Hey Don't Do Daylight, thank you for your great review of our Nightfox Swift! Just a few handy points, so the Swift can be used on the go whilst charging using a USB power bank (the same you might charge your phone with). A number of airsofters are very pleased to be able to mount a counter weight USB power bank at the rear of their helmets. We also have a dove tail mount called the Nightfox Click that will help mount our devices to wilcox style helmets. So you can hopefully keep a lot warmer than the head strap, as well as providing more support. thank you for your honest and fun review of our Swift, we are always looking to improve our devices and your comments are really helpful! We have some exciting new digital nvgs coming out later this year that address a lot of the issues you have covered, with greatly improved viewing quality and IR capabilities. Nightfox's aim is to produce the most economical night vision with the lowest detection possible, we have some newer units that will be able to be used with the IR off just by amplifying ambient light. Like tubes but without the pesky issues around bright lights!
I truly appreciate your comment and will “pin” it so that everyone can see! I can agree with confidence that many people enjoy your products exactly as you’ve described (many methods of which I wasn’t aware of before making this video)! I’ve said multiple times now that I wish that I had created this night vision dedicated RUclips channel back when I only had my Night Fox unit because I really do get enjoyment from it and there are many different videos that I can (and will) make in the future! It’s very exciting to hear of future developments and I’m certainly interested in them! I’d love to get my hands on them and quite a few people have recommended your Red unit. One day! Overall, this video had a light/comical overtone but I hope that I did get the message across that I really do like your products and I’m not alone in that. Thanks again and have a great day!
@@DontDoDaylight thanks for pinning our comment. We'd be more than happy to answer any questions your viewers may have on the Swift, or our other digital night vision range. We really enjoyed your review! Your humour and honesty is the sort of review we like best! We are always looking to improve our devices, so customers can have the best experience and your comments are really helpful. And we can let you (and your viewers) in on a little secret, we are looking at releasing a great little head/ helmet mounted monocular later this year, the Nightfox Prowl, it is a big step up from the Swift thanks to advances in digital night vision technology, as well as being half the price of a Sionyx device. Definitely one to watch out for! thanks again for your awesome review!
@@nightfoxnightvision That’s what I like to hear! Seriously… that’s great news! I’m very excited for the Prowl and appreciate you sharing that info! In my opinion, that is a very wise decision and exactly what many people are looking for.
@@GovernmentalMoments that's a great suggestion! Thank you for your feedback, we are currently looking in to how we can develop a dual design that takes the best elements from dual tubes but making it digital. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us and rest assured we are working on it.
I use digital night vision for pest control, the Ir illuminator doesn't stress the animals, and it's nice to not have to drop the kind of money that better stuff requires. Biggest thing that no one mentions is that any fog will just wreck your vision with an illuminator
That’s awesome to hear & thanks for sharing! One person recently commented, saying that IR lights definitely scare animals. I found that odd. I don’t know much, but I’ve watched a lot of the Night Crew coyote hunting videos and they (coyotes, at least) don’t seem to mind light at all. Hopefully I’ll be able to find out during this years night hunting season in my state. Of course, I have night vision but I’m actually more excited to hunt with visible light. Those Night Crew videos are wild! This’ll be my first experience but it’s great to hear from someone who already has experience! Digital night vision definitely does have its place. I did test my FoxPro Gunfire light with my NV on a night with heavy fog and was surprised at how well it performed. Hopefully it won’t be too foggy for night hunting! The season here is all of February and March. Time is coming!
@@DontDoDaylight there is a difference between 850nm and 940/960nm IR. Some wild boars and canines CAN see the 850nm light, but not the 940, which is farther from the visible light spectrum. I have both 850 and 940nm for the Asika NVG10 (which works fine without the IR if there is no cloud cover or a slight bit of 🌙). The 940 is sightly better in range and reflects less on rain and fog.
I agree! Not only that, but the IR lights themselves do glow a faint red color (when viewed head-on). It’s probably getting a bit into the weeds to make this argument, but maybe one use of cheap/digital “night vision” could be for when you suspect someone nearby may be using night vision/IR themselves. These cheap devices could pick someone else’s IR up just the same as a flashlight (and without using it’s own IR). That’s a pretty extreme scenario of course, but your comment made me think of that. I’ll stick with the PVS-14, but if I had to choose (in an extremely specific SHTF situation) between navigating with an IR light or visible white flashlight, I just may choose the IR light for imperfect stealth that is still “better” (maybe) than white light. Thanks for the input!
@@heyarno Another great point! Now that you mention it, I’m realizing that I haven’t ever used the cheaper night vision in an area that I’m unfamiliar with. That’s a great point.
@@heyarno with something like sionyx cameras, you can easily see way beyond 100 yards with a good ir setup. But you would also look like someone using white light in nods, so anyone who can see ir, will see you.
@@771Maxim It's a border case towards passive. I have not yet seen tests with the new opsin. Though the cost would be on par with tube based passive units. Passive performance that allows to discern between the night sky and a tree line, is available for low money though, so the tested device performs needlessly poor.
I've used a PVS-14 in the army and I bought these exact Amazon ones. It's hard to compare them - if, in absolutely ANY tactical situation at all, there's no shot of the Nightfoxes being able to keep up. That being said - with a couple modifications to the Nightfoxes, by attaching a 120° small lens for phone cameras, and using an additional IR light, it works pretty damn well for $200. The FOV almost feels wider than the PVS-14's. I feel comfortable hiking in them and sometimes looking for coyotes. Also - they use a standard GoPro mount, so you can pretty easily attach them to a helmet with an adapter. You hit the mark on this review, it's not a truly serious system for "tactical" or "field" use. But, if you just wanna go for hikes at night and see wildlife, these are great.
Thanks for everything! I believe you nailed it. Not only that, but I had no idea about the lens mod and GoPro mount! Holy smokes. Just like you said, combining that with an IR light would definitely be worthwhile. I appreciate you bringing that up! I may just be inspired enough to give that a try and do more research about how people mod the night fox. Have a great day! Edit: Just to be clear, I also find it totally acceptable to navigate with the Night Fox! The part of this video where I struggle with it was strictly due to crossing the water and for “comedic” value.
It's pretty easy to take the IR filter out of a $30 dashcam and clip it onto the bill of a baseball cap. Add a $12 Amazon IR light and you've got a decent digital setup for 1/4 the cost.
That’s really interesting and not something that I’ve heard of before. I even have a dash camera and haven’t thought of it like that! Dang. Thanks for sharing that.
Yeah… even the small amount of research I’ve done has gone a bit over my head, but I have heard people say it. I’ve looked for more info (specifically about the SiOnyx products) and found some attempts at explaining their technology. The best I’ve found is describing their “black silicon chip”, which they describe as having a goal to “go beyond simply absorbing all the light, to actually converting those absorbed photons into useful electrons”. I don’t know what that even means, but it doesn’t sound like multiplying photons. Apparently it’s not new technology, either. I wasn’t aware that SiOnyx announced a $19.9-million deal with the US Army to deliver their cameras with this black silicon chip thing. “These will be part of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program, which provides individual soldiers with head, body, and weapon technologies. The army is eager to gain a combat advantage by improving low-light detection of people at a distance of 150 meters. The contract, which was awarded through the army's specialist Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate (NVESD), calls for SiOnyx to deliver low-light camera modules within two years”. That was in 2019. I wonder how that went. Either way, I’m learning. I’ve seen more footage now of the OPSIN than I was aware of at the time I made this video. It doesn’t hold up to analog whatsoever, at the end of the day. I’m sure it has its uses and I’m definitely going to pay attention to it (the technology in general), though.
@@Globalscanningeyes That’s a great video & thanks for sharing it! I actually saw that video a few days ago. Glad to see more footage coming out from the OPSIN! Being that my first dealing with “night vision” was the Night Fox Swift, I find the OPSIN (or Aurora for that matter) to be impressive. A good tool for specific applications, at the very least.
@@DontDoDaylight i was'nt exactly trying to show that to you,as you already mentioned but good to know,as for the opsin its impressive but its around gen 2 level resolution for almost the same price as a pvs-14,the one thing good about it is comes with a battery pack and an coming update which would improve performance but that will depend on its sales,hopefully it does well and nvgs can get as cheap as ordinary cameras.
@@DontDoDaylight "Around gen2 level multiplication" lol this is bad information. A decent gen2 will vastly outperform any digital unit. The digital fan boys are out there in numbers in the comments section. Its hilarious.
