Before you compare a single specification, know where you are allowed to use one of these. Since 1 June 2024 the Department of Conservation permits hand-held thermal devices on public conservation land during daylight hours. Firearm-mounted thermal is still prohibited, and the permit conditions rule out discharging a firearm after dark and hunting with night vision optics. Roughly a third of New Zealand is public conservation land, so that single rule decides which of these products makes sense for a lot of buyers.
This guide covers eighteen models from the Night Vision range, $189 to $1,890: digital monoculars, binoculars with optical zoom, head and helmet mounted units, image intensifier optics, a laser rangefinder pair and two thermal monoculars. It explains the three completely different technologies sold under the same heading, and where each one is worth its money.
The rule that matters most in New Zealand. On public conservation land: hand-held thermal is allowed in daylight, firearm-mounted thermal is not allowed at all, and night shooting and hunting with night vision optics are not permitted. Private land is a different question and needs the landowner's permission. Full detail below.
Contents:
Three Technologies, One Category
Everything in this range is sold as night vision and three completely different things are happening inside. Get this right and the rest of the guide is easy.
Digital, which is most of this range
A sensitive digital sensor plus an infrared illuminator that floods the scene with light your eye cannot see. The sensor reads that reflected infrared and shows you a picture on a small screen. It works in absolutely no ambient light, it records video and stills to a card, and it is by far the cheapest way in.
The trade: you are shining a light. Other night vision users can see your illuminator plainly, and some animals detect the 850nm glow. Range is limited by how far your illuminator throws, which is why the specification quoted is a distance.
Image intensifier, the classic green picture
An intensifier tube amplifies whatever light is already there, starlight, moonlight, distant streetlights, by a factor of around 2000. There is no screen and no recording: you are looking through glass at a real optical image, which is why it feels natural and why there is no lag.
Two here use it: MAS-MONOHELMET at $549 on a flip-up head mount, and MAS-RIFLESCOPE at $899, a Gen 1+ rifle scope.
The trade: it needs some light to amplify. On a heavily overcast night under bush canopy there may be nothing to work with, which is why both include an infrared illuminator as backup. It also does not record.
Thermal, which sees heat rather than light
A thermal sensor reads temperature differences and needs no light at all, not even infrared. It works in total darkness, through light fog and smoke, and crucially it shows a warm animal against cool bush where every other technology shows you a wall of leaves.
Two in this range. VIM-THERMCAM at $990 with a 10 hour battery, WiFi streaming to a phone, 8x digital zoom and 32GB of built-in memory. VIM-THC2 at $1,150 with a 256 x 192 core that picks up a person-sized heat source out to 750 metres, an AMOLED eyepiece rather than a rear screen, 32GB of recording and a swappable 18650 cell.
The trade: thermal detects, it does not identify. You will see that something warm is there and roughly its shape. You will not read a face, a number plate or a tag, and you cannot tell a deer from a hunter by heat alone. That last point is not a specification quibble, it is a safety rule, and it is why firearm-mounted thermal is prohibited on conservation land.
The short version. Digital if you want to record and the budget is modest. Image intensifier if you want a natural optical view and there is some ambient light. Thermal if the job is finding something warm in country where you cannot see through the vegetation.
What people call these, and what they actually are
New Zealand buyers search for night vision goggles, a night vision scope and night vision binoculars, and the three words describe three different jobs rather than three brands of the same thing.
- Night vision goggles are head-worn and hands-free. You wear them to move around in the dark, not to study something at distance. The head-mounted units in this range are what that term is reaching for.
- Night vision binoculars are two-eyed and held up to look at something. More comfortable over long periods than a monocular and easier to judge distance with, which is why they suit watching a paddock or a bush edge rather than walking through it.
- A night vision scope means a magnified optic for observation at range. Note the New Zealand constraint above before assuming it can be mounted: firearm-mounted thermal is not allowed on public conservation land at all, and night shooting and hunting with night vision optics are not permitted there either.
A monocular sits between goggles and binoculars: one eye, hand-held or head-mountable, and the cheapest way into the category.
Quick Picks
Seven situations. All eighteen are in the comparison table below.
Start here: the $199 monocular
VIM-MONO3N, $199. 5X optical zoom, 300 metres of infrared night vision, a Sony STAR sensor recording with audio to microSD, 1080p by day and 640x480 at night, and a 2 hour battery.
