Looking for Night Vision Googles?
Here are 7 things to consider when buying your first pair

Night Vision Goggles allow users to view their natural surroundings in low light as well as complete darkness, using a combination of ambient light, infrared, analogue image intensifier tubes, and state of the art digital sensors. Check out our guide to the best night vision goggles uk has to offer and seven things to consider when taking the first step into night vision goggle ownership.

1. What are Night Vision Goggles and why would i want them?

The human eye is great during the day when the light levels are adequate to allow you to see the visual spectrum available. As light fades, our eyes become less effective, and no matter how many carrots we eat...we simply cant see in the dark...period. 

A young persons eyes will react to low light differently than an older person and whilst some people struggle to see in the last throws of sunlight on an evening, another will be able to see for 30 minutes longer, as everyones eyesight is different.

A night vision device works by amplifying any ambient light available, so when it is twilight, a modern night vision device will often light up your surroundings like it is daylight.

In complete darkness, depending on the sensitivity of the device, an IR illuminator can be used to invisibly "light up" your surroundings. An IR illuminator (depending on wavelength) is completely invisible so you can observe covertly without anyone or any animal ever knowing you are there.

The video below showcases how this technology will deliver even a colour image in near darkness.

2. What type of Night Vision Goggles do I want?

Modern night vision goggles are available in two forms, image intensifier and digital, so lets take a look at the differences.

Digital Night Vision - this type of night vision system uses a digital sensor, much like you would find in a digital camera.  Modern digital sensors have become so proficient in low light that they can deliver a COLOUR image in all but the darkest of nights.  They also have the benefit of not being easily damaged such as someone turning on car headlights in front of you when they are in use in complete darkness, or someone turning lights on in a darkened warehouse.   The only trade off of digital night vision is that whilst they are excellent with an IR illuminator in near complete darkness but lack the sensitivity of an image intensifer tube.

Image Intensifier Tubes - These are commonly understood as the tech used by military or in spy movies which delivers a grain green image, but they are also available in different "grades" such as Gen 1, Gen 2 and Gen 3 which are the "generation" of night vision, and designated the technology advancement.  

Whilst a Gen 1 night vision goggle kit would allow you to see a grain image at close range, a high performance Photonis Gen 2+ AP image intensifer will allow you to see facial detail in complete darkness at extreme long ranges.   An image intensifier will therefore deliver greater sensitivity, better image quality but are more fragile than digital night vision, and should you leave them on in a bright room, it could be an expensive mistake..

3.  What do i want to use Night Vision for?

Night Vision is used for LOADS of applications and we find that there is never a task that surprises us that someone needs night vision for. Here are some of the applications we sell night vision goggles for, but I am sure we will find out more in the future!

Night Vision Goggles for hunting - hands-free operation allowing you to operate a firearm and observe your surroundings in complete darkness.

Tactical and Airsoft Night Vision - Night vision goggles came from a military need to see at night, so they have applications for tactical purposes as well as airsoft, which is a sport using "airsoft" rifles which fire a plastic "BB" projectile and much like paintball is used for war games type purposes, where one military side fights against the other.  This often occurs as 24hr skirmishes which are hugely realistic, and means that the forces require a solution to see at night. 

Security and Surveillance - NVG's are often used to allow operators to see at night, whether it is a security guard patrolling a factory or a game keeper watching over a river or pheasant pen, a night vision device will allow you to see covertly without waving round a torch.

Wildlife Observation - Watching wildlife without animals ever knowing you are there is a great use of night vision. Whether you are watching badgers in your garden for pleasure, or counting bats coming in and out of a property for an ecology survey, a night vision monocular or night vision goggle system offers the perfect solution.

Star Gazing - Night vision amplifies light, so watching the stars at night becomes an entirely different experience, as distant planets in our solar system and clusters of stars become bright lights in the sky as night vision amplifies any available light.  We have often had UFO watchers purchase night vision to track unexplained objects in the sky...who knows what you might find

4. Monocular or Dual NVG goggles

A night vision monocular is a single optical device with one eye piece and one light gathering lens.  This can be used hand held for observation or can be mounted to a helmet mount or a head mount such as a night vision skull crusher.  Some monoculars feature a native magnification of greater than 1X so these should be avoided being used as a helmet mounted device. To keep your sensory spatial awareness, a device mounted in front of the eye should be a native 1x mag, so that you arent tripping over objects out of the field of view. 