There is no comparison here except the price. For people who want to get into night vision or just see at night and do not have $5000+ Nightfox is great. I own the Cape which has a gopro mount and 1x zoom for $200. With an extra IR light on my helmet, it isn't 3rd gen but it is better than nothing in most cases. If you ever find yourself fighting people with night vision you should probably reconsider what you are doing anyway.
@@killdizzle If you catch good sales and hunt, maybe, but $2800 is still completely unrealistic for most people. And when it comes to preparedness, that kind of money is best spent on other items. I am not against it, gen 3 night vision is epic, it just is not realistic or a priority often times.
@@killdizzle Honestly when it comes to preparedness and defense/surveillance, I would prefer thermals anyway. You can get a good thermal monocular for less than $800.
As someone who recently got their first NV setup (nothing crazy just a TNVC L3 thin filmed GP PVS14 with a Wilcox G24 mount on an Opscore ballistic helmet) I think thermal is the superior tool and that’s what I want now. This digital stuff like you said isn’t for a tactical or battle ready type tool but it’s still better than nothing. I’ve heard you can attach GoPro mounts to these things as well. I have no experience with them but for someone who is on a tight budget and wants to see in the dark it’s gotta be better than keeping a white light on I would imagine. Not ideal by any means but still would help some I’d think. Obviously there’s no such thing as “cheap” night vision but I got my PVS14 used from a guy on ARFcom for 2k with high specs and no blems. Not WP but I bought a Low Light Innovations purple lens that makes it look like WP. It’s definitely like a cheat code in a video game against those who don’t have NV especially when you have a IR laser and illuminator. Like you said it does get lonely cause I don’t have any friends to play with in the dark😂 Edit: for fear of damaging the tube do the DIY butler creek flip cap and iris. You can get everything you need on Amazon for under 40 bucks and have not only ultimate protection but also the adjustable iris helps when you need to do admin, first aid or anything else up close. Close the iris to a pin hole and it makes your hand in front of you clear. Then open it up to see out far again. Mine has a knob on the side where I can adjust with the flip of a finger. Matbock makes a nice one but it’s a lot kore expensive and when I could get it all for 30 something bucks I went that route
I appreciate this comment so much! It wasn’t more than maybe 5 days ago that I learned about the concept of a tarsier iris and I was instantly interested. The Butler Creek option seems fantastic and of course the Matbock is great but I went with something that I will hopefully find to be somewhat in between (for slightly less than $70). Here is the link to a video that pretty much shows what I got (though it's not exactly what he links to in the description, I essentially ordered the same 2 products will be arriving this weekend). ruclips.net/video/UF_yb1XhbQ8/видео.html If I hadn’t learned of the adjustable iris earlier, you would have been the first to bring it to my attention. I will say though that I saw Matbock reply to a comment on his video, saying that it’s not actually recommended to use as a daytime cap because the hole is a bit larger. He recommends removing them for storage and during the day, at least. Not like it’s a hassle to do that but I just may trust his word with that advice. Sounds like you have a great setup and I have also been looking at the Infiray T2 Pro Thermal for my phone. It’s super cheap yet seems to be nice to test/play around with, potentially (especially as someone who doesn’t have any thermal). I hear people say that it’s easier to navigate at night with night vision as well as target ID if that’s your thing but beyond that I think the consensus is that thermal is pretty much better. Quite a few people have mentioned to me how they mod their cheap digital night vision like the Night Fox units and honestly I’m impressed nearly to the point of wanting to do it myself one day!
Its great to hear they are calming down on price somewhat Thermal is a powerful and cost effective measure tho only problem is, Its not detailed like a night vision tube! I swear ya cant win when it comes to night time wins on a budget But really im impressed you found that sweet deal for only 2k! congrats
Problem with thermal is that you cant use it to drive your car in the night like you can do with a nvd. And aiming is harder aswell since there are no laser that thermal can pick up. I run a pvs14 and a handheld thermal. With that setup I can spot threats using the thermal and the nvd for navigating or targeting if needed.
I’ll be recording commentary for my next video, here in a few minutes! I consider your comment as good luck and I appreciate it! Have a great day and I’m glad that you could gain some from this work.
Though it doesn’t really show on camera (and I can’t notice it unless I’m specifically looking), my tube definitely has TINY black spots in it. They’re essentially invisible unless I’m being “that guy”, standing in front of a white wall and focusing specifically on looking for tiny black spots. I’m under the impression that a tube can be marked as “spot-free” even if it has spots, so long as they’re smaller than .003 or something like that. They’re far from being the end of the world and I’m very satisfied with mine. I’ll admit, though, that I have a healthy fear of bright light (maybe too much fear). I’m trying to learn more and not let it deter me from using them how I like! I bought a budget aiming device (the Holosun LS321), for example, and have hardly used it yet because I fear that the laser/illuminator may damage the tube. I know that the chances of that are extremely small and it requires being pretty irresponsible, though.
It is! I must admit that I was a bit shocked to see that through the PVS-14 perspective because I feel like I don’t get that impression while actively wearing the Swift. It takes all that illumination just to be able to see a little bit with the Swift, so it almost doesn’t seem like it would be putting that much out!
If you can try the nightfoxx red... Yes they are about $100 more but they have a 45 degree instead of 30, they also use 940 ir, and have a higher res of screen
Man… that really does sound convincing, especially considering how much I like the Swift! If I could pick 2 digital units to test right now, I’d love to get my hands on the Red and the OPSIN. One day! Thanks for the comment. A lot of people have brought the Red to my attention and it’s great to see!
I have a nightfox corsac and red. The corsac is amazing with just ambient light and no ir but no head mount capability. The red is also amazing. If they built it like the corsac with no need for the ir, it would be even more amazing. Not everyone has ir so aslong as you use it wisely you'll always have the advantage. Nice video
Awesome and thanks for the comment! You aren’t alone in enjoying those units. For what it’s worth, someone from Night Fox contacted me recently and informed me of a head-mounted monocular that will be released soon! Have a good one.
I own the same night vision. For another 60 bucks you can mount it to a airsoft helmet that fits better. But it's still functions. I've navigated lots of things with just that night vision. Even past the obstacle course set up for me.
That’s awesome and I’m glad that you shared. Quite a few people now have let me know that these units can be modified to really punch above their price-point at times. That’s awesome and I encourage the tinkering/modifying! Maybe one day I’ll do some myself.
This is what I was wondering about. Just looking for something to use in the house if something goes bump in the night. Don’t need anything for combat situations.
If you've used or even looked through any gen 3 nv devices before it's really hard to even logically justify buying anything else lower than that. A lot of people did mental gymnastics around it and decided they would rather eat top ramen for a year or go through payments just to get a pvs7 or 14. When I got my pvs14, I've never looked back. But I could see why if I would've buy a cheap gen1 equivalent nv it'd be because I have $ to waste or simply just want to use it, not for fun, but for the sake of making life harder...well maybe for fun 😄.
It’s funny because I’ve actually had this cheap digital night vision for a while and though I have used it more than a few times, it’s done a whole lot of sitting around/doing nothing until recently. I’m actually shocked at how much of a good time I can have with it, especially running it as a comparison to the PVS-14 and switching between them for different tests. I feel like I should have started this channel a long time ago when I only had the cheap unit! Oh well, haha. At the very least, I think both of these setups have their respective places.
You’re right & thanks for sharing. I was just poking fun for the sake of fun at the IR0 setting. I was actually impressed when I used it in real-life with the FoxPro Gunfire light. Was able to see across a large pond even though it was a foggy night!
I have a Nightfox Swift on a PSGT helmet with an IR on my rail. With 1x to 7 zoom I believe, and the ability to turn the Swift IR off it's a lot better than not seeing in the dark. I'll definitely upgrade asap of course, but it's not a bad intermediate for poors.
That’s awesome! I have a PSGT and until recently had no idea that people were attaching the NightFox products to them. I think it’s really cool and I’m sure I’ll get to that in the future! I absolutely agree that the NightFox has its place. Some of this video was just for comedic purposes! Good on ya for looking into the future and seeing yourself with an upgrade!
If you had your tubes built by Steele you might want to look them over. They drag that man's name through the mud in the NVG groups. I've seen some pretty shotty work.
