Night Owl iGEN 20/20 Night Vision Monocular (3X), Black

I was blown away with the image quality, brightness and features of this unit. I didn't use night vision of any kind in the military, and had only used Gen-1 a couple of times since. I did a lot of reading and while there were plenty of competing products out there, I kept coming back to this unit for the image quality and price. I watched a video on utube of the unit in action and was very disappointed. Well, having used mine for a couple of weeks now, I can tell you that there isn't a video out there that shows you the quality of this unit. I took a hunting buddy out in pouring rain and no light to look for deer. While other people were spotlighting, we were able to be total passive - not even using the built-in IR emitter. This baby really picks up whatever little bit of light is out there.Using the focus properly is critical to getting the most out of this unit. With the aperture wide open to catch the maximum amount of light, you will need to constantly refocus for any change in distance. The focus is a wide barrel area at the front the scope and moves very smoothly and easily, and that hand helps support and steady the scope nicely.The ability to change the display color is a killer feature! Everyone that has tried mine has agreed that the white display seems to show the most detail - more to do with rods in the human eye than an actual quality change. The green seems to work well and having the red to preserve your night vision is fantastic. What that blue color might be good for is a mystery to me.I very highly recommend this to anyone who wants night vision for any reason. I would buy this again in a heartbeat!

I received this item on October 13, 2008. I had previously purchased and returned a different manufacturer's night vision device that was inexpensive and worked poorly. The iGen is new technology in that it is basically a low light video camera (without recording) instead of a phosphorous tube. I tried this device last night in the backyard with a full moon. It worked great. I was able to see into very dark corners of the yard (approximately 50 ft) by using either the infrared lighting or by simply slowing down the frame rate to 10-12 FPS. These corners were so dark I could not see any detail with the naked eye. I was also able to clearly see activity about 200 yards down a street that has very little street lighting, again by slowing down the frame rate to around 20 FPS. I took it hunting with me up to very rural and isolated area in Mendocino County. While I couldn't count the points on the bucks antlers I could tell if I was looking at a buck or a doe (or a bear for that matter!) You won't be able to to identify a person in very low light at 100-200 yards but you will be able to tell a person is there and follow their movement. The menus and controls are very easy to use and very intuitive. I consider I received good value.UPDATE:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! May 2012. Still working, just used it last weekend in the woods. At night you can see if something is there, identify what it is but not get much detail beyond that. Using it at about 100 yards. Spotted one bear and two bucks skirting some meadows.

Had Igen 20/20 Night Vision Monocular for a test run last week and boy was I surprised! Surprised, in a good sense! I have purchased and returned the Yukon goggles and binoculars and been very disappointed with both. I had issues with fogginess and clarity with those two units, but not with the 20/20. If you are looking for an affordable night vision solution then buy the 20/20. I will list the pro's and cons below. Remember that pro's and con's are based on perspective and what makes something comfortable and useful to each individual. That context can change from person to person. Here ya go!Pro's:-Perfect Clarity with both digital and manual resolution and focus adjustment-3X Magnification-Easy to use after reading manual and learning the format-Works with regular old AA Batteries (4) not weird and super expensive ones (N and 123 3V)-Has a good grip for use with gloves on or without-You can change the background illumination color..Red Blue Green or White-It has a tripod mount built in to the bottom-It also has an RCA video out for external viewing and/or recording-The case that it comes in is sturdy and sleek, not bulky and impracticalCon's:-Sucks through Batteries like and alcoholic at a free drink bar at a wedding reception (I got just under 4hrs of continuous use and then reloaded 4 AA's)-This thing is heavy. If you don't find a good tripod or a way to hold it up then your arms are going to get tired, but who cares, grow up and figure it out, the reason you get the focus, clarity and image resolution is because it's made right!-Sometimes Night Vision can be touchy no matter what Generation you are using..read manual thoroughly and don't take lens cap off until you're in the dark.That's it! My first review for anything, ever! Hope this info helps!