Digital Day/Night Vision Binoculars NV200 Review

Reviewed by Jonathan @ Ordinary American https://www.youtube.com/@ordinary_american

An affordable and highly reliable and feature-rich day/night capable digital binocular and camera.

Introduction

The world of digital binoculars is really taking off in the last several months. As the technology and affordability increases, more and more outdoor enthusiasts are looking to acquire the means to see in the day and dark. Seeing in the dark has excellent utility not just for nature watchers, but also for hunters and preparedness minded groups looking for a way to recognize animals and predators without using light.

Digital night vision in particular has come a long way and is generally more affordable than the analog “tube” night vision. Still the cost of getting a device that can reliably and effectively see in the dark is cost prohibitive for many, and those that are more affordable generally seem to lack reliability and decent optical performance. An additional cost many have to factor is that many digital night vision systems can’t extend to daylight use and have little to no additional features.

Enter the NV200...

The NV200

The NV200 brings 24/7 functionality, a high-quality lens and IR illumination system, and increased media capturing and transferring features to provide a one-stop-shop solution for your observation and recording needs.

I’ve had the opportunity to test and review the NV200 for several months and have gotten a good bit of time behind it, have taken it out over the Fall, Winter, and Spring season and throughout various hours, even to turn it on multiple times a day to observe, photograph, and record. It’s been absolutely reliable and is quickly building a strong reputation for itself. I have come to really enjoy the utility and capability of this fantastic device. There are other reviews out there on social media, and I encourage you to view them all to get a good understanding of what this brings to the table.

The NV200 is made by Oneleaf, a Hong Kong based electro-optical company that has been putting out several models of scopes and binoculars worthy of serious consideration. Oneleaf is spun up on what the market needs, is highly transparent about their products, and is constantly evolving and updating their features, while maintaining a robust level of product support and customer support in English. Purchasing an NV200 also gives you lifetime access to any firmware updates that they roll out and upgrading the NV200 is an easy and pain-free process. They also have a YouTube channel and excellent guides on their website into setting up your product and utilizing all the features.

Shipping was trouble-free as Oneleaf provides a tracking number and within a few days it had made its way from Hong Kong to the US.

The box is attractive, sturdy, and has a foam insert inside to protect the NV200 against any bumps during transit. Inside the box you’ll get everything you need to get your binocular up and running.

In the box you'll get:

• Padded shoulder strap – excellent for retaining your binocular and going hands-free
• Protective cloth bag
• Microfiber cloth for wiping the screen and lens
• Allen keys to attach Oneleaf’s laser rangefinder module
• Power bank mount for charing on the go
• 3x 18650 batteries. They come already installed but aren’t being drained as there’s a little plastic tab to remove before turning on the unit for the first time.
• A Type-C cable for charging and transferring media (not pictured but very much used!)
• Instruction manual with clear and concise directions in English
• And finally…the NV200 with a 35mm lens (more on this later)

Specs and Features and My Experience:

Just from taking it out of the box, I was able to appreciate how well constructed it appears. Oneleaf provides a 2-year warranty, but it should hold up as long as you aren’t abusing it during transportation and use. It’s built out of durable ABS polymer and is IPX6 rated to resist high water pressure. The wrist straps are removeable and size adjustable and make holding the binoculars issue-free. I was pleasantly surprised that the buttons provide tactile feedback, and the controls are easy to reach without losing the grip on the binoculars. It’s also capable of being mounted to a tripod which is a welcome and necessary feature at high zoom levels.

Once you turn on the NV200, you’ll see an easy-to-understand interface. The menu is easy to actuate and browse through, and all the adjustments to the lens, media files, and contrast/brightness/audio settings are easy to find and adjust. The screen is also plenty bright, made of Japanese optical glass, and it’s very much visible and readable in all weather conditions, to include bright sunlight. The lens used is quite good. It is a focus adjustable multicoated anti reflection High-Definition lens, using Sony STARVIS, and giving you high pixel, high fidelity resolution, visibility, and picture quality from dawn to dusk. A lens cap is threaded on for daytime use and come smartly tethered to the unit.

Speaking of lens, Oneleaf smartly looked ahead, and made the lens on all NV200 models interchangeable much like a DSLR camera lens. The NV200 is now being offered in either 35mm or 50mm, and future lens like a 75mm will also be released.

