A history of night vision

Looking into the future: Expectations?

• Further integration from cameras, goggles and scopes into other video systems and share the feed with multiple "users"
• Night vision in color? A common request is to have black and white images versus the traditional green screen
• Further introduction of ENVG fused night vision systems into law enforcement use
• Moving the analong night vision tubes into the digital realm
• Including tactical wireless technologies
• Smaller, lighter, more powerful
• Higher resolution
• Develop a law enforcement equipment specification for night vision equipment to lower the cost

Looking to buy? What to look for

• Warranty, under 5 years is probably not "new" technology
• Brand name
• Generation 3
• Tube type
• Power supply, gated or non-gated
• Photo-cathode response
• Signal to noise ratio
• Equivalent Background Illumination (EBI)
• Resolution
• Price point, new probably won't be under $2,000
• Source

• Generation 0 - active infrared, the first night vision systems employed special infrared "search-lights." They were large with filters to see the illumination. Easily detected, had limited range and worked poorly in bad weather or smoky conditions.
• Generation 1 - passive infrared, used same image-intensifier tube as Gen. 0 but relied more on ambient light instead of the infrared "search-light," this technology was more covert
• Generation 2 - image-intensifier tube improvements, higher resolution and reliability, light amplification: 20,000x
• Generation 3, 3+ - improved resolution and performance over Gen. 2, light amplification: 30,000 to 50,000x

Editor's Note: There is no official Generation 4, but rather a Generation 3 - unfilmed technology.