Night Vision goggles can also be made up of two night vision monoculars and a great example of this is the Sightmark Wraith NVG system. You can purchase this as a single monocular which comes with a dual bridge, allowing you to simply add a monocular to form a dual set up when required.

Alternatively a true night vision goggle system features two image intensifier tubes which are controlled together, but often have the capability to be used independently by simply switching up one side to allow one eye either viewing natural or using a riflescope for example. 

5. Do I want to use them Hand Held or Helmet Mounted 

Many night vision monoculars have accessory rails which allow you to attach them to helmet mounts for hands free operation.  

A NVG or night vision goggle system intrinsically is designed to be used with a helmet mount.  This can be of various types such as bayonet, Norotos, Rhino or Wilcox to name a few, and many helmet mount adaptors can be obtained to convert your system to the helmet mount you already have. 

A skull crusher type fitment is also common where an elastic head band system incorporates a swing arm or bridge mount to attach a device to hands free, perfect for operating machinery at night hands free, or for search and rescue applications where you may need to navigate in complete darkness but also treat an injured person.

It is worth remembering that whilst your new night vision goggles are "helmet mount ready" you may need an additional mount to attach them to your equipment. 

6. Price... how much do i need to spend?

Entry level Night Vision systems are relatively inexpensive, some of the Sionyx Aurora series of digital night vision monoculars start at around £500, where as our AGM NVG systems cost upwards of £5000...so what do you need to spend to get decent performance. 

If you simply need a night vision monocular for seeing in the dark...then anything will do what you need...but it depends on how far and how well you want to see in the dark, and thats where it becomes expensive. 

A great "useable" night vision system is the Sightmark Wraith 4K Monocular, or the Sionyx Aurora night vision monocular which for under £1000 gives you superb performance. 

The Wraith 4K delivers 4K Ultra HD digital night vision as well as colour in daytime, and whilst not as sensitive as an image intensifer, the image quality is outstanding. 

If you need ultra high sensitivity for seeing long distances on the darkest of nights, then a Photonis AP equipped night vision goggle system from AGM will simply perform like nothing you could imagine, delivering a bright clear image without IR on all but the darkest of evenings. 

7. What about thermal...should I be considering thermal over night vision?

Thermal imaging technology has moved on in leaps and bounds over the years, and today you can purchase a basic thermal imaging monocular for a few hundreds pounds.

Whilst "most" thermal imagers do not have the capability to deliver the level of resolution of a Wraith 4K which has a 3840x2160 sensor resolution where as the very best Pulsar thermal imagers have a 640x480 sensor resolution.

What a hand held thermal imager CAN do however is pick up a heat signature of a person hiding in a bush and "detect" a person on a hill MUCH further away than a night vision device ever could.

Thermal Imagers however have to be used hand held, as with a native magnification greater than 1x you will see a magnified image of what you are looking at, so walking around with a helmet mounted device seeing things closer than they are could easily result in a trip to A&E.

Where a thermal imager such as the Pulsar Helion 2 XP50 PRO is outstanding is in difficult weather conditions, try using a night vision device with IR on a humid evening or in the rain and you will be faced with a scene like jumping to lightspeed in Star Wars...it simply cant deliver an image as the IR light is refracted from water droplets in the air.

A thermal however doesnt see "light" it sees infrared energy and even in fog, rain, sleet or snow, a thermal will allow you to view unimpeded. 

Thermal also allows you to see in cover, and a great example is below...a deer hiding in cover is virtually invisible to the naked eye, but turn on the thermal..and it glows like it is on fire!

Whatever you decide, our team of experts are on hand to discuss your requirements and select a product which suits your application, so feel free to give us a call and we can chat through what kit is available and what we think will meet your needs.