Night Vision Viewer from iGen

For a birdwatcher with a particular fondness for owls or simply pursue other ‘hobbies’ that require the cover of night, a set of night vision goggles can be a useful accessory. But if those head mounted versions are either too cumbersome or too obvious to local law enforcement you might want to pick up this slightly more compact version from iGen.

The NV2020 is only about 9 inches long but apparently has twice the sensitivity of older generation ‘intensifier tube technology.’ What that basically means is that it can amplify the ambient light of whatever you’re looking at up to 650 times the original level. And if things are still too dark it also includes an invisible infrared light source to boost the light levels without scaring off whatever you’re staring at. The NV2020 also allows for multiple color output options instead of just the traditional green and even has a composite video connection allowing the image to be recorded via a camcorder.

It’s currently available from SkyMall for $699.95.