I appreciate the heads-up. I’m under the impression that they assemble all of the units that they send out. That may not be true but if it is then my unit was definitely built by them. I’ve heard similar reports. In all honesty, I don’t YET have the proper tools (or really the confidence/knowledge) to inspect the internals. I probably will, one day. Is there anything specifically that I could check for or look out for in the future which would indicate an issue with the internals (even without accessing the internals)? My basic knowledge at the moment says “everything works and I can see very well, so everything must be fine”. I probably wouldn’t notice anything unless the image itself started becoming distorted or a function like gain, IR illuminator, focus, or autogating stopped working. I’ve obviously heard plenty of great experiences from them which is why I was willing to purchase but I’m open to the idea of there being potential issues. Everything is seemingly perfect with my experience thus far.
I have found that digital is great for spotting other IR at night as well as its really good for critter control. I have defended my chickens very well using a nightfox swift and a sightmark wraith.
I absolutely believe that the Night Fox has its place. I will say, though, that a lot of people have brought to my attention the existence of the Night Fox Red. That is supposed to be an improved unit, similar to the one in this video. Pretty exciting, if you ask me! I had the unit in this video for a solid year before I upgraded to the PVS-14 and it served me well. As long as you have reasonable expectations (and it sounds like you do), my opinion is that you’d be satisfied!
I mean not to point out the obvious but the US military is currently working on digital hybrid systems of night vision and thermal…. with Microsoft being one of the big companies pushing it so there will be advances in that
i remember when i was a kid almost 10 to 14 years ago, i got a toy nv for kids for 78 or almost 100 usd, and it was able to just barely see the other end of our 5 or 4 and a half acer property faintly with ir so cheap you could kinda just see it like a camera with a red power light. but it was a small glow and could see almost acros the field so i was obsessed ever since. goot to know i can get some different kinds nowadays for less than 1k
That’s awesome! Seriously… that’s a cool memory to have and share. The closest I have to that is remembering the night vision toys that I always wanted to try but I don’t think I ever ended up getting my hands on. They were always marketed to kids as spy toys and were probably similar in quality to what you’re talking about (possibly less quality). To be fair, I didn’t have access to nice land at the time but I would’ve found some fields to try it out! I think that cheaper night vision definitely has a place in the world and what you just described is definitely another reason why that’s true.
I use digitals like that because when building out my first helmet I couldn’t afford real night vision. With GoPro mounts to mount it on my helmet (heavily modified pasgt) the night fox worked well especially because I had an extra battery mounted on the back of the helmet so i could charge while using it but I have to say i would take even the cheapest non digital over it any day XD
I’m jealous of your PASGT! That sounds awesome. For a while, I have owned both a PASGT and the Night Fox but never thought that it would be within reason to somehow attach the two. Very cool! The extra battery is a great improvement, too! Thanks for sharing.
Now that I think about it, the active nightvision is good for checking the IR camo grade of clothing and gear in a dark room. A expensive setup would be a waste for such a simple task. I modified a dashcam for such tasks where I don't want to take out a proper unit. It did cost me about 35$ and some time to make a monocular unit from the dashcam. It's great to play around with and see how friends use it. I commonly notice that they ignore instructions like not looking towards bright lights, they just do a 360° pan. Which lead me to keep better units in my hand while I let amateurs have a look.
You can put a battery pack at the back and run power from that pack.. you can mount a GoPro mount on any helmet so you can use it that way.. what i found is that a lot of reviews with People Who have a dedicate pot of money for gear talk down on budget stuff.
Oh, yeah… I’ve seen that even just between people who run dual tubes VS. the “poors” who only have one tube, the people who have clip-on thermal devices VS. those who don’t, etc… it’s nuts! I’ve said it before, that I actually wish that I had started this channel back when I only had the Night Fox device! I have a lot of catching up to do, when I could have been having a great time with it this whole time. I’ve heard a ton of people tell me about how they modify these units to make them better/customized and that rocks!
Hey! If you watch my Steele Industries video, I give tube specs in there. If I knew off the top of my head (or if I were home right now to check my paperwork), I’d tell you here. I just don’t have access to that info at the moment but I know it’s in the Steele video.
HAH! There’s a guy at work who talk so much about cryptids and got me listening to Dogman Encounters Radio sometimes when I’m driving out to the woods, as well as Missing 411 stuff. I feel like I’d rather have thermal but who knows haha! Meth heads lol I hear ya there too
I'd say we are still AT LEAST 10 years away from having Digital NV that rivals Analog tubes. Maybe even longer. Even still though Digital NV will still suck without having an IR torch to provide enough IR light to make the unit useful.
@@Rico11b have you ever tried analogue in complete darkness. Any night vision device is going to require some type of light. Night vision works by amplifying the available light in a given area.
@Erik Eggers No shit, really?.... unless you're a combat veteran too, I'm sure I've worn NV more than you have. I think I have a very solid understanding of how they work. In the darkest of situations without an IR source, analog tubes still kick the shit out of digital nv. That won't change for many years to come. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so. Besides, if digital NV prices become the same as analog tubes, what's the point? I'm not buying them over analog tubes.
@@Rico11b you told me to compare them in complete darkness, which I think is pointless. I never said the Opsin is better than analog. I do think it’s a viable option for some people because of the features it offers. Digital will only continue to get better.
i have a couple of the night fox units and you can buy an aftermarket rhino mount for the go pro, that way the night fox can be mounted on a tactical helmet and it uses the go pro mounting hard ware in combination with the helmet mount plate that is just like the mounting base for pvs-14's. There is also a night fox model that takes batteries though i believe it takes 3 AAA batteries it also has a slot for a mini SD card so you can record while using it, i always carry extra batteries for it. i keep the unit with a three hour life in my truck as i can charge it with the cigarette lighter charger adapter.
Crazy how much of a torch the IR light is. I’d say that almost completely ruins any tactical hide and seek advantage if the other person is using analog night vision.
It would be a better product if the internal processor focused on the frames per second at least 120fps , it should have no recording or microphones built in to add lag to the hardware on board. It might also be possible to tune the Ir wavelength to be invisible to 3rd gen tech in theory. There's no reason why someone couldn't build the electronics that could be capable of getting right under or getting even with military capable nods. However the reason why this tech isn't being put in the RnD is the concept of overmatch.
these units also work with an IR rifle mounted targeting laser. though i will have to admit that targeting laser should not be the 50$ amazon version. as it doesn't hold a zero very well. I did find one in the 150? range that does work very good but that was just luck as it is still a Chinese knock off. I also found that many of the advertisements for IR lasers on amazon aren't exactly what they say they are so buyer beware.
Awesome info that you’ve provided! The main Chinese knockoff IR laser/illuminators that I keep hearing about are from SomoGear. You may or may not be interested in their products, I just keep hearing about them. Apparently, they’re essentially a full-power laser that can last for some time if you get a good one. Thanks again for the info!
I don’t think that sounds dumb. I have certainly seen a TON of shooting stars with the PVS-14. I used to think that shooting stars were rare, then I started using night vision and they’re everywhere! Satellites, too. Satellites are especially cool while using a telescope! I’ve never seen a “UFO”, but I guarantee that anything up in the night sky would much more easily be seen with quality night vision. If that is out of your budget, I’d rather go with a less-costly telescope or even binoculars to look at the sky. The Night Fox Swift just doesn’t have the ability to view the night sky in great detail, unfortunately.
If you google “Nite-Walker Night Vision Specifications for Dummies 101”, it will bring up the main resource that I used when hand-selecting my tube from Steele. It scores pretty well, relative to what is recommended. For example, it has a rating of 33.2 SNR, 2,124.8 FOM, Halo of 0.71, 1,987 photocathode sensitivity, 64 resolution, and 2.01 EBI. The only thing that I really questioned was the EBI rating but after using the unit and performing more research, I’ve come to the conclusion that a 2.01 EBI is totally acceptable. Thanks for the comment!
Many of them are green! I’d bet that the vast majority of people think of a green view, when imagining a view through night vision. My specific unit is white phosphor, though. The camera doesn’t always pick the color up exactly right but it looks kind of like a white/blue shade. I may make a video one day about the differences between green and white phosphor!
