I have been out of the night vision game for a few years but I have owned Gen 2 PVS-5's, Gen 2+ HD ANVIS-6, Omni 3, 4, and 5 PVS-7's, 14's, MUM's, and ENVIS units in the past. What do these newer DEP Gen 2 SHP tubes compare to in regards to gain, resoultion, and signal to noise ratio?

They work very well. Resolution is very good and comparable to current Gen 3 . They also handle urban lighting very well. Urban lighting can be a little much for some gen 3 scopes. Their weakness is really dark environments (rural settings and tree cover ). The Gen 3 will outperform them when the light levels get really low. The best DEP tube out is roughly equal to a Omni IV Gen 3 tube. SHP tubes can be very good.

My honest opinion is if you are in the US get a Gen 3 tube. The cost difference is not huge. The guys on the other side of the pond have limited choices and Gen 3 is usually priced out of their reach if they can find it at all. Many times this is their only choice and the prices can be very high.

The choice is yours. SHP tubes work well. But you have to weigh the cost against a good gen 3 tube in the US. Personally, I would get gen 3 unless I was getting a exceptional deal on the SHP tubed scope.

Pretty much what Dino said. Buy the Gen3 if you are in the US just based on cost.

 

Sorry but I didnt see this until just now. My department bought two Gen II SHP D740s from Vic about two years ago and when we got them I thought Vic had screwed up and sent us Gen III units. I even contacted him to make sure he didn't make a mistake, they work really well. I need to dig up some pics that I took through the unit. We just ordered a 3rd unit and I working on getting a 4th. We really like them...