Armasight Prime D 3x Digital Night Vision Monocular, Black

First let me preface with this is a GENERATION 1 night vision, not a gen 3. I have used a gen 3 PVS 7 and it allows me to have a baseline for comparison. With that out of the way, this unit's image is extremely crisp and clear, allowing a very detailed, sharp image. I don't notice any fish eye effect or warping on the edges. It is a bit tricky to get into focus, requiring adjustment on the front and rear(minus 1/2 star). You are dependent on the built in IR light in low/no light to have a usable sight picture (minus 1 star). The screen is black and white, not green (digital NV). I would estimate its effective range between 15 to 25 yards. I would prefer it to be 1x, not 3x as the magnification gives a smaller field of view, especially at close range (minus 1/2 star). Overall an impressive gen 1 device for the price, just don't expect PVS 7/14 operation effectiveness, as this is more just for fun.

I have mine hooked to a portable cctv tester (Bought in amazon, picture SIGNIFICANTLY increases..HD. And solves the small view and night blindness prob.) Its like having a 1,000$ unit with addl settings. For an entry level device this is pretty good at what it does . I was more than surprised at how good can see in the dark without even needing its IR turned on. Sees past and through street lights into pitch dark things that are 100% unseen without this. For the price a person can't go wrong at all. Very very good nightvision.

I really cant expect much for the price but I was expecting just a little more. The conditions have to be just right in order to obtain a semi usable picture. Was very difficult to have focus. If its for anything but just goofing off I would highly recommend investing just a tad more.

For the price this thing is not bad. I was worried about all the bad reviews. I bought the long range ir add on and I would say without it you can't see more the 25yards, but with it works very well. The display is bright and takes a bit for your eyes to focus back to darkness. Over all very happy for the price I got it at.

I went outside tonight to try this under the best of conditions--a full, bright moon. With my naked eye, I could see the dogs run around the yard, the white rail fence, and an outline of most everything in the backyard. I turned on the monocular and pointing anywhere resulted in a bright white, blank screen--not even a glimpse of the fence line. After messing around awhile with the focus and all of the settings, the only thing that changed was that I almost couldn't see anything with my naked eye because the bright screen destroys your night vision. I went in the house and experimented some more. Using the internal illuminator, I could focus on and see things well to about 5-6 feet. However, at just 20 feet I couldn't see even a blur of my son sitting by a night light. So unless your objective is to watch your toes in the dark, this most likely isn't what you are looking for. You are much better off just using your natural night vision than trying to use this monocular.

Update 9.6.2016Well this is embarrassing, turns out the issues i had with this unit were operator error. I am man enough to admit I made a mistake. When turning either the focus or zoom rings with or without the cap I had managed to just butcher the entire process for how the unit worked. I decided one day to give it one more try because there were some positive reviews and I knew in the back of my mind that I possibly was doing something wrong.Sure enough once I got the focus dialed in this little guy was chooching along like a champ. I was then completely floored by the quality of such an inexpensive device. it was a total 180.We aren't looking at gen 4 night vision here but it is clear and powerful enough for me to see at least 75 yards into the black of the wooded area in my back yard.I guess it just goes to show that you can't really trust every review you read, even the ones that seem to be genuine.***Unusable. I do not believe the unit is defective. The most you can see at night with even the best ambient conditions is what amounts to a black screen with extremely faint signs of the darkest green. When anything does become visible it appears as a mass that is simply unrecognizable. No amount of focusing was able to bring ANY type of sight picture. I could see infinitely better in darkness unassisted, this unit was a hindrance.I purchased the unit on a lightning deal and paid significantly less than it is being advertised currently and even at a dramatically reduced price I am of the opinion that this is not worth it.***

The small display is hard to see. Using the the 2 focusing wheels it seems to be impossible to get a very clear image. Sent it back.

I am very happy with this scope. Once you get the hang of the adjustments it provides a very clear target. I couldn't be happier for the money invested.