@@DontDoDaylight yeah I was a lil confused. Didn’t know they came in a different color. All the ones I’ve seen were green that’s why lol. But now I use PVS-31s
Disclamer, the stuff i was issued is used and abused to high hell, but i personally dont even like the pvs 14, when i was in training we did a patrol with pvs 14s and out of 34 of us, i was one of eight who made it to the end due to a cloudy night, just seems fickle to me
I really appreciate the input! I feel like I’ve used my specific unit during some pretty dark/foggy nights and was impressed but I definitely wasn’t doing anything as intense as what you were up to. I need to get more time under mine regardless but I’d defiantly say that I’m happy with it. That could come from lack of experience, though. I don’t know. I read plenty of comments saying that they’re no good without noon and especially in foggy conditions. The first time I ever took the unit out, it was very foggy and no moon whatsoever. Clear sky otherwise, though. I didn’t expect to see anything (based off of the comments that I heard) but I could see very well. I’m basically basing my response off of that and a number of other times when I thought “I probably won’t be able to see anything” and then I turn the unit on and am pretty delighted with the image. I probably do baby my unit compared to yours lol
I have one of them it's more for a shtf situation. I have out fitted it to my wilcox from a 3d printed adapter and with a helmet. Edit: I have a different model than this
You aren’t the first person to disclose to me that these units can be modified/adapted like that. It really peaks my interest and I’m glad to hear that’s going on! Maybe one day I’ll give it a shot. Thanks for the comment!
The Night Fox Swift is absolutely usable. Just to be clear, I think it’s important to distinguish between field-of-view and screen size. A larger screen doesn’t mean that you can see any more than a smaller screen, of course. It would be like viewing a video on a phone VS. watching the same video on a big TV. It’s the same video regardless and what you actually see doesn’t change. In fact, a larger screen can be problematic because generally you’d want the image quality to increase along with the screen increasing in size (or else the image can actually look worse than it would on a smaller screen). I think the Night Fox Swift found a sweet-spot. I wouldn’t want a larger screen unless the quality increased and I also wouldn’t really care to have a larger housing on my head, so they’d have to find a way to fit the larger screen in the same housing. As long as that is understood, I’d say that the field-of-view is small just like any other night vision device. You can basically hold your arms straight out in front of you and that width is essentially your field-of-view. You get used to it. I’ve used the Night Fox Swift quite a bit and am totally comfortable walking through woods with it. With night vision in general, you basically find yourself moving your head to look around (VS. scanning with your eyes like you normally do) and the Swift is no exception. The screen itself is definitely a descent size, though.
I suppose tactically, it’s basically an illuminator that you can use to disorient and identify the enemy, but that’s in a confrontation with someone who already has NVG’s that don’t emit light. Otherwise, you would look like a complete fool from afar when they can see you from literal miles away
In that situation, I’d pretty much agree with what you laid out. It’s definitely more beneficial when you consider that most people don’t have access to night vision, though! Against people who do have NV, the situation you presented may even be a best-case scenario, in my opinion. I say that because most modern NV won’t even be disoriented or “blinded” (if that’s what you meant) by illumination. The image may get darker due to the auto-gating but that will essentially be it and probably for a very short duration (by my understanding). When I think of a serious role for the cheaper digital NV, I wouldn’t personally go further than using it to maybe collect water from a stream after an emergency. It would allow the user to navigate to the stream and perform a simple task such as collecting water while having a pretty low signature to any average person who may have otherwise seen/bothered you if you were using white light. Kinetic Consulting has a great video on “night vision light sensitivity” where he does demonstrate a flashlight shining directly at a night vision unit. It’s worth watching! I think I get what you’re saying though and yes I have to agree.
Here ya go! Nightfox Swift Night Vision Goggles | Head Mount and 1x Magnification | Rechargeable | Digital Infrared | 75yd Range a.co/d/dUXIc3s Night Fighter Package steeleindustries.com/product/steele-industries-night-fighter-package-pvs-14-2/
Good video but unfortunately they have an IR embedded into it. PVS 14 detects IR light and it will light up like a Christmas tree as you know. I rather save my money and get a PVS 14. But sounds like a good brand 👍
Holy smokes, man! Your video on how to use the PVS-14 is one that gave me the confidence to purchase in the first place! I think that I left a comment on your vid but it may have been while I was logged into a different account. Thanks so much for that and I’ve also seen your other ones. Anyway, I agree with what you say here!
@@DontDoDaylight awesome some people need an alternative on a lower budget unfortunately. Another note I had my pvs 14 serviced It would not turn on. It ended up being a wire on the back of the motherboard that needed to be soldered should have it by mid next week keep up the videos 👍
@@AnonyMous-jf4lc you can find Russian elena tube based gen 1 devices for about that much, I have the firefield nightfall which is exactly that and cost me 136 bucks in LNIB condition
@@bushwhackedonvhs you won’t touch a useable gen 3 tube device for anything under 2k, and that cheap tube will have a lot of blems and poor specs. I saved money on my gen 3 14’s by getting a tube with a blem. It’s by the edge and I forget it’s there until I have to focus on that one tiny area.
You pump enough IR illumination into the environment, as they do here, and almost any night vision device "looks great man." Don't be fooled. It's (a little) better than nothing, but this is a toy.
Now I’m not saying the Amazon nods are better, but don’t lie dude 14s are absolute trash single tubes are dumb. You basically have to look cross eyed to see thru it. The. When u can look thru it the focus is so bad that you can’t see thru the woods anyways
@@DontDoDaylight I stand in my yard at night drinking beer with them! Lol I was considering the ones you're featuring in this video then I saw the 7s. Game was over then.
No thanks. If i was going to get night vision gear i would spend the money and be done with it. Its like rifle scopes-your better off spending the extra money on good quality glass than compromise on a cheap made in china scope. You get what you pay for when it comes to optics.
Hey Don't Do Daylight, thank you for your great review of our Nightfox Swift! Just a few handy points, so the Swift can be used on the go whilst charging using a USB power bank (the same you might charge your phone with). A number of airsofters are very pleased to be able to mount a counter weight USB power bank at the rear of their helmets. We also have a dove tail mount called the Nightfox Click that will help mount our devices to wilcox style helmets. So you can hopefully keep a lot warmer than the head strap, as well as providing more support. thank you for your honest and fun review of our Swift, we are always looking to improve our devices and your comments are really helpful! We have some exciting new digital nvgs coming out later this year that address a lot of the issues you have covered, with greatly improved viewing quality and IR capabilities. Nightfox's aim is to produce the most economical night vision with the lowest detection possible, we have some newer units that will be able to be used with the IR off just by amplifying ambient light. Like tubes but without the pesky issues around bright lights!
I truly appreciate your comment and will “pin” it so that everyone can see! I can agree with confidence that many people enjoy your products exactly as you’ve described (many methods of which I wasn’t aware of before making this video)! I’ve said multiple times now that I wish that I had created this night vision dedicated RUclips channel back when I only had my Night Fox unit because I really do get enjoyment from it and there are many different videos that I can (and will) make in the future! It’s very exciting to hear of future developments and I’m certainly interested in them! I’d love to get my hands on them and quite a few people have recommended your Red unit. One day! Overall, this video had a light/comical overtone but I hope that I did get the message across that I really do like your products and I’m not alone in that. Thanks again and have a great day!
@@DontDoDaylight thanks for pinning our comment. We'd be more than happy to answer any questions your viewers may have on the Swift, or our other digital night vision range. We really enjoyed your review! Your humour and honesty is the sort of review we like best! We are always looking to improve our devices, so customers can have the best experience and your comments are really helpful. And we can let you (and your viewers) in on a little secret, we are looking at releasing a great little head/ helmet mounted monocular later this year, the Nightfox Prowl, it is a big step up from the Swift thanks to advances in digital night vision technology, as well as being half the price of a Sionyx device. Definitely one to watch out for! thanks again for your awesome review!
@@nightfoxnightvision That’s what I like to hear! Seriously… that’s great news! I’m very excited for the Prowl and appreciate you sharing that info! In my opinion, that is a very wise decision and exactly what many people are looking for.
Nightfox, I got a suggestion, do some lightweight type DNVGs that take a design aspect from the PVS-14s and or PVS-31s.
@@GovernmentalMoments that's a great suggestion! Thank you for your feedback, we are currently looking in to how we can develop a dual design that takes the best elements from dual tubes but making it digital. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us and rest assured we are working on it.
I use digital night vision for pest control, the Ir illuminator doesn't stress the animals, and it's nice to not have to drop the kind of money that better stuff requires.
Biggest thing that no one mentions is that any fog will just wreck your vision with an illuminator
That’s awesome to hear & thanks for sharing! One person recently commented, saying that IR lights definitely scare animals. I found that odd. I don’t know much, but I’ve watched a lot of the Night Crew coyote hunting videos and they (coyotes, at least) don’t seem to mind light at all. Hopefully I’ll be able to find out during this years night hunting season in my state. Of course, I have night vision but I’m actually more excited to hunt with visible light. Those Night Crew videos are wild! This’ll be my first experience but it’s great to hear from someone who already has experience! Digital night vision definitely does have its place. I did test my FoxPro Gunfire light with my NV on a night with heavy fog and was surprised at how well it performed. Hopefully it won’t be too foggy for night hunting! The season here is all of February and March. Time is coming!
