Night shadow gen 1 binocs - ATN Night Shadow I Generation Night Vision Binoculars NVBNNSDW10 (12131)

Excellent optical clarity and display resolution, with only slight distortion at the edge of view. However, I found these ATN Night Shadow Gen 1 binocs to be very dim & weak in light amplification ability, possibly caused by a single intensifier tube being viewed by 2 eyepices. When looking up at the stars on a clear night, I could not see any more stars than I can with my naked eyes, maybe even less. The internal illuminator only helped out to about 50 feet at best on dark nights. Howevever, when I got out my spot light with IR filter, it was awesome, with easy identification of horses and cows to 250 yds, and ability to count them beyond 500 yds.
I have decided to return them, exchanging them for an ATN Aries Mk390 night scope, as they with a more powerful illuminator, as it apparent that powerful illumination really makes the Gen 1 units from ATN work great.
Optics Planet has been a pleasure to do business with so far.
Pros: Excellent clarity for Gen 1; Lightweight
Cons: Weak light amplification; hard to hold shape & poor button location

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.