Best dvr for thermal scopes

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Mcallister

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Does anyone know how i can The actual image I see out of my ir defense MKII 35mm on film? I am using the dvr from tnvc and it works well but the quality of the video just isn't close to the image in the actual scope. My buddy is using the dvr from ultimate night vision and it's the same problem. Is it the actual video out on the optics that are the issue of is it the dvr?
 
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The best thermal scopes (640 core) pretty much have a resolution equivalent to a computer monitor from the late 1980s. I'm not sure that the recordings will ever look as good as what you see on the device itself since you are looking at a really small screen with a reasonably high pixel density.
 
No matter what video device used, even GoPro when transferring the video etc. you can lose up to 30-40% of the actual resolution your seeing through the eyepiece. This is quite normal what you're experiencing.

Vic
 
I use the TNVC mini DVR and my videos appear better on film than what I'm seeing through the viewfinder or DVR screen at night. I've had several occasions where I wasn't exactly sure what I was seeing in the field, but it was obvious when I viewed the video on my computer. That was using a Photon, an X-Sight, and a DIY scope camera.

It's odd that both of your setups are having issues.
 
I'm using the mini dvr from UNV with my Reap-IR and video quality is pretty crappy compared to what you see in the scope, but it's normal. All the video I've seen online pretty much looks like what I get with my dvr. A Go-Pro mounted to your eyepiece will give you the best video quality but it's gonna cost ya unless you're good at making that kind of stuff.
 
I'd really like to figure out some way to capture the true image quality. We're working on a show next season and the way the video comes out now isn't quite the quality were wanting.
 
How much better do you think the video would look if I were to use a GoPro and the tnvc GoPro mount on my IR hunter compared to the mini dvr?
 
The TNVC GoPro adapter is good for filming "personal use" hunting footage in my opinion. It isn't production quality however. I say that because you get a large black ring around the video frame with the GoPro adaptor as there's no zoom capability with a GoPro. Even when a target is very close, it's difficult to even tell what it is when replaying the video. The design behind the GoPro adapter was so MIL/LE personnel can record their Close Quarters Combat operations. It works exceptional in that regard. It's just not as great for hunting type videos for production use. It's also difficult to capture what you see through the eye piece with any set-up. This is something I've been working on diligently for several months now. Testing DVR's, camera set-ups, frame rates, etc. The best results I've had for filming in the dark thus far have been filming through a TNVC PVS-14 Gen III using a Sony HD camera mounted to a tripod. The footage is very good. Make sure you're watching these videos in 1080p HD format.



The following footage is filmed with the thermal set-up that has given me the best results so far. Again a Sony HD camera mounted behind a thermal unit on a tripod.



Obviously I can't use either of these set-ups to film on a gun however. I'm testing a new DVR next week so I'll be sure to report my findings here when I do...
 
Originally Posted By: kyle crickenbergerTwhitey what do you want for the GoPro adapter I am interested in it.

Sent you a pm
 

Tom,

Great videos. How about some photos showing your setup with the Sony camera mounted behind the PVS-14 and thermal. Will be interesting to see how you mounted the camera etc., as well as the camera you used.
 
Originally Posted By: twhiteyThe gopro adaptor is not good for anything over 50 yds I have one and will be selling.

Curious why it's not good for anything over 50 yards? What is it your trying to look at? If it's too dark, IR illumination helps tremendously. Thank you.
 
Originally Posted By: Victor_TNVCOriginally Posted By: twhiteyThe gopro adaptor is not good for anything over 50 yds I have one and will be selling.

Curious why it's not good for anything over 50 yards? What is it your trying to look at? If it's too dark, IR illumination helps tremendously. Thank you.

My opinion is that without out magnification everything looks much further away than it is. I have my pvs on my right eye and that's another issue. Yes I have used my iR and the quality of the video is not where I would like it to be. Maybe it works well for others just not me. I appreciate folks designing products like this to help hunters and shooters so I am not knocking that side just the quality of the video.
 
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