A Comparative Analysis between Thermal Scope Vs Night Vision Scope
Aiming targets at night is not a nightmare anymore. Night vision and thermal imaging technology made this very easy. Both of the high-tech devices have many similarities but there are several differences too. Knowing all of these will help you to pick the right one for the right situation.
Having the appropriate scopes enhance shooters' and hunters' viewing capacity greatly whereas the wrong one may end up your trip and you may also fall into danger. So, we plan to discuss thermal scope vs night vision scope with you. Before that, you should know the basics of each of the technology.
Let’s get started!
What Is Night Vision Technology?
Night vision devices are shortly known as NVDs that help in object detection. Most of the night vision optics provide a greenish picture of the desired objects. The traditional night scopes are made particularly for night viewing purposes but digital night vision optics can detect objects both at day and night.
Night vision optics use natural ambient light such as moonlight, starlight for object detection. In the absence of these light sources, IR illuminators generate light. The IR (Infrared) illuminators work as a flashlight at night, but humans and other animals can’t recognize them with naked eyes. Keep in mind, bright lights can damage the intensifier tubes hence the NVDs.
Night vision optics are available in several generations. However, their image creation processes are almost the same.
The objective (near to object) lens collect lights from objects. The intensifier tube receives the lights and transfers them into the eyepiece (lens near the eye) through several optical transformations. As a result, we get a high-resolution image. By controlling the knob, you can easily change the magnification and other adjustments.
What Is Thermal Imaging Technology?
Thermal imaging or infrared imaging uses infrared that measures the comparative heat signatures of objects and translates the heat as visible images. Usually, thermal devices generate black and white pictures but modern devices provide colorful images.
The warm objects generate more infrared radiation hence brighter images than low-temperature objects. This obtained image is called a thermogram. One important thing is that thermal imaging devices can function without any light.
Thermographic devices are very much useful in low light, foggy, smoky, or dusty environments. If anything hiding in the room, you can easily detect it within a few seconds.
Difference between Thermal Scope and Night Vision
After knowing the basics of both of these technologies, it’s time to know their dissimilar features.
Which One Will Be Perfect for Worst Conditions
We’ve said earlier that night vision devices require ambient light to work smoothly. But, thermal scopes can work without any light sources. If you are going to shoot on a completely dark night, then thermal scopes will be a quite good option.
If you want to observe anything in foggy, smoky, or dusty conditions, thermal scopes are highly recommended. So, this will be a perfect choice for firefighters. But, thermal scopes are largely handicapped in the extreme cold situation, but you find night vision scopes handy in this situation.
Field of Uses
The top-class night vision scopes produce high resolutions and reliable images that will help not only identifying the targets but also recognition and identification. But thermal imagers won’t be able to detect who is in front of you, they only make the thermogram profile which will give black and white images.
So, if you need the exact object identification, don’t overlook night vision scopes. Night vision scopes win the medal in this test and perfectly suit for critical military operations.
Deer hunters and hog hunters usually prefer thermal devices to find out hidden targets. Most of the thermal scopes are easy to carry without any arm fatigue, which will help you using them for a long period. That’s why thermal scopes are great for hunting. For the same reason, they are great to be used for tactical tasks.
On the other hand, when you want to use optics in a variety of temperature differences, night vision scopes will be a perfect fit. Moreover, they will ensure a wider field of view.
Magnification and Range
Night vision scopes and thermal scopes come with a variety of magnification and detection range. On average, night vision scopes provide 20x magnification whereas thermal scopes offer 16x or more zoom options. But some thermal scopes don’t offer any magnification.
Most of the night vision scope's object detection range is 200 yards approximately whereas the thermal scope's range is 1000 yards or more at night. So, decide which one you choose.
Daytime Use
The main purpose of using thermal scope and night vision is to use them at the night, but you may need the device for day vision also. Is it possible to use these night viewing optics in the daytime?
The traditional night vision devices don’t allow for day uses. But, thermal scopes work for day and night viewing purposes simultaneously. If you want to see using NVDs in the daytime, you should go for digital night vision scopes. Several NVDs come with lens cap pinholes that allow light transmission through it in the daytime hence you can see.
Price
Thermal imaging technology is still developing that’s why these devices have high-priced tags. On the other hand, night vision already passed several generations that make them affordable over time. But the latest generations NVDs are expensive. Still, night vision scopes offer varities of products at reasonable pricess. So, night vision scopes win in terms of the product's price.
Conclusion
Thermal scopes and night vision scopes are widely using for hunting and shooting. Both of them have some great features that win over one another. If you want high contrast outputs, night vision devices will be convenient. While thermal scopes are ideal for complete darkness, foggy, or smoky situations.
Hope this article will help you to choose the perfect scope between the above-mentioned optics. And always carry the scopes in a wonderful carrying pouch to ensure long-lasting performance. Happy night adventure!
Diana Glézlová
7.1.2021
