ZEISS thermal imaging cameras for a new way of birding At the Global BirdFair in Rutland, UK, ZEISS recently unveiled its complete range of thermal imaging devices for nature observation and birding for the first time. www.zeiss.com Last year Zeiss released 4 different new Gen 2 thermal imaging cameras. Expensive but one does have the integration of the scope, thermal sensor, and camera with storage. Good field research tool ..read more

About a year ago I had the chance to use a thermal monocular (Pulsar Helion I think) but it made me dizzy within minutes. I'm fine with binoculars, but generally can't handle even ordinary monoculars. The experience put me off using thermals for birding, but I was recently able to play with an InfiRay PH35 which I loved, not just because looking at a screen was felt easier on my eyes, but also because others who were birding with me could look at the same thermal image. I'm wondering if... Read more ..read more

Hello, I do a lot of owling, especially in tropical forests. I am interested in using a thermal imaging scope to look for owls at night. I am planning on using it to locate an owl that I have already heard singing from thick vegetation. My goal is to use the it to pin point the owl, before using a flashlight to get a better view. I am curious if thermal imaging scopes work well at night in a warm climate? I am also interested to hear specific recommendations of models of thermal imaging... Read more ..read more

This works quite well, and bipasses all the fannying around trying to match the binocular view with something detected in the thermal imager! Mine needs a foam pad on the thermal body to keep them calibrated. To be clear I look thru the thermal, then close that eye and open the other for the binocular view, in daylight ..read more

Thinking of getting this as my first thermal imaging device. Will use it for scanning tangled ditches, reed beds, bushes and hedges on my local patch then use my binoculars to try to locate any heat sources. Will it be any good? It's far cheaper than eg the Pulsar or Zeiss models but I think they probably have many more functions than I need. I'm totally new to this area and have never used or even handled one of these devices, so any guidance or advice will be very welcome! Thanks Sean ..read more

Looking for advice on night vision equipment which is practical to use in the field and still within a price range of a normal birder. So far, I did not bother with night vision equipment, because I thought that it is - too expensive - field of view is very small compared to binoculars, so finding birds or mammals in the field is pain, - many birds and mammals are invisible because they don't emit more heat than their enviroment. However, apparently some people recently use night vision... Read more ..read more

Hi Folks, Please refer to image uploaded: The first cable (3.5mm jack) from infra-red scope is original and came with scope for connection with monitor. Its bird migration season here in tropical Asia (starting). Been trying to "stream" the NightVision's output to an Android phone without success. Any advice on converting the output from NightVision to Android phone? Related, any "generic" app to use - I have an Endoscope app (that works with the Endoscope, but not sure what app to use... Read more ..read more

I am a long time Dutch birder, 40 years plus, but very new in the world of thermal scopes. These scopes have been used by wildlife managers and researchers for some time now. For example, to spot and count nesting locations of meadow birds or reed birds from the ground but also from the air. For us bird watchers it is something new, but it is growing more and more. First of all, I have to mention that I went into this test completely neutral. I have no connection whatsoever with these two... Read more ..read more

Apparently many people feel they are superior to use compared to binoculars. And they are apparently available. Just a different setup. And I slightly fear being arrested as a spy ..read more

Hi all Im wondering could anyone rexommend best night vision binoculars. I want to get a pair for my husband. We live on a farm with a lot of forestry and he enjoys looking at the birds etc. This is just a passtime for him so i dont want to pay a crazy amount. Also I think he would prefer to be hands free so a pair he could have strapped would be better for him. Thank you in advance. Sandy ..read more