Re: "Next Generation" night vision scope & lens attachment.

["Willem-Jan Markerink" <w.j.markerink@xxxxx>]

On 12 Oct 96 at 0:56, Robert Long wrote:

> On Thu, 10 Oct 1996 19:42:24 +0100, Adam-HALPID Klyce wrote:
> 
> |     The Camera adapter is $59.99 (It only says it fits any 35mm=20
> |     or video camera with a macro lens)
> 
> This is the most worrisome part.  Sounds jury-rigged.

It probably relies on unscrewing the eyepiece, and taking a macro
picture right of the tubes screen. Nothing wrong with that
optically, but you have the entire weight of the unit hanging on the
filter thread of your macro lens....8-))

 
> Also, much of the night-vision stuff on the U.S. market at the moment
> is Russian-made.  I assume it is an attempt to go commercial with what
> was USSR military-issue gear before the dismemberment.  And that sort
> of thing seems to be available in greater variety and at lower prices
> in Europe than here.  Maybe Willem already has it available??

Yep; some of you might have noticed the monocular unit I have for
sale on my homepage. The cheapest Russky 1st gen unit around ($150),
but luckily also the most compact unit I have ever seen, only the
modern 2nd and 3rd Gen ITT and Swarovski units are as small. 

Less than 1kg, and the size of an EOS-1 body without booster. Metal
housing, so I simply throw it in the back pocket of my LowePro
Trekker. I cut a #87C filter for it (no much IR effect without it),
and it is now my always-at-hand IR-assessment device.
It is not even bad for real night vision use. Maglites with a #87C 
filter even turn the night into day....:-))

Btw, considering the 3x magnification I assume the tube used in the
first ad is an 18mm. Better tubes use 25mm (mine does, although I
wouldn't call it a good tube), and I expect an second hand 40mm tube
in the mail any day. Those are quite rare, probably only used in
fixed aircraft and tank applications, together with real heat imaging 
equipment (it was explained to me as a heat -> near-IR transformation, 
and a successive near-IR -> visible step). 
It is a 1st Gen unit, and for optical use these are better than 2nd
and 3rd gen, since the latter two use fiber optics with less
resolution (but more light amplification of course); the 1st Gen
uses a glass tube (100lpmm, instead of 20-40 or so).
We'll see what this project ends up in....I only get a bare tube with 
a volt booster, so some homebrew alignment and casing stuff is 
scheduled....8-))
The brand of tube (VARO, US) is the same as my 2nd Gen Rollei unit 
btw. It's a small (military) world.



--
Bye,

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     _/  _/ illem    _/     _/ an    _/  _/  _/ arkerink
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      The desire to understand 
is sometimes far less intelligent than
     the inability to understand


<w.j.markerink@xxxxx>
[note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]

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End of INFRARED-PHOTOGRAPHY Digest 91
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