So you've ordered your night vision unit and in the packaging is a specs sheet. You have no idea what any of this means or even where to start. Let us help you with that.
I have my night vision unit, what do the specs mean?
Four values are commonly considered when rating night vision, FOM, SNR, EBI, and Halo. FOM is a general sum of the quality of the tube, 2000+ FOM tubes are considered premium/above standards.
What is FOM in night vision? (figure of merit)
FOM is simply a number that gives a quantitative measure of a night vision device's effectiveness and clarity. FOM you want to be as high as possible. Most premium NODS have a FOM minimum of 2000+.
What is SNR in night vision? (signal-to-noise ratio)
SNR is something most people highly consider when buying NODS, because ultimately it is a huge factor in how well that NOD performs. The higher the SNR, the less "tv-static" you will have visually. SNR you want to be as high as possible. Sadly, the higher the SNR the higher the EBI is. This is not an absolute rule but is typically the case. An example of extremely high SNR would be 35+ per tube.
What is EBI in night vision? (equivalent background illumination)
EBI helps contrast light objects from dark objects in low light situations. This is important, for example, when needing to see the inside of dark structures to differentiate human silhouettes from the surroundings. EBI you want to be as low as possible. For example, the minimum EBI required for tubes to be contracted to the military is 2.5, though most private owners prefer the EBI to be below 1.5.
What does Halo mean in Night Vision?
Halo is the measurement of the halo effect the viewer sees when looking at bright light sources. This halo effect expands the light source in a ring and can potentially white out objects in your field of view. Low Halo values are preferred to minimize this effect.
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