A night vision scope, as the name suggests, is used to view in low light conditions usually at night.
Such a scope may be used for a wide range of purposes such as night hunting, shooting at night, and rescue or any other missions by law enforcement agencies during night.
A huge range of night vision scopes are available in the market today.
The ones that are most preferred by hunters, shooters and law enforcement agencies are usually riflescopes which can be easily mounted on top of a firearm such as a rifle.
Other scopes are also available such as handheld scopes.
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For most people, one of the key concerns when it comes to purchasing a night vision scope is the price tag.
You may be able to get a very basic night vision scope for as little but if you want the real deal, that is the kind of scope which can serve you in good stead during nighttime hunting or shooting, then you really need to go with a more advanced and expensive model.
Starting from a few hundred dollars, the price of such models can range all the way into tens of thousands of dollars.
There is also the possibility of making a night vision scope at home.
After all, a night vision scope really works by amplifying the available light in a scene and enabling you to view the objects even in dark circumstances.
You can bring together the relevant hardware and create a night vision scope of your own.
However, there are notable pros and cons to both professionally-made night vision scopes and home-made night vision scopes.
Here’s a breakdown of these.
Professional Night Vision Scopes
1. Pros
One of the key advantages of professional night vision scopes is that they come in a huge range and variety.
You can choose from various models, decide which features you want and which ones are not required, and have the option of a wide price bracket to choose from.
Professionally-made night vision scopes also feature a very sturdy and solid design which is good if you are going to use the scope on nightly outdoor excursions.
Another key pro of such scopes is that you can rely on them.
Most night vision scopes come with extended warranty, usually two years or more.
So you have peace of mind that your scope is going to last you a long time after you purchase it.
2. Cons
The overwhelming disadvantage of a professional night vision scope is its price tag.
Most night vision scopes come with a steep price tag.
If you go with a more inexpensive scope, it offers only the very basic features of night viewing.
Advanced features such as magnification come with additional costs.
Another disadvantage of a professional scope is that it has a fixed design.
So even if you had the expertise and knowledge of how to add new features, you can’t open it up and change it. This makes professional night vision scopes a take-it-or-leave-it deal.
Homemade Night Vision Scopes
1. Pros
The overwhelming advantage of a homemade night vision scope is that you have a lot of creative freedom when constructing one.
You can draw on a number of learning resources to determine the kind of scope you want to make and you can further customize the design and performance based on your needs.
Plus, it makes for an excellent science project if you choose to do it with your kids or family.
And of course, a homemade night vision scope is incredibly inexpensive compared to a professional night vision scope.
All you have to do is invest a little in basic components such as a small infrared camera, an LED, a flashlight, a viewfinder, a circuit board, a few small batteries and some other equipment.
The infrared camera can be a simple low lux black and white camera.
All these components will set you back only a handful of dollars, so price is no concern at all when it comes to homemade night vision scopes.
2. Cons
Notwithstanding all the advantages of a homemade night vision scope, such a scope also has a number of cons when compared to a professional scope.
The most important of these are quality and performance.
A homemade night vision scope works fabulously well if you are using it for casual night-viewing but if you are going to put it to a more rigorous use, such as viewing outdoors in the dark, or viewing over long distances, its performance and quality deteriorates rapidly.
This is simply because a homemade vision scope uses basic components while a professional scope usually features military-grade components.
So if your actual night-viewing requirements are for hunting or shooting, a homemade night vision simply won’t be much help.