[PUP] SuperVision

[Mike Maurice]

>    I had planned to buy a Gen III night scope prior to leaving the  
> Hawaiian Islands next Spring.  My research came across a new product  
> called SuperVision which claims to be superior to Gen III scopes and  
> sells for less money.  It seems to be based on a CCD chip which is  
> basically camcorder technology.   Take a look at the web site and see  
> w
I spent 2 years studying night vision technology before buying a unit 
about 8 years ago. There is a lot of fluff and a distinct lack of info 
on the site. For instance, after reading the FAQ.

It uses a rechargeable battery, but there is no info about how long this 
lasts or what the cost is of a replacement battery. Power consumption 
must be pretty high if it using a rechargeable. My unit will run for 
some days on a single alkaline AA. Lithium Ion batteries don't hold 
their charge for more than a month or so. This is a serious issue for 
casual use.

How water resistant is it, no info.

There is no posted User Manual to study, after all this is a product 
selling for over a thousand dollars.

There is no info as to the life expectancy of the unit. Gen II units had 
a short life expectancy, where does this fit in.

There is no independent testing or independent product review.

If this is so spectacular why isn't the military buying up all the 
production?

Don't get me wrong, this is a VERY interesting development, but these 
products are generally very finely targeted at some kind of use and that 
use may or may not be well adapted to use on a boat.

There are no graphs of sensitivity versus wavelength, which tells a user 
exactly what kind of light this takes. There is some vague reference to 
the use of a infrared floodlight, does this imply that the viewing 
samples were made using such a flood?

I can think of more questions, but this should keep anybody busy for a 
while.

Mike

_____________________________________
Capt. Mike Maurice
Beaverton Oregon(Near Portland)