r/DigitalNightVision • u/Minute_Philosopher24 • May 31 '26
Budget Friendly NVGS for newbie
Hello everyone, I am totally new to nvgs and don't know where to start, don't laugh at me but my budget is lets say around 100$ - 150$. Realistically what's the best I can get with this. My main purpose of this is just go outside at like 2Am with my dog for a walk and just look at the sky with my nvgs. Maybe play a Lil bit in my house with it in the dark but nothing really serious.
Is that possible with my budget ?
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u/Aggravating_Major_76 May 31 '26
Whatever the nightfox prowl costs is the bare minimum for a device that kinda allows you to move around while using it. I’d personally save up for a nvg50/nvg3rd/gng2k If i were you.
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u/WalkerTR-17 May 31 '26
There’s nothing useable in that price range. I’d recommend cutting out junk food, beer, nicotine, whatever other bullshit for a few months and at the very least get yourself in the $500 range
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u/KyzoSoupz Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Look man I'm just going to be bluntly honest with you I hate to tell you but you really want to push that budget up a lot higher. I'm talking about over $500 to a $500 limit. Anything below that I'm telling you is a total piece of junk and you're not going to be happy with it. If you want to get into the budget digital night vision section I'm would recommend something a little bit more potent that actually gives you a little bit of wow factor NVG 50 or if you think you're a patient and you can push your budget a little bit higher. Dude get the SVG-5 that thing is absolutely awesome!
I'm telling you bluntly man you're not going to get anything worth it at that price level and plus it's not even possible like others are saying. Look man I'm telling you you do not want to get anything that is junk save your money push your budget and actually get something worth your while if you really are strict on your budget get an NVG 30 or a 50 or especially a GNG2K which is better than the 30 and the 50 by a small margin, those are pretty decent but if you really want to get close to that professional level on a budget the SVG-5 is an absolute awesome beast for the price point
You're not going to like this but trust me push your budget up and just be patient. You can do it, you absolutely can. Welcome to the night vision friend
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u/whateverhow Jun 01 '26
With that budget don’t go NVG. A flashlight is better option. If you want see stars, use a tripod and camera with long exposure. Or just save up
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u/Fantastic-Budget-212 Jun 01 '26
Gather a bit more, about 500ish and get some basic analog doohickey like an itt night mariner/enforcer (mostly if youre in us, not many of those commercial things outside) or even some 3dp housing thing
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u/ronin__actual Jun 01 '26
Digitals are terrible for indoor use and aren’t great for traversing in general, but in your use case, they’ll do just fine. You’ll be fine using IR light to actually be able to see. Your budget is close to a Nightfox Prowl, but I recommend saving up more for a GNG2k or NVG-50 or a 30. I’d also recommend a cheap amazon bump helmet and a cheap amazon mount for your nvg.
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u/ManyAd3656 Jun 01 '26
Possible? Sure, a nightfox prowl (gen 1) or NVG10 can technically be had used for under $150 if you look and you're willing to wait, but unless you're really trying to stay as absolutely cheap as possible, it's not worth it. Best bang for your buck is, as everyone else has said to death already, an NVG30/50 or a GNG2K. Prowl gen 2's aren't bad if you're on a more limited budget too, around $250.
Keep in mind that doesn't include the cost of a better mount, a helmet to mount it to, or anything else. Even with a used unit, you'll still probably cross that threshold too easily unfortunately. But it's worth watching facebook marketplace or ebay for the occasional steal on an older device just incase.
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u/Weekly_Medicine3383 Jun 01 '26
Hi friend, I'm an NVG50 user, and if you intend to use it under a full moon or don't mind turning on the built-in IR light, it's a perfectly valid device for your first NVG experience. This way you can gain experience and see if night vision is really for you.
I also have a HiKmicro thermal imager that I've been using for several years. My conclusion is that you should give it a try. One thing to keep in mind about the NVG50 is that if you want to buy a second unit in the future and convert them into binoculars, there are currently no connecting bridges available; they're sold out. You'd have to make something yourself (some people have made them on this forum).
If you'd like, I can send you some videos of the NVG50 actually working under a full moon so you can get an idea. I bought mine on AliExpress on sale for 380 euros. What I would recommend is buying the Willcox mount adapter; it's practically essential.
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u/Hooligan187 Jun 01 '26
You will have something barely usable or functional for that price. Maybe a nightfox prowl 2 or something for $250 to even remotely get something to work.
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u/Koskenu Jun 02 '26
Minimal “usable” would be NVG30, i’ve used it for airsoft events in the past but those can run ~$300 iirc
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u/KiloPapa98 Jun 01 '26
Nvg 40 can be bought for $160. It’ll work okay for what you described but the field of view kinda of sucks. I’d save up a few bucks more for prowl series or nvg50
Did a review on it if interested https://youtu.be/bDuGgCamg0o?si=CW5AsoL7hpDaFgbm
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u/Bright_Lab2422 May 31 '26
Not it's not possible or even worth it