Night Vision Equipment and Applications

• Scopes - Normally handheld or mounted on a weapon, scopes are monocular (one eye-piece). Since scopes are handheld, not worn like goggles, they are good for when you want to get a better look at a specific object and then return to normal viewing conditions.

  Photo courtesy of B.E. Meyers Company DARK INVADER Multi-purpose Pocketscope

• Goggles - While goggles can be handheld, they are most often worn on the head. Goggles are binocular (two eye-pieces) and may have a single lens or stereo lens, depending on the model. Goggles are excellent for constant viewing, such as moving around in a dark building.

  Photo courtesy of B.E. Meyers Company DARK INVADER Night-vision Goggles 4501

• Cameras - Cameras with night-vision technology can send the image to a monitor for display or to a VCR for recording. When night-vision capability is desired in a permanent location, such as on a building or as part of the equipment in a helicopter, cameras are used. Many of the newer camcorders have night vision built right in.

  Photo courtesy of B.E. Meyers Company Stealth 301 Series Day/Night Video Camera

Applications

Photo courtesy of B.E. Meyers Company This soldier is using DARK INVADER night-vision goggles.

• Military
• Law enforcement
• Hunting
• Wildlife observation
• Surveillance
• Security
• Navigation
• Hidden-object detection
• Entertainment

The original purpose of night vision was to locate enemy targets at night. It is still used extensively by the military for that purpose, as well as for navigation, surveillance and targeting. Police and security often use both thermal-imaging and image-enhancement technology, particularly for surveillance. Hunters and nature enthusiasts use NVDs to maneuver through the woods at night.

Detectives and private investigators use night vision to watch people they are assigned to track. Many businesses have permanently-mounted cameras equipped with night vision to monitor the surroundings.

A really amazing ability of thermal imaging is that it reveals whether an area has been disturbed -- it can show that the ground has been dug up to bury something, even if there is no obvious sign to the naked eye. Law enforcement has used this to discover items that have been hidden by criminals, including money, drugs and bodies. Also, recent changes to areas such as walls can be seen using thermal imaging, which has provided important clues in several cases.

Photo courtesy of B.E. Meyers Company Camcorders are a fast-growing segment of the night-vision industry.

Many people are beginning to discover the unique world that can be found after darkness falls. If you're out camping or hunting a lot, chances are that night-vision devices can be useful to you -- just be sure to get the right type for your needs.

For more information on night vision and related topics, check out the links on the next page.