Good starter nv - Bushnell Night Vision 2x24 Night Watch Monocular 260224

This is my first gen 1 monocular. I was sceptical about the quality because this was the cheapest thing out there, but it still got decent reviews, and it had the lowest magnification of all the ones in this low price range. I like that it uses common AA batteries. It is very lightweight, comes with a convenient lanyard to hang it around your neck, and it is simple to use. The field of view is somewhat narrow for 2X magnification, but the image is usable. I didn't want to have more magnification that makes it difficult to see what's happening at close ranges. Between the eyepiece diopter and the objective focus ring I was able to get fairly sharp images. It is not as powerful as I'd hoped for while not using the built in IF spotlight in near total darkness, but the IF illuminator is quite bright, though at distances less than 50 yards the IF beam is does not cover the full field of view; it becomes a clearly lit spot in the middle of the "frame". I also don't like that the IF illuminator gives off a visible red light when you look directly at it. Standing on my deck in what I considered total darkness, I was surprised how well I could see at short distances, and I was surprised to see my own shadow on the ground, which I realized was caused by the very small, dim led "on" indicator light on a security camera behind and above me. I haven't tried it yet, but the IR illuminator is so intense at less than 50 yards that I'm confident it will carry well out to over 150 yards, where it will widen accordingly. It also has a 1/4 20" tripod screw hole. Considering how little it cost I am very happy with it.