use your scope as a magnifier for a mini display on the scope facing part of their device.  Put it on a quality scope and you loose all the benefit of the scope’s optics.

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Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on is different.  It mounts to the eyepiece of your scope and uses the scope’s optics fully.  The better your scope the better performance to expect.  This eyepiece mount is easy to install and remove.  It’s compact size only adds about 30 oz to the weight of your gun, including the batteries.

If sit an wait hunting, size and weight can be managed but when you are walk and stalk hunting at night every ounce matters.

 

Welcome to Digital Night Vision Technology

Welcome to a conversation about technology and darkness.

Humans made a great step out of caves with the discovery of fire, our first night vision tool.  But this still did not enable much after dark activity.

The next great step into the night was the invention of the electric light bulb that allowed us to light up large areas at night.  Night time activities were now possible for working, travel, and recreation.

These advancements actually changed the darkness into light.  Artificial light was our answer to functioning in the dark.  Lights got more and more powerful to the point that we can easily light up roadways or even a football field.

Advancements in digital night vision and star light vision will be the next exciting steps for humans into the dark of night.