Quote:
Originally Posted by W E W tastronk
And as Anthony said above, compare apples to apples. You seem to be unwilling to admit there are different circumstances that drive these prices and you need to factor it into your purchase decision (ie risk inherent to used gen 3 such as lack of history, no warranty, etc)
These are important factors as well that inform whether or not a price is a good deal. Some people may hold different opinions than you in this regard.
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That is true and Ill agree with you, Op has though stated a budget of <3000$ which rules out both of our options, so our bickering is pointless, and as thundercactus has mentioned, waaaaaaaaay off topic.
As such ill reiterate my opinion of useful information for OP:
1) AABB pvs-14 thingy from an airsoftstore
pros:
-cheap
-works on the same principle as the ir cameras
cons:
-not a real night visiony feel, as it isnt really night vision, it could be considered digital night vision at best
-unusable outdoors if you choose to do that
-may be very crap, ive only looked through one breifly
2) used gen 2
pros:
-cheapish compared to used gen 3 and new top end photonis gen 2 (1200-2000$)
-is useable outdoors with minimal supplementary ir light (might need an ir light to see into dark shadows or to give you some brightness to make out objects on occasion on really dark nights)
-can be found in canada with relitive ease, and there is the option to buy new low/mid end gen 2 in country for around the 2500$ mark (GSCI gs-14)
cons:
-low photocathode sensitivity (darker image on moonless nights/cloud cover)
-lets be honest 2000$ for something you use for 20 minutes a month or 3 of 4 times a year is a ton of money
those are what i would consider, having owned gen 1 for 2 years I wouldnt bother with it even though it may work alright with the supplementary IR light, the AABB thingy is a bit narrow minded and I think it would only be adaquate in your exact situation, it isnt a very diverse piece of kit. the gen 2 can do a lot more things but costs significantly more.
"I have far more issue with the info Ben is saying because it seems like if some guy managed to find some cheapo gen 2's at a bargain OP would be 100% happy"
why wouldnt he be? hes playing in an indoor environment with supplementary IR, as much as everyone seems to write off low/mid end gen 2, it does produce a usable, albeit sometimes dark image, in most situations you find yourself in airsoft. Dont get me wrong, id LOVE to have gen 3, and im by no means saying that gen 2 is the best you can get for airsoft purposes, because clearly it isnt. What I am trying to get across is that you can have an enjoyable night vision experience at an airsoft game, using a lower end generation 2 tube, you dont have to drop that extra grand and a half to be satisfied if your willing to use an ir light to peer into corners or to id targets or clarify an object that is in a dim image, and for some people saving an extra 1500$ is well worth having to shine an ir light every so often, and its not like it totaly ruins your tactical advantage, there is a very good chance that someone with gen 3 has already detected you, and more then likly gen 1 doesnt have enough photocathode sensitivity to even pick up your ir light if you buy the right one.