How to Choose the Right Night Vision Binocular?

While standard binoculars can provide magnification of 10x or higher, don’t expect this from a night vision model. This is not possible in low light conditions.

For most night vision binoculars, you can expect an optical magnification of 1 to 5 times.

This can be enhanced by variable digital magnification or scaling. Digital magnification has its place, but those who know a little about how cameras work will know that while optical magnification actually adds detail to the picture, digital magnification simply “crops” the image, bringing you closer to what is already there. As a result, the image becomes blurred or “pixelated”.

Therefore, optical magnification is something you really need to pay attention to.

For example, you will often see magnification expressed as 5×35 or 3×40. The first number is the actual magnification. The second number is the diameter of the objective lens. This is the lens that collects the light into the binoculars. If you see binoculars with WA after these numbers, for example “5×35 WA”, it means that the lens is a wide-angle lens and you can expect a wide field of view.

But in reality, if you are using binoculars at night to observe wildlife, you will probably be focusing on something relatively close to you, maybe 100-150 meters at most (think 30 meters in most cases for a long garden house), so the lack of high magnification is not really an issue.

Field of View
Field of view is the area you can see through your binoculars. This is important because a wider field of view makes it easier to spot activity and track wildlife without having to constantly move your head and binoculars.

Field of view is usually expressed in degrees or feet at 100 meters. Either way, the higher the number, the wider the area you can see.

There is a relationship between optical magnification and field of view. The greater the optical magnification, the narrower the field of view. This is a real consideration in daylight binoculars, where high magnification can be achieved, and is not an issue in night vision models where only relatively low magnification can be achieved.

Range
Range is the distance at which binoculars can detect and focus on an object.Like most things, there is a trade-off between range and price – the more you are prepared to pay, the more range you can get.But before you take out a second mortgage, think about what kind of scope you really need?Remember that for nighttime wildlife viewing, you’re not really trying to spot things from very far away. Instead, you’ll be using binoculars to get a closer, clearer view of things relatively close by.So for most people, a maximum range of 100 to 150 yards will be sufficient.Although the minimum range or “close focus” is not usually specified, it is worth paying attention to. This is the closest you can get to an object and still focus on it.This may be important if you plan to use binoculars to get close to wildlife in your garden at night. Typical close range for night vision binoculars is 10 feet, and some of our options have a close focus of only 30 cm.

Other factors to consider
In addition to the core technical specifications, there are many other features you need to consider when choosing a pair of night vision binoculars.

Size and weight
Night vision binoculars can be large and heavy. You may not mind this, but smaller, lighter binoculars may be an advantage if you plan to spend some time lifting the binoculars up to your eyes, or if you want to travel with them, or take them hiking or canoeing.

The heaviest set we reviewed here is less than a kilogram and the lightest has a little over 300 grams, so you can see there is a lot of variation.

Build quality and waterproof/weatherproof
Even if it’s just in your garden, you’ll probably be using your binoculars in the dark outdoors. It’s likely to be wet, and the darkness makes it easier to bump or drop your kit.That’s why build quality is important. Check out the product specifications and reviews in this area. Fully rubberized models are a good idea, or at least look for sturdy models with nice rubberized handles.You can get fully waterproof models and prices, which may work for you if you plan to bring binoculars for boating. Weatherproofing will be useful for all users, and this is a feature to keep in mind.

Battery Life
Most models have a battery life of at least three hours, and in many cases this is more than enough.However, if you plan to travel or camp with your binoculars, you may want to look at a longer-lasting version.From a cost perspective, it’s also worth looking at whether the pair you choose works with rechargeable batteries.

View
Although photoelectric binoculars come with traditional eyepieces, most digital models are equipped with LCD displays.The screen will display the image in black and white or conventional green (usually in color for daytime viewing.The size and resolution of the screen will affect the quality of your view. Think about the size of your phone’s screen for comparison. Just like a cell phone, a larger screen often means a larger, heavier device, so there are trade-offs to be made.

Many  binoculars now offer video and the option to still record for playback on a computer, phone or TV. In this case, the size of the built-in screen is no longer an issue.

Day and night use.
As we noted, night vision binoculars do not have the magnification capabilities of daylight models, but it is still easy to use fyynvg binoculars during the day, especially if you want to travel or camp with your binoculars and don’t want to pack two pairs.If you want to use fyynvg binoculars during the day, be sure to check that this feature is available. Exposure to bright light can damage the intensifier tube (but not the CMOS sensor), so please check before exposing the unit to light.

Manual Focusing
In addition to all the digital focus and zoom features of most of these binoculars, you should also be able to focus manually.The easiest way to do this is to use the center focus wheel. Keep an eye out for this feature.

Eye relief
Eye relief is the distance between your eye and the viewing lens that still allows you to see the entire frame.For some people who wear glasses, this can be a problem. If you regularly wear glasses for distance or near vision, they should be removed and adjusted using manual focus when using binoculars.However, if you wear glasses due to nystagmus or astigmatism, you may need to continue wearing them. In this case, it is best to choose a long eye relief of at least 11 mm.Of course, many of the models we see here use LCD screens instead of traditional eyepieces, thus making eye relief less of an issue.

Lens Coatings
Bright light sources like streetlights or the full moon can wreak havoc on night vision binoculars, reflecting off the lens and ruining image quality.Look for models with fully coated lenses to avoid this problem.

Anti-fog
This is another useful feature to keep in mind. Cold, wet night conditions can cause the lens and screen to fog up. Some models come with an anti-fog coating.This is a great feature.

Easy to use
You will be using this kit in the dark, possibly outdoors, and may see the activity of sometimes fast-moving creatures.So ease of use is essential. You don’t want to be fumbling for the right button when you see a hedgehog start mating.Look for models with a limited number of controls. Moderately sized buttons that are well spaced and easy to reach.