As far as zooming in, the digital zoom is adjustable to 20x, but One Leaf notes that you might not find the upper zoom levels as useful. In my case, as long as I had a stable platform, such as a tripod or a flat surface to rest the NV200 on, I found zooms of up to 15x usable for seeing small objects and trees in detail, and 20x was also feasible for discerning large animals or people.

In case you want to maintain your wide field of view and still zoom in on a particular object of interest, the “Picture in Picture” button mode allows for a minimized a magnified image along with a non-magnified field of view.

The viewing distance in general is quite wide in the daytime, but shortens considerably in Night mode, however you still maintain a wide field of view.

Daytime viewing is a pleasure. It’s not a $2000 camera, but for the cost, the value and experience it provides really punches above the price bracket. Although you obviously can tell that you’re looking through a digital lens instead of a binocular, the camera does a great job at picking up movement and color, making everything come alive, and the NV200 gives you an excellent opportunity to scout out, appreciate, and record nature.

I was excited to see how it performed at night, and I was not disappointed. Understanding that this is not an analog night vision like a $3,000 PVS-14, I still came away impressed at the level of illumination and clarity I could achieve. When switched to Night Mode, your Infrared (IR) illumination is zero, and you can then toggle between 8 different levels of 8 Watt illumination with the ability to focus the IR beam.

Night Mode is serviceable indoors, but the degrees field of view is limited so you won’t be clearing rooms with this. I’ve also found that glass reflects the IR beam, so if you’re indoors and trying to scan outdoors at night, you’ll need a clear line of sight with no glass interrupting your view to the outdoors. Aside from the excellent utility of these binoculars, they are also helpful vision for looking at various pieces of gear and their IR signature. When outdoors, I was able to get quality focused images at high digital zoom levels, and the ability to focus and adjust the IR beam meant that I could adapt the NV200 to any light level and environment.

Other features include a red laser pointer that has a good reach and is useful for designating areas of interest with your mates, and the ability to mount Oneleaf’s laser rangefinder module, which can also be bought already installed on the NV200. Although I haven’t had the chance to try out the laser rangefinder, from the reviews I’ve watched it looks like a well-functioning accessory and could be a desirable feature depending on the user.

The NV200 is powered by three 18650 rechargeable batteries providing up to 12 hours of continuous use and charging as as simple as attaching the included Type C cable to the NV200, and plugging it to any USB port to charge the NV200’s batteries.

Taking video is intuitive – holding down the record/capture button and a red timer will indicate that recording has begun. Video recording available in various fps, but Oneleaf recommends using 4k 30fps in Night Mode, and 4k 120fps during the daytime. Making the switch is easy via the menu options.

Taking a photo requires a short quick press of the button and I admit sometimes I wasn’t sure if a photo was taken. It would be nice to have an update that would give instant feedback that a photo was taken. Regardless, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to quickly capture moments. The NV200 is also capable of capturing spoken audio via the microphone, which can also be disabled if desired.

It’s also easy to find the photo and video library and review or delete your findings.

The same Type-C cable or the removeable memory card (64 Gb standard or upgrade to 128 Gb) can be used to transfer your media. Media can also be viewed using the HDMI port, and projecting it to a larger computer monitor, allowing you to share your screen with a wider audience, and share live streams of your video recording.

Closing Thoughts:

If you are in the market for a digital night vision capable binocular, I would honestly urge you to consider an NV200. The research and product development done by Oneleaf shows, and I have no doubts they will continue to improve and build on this success. This comes ready to roll out of the box and is built to deliver high-quality on-demand imagery. Reliability has been perfect, and the feedback from everyone I’ve let handle the binoculars has been very positive. For anyone who is lacking night vision and wishes to have a way to see outdoors at any time, this is an excellent cost effective and proven product that will give you the power to see in the dark! I’ll be continuing to use the NV200 and will feature it on the channel “Ordinary American” in an upcoming video review. Be sure to like and subscribe to find out when it gets posted!

If you are interested in the NV200 please take a look at the link where you’ll find product information and review (I don’t get any financial incentives from recommending this):

https://oneleaf.ai/day-night-vision-binoculars-find-nv200.html

As always if you have any comments or questions, just stop by the YouTube video and I’ll be sure to quickly respond.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you all next time!