The best value in the range by a clear margin. A Sony sensor and 1080p daytime recording at $199 is unusual, and 300 metres of illuminated range covers a paddock, a boundary, a yard or a bush edge. If you are finding out whether night vision is useful to you, start here rather than at the top.
VIM-MONO5N at $199 reaches 200 metres but adds adjustable illuminator intensity, which is a more useful control than it sounds: turning it down at close range stops the picture washing out.
Don't buy this one if you need more than 2 hours in the field.
Best for long nights
VIM-MONO7N, $449. 4.5X optical zoom reaching 400 metres under starlight, 1080p video and photos to a 64GB card with 8GB included, a rugged weather-resistant body, and a battery that runs up to about 6 hours.
Battery is what separates a device you can rely on from one you carry. Six hours covers a full night's possum control, a stakeout on a boundary, or a wildlife session without a power bank. The 400 metre figure is quoted under starlight rather than with the illuminator running, which is a more honest way to state it.
Best for both hands free
MAS-MONOHELMET, $549. A head-mounted monocular giving 150 metres of visibility with 1x magnification and a flip-up mount.
1x is the specification that matters and it looks like a weakness until you understand it. Magnified night vision on your head produces tunnel vision and destroys your depth perception, which is dangerous when you are walking over rough ground in the dark. At 1x the image matches what your eyes would see, so you can move naturally. Flipping it up returns you to normal vision without taking the helmet off.
VIM-MONOHELMET2 at $590 reaches 200 metres, includes the helmet and streams live to an Android phone. VIM-MONOHELMET3 at $399 is a head-strap binocular reaching 300 metres.
Don't buy any of these for spotting at distance. Head-mounted units are for moving around in the dark, not for identifying something 400 metres away.
Best for finding animals in cover
VIM-THERMCAM, $990. The thermal unit to start with. Reveals heat signatures that are invisible to the naked eye and to every light-based device in this guide, with a 10 hour battery, WiFi streaming to a phone or tablet, 8x digital zoom, and 32GB of built-in memory with USB-C transfer.
Thermal is transformative for one specific job: finding a warm body in country where you cannot see through the vegetation. A deer bedded in scrub, a possum in a canopy, a lost person in gorse. Every light-based device shows you leaves. Thermal shows you the animal.
Thermal is also the only technology in this guide that DOC explicitly allows on public conservation land, during daylight hours, since 1 June 2024. That is worth knowing before you spend $990 on anything else here.
VIM-THC2 at $1,150 is the step up: a 256 x 192 core rated to detect a person-sized heat source at 750 metres, an AMOLED eyepiece you hold to your eye instead of a screen that lights your face, hot spot tracking, 32GB of recording, and a swappable 18650 cell so a second battery in a pocket covers the whole night.
Don't buy this one to identify what you found. Thermal detects, it does not identify. Confirm with your eyes or an optical device before you act on it.
Best for seeing a long way
VIM-BINO3, $1,490. True 6 to 36X optical zoom, not digital, with a 1000 metre detection range, an adjustable illuminator that switches between 850nm and 940nm, 4K video, 16MP stills and WiFi streaming to a phone.
Two specifications justify the price. True optical zoom means the image stays sharp at maximum magnification, where digital zoom simply enlarges pixels. And the switchable illuminator matters more than it sounds: 850nm throws further, while 940nm emits no visible glow, so you choose between reach and remaining unseen.
VIM-BINO3LF at $1,890 adds an integrated laser rangefinder to the same 36X optical platform, which tells you the actual distance to what you are looking at rather than leaving you to guess it.
Best binocular value
VIM-BINIGHT2, $359. 600 metres in total darkness from a 3W 850nm illuminator with nine intensity levels, 10X digital zoom, up to 5K video and 60MP stills recorded to a card, a 3 inch screen to play it back in the field, and a built-in 5000mAh battery. Entirely self-contained, no phone needed.
Six hundred metres is the longest reach under $1,000 in this guide, and the binocular format is far easier on the eyes over a long session because you are not squinting through one eyepiece.
Best for identifying game at distance
VIM-MONO6N, $990. 36X optical zoom in a monocular, which the maker rates for picking out antlers at 400 metres, and an 850nm illuminator reaching 580 metres in complete darkness.