@@DontDoDaylight there is a difference between 850nm and 940/960nm IR. Some wild boars and canines CAN see the 850nm light, but not the 940, which is farther from the visible light spectrum.
I have both 850 and 940nm for the Asika NVG10 (which works fine without the IR if there is no cloud cover or a slight bit of 🌙). The 940 is sightly better in range and reflects less on rain and fog.
I prefer passive NVG rather than the ones that require IR just to see at night.... In a SHTF situation, having an IR turn on could be dangerous.
I agree! Not only that, but the IR lights themselves do glow a faint red color (when viewed head-on). It’s probably getting a bit into the weeds to make this argument, but maybe one use of cheap/digital “night vision” could be for when you suspect someone nearby may be using night vision/IR themselves. These cheap devices could pick someone else’s IR up just the same as a flashlight (and without using it’s own IR). That’s a pretty extreme scenario of course, but your comment made me think of that. I’ll stick with the PVS-14, but if I had to choose (in an extremely specific SHTF situation) between navigating with an IR light or visible white flashlight, I just may choose the IR light for imperfect stealth that is still “better” (maybe) than white light. Thanks for the input!
Besides, the world just ends where the beam ends.
So you can very quickly become disoriented.
@@heyarno Another great point! Now that you mention it, I’m realizing that I haven’t ever used the cheaper night vision in an area that I’m unfamiliar with. That’s a great point.
@@heyarno with something like sionyx cameras, you can easily see way beyond 100 yards with a good ir setup. But you would also look like someone using white light in nods, so anyone who can see ir, will see you.
@@771Maxim It's a border case towards passive. I have not yet seen tests with the new opsin. Though the cost would be on par with tube based passive units. Passive performance that allows to discern between the night sky and a tree line, is available for low money though, so the tested device performs needlessly poor.
I've used a PVS-14 in the army and I bought these exact Amazon ones. It's hard to compare them - if, in absolutely ANY tactical situation at all, there's no shot of the Nightfoxes being able to keep up. That being said - with a couple modifications to the Nightfoxes, by attaching a 120° small lens for phone cameras, and using an additional IR light, it works pretty damn well for $200. The FOV almost feels wider than the PVS-14's. I feel comfortable hiking in them and sometimes looking for coyotes. Also - they use a standard GoPro mount, so you can pretty easily attach them to a helmet with an adapter.
You hit the mark on this review, it's not a truly serious system for "tactical" or "field" use. But, if you just wanna go for hikes at night and see wildlife, these are great.
Thanks for everything! I believe you nailed it. Not only that, but I had no idea about the lens mod and GoPro mount! Holy smokes. Just like you said, combining that with an IR light would definitely be worthwhile. I appreciate you bringing that up! I may just be inspired enough to give that a try and do more research about how people mod the night fox. Have a great day!
Edit: Just to be clear, I also find it totally acceptable to navigate with the Night Fox! The part of this video where I struggle with it was strictly due to crossing the water and for “comedic” value.
able to please post an amazon link to the lens/instructions on install?
I second what Lima said
I third what Lima said
Hi. Is possible to use this NV for shooting.. Pls suggest
It's pretty easy to take the IR filter out of a $30 dashcam and clip it onto the bill of a baseball cap. Add a $12 Amazon IR light and you've got a decent digital setup for 1/4 the cost.
That’s really interesting and not something that I’ve heard of before. I even have a dash camera and haven’t thought of it like that! Dang. Thanks for sharing that.
...are you a wizard?!
@@conductorcammon Nah, I'm just one of the poors!
What brand of dashcam would you recommend? I want to try this.
People who say digital will be the future have a lack of fundamental knowledge. Come back to me when digital can multiply photons.
Yeah… even the small amount of research I’ve done has gone a bit over my head, but I have heard people say it. I’ve looked for more info (specifically about the SiOnyx products) and found some attempts at explaining their technology. The best I’ve found is describing their “black silicon chip”, which they describe as having a goal to “go beyond simply absorbing all the light, to actually converting those absorbed photons into useful electrons”. I don’t know what that even means, but it doesn’t sound like multiplying photons. Apparently it’s not new technology, either. I wasn’t aware that SiOnyx announced a $19.9-million deal with the US Army to deliver their cameras with this black silicon chip thing. “These will be part of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program, which provides individual soldiers with head, body, and weapon technologies. The army is eager to gain a combat advantage by improving low-light detection of people at a distance of 150 meters. The contract, which was awarded through the army's specialist Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate (NVESD), calls for SiOnyx to deliver low-light camera modules within two years”. That was in 2019. I wonder how that went. Either way, I’m learning. I’ve seen more footage now of the OPSIN than I was aware of at the time I made this video. It doesn’t hold up to analog whatsoever, at the end of the day. I’m sure it has its uses and I’m definitely going to pay attention to it (the technology in general), though.
there's the sionyx opsin,but its around gen2 level multiplication
ruclips.net/video/mPCgbjjL2To/видео.html
@@Globalscanningeyes That’s a great video & thanks for sharing it! I actually saw that video a few days ago. Glad to see more footage coming out from the OPSIN! Being that my first dealing with “night vision” was the Night Fox Swift, I find the OPSIN (or Aurora for that matter) to be impressive. A good tool for specific applications, at the very least.
@@DontDoDaylight i was'nt exactly trying to show that to you,as you already mentioned but good to know,as for the opsin its impressive but its around gen 2 level resolution for almost the same price as a pvs-14,the one thing good about it is comes with a battery pack and an coming update which would improve performance but that will depend on its sales,hopefully it does well and nvgs can get as cheap as ordinary cameras.
@@DontDoDaylight "Around gen2 level multiplication"
lol this is bad information. A decent gen2 will vastly outperform any digital unit. The digital fan boys are out there in numbers in the comments section. Its hilarious.
There is no comparison here except the price. For people who want to get into night vision or just see at night and do not have $5000+ Nightfox is great. I own the Cape which has a gopro mount and 1x zoom for $200. With an extra IR light on my helmet, it isn't 3rd gen but it is better than nothing in most cases. If you ever find yourself fighting people with night vision you should probably reconsider what you are doing anyway.
So tru tho😂
@@killdizzle If you catch good sales and hunt, maybe, but $2800 is still completely unrealistic for most people. And when it comes to preparedness, that kind of money is best spent on other items. I am not against it, gen 3 night vision is epic, it just is not realistic or a priority often times.
@@killdizzle Honestly when it comes to preparedness and defense/surveillance, I would prefer thermals anyway. You can get a good thermal monocular for less than $800.
As someone who recently got their first NV setup (nothing crazy just a TNVC L3 thin filmed GP PVS14 with a Wilcox G24 mount on an Opscore ballistic helmet) I think thermal is the superior tool and that’s what I want now. This digital stuff like you said isn’t for a tactical or battle ready type tool but it’s still better than nothing. I’ve heard you can attach GoPro mounts to these things as well. I have no experience with them but for someone who is on a tight budget and wants to see in the dark it’s gotta be better than keeping a white light on I would imagine. Not ideal by any means but still would help some I’d think. Obviously there’s no such thing as “cheap” night vision but I got my PVS14 used from a guy on ARFcom for 2k with high specs and no blems. Not WP but I bought a Low Light Innovations purple lens that makes it look like WP. It’s definitely like a cheat code in a video game against those who don’t have NV especially when you have a IR laser and illuminator. Like you said it does get lonely cause I don’t have any friends to play with in the dark😂
Edit: for fear of damaging the tube do the DIY butler creek flip cap and iris. You can get everything you need on Amazon for under 40 bucks and have not only ultimate protection but also the adjustable iris helps when you need to do admin, first aid or anything else up close. Close the iris to a pin hole and it makes your hand in front of you clear. Then open it up to see out far again. Mine has a knob on the side where I can adjust with the flip of a finger. Matbock makes a nice one but it’s a lot kore expensive and when I could get it all for 30 something bucks I went that route
I appreciate this comment so much! It wasn’t more than maybe 5 days ago that I learned about the concept of a tarsier iris and I was instantly interested. The Butler Creek option seems fantastic and of course the Matbock is great but I went with something that I will hopefully find to be somewhat in between (for slightly less than $70). Here is the link to a video that pretty much shows what I got (though it's not exactly what he links to in the description, I essentially ordered the same 2 products will be arriving this weekend).
ruclips.net/video/UF_yb1XhbQ8/видео.html
If I hadn’t learned of the adjustable iris earlier, you would have been the first to bring it to my attention. I will say though that I saw Matbock reply to a comment on his video, saying that it’s not actually recommended to use as a daytime cap because the hole is a bit larger. He recommends removing them for storage and during the day, at least. Not like it’s a hassle to do that but I just may trust his word with that advice. Sounds like you have a great setup and I have also been looking at the Infiray T2 Pro Thermal for my phone. It’s super cheap yet seems to be nice to test/play around with, potentially (especially as someone who doesn’t have any thermal). I hear people say that it’s easier to navigate at night with night vision as well as target ID if that’s your thing but beyond that I think the consensus is that thermal is pretty much better. Quite a few people have mentioned to me how they mod their cheap digital night vision like the Night Fox units and honestly I’m impressed nearly to the point of wanting to do it myself one day!
