is there an affordable night vision set up?
i am not planning on hunting with this, it would be mainly for security to scope out the creek behind my house
Thanks

Yes. Plenty of good Infrared scopes at affordable prices. That said, If you want to scan wooded areas, you need thermal. IR will get washed out by trees and brush. Thermal is more expensive.

Thanks
That is actually what I probably need
Had to hope for another option though
Cheers

Affordable for me is different by a factor of 10 or more than that of one of my old shooting partners. I drive a 17 year old truck and he drives a new G-wagon. So what sort of budget are we talking about?

The "affordable" night vision will all be digital night vision. It will give you ~ Gen 1+ to Gen 2 level performance of traditional NV, which means you will be needing to run it with an IR illuminator probably 27 day out of the month. Because of this, it will work better of the area behind your house is a nice open field between you and the creek. If you have a lot of vegetation, you will have a problem with trying to see anything in or behind the vegetation because of the play of the ir illuminator over-illuminating things in the foreground versus things (like what you want to see) being in the background. Effectively, it is like you are using a flashlight, except that the light is invisible to the naked eye and you have to use the DNV to see the light.

What is the distance to your creek?

You may find that what you want is cheap thermal. For $400, you could have something like a RIX K2 hand scanner that is 256 resolution.


For $800, you could get a 384 version that will be considerably better. These are just examples, but you may want to go with thermal, depending on your circumstances and what sort of security you mean. If this is for people-threats, then given how big people are, the K2 would probably be great. If you are trying to identify the people, then thermal would not be the way to go.

Thank you
K2 is exactly what I am trying to achieve

my Ranger Friend said to go thermal, I was hoping for a $250 option

the range I need is like 50 yards

Your Ranger friend gives good advice. I would not suggest buying any thermal under 256 resolution unless you know 1000% for sure that you won't ever be looking at stuff beyond 50 yards. Sort of like buying a gun safe, it is real easy to be too little and then realize it is a mistake.

The K2 is a good unit and even records, but he audio is icky. It runs on an 18650 flat top (IIRC) battery. One should last you 4-6 hours. Spare batteries (and it may come with 2) will cost you about 8-12 bucks each

Also, check with Jason at Outdoor Legacy (he is on the forum as well). He is a Rix dealer and might have an alternate suggestion. I think you would be hard pressed to find something cheaper that is comparable, but Rix shook up the market with low prices and a lot of brands have had price drops.

Thank You Senor

Mount what you get on that shotgun you keep on the porch.

For $250 a used sightmark wraith is about the best you can do.

Visibility out to 100 yards day or night.

With what, duct tape? LOL.

It’s an AK not a shotgun

The DNT ZULUS HD 5-20X Digital Night Vision Scope is only $399.99 and a very dependable unit
"Equipped with the highly sensitive SONY STARVIS 2 sensor and an integrated 850nm illuminator, the compact DNT ZULUS HD has the best visual sensitivity and illumination to see potential targets.
Whether they be coyotes, wild hogs, or other game, you will be able to see them as far as 450 yards.
Whether it is in the early morning, under bright sunshine, during twilight, or after midnight the DNT ZULUS HD comes equipped with the latest Sony STARVIS 2 CMOS sensor which provides better imaging and NIR (Near Infrared) performance. The ZULUS HD is equipped with a 60Hz 1920x1080 Micro-OLED screen, and has an IP67 waterproof rating to provide shooters with the best tool to engage targets in all lighting conditions.
Utilization of SONY's latest CMOS Technology, ED glass lenses, cutting edge imaging algorithms and a world-leading 60Hz 1920x1080 Micro-OLED display ensures the DNT ZULUS HD to be perfect for daytime use. Almost making your day optic obsolete.
The removable IR Illuminator allows you to switch between 850nm or 940nm.
(940nm IR Illuminator can be purchased separately.)"

Thank you