This is a spotting instrument rather than a navigation one. The job it does is deciding whether the thing you have found is worth walking towards, which saves hours and keeps you from disturbing what you are watching. For wildlife observation and for hunting where you must identify before committing, magnification does the work.
VIM-BINO2 at $990 is the binocular equivalent, 30X optical with infrared detection to 500 metres and WiFi straight to your phone with no network needed.
All Eighteen Compared
Grouped by form. Range figures are the manufacturer's, and they assume the illuminator is running unless stated otherwise.
| Model | NZD | Type | Range | Zoom | Records | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monoculars. One eye, lightest, easiest to carry. | |||||||
| VIM-MONO3N | $199 | Digital | 300m | 5X optical | 1080p by day, 640x480 at night | Sony STAR sensor, 2 hour battery, microSD. The value pick. | View |
| VIM-MONO2N | $189 | Digital | 200m | 5X optical, 8X digital | 640x480 | Camouflage finish, 850nm illuminator, colour in daylight. | View |
| VIM-MONO5N | $199 | Digital | 200m | 5X | 640x480 video, with timestamp | Adjustable illuminator intensity, which stops close-range wash-out. | View |
| VIM-MONO4N | $279 | Digital | 200m | 5X | 640x480 with audio | Sony STAR sensor, 850nm, microSD to 32GB. | View |
| VIM-MONO7N | $449 | Digital | 400m under starlight | 4.5X optical | 1080p | Up to about 6 hours of battery. Rugged build. 64GB card, 8GB included. | View |
| VIM-MONO6N | $990 | Digital | 580m | 36X optical | 1080p, 12MP stills | Rated to show antlers at 400m. WiFi. The spotting instrument of the range. | View |
| Binoculars. Two eyes, far easier over a long session. | |||||||
| VIM-BINIGHT | $249 | Digital | 305m | 4x | 640x480, 5MP | 7 levels of adjustable infrared. Auto-off after 10 minutes idle. | View |
| VIM-BINIGHT2 | $359 | Digital | 600m | 10X digital | 5K video, 60MP stills | 3W illuminator. Fully self-contained, no phone needed. | View |
| VIM-BINO2 | $990 | Digital | 500m | 30X optical | 1080p, colour by day | WiFi direct to your phone, no network needed. | View |
| VIM-BINO3 | $1,490 | Digital | 1000m detection | 6 to 36X true optical | 4K, 16MP | Switchable 850nm or 940nm illuminator: reach, or staying unseen. WiFi. | View |
| VIM-BINO3LF | $1,890 | Digital | 1000m detection, 1800m rangefinder | 36X optical | 4K | Integrated laser rangefinder. Tells you the actual distance rather than guessing. | View |
| Head and helmet mounted. For moving in the dark, not for spotting. | |||||||
| VIM-MONOHELMET3 | $399 | Digital | 300m | 7X optical, 8X digital | 1080p, 3MP stills | Binocular on a head strap. 850nm illuminators. The longest range of the head-mounted units. | View |
| MAS-MONOHELMET | $549 | Image intensifier tube | 150m | 1x, no magnification | No | 1x preserves depth perception, which is what makes it safe to walk in. Flip-up mount. | View |
| VIM-MONOHELMET2 | $590 | Digital | 200m | 3X digital | 1080p, and streams | Helmet included. WiFi live stream to an Android phone. | View |
| Rifle scopes. Read the legal section before buying either of these. | |||||||
| MAS-RIFLESCOPE | $899 | Image intensifier, Gen 1+ | 150m detection | 2.5x | No | Amplifies available light 2000x. 10 to 20 hour battery. Fog resistant. | View |
| VIM-RIFLESCOPE2 | $1,090 | Digital | 400m | 3.7X to 11X optical | 1080p, and streams | WiFi live HD feed to an Android phone. | View |
| Thermal. Sees heat, not light. The only kind DOC allows on conservation land, in daylight. | |||||||
| VIM-THERMCAM | $990 | Thermal | Person-sized heat source to 200m | 1x to 8x digital | Yes, 32GB built in | 10 hour battery. WiFi to phone or tablet. USB-C. Sees through light fog and foliage. | View |
| VIM-THC2 | $1,150 | Thermal | Person-sized heat source to 750m | 1x to 8x digital | Yes, 32GB built in | 256 x 192 core, AMOLED eyepiece, swappable 18650 cell, over 8 hours. WiFi to a phone. IP66. | View |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Prices are NZD and were correct when this guide was last reviewed in October 2026; the product page always shows the current price.
