Night vision, my favourite subject.
And the one that seems to wind everybody up. It is just like saying "I neck shoot deer me and am proud of it" Then duck your head and await the fallout.
As Eric says it is all about budget and what range you want to shoot at.
I have used Gen 1/Digital and now use an Archer. In fact, I think they are the dogs doodahs. Is there better, yes there is, is it more expensive, yes it is. But you can also get better quality archers for more money.
So gen 1 and digital systems you will need to buy additional illumination. N1000 or dipol. Expect to spend £175 new extra on the cost of the unit upwards.
The nitesite is a digital unit which has its own illumination.
The archer also comes with its own illuminator.
The biggest advice is to find someone who has a nv unit about the price you can afford and will let you see what it is like. There is a big difference between each and every one and I have typed my fingers to the bone before on this subject. You really need to try before you buy or you may be dissapointed, you also have to use it to see how well it will focus cos it is a different way of working. You may also need to invest in a scope if you don't have side parrallax. You do not want front parrallax unless you are a librarian at an unseen university.
Also Nitesite are doing demos at various places over the coming months. I do more NV work than anything else. More so than stalking due to the nature of the land I have and the lack of deer. Cept for that muntie i keep seeing. He was about 20 yards from some rabbits I shot the other night and didn't bad an eyelid. That is just rubbing it in.
So pricing about
Gen1 or digital addon £500 new
Nitesite Similiar
Which is better? Both have their good points and both have their bad points
Gen 2 about £1200
Gen 3 about £1600
These prices are starting prices and go up from there. There is cheap Gen 1 which is fiddly and there is good Gen 1 which is very good. Same for most others.
2nd very important piece of advice. If you can't afford Gen 3. Then don't look throught it!!
If you ever come up my neck of the woods I will be more than happy to demonstrate the Archer as that is what i use nowadays. But you are likely to have plenty of people near you who will be able to help and advise. Have a talk to the guys on nightvisionforumuk.com as that was set up for NV users. But the first question will always be "Whats your budget?"