Summary of Contents for iGen iGen-LE
- Page 1 N I G H T V I S I O N V I E W E R & S T I L L C A M E R A O W N E R ’ S M A N U A L...
- Page 2 CAUTION: Do not point Infrared Emitter directly into eye at close range. Keep out of reach of children. The infrared emitter emits a BRIGHT, although invisible, beam of light. As with any bright light, do not point into the eye.
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of contents Introduction ....5-6 Brightness ....19 Exposure . - Page 4 Tripod Mount Memory Battery 3-Way Card Slot Compartment Switch Infrared Emitter Eye Piece Objective Lens Video Composite Image Power/IR Output Capture Button Button...
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Page 5: Introduction
Night Vision Viewer is the leading edge of the new tubeless night vision technology. Traditional night vision devices employ electron bombardment vacuum tube technology to amplify ambient light. iGen technology uses image processing techniques, special optics, and low-light sensing technology to bring night vision into the digital age. - Page 6 The iGenLE advantage is: • The world’s only night vision system with integrated photographic capability. • Better image quality with high, 30-line-pair per millimeter, edge-to-edge display resolution • Better image quality with no image distortion from photocathode or phosphorescent screen blemishes •...
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Page 7: Batteries
To improve battery life, reduce display brightness or program the auto-off feature to cause the device to automatically shut down after specified intervals. Package contents: 1. Case 2. iGen-LE with memory card 3. Tripod with window mount 4. 58mm Lens Doubler with 44mm adapter 5. Strap... -
Page 8: First Time Operation
1st Time Operation To best understand operation, for first-time use, test the device in a lighted room with the lens cap attached. The small amount of light entering through the pin-hole in the lens cap will simulate a night-time environment. Press-and-hold the power button to turn on. - Page 9 With the lens cap on, notice that rotating the objective lens (large lens on front of iGen) has little effect on the focus of the image. The pin-hole on the lens cap lets in only a narrow beam of light which requires little mechanical focusing to align.
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Page 10: Infrared Emitter
The basic principle employed by iGen is light amplification. In very dark conditions, where you cannot see, and your eye cannot detect the small amount of light that is available, the iGen detects and amplifies very small amounts of available light. But in the absence of any available light, use the infrared emitter. - Page 11 The beam of light exiting the emitter is not visible to human or animal eyes but is detected by the iGen and reproduced on the display. In most environments, you do not need the infrared emitter, but in complete darkness, turn the IR on to the AUTO or MAX settings.
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Page 12: Controls
IMAGE Controls POWER / INFRARED CAPTURE 1. Power/IR Button On top side, closest to your eye • Power: Press-and-hold to turn on. Press-and-hold to turn off • Infrared: Toggling button activates one of three different modes: IR AUTO: the infrared emitter will measure the amount of ambient available, and emit a calculated amount of light to illuminate the scene as required. -
Page 13: Image Capture Button
Controls 2. Image Capture Button On top side, farthest away from your eye. • Press-and-hold button to enter the IMAGE CAPTURE mode When in this mode, “CAPTURE” will appear on the bottom-left of the display. • Press the same button to take a picture. With each press of the button, the saved image will be displayed momentarily on the screen. -
Page 14: Controls
Controls Push up to activate the menu and program the iGen. The programming function works as follows: 1. After menu activation, the menu will time-out in ten seconds if you do not make a selection. 2. To move through the menu selections, push the triple action switch left or right. -
Page 15: Adjustments
Adjustable Features 1. Eyepiece (technically referred to as the diopter focal lens in front of the microdisplay) The iGenLE has two different focus adjustments. The eyepiece lens adjusts to focus the display to your individual eyesight. The objective lens focuses on objects in the distance. To adjust the eyepiece, do the following: a. -
Page 16: Infrared Emitter
You cannot adjust the intensity or light angle of the infrared emitter. The emitter casts a 12° angle of light, equal to that of the iGen’s angle of view. Because the emitter is positioned to the side of the objective lens, at short distances you will notice a shadow due to this offset. -
Page 17: Gain
Turning IR off at start-up The default setting of the IR is AUTO. When the iGen powers on, it re-sets to AUTO regardless of the mode it was set to before the prior power-down. In order for the IR to be off upon power-up, set the IR-Start function to OFF with the following menu choices: SYSTEM / IR-START / OFF. -
Page 18: Gain
Adjustable Features The two highest gain settings may appear too noisy for many viewing environments, but can be useful at long distances or in the very darkest environments with the use of the infrared illuminator. Level 8 (3 rd highest gain setting): The #8 gain setting is preferred for most very dark environments. -