Where You Can Use These in New Zealand
This section is the reason to read the guide before you buy rather than after. The rules differ sharply depending on whose land you are on.
Public conservation land, which is about a third of the country
The Department of Conservation changed its position on 1 June 2024, reversing a ban that had stood since 2010. The current position on DOC estate:
- Hand-held thermal devices are allowed, during daylight hours. That is the change, and it is why VIM-THERMCAM and VIM-THC2 are the two devices here you can take onto conservation land for hunting without a problem.
- Thermal that attaches to a firearm remains prohibited.
- Discharging a firearm after dark is not allowed, and neither is hunting with night vision optics. That applies across the DOC estate.
- You still have to identify your target beyond all doubt before taking a shot. DOC said so explicitly when announcing the change, and no technology in this guide relieves you of it.
Read the current DOC hunting permit conditions before you go, because they are the operative document and they change.
What that means for the products on this page
Both rifle scopes, MAS-RIFLESCOPE and VIM-RIFLESCOPE2, are not usable for hunting on public conservation land. Neither are the night vision optics generally, for hunting purposes there. That does not make them unlawful to own or to use elsewhere, and it does not stop anyone using a monocular or binocular for observation. It does mean that if DOC estate is where you hunt, thermal in daylight is your option and a $1,090 rifle scope is not.
Private land
DOC's permit conditions do not apply on private land. What does apply is the landowner's permission, which you need, and firearms law, which applies everywhere. Many farms use night shooting for pest control and it is a normal part of rural life, but it is done with the owner's knowledge, on ground the shooter knows, with a clear idea of where every boundary and building is.
Game birds
Game bird hunting is regulated separately by Fish & Game under regional regulations, with its own licence, seasons and rules including restrictions on shooting hours. Check your regional regulations rather than assuming the DOC position covers it.
Firearms law applies regardless of the optic
A firearms licence is required to own or use a firearm in New Zealand, and none of these devices change that or confer any authority. The safety rules do not bend for technology: identify your target beyond all doubt, check your firing zone, and treat every firearm as loaded. Night vision and thermal both make it easier to see that something is there and harder to be certain what it is, which is the exact combination that causes tragedies.
Everything that is not hunting
Owning and using night vision for wildlife watching, astronomy, security, boating, search and rescue, farm work or checking stock is unregulated. There is no licence and no restriction on the devices themselves. Most of this range is bought for exactly those uses, and none of the above applies to them.
Mistakes That Cause Returns
- Buying a rifle scope for DOC land. Covered above. Night vision optics are not permitted for hunting on public conservation land and firearm-mounted thermal is prohibited outright. Check where you actually hunt before spending $900 on an optic you cannot use there.
- Reading the range figure as the identification distance. Detection, recognition and identification are three different distances and manufacturers usually quote the first. Assume recognition at roughly half the quoted figure and identification at less than that.
- Buying magnification for a head mount. Magnified night vision on your head gives you tunnel vision and wrecks your depth perception, which is how people fall over in the dark. Head-mounted units want 1x, which is why MAS-MONOHELMET has it.
- Expecting thermal to identify what it found. Thermal shows a heat shape. It will not tell you a species with certainty, it will not read a tag, and it absolutely will not distinguish a deer from a person at distance. Detect with thermal, identify with something else.
- Not checking the battery. Runtimes here range from about 2 hours to 60. A 2 hour device is fine for checking stock and useless for a night's possum control. VIM-MONO7N at up to 6 hours, VIM-BINO2 at about 8, VIM-THERMCAM at 10, and the two intensifier units, 10 to 20 hours on the rifle scope and up to 60 on the head mount, are the endurance options.
- Assuming an image intensifier works in pitch black. It amplifies light that is already there. Under heavy cloud beneath bush canopy there may be almost nothing to amplify. That is why both intensifier units here carry an illuminator as backup, and why digital is the more reliable choice in genuinely dark conditions.
