Hi Matt, you got here just in time to find out what might be good to go for if any are reduced in the January sales mate.
Yep the PHoton is coming out to be a very popular choice, especially at those sub 100 yard ranges if you can tie up a rifle to mostly night vision. The shortage of them kept the prices at full RRP everywhere, but it seems the supply has now about caught up with the demand.
As you are totally new to NV, I'd be interested to know what magnification you think you might use for NV - given you can't see outside the scope field of view in the dark unless you also use a spotter - or a very dim red lamp - like wot I sometimes do.
I'm a bit dyslexic so I'll try and get more out than that in my own clumsy round the houses sort of way:
Day scope wise, you look around to spot your target in daylight - then get to where you want to be to make the shot.
Night time lamping you get to pan a lamp around to spot your quarry with your eyes - or possibly only eye shine so you then take a better look through your scope, still with the help of your eyesight in regard to exactly where to point your rifle.
Now imagine wearing a balaclava with only one eye hole - which is fixed to the rifle scope and you have to pan the rifle around to search for any quarry through the scope only, move closer to it then re-acquire your quarry again, possibly a few times as you get into position before settling down for the shot.
The reason I'm asking is because dedicated NV rigs are fixed mag - and
mostly 5 mag or less which is fairly easy to acquire with.
Many add-on rigs are used at higher mags when both the scope mag and the camera lens length are added together.