Its great to hear they are calming down on price somewhat
Thermal is a powerful and cost effective measure tho
only problem is, Its not detailed like a night vision tube!
I swear ya cant win when it comes to night time wins on a budget
But really im impressed you found that sweet deal for only 2k! congrats
Problem with thermal is that you cant use it to drive your car in the night like you can do with a nvd. And aiming is harder aswell since there are no laser that thermal can pick up.
I run a pvs14 and a handheld thermal. With that setup I can spot threats using the thermal and the nvd for navigating or targeting if needed.
Awesome video man. Will be subscribing and am looking forward to your content and growth 👍🏻
I’ll be recording commentary for my next video, here in a few minutes! I consider your comment as good luck and I appreciate it! Have a great day and I’m glad that you could gain some from this work.
I have a Gen3 PVS14 with white phosphur tube and love it. One small dot at about 7 oclock that does not bother me at all, I barely notice it.
Though it doesn’t really show on camera (and I can’t notice it unless I’m specifically looking), my tube definitely has TINY black spots in it. They’re essentially invisible unless I’m being “that guy”, standing in front of a white wall and focusing specifically on looking for tiny black spots. I’m under the impression that a tube can be marked as “spot-free” even if it has spots, so long as they’re smaller than .003 or something like that. They’re far from being the end of the world and I’m very satisfied with mine. I’ll admit, though, that I have a healthy fear of bright light (maybe too much fear). I’m trying to learn more and not let it deter me from using them how I like! I bought a budget aiming device (the Holosun LS321), for example, and have hardly used it yet because I fear that the laser/illuminator may damage the tube. I know that the chances of that are extremely small and it requires being pretty irresponsible, though.
Damn that IR signature is bright as fk
It is! I must admit that I was a bit shocked to see that through the PVS-14 perspective because I feel like I don’t get that impression while actively wearing the Swift. It takes all that illumination just to be able to see a little bit with the Swift, so it almost doesn’t seem like it would be putting that much out!
If you can try the nightfoxx red... Yes they are about $100 more but they have a 45 degree instead of 30, they also use 940 ir, and have a higher res of screen
Man… that really does sound convincing, especially considering how much I like the Swift! If I could pick 2 digital units to test right now, I’d love to get my hands on the Red and the OPSIN. One day! Thanks for the comment. A lot of people have brought the Red to my attention and it’s great to see!
I have a nightfox corsac and red. The corsac is amazing with just ambient light and no ir but no head mount capability. The red is also amazing. If they built it like the corsac with no need for the ir, it would be even more amazing. Not everyone has ir so aslong as you use it wisely you'll always have the advantage. Nice video
Awesome and thanks for the comment! You aren’t alone in enjoying those units. For what it’s worth, someone from Night Fox contacted me recently and informed me of a head-mounted monocular that will be released soon! Have a good one.
I own the same night vision. For another 60 bucks you can mount it to a airsoft helmet that fits better. But it's still functions. I've navigated lots of things with just that night vision. Even past the obstacle course set up for me.
That’s awesome and I’m glad that you shared. Quite a few people now have let me know that these units can be modified to really punch above their price-point at times. That’s awesome and I encourage the tinkering/modifying! Maybe one day I’ll do some myself.
This is what I was wondering about. Just looking for something to use in the house if something goes bump in the night. Don’t need anything for combat situations.
If you've used or even looked through any gen 3 nv devices before it's really hard to even logically justify buying anything else lower than that. A lot of people did mental gymnastics around it and decided they would rather eat top ramen for a year or go through payments just to get a pvs7 or 14. When I got my pvs14, I've never looked back. But I could see why if I would've buy a cheap gen1 equivalent nv it'd be because I have $ to waste or simply just want to use it, not for fun, but for the sake of making life harder...well maybe for fun 😄.
It’s funny because I’ve actually had this cheap digital night vision for a while and though I have used it more than a few times, it’s done a whole lot of sitting around/doing nothing until recently. I’m actually shocked at how much of a good time I can have with it, especially running it as a comparison to the PVS-14 and switching between them for different tests. I feel like I should have started this channel a long time ago when I only had the cheap unit! Oh well, haha. At the very least, I think both of these setups have their respective places.
You may like pvs20's aswell. It's unstoppable for PID and engaging targets in dense brush. I have a pair.
I have the night fox and the ir0 is actually a mode where the ir camera is on but the lights aren't so you can use an external ir light with it
You’re right & thanks for sharing. I was just poking fun for the sake of fun at the IR0 setting. I was actually impressed when I used it in real-life with the FoxPro Gunfire light. Was able to see across a large pond even though it was a foggy night!
I have a Nightfox Swift on a PSGT helmet with an IR on my rail. With 1x to 7 zoom I believe, and the ability to turn the Swift IR off it's a lot better than not seeing in the dark. I'll definitely upgrade asap of course, but it's not a bad intermediate for poors.
That’s awesome! I have a PSGT and until recently had no idea that people were attaching the NightFox products to them. I think it’s really cool and I’m sure I’ll get to that in the future! I absolutely agree that the NightFox has its place. Some of this video was just for comedic purposes! Good on ya for looking into the future and seeing yourself with an upgrade!
If you had your tubes built by Steele you might want to look them over. They drag that man's name through the mud in the NVG groups. I've seen some pretty shotty work.
I appreciate the heads-up. I’m under the impression that they assemble all of the units that they send out. That may not be true but if it is then my unit was definitely built by them. I’ve heard similar reports. In all honesty, I don’t YET have the proper tools (or really the confidence/knowledge) to inspect the internals. I probably will, one day. Is there anything specifically that I could check for or look out for in the future which would indicate an issue with the internals (even without accessing the internals)? My basic knowledge at the moment says “everything works and I can see very well, so everything must be fine”. I probably wouldn’t notice anything unless the image itself started becoming distorted or a function like gain, IR illuminator, focus, or autogating stopped working. I’ve obviously heard plenty of great experiences from them which is why I was willing to purchase but I’m open to the idea of there being potential issues. Everything is seemingly perfect with my experience thus far.
Great video, definitely shows what these units are and aren't good for. Thanks! Subbed.
The cheapest NVGs is just eating a lot of carrots
That’s cheating!
I found this video entertaining and useful
And I truly appreciate your comment! Thanks and have a great day/night.
This was way funnier than it should be 😂😂
Glad to hear that! Thanks haha
Haha the phone conversation is hilarious
Thank you! I’m glad it came across like that haha! Have a good one
I have found that digital is great for spotting other IR at night as well as its really good for critter control. I have defended my chickens very well using a nightfox swift and a sightmark wraith.
So...around the house prowler or in a pinch they are ok? I won't be doing any "night stalker" or "seal" stuff.
I absolutely believe that the Night Fox has its place. I will say, though, that a lot of people have brought to my attention the existence of the Night Fox Red. That is supposed to be an improved unit, similar to the one in this video. Pretty exciting, if you ask me! I had the unit in this video for a solid year before I upgraded to the PVS-14 and it served me well. As long as you have reasonable expectations (and it sounds like you do), my opinion is that you’d be satisfied!
I mean not to point out the obvious but the US military is currently working on digital hybrid systems of night vision and thermal…. with Microsoft being one of the big companies pushing it so there will be advances in that
i remember when i was a kid almost 10 to 14 years ago, i got a toy nv for kids for 78 or almost 100 usd, and it was able to just barely see the other end of our 5 or 4 and a half acer property faintly with ir so cheap you could kinda just see it like a camera with a red power light. but it was a small glow and could see almost acros the field so i was obsessed ever since. goot to know i can get some different kinds nowadays for less than 1k
That’s awesome! Seriously… that’s a cool memory to have and share. The closest I have to that is remembering the night vision toys that I always wanted to try but I don’t think I ever ended up getting my hands on. They were always marketed to kids as spy toys and were probably similar in quality to what you’re talking about (possibly less quality). To be fair, I didn’t have access to nice land at the time but I would’ve found some fields to try it out! I think that cheaper night vision definitely has a place in the world and what you just described is definitely another reason why that’s true.
