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Photonis 4G+ is the highest end tube offering from Photonis. The minimum specifications are much higher than that of their ECHO and ECHO+ tubes, but they are more than twice the cost. Are they worth it? How do they stack up? Here we conducted a side by side test. For this test, we used our Hoffman ANV-126A digital NVG test set with USAF resolution chart. We used a RNVG (Ruggedized Night Vision Goggle) and used a 4G+ tube on the right side, and either a ECHO or ECHO+ tube on the left side depending on the test. This is why...

Recently Rochester Precision Optics released their 3.0 Ultralight lens system. We have been a huge fan of RPO's ultralight lens offerings for some time and we were excited to be one of the first dealers to receive a production batch of these new lenses. Though, most of these are going to an overseas contract to where they are urgently needed, so we apologize that we do not have much available for commercial sale. We have always had a goal of providing transparent information to the consumer, as the nightvision industry tends to be shrouded in secrecy and disinformation.  Weight:  Immediately,...

The important specs to look at in determining the performance levels of image intensifier tubes are mostly, sort of, consistent across manufacturers (but not really). What is meant by this is that different companies will test at different light levels or different wavelengths, but for the most part they are measured using the same units. For example, resolution will always be in line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm), signal to noise ratio will always be a numeric ratio, photocathode sensitivity will almost always be microamperes per lumen (μA/lm). Some of you may have noticed certain discrepancies on spec sheets from different companies. The...

Collimation is too complicated to explain in a blog post, so here's a video explaining it. Hopefully this will be the first of a series of informational videos regarding the technicalities behind night vision.

NNVT (North Night Vision Technology) is a company that produces image intensifier tubes from China. Recently they have entered the Western commercial market with Gen 2 White Phosphor image tubes that are based on Photonis XD4/XR5 era technology. This provides both pros and cons compared to newer ECHO technology, which will be discussed in more detail later. NNVT tubes are non gated whereas ECHO tubes are gated. ECHO tubes are rated 1600 FoM to 2000 FoM, whereas NNVT tubes are rated 1200 to 1600 FoM but generally average around 1400 FoM. For our comparison, we are using Carson lenses. Fujinon...