Page 19: Color
Adjustable Features 5. Color (control is located under the DISPLAY menu) Both the color of the image and the color of the menu text can be changed. Image color choices are white, red, green, and blue. Text color choices are black & white, green, red, and amber. -
Page 20: Exposure
Adjustable Features 7. Exposure The most effective way to increase the low light sensitivity of the iGen is to increase the exposure time of the system. In its default setting, the iGen collects light from the lens at a rate of 30 times per second for processing. If this exposure time is increased, more photons of light energy are collected, resulting in greater night-vision sensitivity. -
Page 21: Exposure
PAL (European standard) When choosing PAL format, the device automatically changes exposure to 24fps, as this rate is the closest iGen internal rate to the PAL standard. If another frame rate is preferred, the user can change it using the exposure control. -
Page 22: Video Format
(yellow color). With the iGen powered on and focused, no other iGen settings are necessary. If use of the eyepiece display is not required, extend battery life by turning off the display with the “display on/off” function. -
Page 23: Display Off
Adjustable Features 10. Display Off When using the iGen connected to an external recording device, and you do not need to view the scene through the eyepiece, you may turn the display off. This will greatly improve battery life. To turn the display off, choose “Display”, then “On-Off”. When you toggle down to the “Off”... -
Page 24: Auto Off
11. Auto-Off The menu selection “Auto Off” allows you to program the time interval after which the device, or the IR, automatically turns off. Each user input (press of a button) resets the auto-off timer. Time selections are 1,2,3,4,5,10,15,20,30,45 minutes and OFF. The OFF setting disables the auto-off power down feature. -
Page 25: Daytime Use
Daytime Use To use in daylight conditions, leave the lens cap attached and operate at low gain settings. Tripod Adaptor The tripod fitting is located on the underside of the device, and fits to all standard tripod mounts with a fitting size of 1/4 - 20. Tripod mount is recommended for exposures of less than 10fps for image stabilization. -
Page 26: Image Capture
Image Capture (picture taking) The iGen-LE comes with a memory card installed in the slot on the underside of the device. When image capture is activated, a still photo of the viewed image is saved on the memory card in both .jpg and .tif format. Both images can be copied to a personal computer with a standard card reader installed. -
Page 27: Image Review
Image Capture The use of high capacity memory cards with the iGenLE is not recommended. Saved images are low capacity, particularly in comparison to modern high-resolution daytime digital cameras, and thus a high capacity memory card should not be necessary. If a high capacity memory card is used, the time required for the iGenLE to enter Capture Mode and the time elapsed between viewed images may be excessive, as many as several seconds. - Page 28 Characteristics and Limitations of Night Vision Photographs Night Vision images are characteristically less detailed than day-time images, as there is less light available. The iGen-LE is a black-and-white camera system, so all saved images will be black-and-white. Nighttime is almost completely devoid of...
- Page 29 Image Capture button. Lower exposure rates, while improving low light sensitivity, require more stabilization of the device to avoid blurring the image. If possible, rest the iGen-LE on a surface or attach to a tripod. Use of the Infrared Emitter is strongly recommended for picture taking. The additional light provided by the IR will greatly enhance image quality.
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Page 30: Lens Doubler
Lens Doubler Features • Increases image magnification from 2.6x to 6.1x • High Definition Telephoto Lens • Multi-Coated Optical Glass • Lightweight - 5.5 oz... -
Page 31: How To Install Lens Doubler
LENS DOUBLER INSTALLATION 1. Screw the Lens Doubler (adapter already attached) into the iGen Objective Lens. 2. Remove the cap from the front of the Lens Doubler. OBJECTIVE 3.5x LENS DOUBLER LENS Caution a.) Protect your lens from dirt, dampness and excessive heat. -
Page 32: Menu System At A Glance
Menu System The menu selections are: EXPOSURE (Adjustable from 2fps to 30fps) REVIEW AUTO OFF (1,2,3,4,5,10,15,20,30,45 minutes or OFF) MAIN DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS (1,2,3,4) ON-OFF COLOR IMAGE (white, red, green, blue) TEXT (blackwhite, red, green, amber) SYSTEM TIME (to set date and time) VIDEO NTSC IR START... -
Page 34: Return For Service Info
To return product for service, please first contact Night Owl Optics for a Return Authorization (RA) Number. Ask for Night Vision customer service. Reference the RA number on your package and return the product within 15 days of calling to: Night Owl Optics 1465-H Henry Brennan Dr. -
Page 35: Warranty
1-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY The iGenLE is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for one year from the date of purchase to the original owner. Damage due to neglect, accidental damage or misuse of this product is not covered under this warranty. - Page 36 MIGEN-LE Rev.2 071312...
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