Does any body make a digital NV scope yet? I take it that digital nv needs an infrared light source for it to work.It does not use exsiting light?So any one with a passive system will see you like you have a flash light on? I still may look into the system only if I can scan around in a passive mode first only looking for infred light. The price seems right.

Not that I'm aware of - what would they use for an optical element? Even video cameras still use an analog imaging device to pull in the light that they then store digitially.

IR light sources can be used with night vision to add more light to some where without natural light - like under a jungle canopy or inside a house. Trees cast moon and star shadows just like they do with the sun. Seeing into those shadows is very difficult to do.

The ideal situation is to use passive 3rd Generation night vision where ever possible. If you have to illuminate using IR yes, anyone with a night vision system will see you far far away.

Good 3rd Generation equipment starts off at $2500 to $3000. If you're getting the cheap first generation stuff you're going to need a whole lot of natural light - like a full moon on a cloudless night and shooting at targets out in the open not in those shadows I talked about earlier.

Only by using IR illumination 1st Generation equipment can close the gap toward 3rd Generation equipment.