See the unknown in the murky darkness ahead. With Night Vision from EuroOptic’s trusted manufacturers including ATN, EOTech, Flir, Hensoldt, Night Vision Depot, and many more, you can have a clear optical advantage, even with a pitch black night sky overhead.

Not to be confused with thermal (occasionally referred to as "infrared" ) technology, classic night vision is image intensification using the same and similar wavelengths of light as humans can see. Thermal optics, on the other hand, sense wavelengths that show difference in heat.

Do I Want Night Vision Or Thermal?

That's a great question - and like most of our answers, it depends the most on what your intended usage is.

The best and most simple explanation is that if you desire to use the technology to maneuver, navigate, and do general movement-related things at night, you want image intensification night vision. Night vision will allow you to see in similar shading and contrast levels as normal human vision, it will react in similar fashions as an eye to bright lights, and can detect movement quickly and accurately because the "screens" don't have a refresh rate like a thermal scope will. Further, thermal scopes cannot see through transparent barriers like glass (and therefore can't see through windows) and in extreme temperatures can have a difficult time differentiating between objects of similar temperature (for example, trees, branches, etc.).

On the other hand, if your primary objective is to detect living things (light or dark is actually irrelevant since these scopes don't operate in the visible light spectrum), then thermal technology is hands-down the way to go. Thermal sights detect heat differentials, so most warm-blooded live organisms produce heat and expose much of it to their surroundings, so thermal scopes will pick these signatures up easily and brightly. You will also be able to see these things with conventional image intensification night vision, however, it's a matter of contrast - you won't see them nearly as easily, especially if they're not moving.

Hope that helps. Still have questions? Send us an email at [email protected] or call us at 570-368-3920.