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Its pretty much idiot proof but does take time to get used to it. I bought this night vision instrument to keep an eye on my small dogs when I let them out at night. It does the trick.
Due to this performance I tried again and ordered the same unit again. The illustration in wrong: the batteries go in the other way and a small metal piece linking the two batteries is not provided or needed in the current product.
I'm also very satisfied with purchasing a product directly from Amazon, it fact it was the factor in my selection of a night vision scope. Once I reversed the batteries the unit has worked fine and I'm quite impressed with it.
I ordered and returned an apparently defective unit. I was following the illustration in the manual for insertion of the two batteries.
Other than the problem with the user manual I would rate this a 5-star product. Amazon handled the return very efficiently and at no cost to me, and has credited my credit card for the purchase.
Again it appeared to be defective, it wouldn't turn on.
* An unexpected bonus was how fun these are for stargazing. The Bad: * The brightness of the power and IR illuminator LEDs. They're really, really, bright. In my case, a simple strip of black electrical tape solved the problem, (there's enough light leakage that I can tell if the light is on or not) but it's a ding against the design that I have to even do so in the first place.* The IR source presents a visible red light. And for what you pay for these, you get a large percentage of the expensive systems' performance.
It's good enough to clearly see the fuzziness of the Orion Nebula as compared to the sharpness of a single star, for example. I could easily see my friend pointing the monocular at me from 50' away. Image quality is great for a Gen-1 unit, and construction quality is better than expected for the price point. The image intensifier tube takes a while to bleed down all its charge, so you can actually continue to use the device for about a minute or so after you've turned it off.
Again, this is easily fixed by adding a cheap IR filter, but I shouldn't have to do so.The Ugly: * The manual is relatively thick, printed on good-quality paper, and completely & utterly useless. Out to 50' it provides enough light to be useful on the darkest nights, and eyeshine & reflective surfaces will pop out at significantly further distances. I live in a rural area on a horse ranch, bordering a few hundred acres of open space. They're located the back of the device, just to the right of the eyepiece. It tells you how to add the batteries in several languages, and that's it.
* The built-in IR illuminator is tightly focused, and throws its light well. It is possible to disturb wildlife with it. Focus using the front ring until it is as sharp as possible. I wanted an inexpensive device that would let me wildlife-watch without disturbing the scene, along with the slightly more practical coyote/stray dog check before I let my small dogs out in the evening.The Good: * For the money, this is an excellent device.
More serious users will want to look elsewhere, but they already know that.---------------------------A few hints to get the best use out of these:* Look at a bright star in the middle of the field of view. Conclusion: A solid four stars. Further focusing should be done with the front element only.* The image is only sharp within the inner 40% of the field of view, with increasing distortion the further away from the center you look. Not one mention of how to properly use the thing.---------------------------Obviously, there are better systems available, but they are priced accordingly. For hobby/home users like myself, who just wanted something to play & explore with, they're great fun without breaking the bank.
The eyes' position relative to the eyepiece makes a big difference, and you may need a little practice to get the best look.* Don't be alarmed when, after you turn off the device, it still appears to be on. This will get you your best possible image for your eyes. This isn't a bug, it's just how these things work, so don't think yours is broken. Then, while still looking at the star, rotate the eyepiece ring until the distortion is corrected.
The rubberized, water resistant covering & included carry case are nice touches. (Gen-1 optics, by their nature, suffer from pincushion and barrel distortion issues, and the light amplification provided is less than people expect off the bat; on a moonless night, Gen-1 would still be dark without an additional light source). It doesn't look like too much off-angle, but pointing directly at you, it becomes obvious. The slight magnification combined with light amplification really pulls the stars and planets out of the background.
A green power LED and a red 'your IR beam is on' LED.They will consistently flash & shine in your eyes as you use the device.
As of now its getting 3 stars because I trust Bushnell and have used many things by them and haven't been disappointed yet. I called Amazon and they sent another one out same day with over night shipping. If i can i will update my review when I get the new one. First one that i received didn't work. I called Bushnell and they where more than helpful and sent me to Amazon.
They seem to be the right combination of power and price. I've only used these glasses a few times, but they seem to do just what I want. I really haven't had to use the infrared much at all since the regular power is very good in low light that is not total darkness.
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