- Advertising your position with 850nm. An 850nm illuminator has a faint red glow at the lens, visible to anyone else using night vision and to some animals. If staying unseen matters, you want 940nm, which VIM-BINO3 and VIM-BINO3LF can switch to.
- Buying digital zoom and calling it optical. Digital zoom enlarges pixels and loses detail. Optical zoom moves glass and keeps it. VIM-BINO3 states true 6 to 36X optical for exactly this reason, and VIM-MONO2N is clear that its 5X is optical and its 8X is digital on top.
How to Choose
1. Are you moving, or watching from one place?
Moving means head-mounted and 1x, because you need depth perception and both hands. Watching from a fixed position means magnification, and the more the better, because you are not walking anywhere.
This one question splits the range in half and almost nobody asks it first.
2. How far away is the thing you care about?
Under 200 metres: any of the entry monoculars from $189. Out to 300 metres: VIM-MONO3N at $199. Out to 400: VIM-MONO7N at $449. Out to 600: VIM-BINIGHT2 at $359. A kilometre: VIM-BINO3 at $1,490.
And remember mistake two: the quoted figure is usually detection, not identification.
3. Do you need to record it?
Most of this range records, which matters for pest control reporting, wildlife documentation, insurance claims and evidence. The two image intensifier units do not record at all, which is the main thing you give up for that natural optical view.
4. How dark is it, really?
A clear night with a moon has plenty of light for an intensifier. Overcast, under canopy, in a shed or a cave has essentially none, and digital with an illuminator is the only thing that works. If you cannot predict it, digital is the safer purchase.
5. Is the thing you are looking for warm?
If yes, and it is likely to be hidden in vegetation, thermal beats everything else here by a wide margin and no amount of illuminated range substitutes for it.
Key Specs Explained
Detection, recognition and identification
Three separate distances and the difference is not pedantry. Detection is knowing something is there. Recognition is knowing it is an animal rather than a rock. Identification is knowing it is a deer, and which one. Identification distance is typically well under half the detection figure, and almost every figure on this page is a detection figure.
850nm versus 940nm
Both are infrared. 850nm throws further and produces a faint red glow at the lens, visible to other night vision users and to some animals. 940nm emits nothing visible but has noticeably less reach for the same power. Most units here are 850nm; VIM-BINO3 and VIM-BINO3LF let you switch.
Illuminator power
Quoted in watts on only a few units, such as the 3W on VIM-BINIGHT2. More watts means more reach and more battery drain, and adjustable intensity is genuinely useful because a full-power illuminator at ten metres washes the picture out completely.
Optical versus digital zoom
Optical moves glass and preserves detail. Digital crops and enlarges, so you lose resolution with every step. A unit quoting 36X optical is a different instrument from one quoting 36X total. Where a product states both, as VIM-MONO2N does at 5X optical and 8X digital, believe the optical number.
Sensor
A Sony STAR sensor appears on VIM-MONO3N and VIM-MONO4N, a Sony image sensor on VIM-MONO2N and VIM-MONO5N, and twin starlight sensors on VIM-MONOHELMET3. A named sensor is a claim the manufacturer has to stand behind, and in low light the sensor matters far more than the megapixel count.
Recording resolution, which varies wildly here
From 640x480 on the entry monoculars to 5K on VIM-BINIGHT2. If you need footage anyone else will look at, check this number specifically: several $189 to $279 units in this range record at 640x480, which is fine as a personal record and poor as evidence.
Magnification on a head mount
1x is correct and anything more is a hazard when walking. This is the one specification in the guide where the lowest number is the right answer.
Battery
2 hours at the entry level, up to 6 hours on VIM-MONO7N, 8 to 10 hours on the thermal units, 10 to 20 on the intensifier rifle scope and up to 60 on the intensifier head mount, which draw very little because there is no screen or sensor to power. Illuminators are what eat batteries.
Laser rangefinder
Only on VIM-BINO3LF. It measures the actual distance to what you are looking at, which removes the guesswork from range estimation in the dark, when every distance looks the same.
