Advice on Tubes - Page 1

Posted: 4/27/2021 4:39:21 PM EDT

I’ve got two tubes to choose from, both are WP thin filmed and need some advice from experienced users on what is going to perform better in my conditions. I hunt in very dark rural areas that are hot and humid. I try not to use a lot of supplemental IR when possible but I usually have to supplement at some point.

If it were you, which tube would you choose based on the specs?

Tube 1
Halo .66
EBI 2.27
Res 72
SNR 34
FOM 2455

Tube 2
Halo .75
EBI .1
Res 68
SNR 30.6
FOM 2087

Posted: 4/27/2021 4:44:22 PM EDT

[#1]

Not sure what the ebi does but tube 1 for sure. Do you know what the photo is?

Posted: 4/27/2021 4:44:53 PM EDT

[#2]

Tube two. The super low EBI should pay off in dark environments, the slightly lower resolution is likely barely (if even) perceptible, and the SNR is in the Good to decent category.

The real reason though.... is tube 1 has a pretty high(bad) EBI, while all the other specs are in the good range.

Posted: 4/27/2021 4:55:11 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
I’ve got two tubes to choose from, both are WP thin filmed and need some advice from experienced users on what is going to perform better in my conditions. I hunt in very dark rural areas that are hot and humid. I try not to use a lot of supplemental IR when possible but I usually have to supplement at some point.

If it were you, which tube would you choose based on the specs?

Tube 1
Halo .66
EBI 2.27
Res 72
SNR 34
FOM 2455

Tube 2
Halo .75
EBI .1
Res 68
SNR 30.6
FOM 2087

View Quote

#2 no question. Temperature affects the tube and a high ebi in a warm environment will be less desirable.

All other specs would probably be indistinguishable between the two by the user.

Posted: 4/27/2021 5:03:29 PM EDT

[#4]

So can you guys explain what exactly the ebi does? I read up on all this but don't remember that one. I thought low light performance was mostly a function of photo sensitivity and signal to noise? Its cold here if that matters.

Posted: 4/27/2021 5:04:02 PM EDT

[#5]

Yeah, the high EBI is where I was concerned. Not getting to compare the two in my hunting environment I wasn’t sure how big of a difference it would make.

Posted: 4/27/2021 5:06:24 PM EDT

[#6]

EBI is a measure of background illumination from your device in very dark conditions. The lower the EBI, the more you can make out faint objects in really dark conditions.

A high SNR can help cancel this from what I’ve read but I don’t have practical experience with a tube this high to know how much of a detriment it will be.

Posted: 4/27/2021 5:46:14 PM EDT

[#7]

Thanks. At what point does it start to make a difference? Mine are .8 and 1.5 both snr around 32 and 2300 photo. I'm under canopy and clouds a lot and I don't really notice a difference between the 2. I'm assuming at .1 then you'd notice a big difference. I've looked at people's specs on the L3 tubes that are supposed to be really good in low light and what often jumps out is the high photo #s. Does this matter or is it a garbage # like fom?

Posted: 4/28/2021 1:45:40 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
I’ve got two tubes to choose from, both are WP thin filmed and need some advice from experienced users on what is going to perform better in my conditions. I hunt in very dark rural areas that are hot and humid. I try not to use a lot of supplemental IR when possible but I usually have to supplement at some point.

If it were you, which tube would you choose based on the specs?

Tube 1
Halo .66
EBI 2.27
Res 72
SNR 34
FOM 2455

Tube 2
Halo .75
EBI .1
Res 68
SNR 30.6
FOM 2087

View Quote

Location matters. If it’s cold year round, you’re ok with the high EBI. If it’s warm (I’m just north of Houston, TX) that EBI will make performance suffer.

Posted: 4/28/2021 9:53:09 AM EDT

[#9]

Yeah, I’m in AR so it’s hot and humid here all summer. I got to test the high EBI tube quite a bit last night against another tube I have on hand.

If there was any light present it was excellent but when I got it into completely dark situations I couldn’t make out as much as my other tube. It was like the really dark areas where kind of smudged over so you couldn’t get a distinct outline of what was there.

I think I’m going to be opting for an unfilmed tube instead. I already had one on order in case this one didn’t work out.

Tube 2 I mentioned in the op was one I found locally but it got sold before I could snag it.

Posted: 4/28/2021 12:25:16 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Snip...

If there was any light present it was excellent but when I got it into completely dark situations I couldn’t make out as much as my other tube. It was like the really dark areas where kind of smudged over so you couldn’t get a distinct outline of what was there.

Snip...

View Quote

I may be wrong, but that is the result of the EBI. My understanding is that the EBI is the constant light visible from the tube. If that light (ebi value) is higher, then it will cover up details in very dark situations.

Think of it as being inside a lit house and trying to look out into a dark backyard. You won't be able to see as well compared to if you turned off the lights inside.

Posted: 4/28/2021 1:21:33 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:

I may be wrong, but that is the result of the EBI. My understanding is that the EBI is the constant light visible from the tube. If that light (ebi value) is higher, then it will cover up details in very dark situations.

Think of it as being inside a lit house and trying to look out into a dark backyard. You won't be able to see as well compared to if you turned off the lights inside.

View Quote

Yes, I think it absolutely is the difference in EBI. I just wasn’t sure how much of a difference it would make but I could clearly see it between the two tubes. It wasn’t insanely different but I could tell and only in the darkest of environments.

Posted: 4/30/2021 8:56:08 PM EDT

[#12]

I would pick tube 2 myself

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