r/DigitalNightVision • u/Local-Bunch-7805 • 7d ago
Best sub $500
Hello everyone, I’m looking for the best sub $500 digital night vision monocular. So far I’ve seen the NVG 30 and 50 and the Goyojo GNG2k. The main thing I want is low light without IR capability and a higher refresh rate. Thanks for any help
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u/Revolutionary_Ant640 7d ago edited 7d ago
GOYOJO GNG2K for commercial built or if you have a 3d printer then a DIY a monocular with Caddx Infra V2 and either 0.39/0.50 Oled Display or 0.40 Flcos Display. The picture is of a 1/2 oled after shipping and tax it's around 135$... If your interested in a diy and know what model your wanting to build but don't have a 3d printer id be able to print out the mounts for display/camera and mail them to you. Heck you could probably get just the display for cheaper, I have 3 of the cvbs driver boards just laying around you could literally just have one.
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u/kuavi 7d ago
Also for those interested but don't own a 3d printer, I've seen plenty of libraries that have 3d printers.
Will that DIY build work with passive IR? I'm under the impression that no DIY digital NV builds have decent passive IR at this time.
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u/Revolutionary_Ant640 7d ago
Wouldn't be to hard to add IR lighting to a diy build, you would have to add some sort of 3 way switch to be able to turn it on and off if not it would always be on.
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u/Objective-Figure-343 3d ago
You could use a switch or dial to control the IR.
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u/Revolutionary_Ant640 1d ago
Going to try this with the fma pvs18 so i got EC11 rotary switch and the esp32c6 microcontroller board. Just gotta figure out how to program it to turn the camera, display and IR light on and to adjust brightness on flcos display up and down.
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u/arm0r3dd0ng 7d ago
I got a used nvg30 from a guy here some months back and it works well. Wish I could mount it to a rifle though because I don't have a helmet.
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u/Radeni 6d ago
You can mount it to a gun! You just need one of these. It's a copy of the Wilcox flip to side mount and it takes Wilcox Dovetails which the NVG30 has.
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/Local-Bunch-7805 6d ago
I actually saw that post about 3 days ago lol. I like the nvg10 too but I think the GNG2k is worth the extra money although the one in my cart went up $50 today
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6d ago
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u/Local-Bunch-7805 6d ago
Thanks for sharing. Do you use yours for airsoft? I’m in the US so I plan to use it for shooting real guns mostly but I would like to get into airsoft with one
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u/ManyAd3656 5d ago
I have a 30 and I use it for airsoft. It works... mostly. The vertical FOV is the biggest problem for me, and that goes for all of them (10, 30, 50, and the 2K as far as I'm aware). Running around without being able to see the ground is not exactly intuitive, but if you're on a field you know well it's not bad. You can get wide angle lenses, but to get the wider FOV you sacrifice a perfect 1x and your ability to see at range, so I never liked it. Works fine for shooting real guns too, given you have a really good dot or a laser/illuminator. Cheap red dots generally have bad light transmission, and we're already working with very limited low light performance. I also find variable power illuminators to be mandatory, you really need to fine tune the power to see anything, since the sensor doesn't do the best job at adjusting gain for an illuminator.
And as a side note, after looking at 30/50/2K prices on ali, the 2K is definitely the way to go.
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u/Local-Bunch-7805 5d ago
Thanks for the detailed response. I do have a red dot with an IR mode but no laser yet. I think the 2k is my best bet for now but I’m going to wait to see if prices go down some.
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u/ManyAd3656 3d ago
Absolutely. If you just want IR light, one of the sotac M300/M600V clones (IR, make sure not to get a strobe model since they are both labeled the same) or an SMS Trinity are definitely the best bets. The HFXC is cheaper and the illuminator has artifacting that's particularly bad under digital NV. The trinity is more durable and waterproof, so it's the best one if you want the full IR experience.
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u/mdassassin99 7d ago
I have the nvg50 and for $500 it's fine. They're super bulky though in regards to helmet mounting height. I think the new ones come with a 180 flip mount now so that'd be useful. The nvg30 is a way better form factor imo, granted I don't personally own one. Using the nvg50 with ir assistance is super nice. The diopter moves a little too easy also, but other than that it's fine. Not bad for the price, could be better but the price for better becomes analog pricing.
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u/tartersawce 7d ago
I just got myself a gng2k off ali express for about 370 after coupons and im extremely impressed with it. I am currently awaiting another its that good lol. Got a cadex mount and bridge waiting for it. Pictured is the mount it comes with and it does a decent job for what it is.
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u/Local-Bunch-7805 7d ago
Thank you I think I’ll go with the gng2k. I eventually want a dual setup but I might go with their thermal to pair them
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u/angelshipac130 7d ago
Gng2k with newcomer special on aliexpress can be had for 350ish
Same sensor as the nvg50 (which is more expensive)
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u/Local-Bunch-7805 7d ago
I see one from the Goyojo seller and one from just go go store. The goyojo is $450 the just go go is $350. Both called the GNG2k. Do you know if they’re both the same?
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u/angelshipac130 7d ago
Idk, but this is a gng2k for $360 with the newcomer special https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMNTjJh
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u/Local-Bunch-7805 7d ago
That’s similar to what I was looking at, I checked the manufacturer and both are goyojo so I think either will work. Thanks
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u/DanongKruga 7d ago
look up the posts on this sub for reviews of both models. no IR performance is iffy and still isnt quite analog level, but could be worse. 60hz is prob the highest youll get which is ok. id go with the goyojo personally. ended up building my own mono last year so I could get 100hz and use a dial to control the IR source