Choose by Use
Possum, rabbit and pest control
The most common reason people in this country buy night vision. You are usually on private land, often on foot, and the session runs for hours. Battery and range matter more than resolution. VIM-MONO7N at $449 for up to six hours and 400 metres, or VIM-BINIGHT2 at $359 if 600 metres of reach is more useful than runtime. If you are working thick cover, VIM-THERMCAM finds animals nothing else will, and VIM-THC2 does it to 750 metres.
Deer, tahr and chamois
Spotting at distance and identifying before you commit to a stalk. VIM-MONO6N at $990 for 36X optical, or VIM-BINO3LF at $1,890 if knowing the exact range matters. On public conservation land, thermal in daylight is the permitted option and night vision optics are not, so read Where You Can Use These first.
Native wildlife watching
Kiwi, morepork, penguins, weta, bats. All nocturnal, all easily disturbed by white light, and all far less bothered by infrared than by a torch. VIM-MONO3N at $199 records what you see, and VIM-MONO6N at $990 lets you watch from far enough away to change nothing. Keep your distance from nesting birds regardless of what you are using.
Farm and lifestyle block at night
Checking stock, calving and lambing rounds, finding a sick animal, working out what is at the fence line. VIM-MONO5N at $199 with adjustable illuminator intensity, which matters when you are working at close range in a shed as well as across a paddock. Thermal is the better tool for finding a live animal in long grass.
Property and perimeter security
Working out what triggered a sensor, checking a boundary, watching a yard. VIM-BINIGHT2 at $359 for 600 metres and recorded video up to 5K, which is the format worth having if you may hand footage to the police. For continuous unattended coverage you want a fixed camera instead: see 4G Security Cameras.
Moving around in the dark
Search and rescue, tramping, caving, night navigation, checking a property on foot. Head-mounted and 1x: MAS-MONOHELMET at $549 or VIM-MONOHELMET2 at $590 if someone else needs to see the feed.
Boating and coastal
Spotting markers, moorings, other vessels and hazards after dark. Binoculars, because you are on a moving deck and two eyes are steadier. VIM-BINIGHT2 at $359 for 600 metres self-contained, or VIM-BINO2 at $990 for 30X optical. None of these is rated for immersion, so treat them accordingly.
Astronomy and dark skies
New Zealand has some of the darkest accessible skies anywhere. An image intensifier like MAS-MONOHELMET at $549 amplifies starlight rather than adding light, which is exactly what you want when the whole point is that there is no light. Turn the illuminator off.
FAQs
Can I use night vision for hunting in New Zealand?
It depends whose land you are on. On public conservation land, night vision optics are not permitted for hunting and discharging a firearm after dark is not allowed. Hand-held thermal has been permitted in daylight since 1 June 2024. On private land with the owner's permission, different rules apply, though firearms law applies everywhere.
Can I put a thermal scope on my rifle?
Not on public conservation land, where firearm-mounted thermal remains prohibited. Elsewhere it comes down to landowner permission and firearms law. Note that thermal cannot reliably distinguish a person from an animal at distance, which is precisely why the restriction exists.
Do I need a licence to own night vision in New Zealand?
No. The devices themselves are unrestricted and there is no permit to buy, own or use one for wildlife watching, security, boating, farming or search and rescue. A firearms licence is separately required to own or use a firearm, and no optic changes that.
What is the difference between night vision and thermal?
Night vision works with light, either amplifying what is there or adding infrared you cannot see. Thermal works with heat and needs no light at all. Thermal finds warm things hidden in vegetation. Night vision shows you detail you can actually identify. They solve different problems and neither replaces the other.
How far can these really see?
Quoted ranges here run from 150 metres to over a kilometre, and they are almost always detection ranges. Identification distance is typically well under half of that. If a figure matters to your purchase, work on roughly a third of the quoted number for confident identification.
Will animals see the infrared?
Some do. An 850nm illuminator gives a faint red glow at the lens which certain animals notice and other night vision users can see clearly. 940nm is genuinely invisible but has less reach. If being unseen matters, that is the trade.
Which one should I put on my head?
Something at 1x magnification. Magnified night vision on a head mount gives you tunnel vision and destroys depth perception, which is dangerous on uneven ground at night. Save the magnification for something you hold still and look through.
Can I record what I see?
Most of these record to a card, from 640x480 up to 5K depending on the model. The two image intensifier units do not record at all. If footage matters, check the recording resolution rather than the viewing quality.
Are any of these waterproof?
