Camera Hacker

Wiki

Older Revision of Night Detective Quest 5 ND-Q5 Night Vision Monocular Review

Revision: 20140102_125204 | All Revisions

Night Detective Quest 5 (ND-Q5) Night Vision Monocular Review

Sony Handycam was the first photographic device that got me into the world of night vision. With it, I was able to shoot videos of scene at night, lit by ambient light. Using the optional IR illumination, I was able to capture scenes in complete darkness. Back then, I had caught numerous photos of my dwarf hamster in action. That was when I realized that there was a whole new world in the darkness of the night.

Now wouldn't it be nice if you can capture the same night scenes with your digital SLR camera? I proceeded to find the Night Detective Quest 5 (ND-Q5) night vision monocular just north of $175. A photo adapter allows you to attach it to your digital SLR camera. We will talk about this adapter later on. For now, we will focus on the review of the ND-Q5 night vision monocular.

The Night Detective Quest 5 arrives in a plain, but sturdy white box. Inside the cardboard box is a very nice zipper pouch for carrying the monocular.

At first glance, the Night Detective Quest 5 looks like a miniature old-school camcorder (see photo below). It's got a big lens on one end and a smaller eyepiece on the other end. On the right side of its body is a hand strap. You hold it just like an old-school camcorder.

There are two control on top of the monocular. The one labeled "IR LED" turns on infrared LED lights to light up the scene. The second buttons is the "Power" button.

Behind the control buttons is the battery bay. You slide it open to insert two AA alkaline batteries (see photo below).

The front lens element looks like a simple plain glass without any coatings (see photo below). It has a 52 millimeter filter ring. The monocular comes with pinhole lens cap that screws onto the 52mm filter ring. The pinhole lens cap allows you to try the night vision monocular during the day or with the lights on.

The front lens element is rotatable by hand. It allows you to change the focus on various distances.

The rear eyepiece allows you to see the night scene through the monocular. It's rotatable, allowing you to change the focus distance for your eyes. Because both front lens element and the eyepiece have adjust focus, it may take some time to get a clear picture. But once you do, it's amazing what you can see under moonlight.

Above the eyepiece are two LED indicators. The lower indication shows the power status (whether the device is on or off. The higher indication shows whether the IR LED is on or off.

Comments & Discussion >>

Night Detective 42mm Photo Adapter for Night Vision Devices

Comments & Discussion >>

Related Links