Night Vision on the Cheap

M

Mulepadre

New member
I have finshed an infrared night vision set up for my .243
It gives me a clear picture in pitch black as seen through my 50mm scope from 300yds at 3-9x for about $350.

The set up follows a youtube video that I imitated:
YouTube Night Vision Setup

The camera is mounted behind the scope and sends the scope picture to the LCD screen. Its simple and accurate.

The heart of set up is a Sony surveillance camera ($110) with the filter removed to view infrared only.
An Eagletac infrared flashlight ($100).
A Chinese 5" High Definition LCD ($35).
12volt portable battery ($25).
Wires/connectors, Picatinny rails, etc. ($70). Total $350.
The picture below is the setup from the youtube video.
Mine is very similar. I will get pictures soon.



NightVision.jpg
 
Mulepadre, thanks for the info, but I believe you are a bit late for that party. Pretty much the same setup has been working well for 6MM06. You can read about it in this link, just scroll down. Sounds like yours is working very well too. I'm not sure he could see at anything like the distance you are getting, but he may not have tried it that far either. He generally shoots them at a 60 yds bait site.

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/for...16&page=118
 
Yeah,
that fellow has the same camera and LCD as I do.
The only advantage I have is the Eagletac 850nm IR Flashlight.
It has a tremendous output, pretty clear out to 350yds but at lower powers on the scope.

I started out with lasers which have a lot of potential and are cheaper but was spending too much time with the gadgetry so just settled for a good small flashlight for $100.
 
Mulepadre,

I too use the Eagle Tac T100C2 at 850nm. It's a great light. As for seeing at 350 yards, I haven't tried it at that distance, but can see pretty darn good in dark woods up to 100 yards. I see the Eagle Tac has gone up in price now. Mine (the 3.4 watt model) cost something around $70 and some shipping when I purchased it.

Seems that Roland on YouTube has inspired a lot of guys.

Currently I'm thinking of getting a portable DVR that will record what the scope sees. The one Roland suggested (to me via e-mail) is out of stock at the moment. It will be nice to get some videos of shots at coyotes.
 
Fella's, be on the look out for Roland's up coming video review of IR illuminator's. There will be some very interesting results revealed.
 

Roland said earlier he would be releasing some info on IR iluminators, but I haven't seen anything yet.

If you find the video, be sure to post a link to it.

Thanks for the heads up.
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06Mulepadre,
I too use the Eagle Tac T100C2 at 850nm. It's a great light. As for seeing at 350 yards, I haven't tried it at that distance, but can see pretty darn good in dark woods up to 100 yards. I see the Eagle Tac has gone up in price now. Mine (the 3.4 watt model) cost something around $70 and some shipping when I purchased it.

Mine is the EagleTac T20C2 MKII, also with the 3.4w IR Infrared 850nm. I bought mine a couple months ago for about $100, but my base flashlight, the T20C2, has a base price of $84.99 compared to your T100C2, which is still $46.99.
I use a 18650 rechargeable battery.

I have my scope at 3-5X at that distance to clearly see anything.

This link shows the distances our 3.4w will reach:

EagleTac IR Illuminator
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06Mulepadre,
Currently I'm thinking of getting a portable DVR that will record what the scope sees. The one Roland suggested (to me via e-mail) is out of stock at the moment. It will be nice to get some videos of shots at coyotes.

Something you might want to consider...
I bought a USB Video Capture Device off Ebay for $12. You run your camera feed into it and it connects to a laptop. The included software gives you a screen that you can record live video off of the EJ230. A little grainy but I bet if I play with the settings and accept a bigger video file it could get sharper.
Definitely worth the price! send me a pm and I will link you to the item on ebay.

USB_Capture_Device.jpg
 
I wonder if you just video shoot your HD LCD with a cell phone camera whether it will be clear as day?
Roland complained about the graininess of the DVR recording LCD
 
Originally Posted By: MulepadreYeah,
that fellow has the same camera and LCD as I do.
The only advantage I have is the Eagletac 850nm IR Flashlight.
It has a tremendous output, pretty clear out to 350yds but at lower powers on the scope.

I started out with lasers which have a lot of potential and are cheaper but was spending too much time with the gadgetry so just settled for a good small flashlight for $100.

I get a kick out of the EagleTac IR posts. This is the post that started it in March 2012. Shortly after this post they were sold out and hard to get for quite awhile. The 3.4W model was $59 then.

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/for...3803&page=3
 

Yea, the Eagle Tac cost me something around $60 or $70 when I purchased it, can't remember exactly, but it wasn't much. Now it's much higher after word got around a bit. That seems to be the norm with most things.

I purchased the DVR from Hobby Wireless, but haven't put it to the test yet. I'm waiting for an RCA adapter to allow everything to be wired properly. Hopefully I'll know soon if it's worth a hoot or not.

Either way, the home-made NV outfit is pretty neat, though unconventional. Mine is performing well, two coyotes on the ground already, easy shooting and very bright with the Eagle Tac.


 
Originally Posted By: Spur MULEPADRE
Looks like a great set up.
Do you have a model # on the sony surveillence camera?

I'm interested also in this.
 

The T20 looks to be a good light considering size and weight. Roland stays on top of things. There's a lot to learn from him.

Recently I tested a new IR light I acquired, and put it up against the Eagle Tac T100C2 3.4 watt model. This new light is also an 850nm light and is adjustable. While the Eagle Tac is somewhat adjustable, I have to use it at the brightest setting. My testing was not as thorough as what Roland did, but it shows the difference quite well.

This test was done in the woods behind my house, along a path to a 94-yard shooting range, and done with my home-made night vision outfit. There was very little ambient light due to the tall timber. I placed a one-gallon milk jug out there and tested the two illuminators. My rifle scope setting was at 6X. Both lights were at the highest setting.

I also tried my Gen 1 scope with this light. The light did illuminate better and extend the range somewhat, but it was more subtle with the Gen 1. The home-made night vision could see much better with this light vs the Eagle Tac, I suppose due the the CCD chip in the bullet camera that was used.

Here's the test.






Also, here's a couple of crows taken (day time) with my home-made NV (as seen in Roland's 1.0 video).
Distance was 60 yards with a scope setting of 6X. I was shooting a CZ 527, .17 Remington
and a 25 gr. Hornady hollow point. I recorded the shot via a new DVR that records what the
scope sees.

Click on photo to see the video.




 


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