Weather resistance varies and none should be treated as immersion-proof. VIM-MONO7N, VIM-MONOHELMET2 and VIM-THC2 are rated IP66, VIM-RIFLESCOPE2 IP65, and MAS-RIFLESCOPE is water and fog resistant. Assume rain is fine and submersion is not.
Responsible Use in New Zealand
Night vision makes it easier to see that something is there and harder to be certain what it is. That combination is the reason for almost every rule that follows.
Identify your target beyond all doubt. This is a firearms safety rule, not a suggestion, and DOC restated it when it relaxed the thermal restriction in 2024. A heat signature is not an identification. A shape in an infrared picture is not an identification. If you are not certain, you do not shoot. Night hunting has killed people in this country, and in every case the shooter believed they knew what they were looking at.
Public conservation land. Hand-held thermal is permitted during daylight hours. Firearm-mounted thermal is prohibited. Discharging a firearm when it is dark, and hunting with night vision optics, are not allowed on the DOC estate. Check the current permit conditions before every trip, since they are the operative document and they change.
Private land. You need the landowner's permission, and you need to know the ground: where the boundaries are, where the buildings are, where stock is, and who else might be out there. Night shooting is normal on many farms and it is safe because the people doing it know the property in daylight first.
Game birds. Fish & Game regulates game bird hunting regionally with its own licence, seasons and shooting hours. Do not assume the DOC position covers it.
Firearms law applies everywhere. A firearms licence is required to own or use a firearm in New Zealand. Nothing in this range confers any authority, and buying an optic does not make an otherwise unlawful shot lawful.
Watching people. Night vision pointed at a neighbour, a property or a person is a different activity from watching wildlife. Secretly recording someone who is undressed, showering, using the toilet or in an intimate situation where they would expect privacy is an offence under sections 216G to 216J of the Crimes Act 1961, carrying up to three years, and since 26 May 2026 watching or following a person is a specified act under the stalking offence, and a pattern of such acts carries up to five years. The fact that a device is designed for wildlife does not change how the law reads its use.
Native wildlife. Many of our native species are nocturnal and protected. Infrared observation is far less disruptive than white light, which is a genuine argument for using these devices, but keep your distance from nesting birds and roosts, and follow any conditions on the reserve you are in.
Trespass. Being able to see in the dark does not create a right to be somewhere. Entering land without permission is trespass, and staying after being told to leave is an offence under the Trespass Act 1980, regardless of what you can see.
If you record rather than just observe. Several units here record video, and some record audio with it. Recording a private conversation you are not part of is an offence under section 216B of the Crimes Act 1961. Recording as an organisation rather than for a purely domestic purpose brings the Privacy Act 2020 into play, which means a lawful purpose, secure storage and a retention limit. And if footage is ever likely to be relied on, keep the original unedited: in a criminal prosecution, section 30 of the Evidence Act 2006 lets a judge exclude improperly obtained evidence.
Publishing what you capture. Do not post footage of identifiable people online. Even lawfully captured material can engage the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 once published, and thermal or low-light footage of a person on their own land is exactly the kind of thing that travels further than intended. Give it to the police instead.
This guide is general product information for New Zealand customers and is not legal advice. Hunting rules change and vary by land status and region: verify the current DOC permit conditions and your regional Fish & Game regulations before you go.
Related Guides
These are handheld optics you look through. These cover cameras that watch for you.
- Trail Cameras for unattended monitoring of a track, a feeder or a boundary. They watch for weeks while you are not there.
- 4G Security Cameras for continuous coverage of a remote site with no WiFi, sending alerts to your phone.
- Solar 4G Security Cameras for the same job where there is no mains power either.
- WiFi Security Cameras for property within reach of a network, at far lower cost per camera.
- Security Camera Systems for multiple cameras recording to one hub.
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The shortest path is three questions. Are you moving or watching from one place, how far away is the thing you care about, and is it warm. The first picks the form, the second picks the range, and the third decides whether you need thermal at all.
Eighteen models, $189 to $1,890, covering digital monoculars and binoculars, image intensifier optics, head and helmet mounts, rifle scopes, a laser rangefinder pair and two thermal monoculars.
Browse all Night Vision, or see unattended options in Trail Cameras.
Last reviewed October 2026.