BIPH Binocular Photon Machine

mbaddah (Mo) · #1 03-05-2010, 10:07 PM

Has anyone ever looked through one of these?

http://www.nightvisionastronomy.com/

I didn't know they even existed until now. They certainly look impressive! I would have ordered a pair had the price been a little lower than $4k US

MikeyB (Michael) · #2 03-05-2010, 10:29 PM

We can dream, anyway:

*: EXPORT OF THE COMMODITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT A VALID EXPORT LICENSE ISSUED BY THE U.S. DEPT. OF STATE, OFFICE OF MUNITIONS CONTROL PRESCRIBED IN THE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN ARMS REGULATIONS (ITAR) TITLE 22, CODE OF FEDERAL REGS PARTS 121-128.

Generation 3 image intensifiers may only be purchased by US citizens by US State Department regulations.

renormalised (Carl) · #3 03-05-2010, 10:52 PM

Looks very interesting....would be good to take a look through a pair.

JD2439975 (Justin) · #4 03-05-2010, 11:27 PM

In Oz I think Gen3 is limited to military & law enforcement but you might see a little through Gen2 gear.
Unless you're into hunting long-pig by night then for that money you might as well get some real astro gear.

Would be kind of cool though.

gb_astro · #5 04-05-2010, 06:29 PM

Here is an Australian site that allows you to do it a bit cheaper,
at least with Gen2.
They have some Gen3 stuff but it's not cheap.

http://www.starweb.com.au/image_intensifier_sales.html

gb.

g__day (Matthew) · #6 05-05-2010, 10:52 PM

Would it magnify the shakes too? I would think you'd need a tricky - non linear amplifier for the CCD to make this work the way you'd hope - cause you don't want to magnify sky glow, and you do want to amplify really faint signals well above sky glow, and you'd not want to magnify really bright things much at all - to avoid blooming.

wasyoungonce (Brendan) · #7 06-05-2010, 08:51 AM

I worked with Gen 3 night vision goggles for Aircrew. Brilliant stuff. But there are limitations. Their FOV is limited and depth perception is ..poor.

Image intensifiers really don't have an amateur application ATM except for maybe guide scope...to pick up faint guide stars....or the good old hillbilly boys!

renormalised (Carl) · #8 06-05-2010, 10:45 AM

Sure they aren't Neanderthal???....wait a minute....that's a slur on Neanderthals!!!

Jethro: "Hey Bob, what ya'll thunk about tha Erf goin' aroun' thur Sun in one ear??"

Bob: "Yup"

JD2439975 (Justin) · #9 07-05-2010, 02:47 AM

Hey where'd you get a photo of my neighbours?

Scary thing is they're twins, brother & sister.

Even scarier...their kids look the same.

EDIT: So as not to get a rap across the knuckles for being off topic...
For that sort of money a DSLR or cheap CCD would give superior images & in colour too.
Or for live images a Malin cam or GSTAR-EX.