You just got urself a sub bucko!
Thank you! Have a good one!
I use digitals like that because when building out my first helmet I couldn’t afford real night vision. With GoPro mounts to mount it on my helmet (heavily modified pasgt) the night fox worked well especially because I had an extra battery mounted on the back of the helmet so i could charge while using it but I have to say i would take even the cheapest non digital over it any day XD
I’m jealous of your PASGT! That sounds awesome. For a while, I have owned both a PASGT and the Night Fox but never thought that it would be within reason to somehow attach the two. Very cool! The extra battery is a great improvement, too! Thanks for sharing.
What do yal bbn ean when saying digitals? Is that cheap nvg?
Now that I think about it, the active nightvision is good for checking the IR camo grade of clothing and gear in a dark room.
A expensive setup would be a waste for such a simple task.
I modified a dashcam for such tasks where I don't want to take out a proper unit.
It did cost me about 35$ and some time to make a monocular unit from the dashcam. It's great to play around with and see how friends use it.
I commonly notice that they ignore instructions like not looking towards bright lights, they just do a 360° pan.
Which lead me to keep better units in my hand while I let amateurs have a look.
You may have already seen it, but S2 Underground has a great video on Infrared Reflective Camouflage
@@DontDoDaylight It's the first time I read that.
You can put a battery pack at the back and run power from that pack.. you can mount a GoPro mount on any helmet so you can use it that way.. what i found is that a lot of reviews with People Who have a dedicate pot of money for gear talk down on budget stuff.
Oh, yeah… I’ve seen that even just between people who run dual tubes VS. the “poors” who only have one tube, the people who have clip-on thermal devices VS. those who don’t, etc… it’s nuts! I’ve said it before, that I actually wish that I had started this channel back when I only had the Night Fox device! I have a lot of catching up to do, when I could have been having a great time with it this whole time. I’ve heard a ton of people tell me about how they modify these units to make them better/customized and that rocks!
I use the nightfox cape at my local indoor airsoft field, only downside is the IR mode not allowing for color which makes PID annoying as hell.
What tubes are in that PVS? it didn´t say in the description.
Hey! If you watch my Steele Industries video, I give tube specs in there. If I knew off the top of my head (or if I were home right now to check my paperwork), I’d tell you here. I just don’t have access to that info at the moment but I know it’s in the Steele video.
The nightfox swift is for defense against meth heads and cryptids not modern warfare
HAH! There’s a guy at work who talk so much about cryptids and got me listening to Dogman Encounters Radio sometimes when I’m driving out to the woods, as well as Missing 411 stuff. I feel like I’d rather have thermal but who knows haha! Meth heads lol I hear ya there too
I'd say we are still AT LEAST 10 years away from having Digital NV that rivals Analog tubes. Maybe even longer. Even still though Digital NV will still suck without having an IR torch to provide enough IR light to make the unit useful.
I honestly think its not that long. I have the Sionyx Opsin and it has impressed me a lot. And I have a PVS-14.
@@faceless.appalachia Compare them in complete darkness without an ir light source at all and say that.
@@Rico11b have you ever tried analogue in complete darkness. Any night vision device is going to require some type of light. Night vision works by amplifying the available light in a given area.
@Erik Eggers No shit, really?.... unless you're a combat veteran too, I'm sure I've worn NV more than you have. I think I have a very solid understanding of how they work. In the darkest of situations without an IR source, analog tubes still kick the shit out of digital nv. That won't change for many years to come. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so. Besides, if digital NV prices become the same as analog tubes, what's the point? I'm not buying them over analog tubes.
@@Rico11b you told me to compare them in complete darkness, which I think is pointless. I never said the Opsin is better than analog. I do think it’s a viable option for some people because of the features it offers. Digital will only continue to get better.
Thermal is the real killer.
I wouldn’t want to go up against a guy with quality thermal!
i like your humor good vid
Thank you! Have a good one
i have a couple of the night fox units and you can buy an aftermarket rhino mount for the go pro, that way the night fox can be mounted on a tactical helmet and it uses the go pro mounting hard ware in combination with the helmet mount plate that is just like the mounting base for pvs-14's. There is also a night fox model that takes batteries though i believe it takes 3 AAA batteries it also has a slot for a mini SD card so you can record while using it, i always carry extra batteries for it. i keep the unit with a three hour life in my truck as i can charge it with the cigarette lighter charger adapter.
Man that’s awesome!
cool friend !!!
Thank you! Have a great day!
Crazy how much of a torch the IR light is. I’d say that almost completely ruins any tactical hide and seek advantage if the other person is using analog night vision.
Good review bro
I appreciate that, sir! Have a good one.
@@DontDoDaylight Yes sir, I definitely needed this review and you popped up with it when I was thinking about it 💯
I've seen the media for the Opsin. I'm waiting for independent unpaid reviews.
I’d say that’s the smart way to go about it, too! Thanks for leaving a comment & have a great day.
What we must remember is "digital night vision" is just a CCD camera which is why it is so cheap.
Okay. Maybe we don't have the same one. But the one I have will work while it's charging. Effectively giving it an external battery
I appreciate all of the info that you’ve shared! Thanks for that and have a good one!
Hi, is it possible to shoot the target accurately , Have you Tried it. Or better to go For single Monocular, pls suggest
It would be a better product if the internal processor focused on the frames per second at least 120fps , it should have no recording or microphones built in to add lag to the hardware on board. It might also be possible to tune the Ir wavelength to be invisible to 3rd gen tech in theory. There's no reason why someone couldn't build the electronics that could be capable of getting right under or getting even with military capable nods.
However the reason why this tech isn't being put in the RnD is the concept of overmatch.
I appreciate this valuable comment! Thanks.
Got these they sucked and sent them back. Saved for a while and got a Carson WP 14 super happy with it.
God I wish night vision was actually an option for most of us.
these units also work with an IR rifle mounted targeting laser. though i will have to admit that targeting laser should not be the 50$ amazon version. as it doesn't hold a zero very well. I did find one in the 150? range that does work very good but that was just luck as it is still a Chinese knock off. I also found that many of the advertisements for IR lasers on amazon aren't exactly what they say they are so buyer beware.
Awesome info that you’ve provided! The main Chinese knockoff IR laser/illuminators that I keep hearing about are from SomoGear. You may or may not be interested in their products, I just keep hearing about them. Apparently, they’re essentially a full-power laser that can last for some time if you get a good one. Thanks again for the info!
this is kind of unfair just that the pvs-14 is almost 10x the price of the nightfox 120r good video tho
You’re correct! I hope people see the fun in this video. I actually like the Night Fox, for what it’s worth. Thanks for the comment!
I know this will sound dumb, but i want one of theses to look at the night sky - i heard you can see ufos with them.
I don’t think that sounds dumb. I have certainly seen a TON of shooting stars with the PVS-14. I used to think that shooting stars were rare, then I started using night vision and they’re everywhere! Satellites, too. Satellites are especially cool while using a telescope! I’ve never seen a “UFO”, but I guarantee that anything up in the night sky would much more easily be seen with quality night vision. If that is out of your budget, I’d rather go with a less-costly telescope or even binoculars to look at the sky. The Night Fox Swift just doesn’t have the ability to view the night sky in great detail, unfortunately.
What are the general specs on your pvs 14
If you google “Nite-Walker Night Vision Specifications for Dummies 101”, it will bring up the main resource that I used when hand-selecting my tube from Steele. It scores pretty well, relative to what is recommended. For example, it has a rating of 33.2 SNR, 2,124.8 FOM, Halo of 0.71, 1,987 photocathode sensitivity, 64 resolution, and 2.01 EBI. The only thing that I really questioned was the EBI rating but after using the unit and performing more research, I’ve come to the conclusion that a 2.01 EBI is totally acceptable. Thanks for the comment!
@@DontDoDaylight what was your cost?
@@lawrencerodgers9845 $4,420.23 to my door for the entire helmet setup minus the Unity Tactical Cold Weather Liner
I thought PVS-14 were green
Many of them are green! I’d bet that the vast majority of people think of a green view, when imagining a view through night vision. My specific unit is white phosphor, though. The camera doesn’t always pick the color up exactly right but it looks kind of like a white/blue shade. I may make a video one day about the differences between green and white phosphor!
