So you made the financial jump into NVGs, but now you want to add things to it (of course we all do). So here are a few common things that people consider as accessories (excluding helmet mounts or retention lanyards) to make their NVGs more comfortable and enjoyable:

Purple/Red Ocular Lens: These are tinted lenses that direct-thread over the ocular lens of a night vision device, and shift the perceived light spectrum seen by the eye. Depending if the night vision device is green or white phosphor, the color of the lens can shift that perceived color entirely. Purple lenses will shift green phosphor to a “whiter” binary color with less green intensity. Red lenses will shift white phosphor to a more crimson color. The added benefit to using colored ocular lenses is also to reduce eye strain by lowering the color intensity of the device. 

Iris Focal Lens: These are external lenses that attach to the front of the objective lens (via either direct-thread or slip over) at the front of the night vision device. They may/may not include a clear sacrificial lens to protect the iris lens itself and the front objective lens. Parts to assemble your own iris lens are readily available at camera stores or Ebay, or complete iris lenses are available commercially. The purpose of the iris focal lens is to dial down the volume of incoming light to allow the user to adjust the gain and balance both near and distance focus. Iris focal lenses minimize the need to continually adjusting the focus of the device when transitioning between near and distance objects, although it frequently will add some bulk to the device. 

External Battery/Power Supply: These are often specific to the NVG, and will depend on connection between the NVG port, cable, and the battery pack itself. A battery pack acts in place of a battery placed inside the unit itself and has the advantage of much more extended battery life. You will want to ensure you get the correct battery pack because failure to use the proper power supply could damage the NVG itself. Typically, these accessories are also mounted to the rear of the helmet using a counterweight pouch or something akin to the TNVC Mohawk. An external battery pack may be unnecessary however if you only ever plan on wearing your NVGs for (at most) an hour or two at a time.

Cameras v Devices: There is a large misconception that night vision cameras equate to today’s night vision devices/goggles. Products by Sionyx are a good example of cameras that provide reasonable night performance, with some aspects of NVGs (like IR flood lighting), for a very modest price. But these do not have the technology or performance of dedicated NVGs and that becomes apparent when seen through both devices. Night vision cameras provide reasonable resolution up close and offer some element of color that can be good for content creation or other considerations.

Ultimately, the purpose of this series and the previous four others were to help inform and guide beginners to the night vision world. By clarifying a lot of the principles and terminology it will hopefully be easier for you to navigate your way before investing substantial capital in a long-term investment. A special thanks goes out to Killer Defense for serving as the sounding board to this series.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this series is strictly informational, much like our COVID Chronicles, body armor, or gear guide, this series is not intended by High Ground to sway or convince the reader that one specific brand of night vision manufacturer is superior to all the others. In the end, this series is intended to provide the reader with a condensed and focused resource—nothing more. It is not to be considered definitive advice nor instruction.

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