@@DontDoDaylight yeah I was a lil confused. Didn’t know they came in a different color. All the ones I’ve seen were green that’s why lol. But now I use PVS-31s
Disclamer, the stuff i was issued is used and abused to high hell, but i personally dont even like the pvs 14, when i was in training we did a patrol with pvs 14s and out of 34 of us, i was one of eight who made it to the end due to a cloudy night, just seems fickle to me
I really appreciate the input! I feel like I’ve used my specific unit during some pretty dark/foggy nights and was impressed but I definitely wasn’t doing anything as intense as what you were up to. I need to get more time under mine regardless but I’d defiantly say that I’m happy with it. That could come from lack of experience, though. I don’t know. I read plenty of comments saying that they’re no good without noon and especially in foggy conditions. The first time I ever took the unit out, it was very foggy and no moon whatsoever. Clear sky otherwise, though. I didn’t expect to see anything (based off of the comments that I heard) but I could see very well. I’m basically basing my response off of that and a number of other times when I thought “I probably won’t be able to see anything” and then I turn the unit on and am pretty delighted with the image. I probably do baby my unit compared to yours lol
I have one of them it's more for a shtf situation. I have out fitted it to my wilcox from a 3d printed adapter and with a helmet. Edit: I have a different model than this
You aren’t the first person to disclose to me that these units can be modified/adapted like that. It really peaks my interest and I’m glad to hear that’s going on! Maybe one day I’ll give it a shot. Thanks for the comment!
Is the view screen usable or is it to small .....seriously
The Night Fox Swift is absolutely usable. Just to be clear, I think it’s important to distinguish between field-of-view and screen size. A larger screen doesn’t mean that you can see any more than a smaller screen, of course. It would be like viewing a video on a phone VS. watching the same video on a big TV. It’s the same video regardless and what you actually see doesn’t change. In fact, a larger screen can be problematic because generally you’d want the image quality to increase along with the screen increasing in size (or else the image can actually look worse than it would on a smaller screen). I think the Night Fox Swift found a sweet-spot. I wouldn’t want a larger screen unless the quality increased and I also wouldn’t really care to have a larger housing on my head, so they’d have to find a way to fit the larger screen in the same housing. As long as that is understood, I’d say that the field-of-view is small just like any other night vision device. You can basically hold your arms straight out in front of you and that width is essentially your field-of-view. You get used to it. I’ve used the Night Fox Swift quite a bit and am totally comfortable walking through woods with it. With night vision in general, you basically find yourself moving your head to look around (VS. scanning with your eyes like you normally do) and the Swift is no exception. The screen itself is definitely a descent size, though.
I suppose tactically, it’s basically an illuminator that you can use to disorient and identify the enemy, but that’s in a confrontation with someone who already has NVG’s that don’t emit light. Otherwise, you would look like a complete fool from afar when they can see you from literal miles away
In that situation, I’d pretty much agree with what you laid out. It’s definitely more beneficial when you consider that most people don’t have access to night vision, though! Against people who do have NV, the situation you presented may even be a best-case scenario, in my opinion. I say that because most modern NV won’t even be disoriented or “blinded” (if that’s what you meant) by illumination. The image may get darker due to the auto-gating but that will essentially be it and probably for a very short duration (by my understanding). When I think of a serious role for the cheaper digital NV, I wouldn’t personally go further than using it to maybe collect water from a stream after an emergency. It would allow the user to navigate to the stream and perform a simple task such as collecting water while having a pretty low signature to any average person who may have otherwise seen/bothered you if you were using white light. Kinetic Consulting has a great video on “night vision light sensitivity” where he does demonstrate a flashlight shining directly at a night vision unit. It’s worth watching! I think I get what you’re saying though and yes I have to agree.
lol great job!!!!!!!!
im dying laughing, good job
Glad to hear that! Thanks and have a good one
Holy shit...the acting...priceless..🙄🤣🤦🏻♂️
Dude where the link ??
Here ya go!
Nightfox Swift Night Vision Goggles | Head Mount and 1x Magnification | Rechargeable | Digital Infrared | 75yd Range a.co/d/dUXIc3s
Night Fighter Package
steeleindustries.com/product/steele-industries-night-fighter-package-pvs-14-2/
How to give your position it 170 steps
Does it suck?
This the dude who used to do like gun asmr?
Yes! Armed ASMR! Holy smokes… I didn’t expect anyone to notice that, but you’re correct. I still have those videos on a USB!
So is the chinese or cheap versions good to go?lol
They have their place, for sure! Put it this way, I’d get the best that I could afford! If the cheaper ones were it, then I’d go with them!
The IR night vision is worthless for stalking if your enemy has NVG your found in a split second..
2:30 analog night vision just won.
Yes, sir! Haha!
Great video, but can’t relate
[this comment was made by Thermal Gang]
Shout-out to Thermal Gang!
Good video but unfortunately they have an IR embedded into it. PVS 14 detects IR light and it will light up like a Christmas tree as you know. I rather save my money and get a PVS 14. But sounds like a good brand 👍
Holy smokes, man! Your video on how to use the PVS-14 is one that gave me the confidence to purchase in the first place! I think that I left a comment on your vid but it may have been while I was logged into a different account. Thanks so much for that and I’ve also seen your other ones. Anyway, I agree with what you say here!
@@DontDoDaylight awesome some people need an alternative on a lower budget unfortunately. Another note I had my pvs 14 serviced It would not turn on. It ended up being a wire on the back of the motherboard that needed to be soldered should have it by mid next week keep up the videos 👍
I want good NVGs, I don't wanna spend a grand
I hear ya!
Theres a very small groupnof technologies where digital is not the future... night vision is one of them
Digital nv doesn't require ir iluminator.
As far as i can tell digital is only going to be useful compared to analog once combined digital+thermal reaches maturity
So u payed $170 for a head flashlight brilliant
Not the most I’ve paid for a flashlight, to be fair. The other ones can be seen, though.
That fleece jacket tho
It’s part of the military’s “ECWCS” (Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System) lineup! Specifically, Gen III Level 3.
@@DontDoDaylight I know I have one too just rarely saw people wear it in ait and bct
Can you drive with it 🥴
I tried that in a video (as well as I could)!
@@DontDoDaylight preesh fam
The pvs 14 will pick up ufo’s
Yeah , so can my nvg30 from temu that were $450
I have a 165$ Russian nvg just as good as my PVS14s but my thermal is the way!
Only if your 14’s have a Chinese digital sensor. And for $165, your fake Russian units probably have the same.
@@AnonyMous-jf4lc you can find Russian elena tube based gen 1 devices for about that much, I have the firefield nightfall which is exactly that and cost me 136 bucks in LNIB condition
@@bushwhackedonvhs and is completely junk and not even comparable to any 14 with a decent tube.
@@AnonyMous-jf4lc you won't find anything legally that will do that for less than like 800 or 900 and even that is dubious
@@bushwhackedonvhs you won’t touch a useable gen 3 tube device for anything under 2k, and that cheap tube will have a lot of blems and poor specs. I saved money on my gen 3 14’s by getting a tube with a blem. It’s by the edge and I forget it’s there until I have to focus on that one tiny area.
1:05 as a lifted toyota truck owner i felt personally attacked
🤣🤣
😂😂😂
You pump enough IR illumination into the environment, as they do here, and almost any night vision device "looks great man."
Don't be fooled. It's (a little) better than nothing, but this is a toy.
The Waffle House has found it’s new host
So a whole video of sarcasm. Not helping.
“It totally 💩 “
Ya lost me at "digital"
Now I’m not saying the Amazon nods are better, but don’t lie dude 14s are absolute trash single tubes are dumb. You basically have to look cross eyed to see thru it. The. When u can look thru it the focus is so bad that you can’t see thru the woods anyways
I have a set of PVS 7s I got for $1500. Best money ever spent.
That’s awesome! Not a deal that many people will see in their lives! Cool to hear & looks like it went to the right person! Have a good one
@@DontDoDaylight I stand in my yard at night drinking beer with them! Lol I was considering the ones you're featuring in this video then I saw the 7s. Game was over then.
No thanks. If i was going to get night vision gear i would spend the money and be done with it. Its like rifle scopes-your better off spending the extra money on good quality glass than compromise on a cheap made in china scope. You get what you pay for when it comes to optics.
I will just save up 10k instead thanks🥲