REVIEW: GREC Night Vision Camera System

Filming with a night vision device is always a bit tricky. You need an adapter for your smartphone, but then you can't wear the NVG on your helmet anymore. So a small camera would be optimal. That's exactly what GREC from Italy has designed, and we have tested it extensively.

This is what the GREC camera system looks like. A power cable with a USB connection and the square part is the camera itself.

In the image, you can see the mounting ring used to attach the camera to the night vision device. It basically fits anything that uses a PVS-14 eyepiece and also a PVS-31. Therefore, the majority of night vision devices should be covered. If in doubt, just ask GREC directly, he can surely help you.

Some technical data about the GREC Night Vision Camera System:

• Weight 40 g, including cable and Micro SD card
• Mounting diameter 47 mm (+/- 1 mm)
• Resolution 1080p
• Bitrate 20 Mbit/s
• Frame rate 60 fps

To operate the camera, you need a power bank and a Micro SD card. We always used a 64 GB card, but larger ones should work as well. The files are saved as 5-minute long clips of approximately 725 MB each. Unfortunately, the timestamp is not preserved, as it resets every time you disconnect the camera from the power source.

The naming of each file is unique, so don't worry, nothing will be overwritten. Here's a screenshot from the Explorer showing how the files are named, in the order they were recorded.

The installation of the camera is simple. It is simply slid on the back, aligned, and the screw is tightened. The distance between the lens and camera should be 1 cm. The advantage is that the GREC Night Vision Camera System can also be used with amber filters.

Then you just need to insert the memory card and with some power, you're good to go.

In our video, you can see the entire installation process and how to operate the camera.

The rear view. When you have the night vision device in front of your eyes, you won't notice the camera, even if it may seem so in the picture.

You don't notice it because the GREC Night Vision Camera System is very close to your face in the end. You can still wear protective glasses underneath, but overall there is little space.

You also cannot rotate the GREC PVS-14 J-Arm to the side because the helmet is in the way, or rather the camera housing at the top edge. The solution here is to mount the camera rotated 90°. But then the image is also rotated and needs to be rotated back afterwards.

In our video you can see the side mounting.

Operation

The operation of the GREC Night Vision Camera System is simple. There is only one button. This button starts and stops the recording. As soon as you power the camera, it starts recording immediately!

On the side there is a small LED, which blinks and goes off when you are recording. If it lights up constantly, then the camera is not recording. Otherwise, there is nothing to adjust on the camera.

Image and Sound Quality

It is a video camera, so see for yourself. We think the recording quality is very good, considering how small the camera is. It also records sound. We find the quality of the sound recording to be sufficient to good. In our video, we have not enhanced or brightened the video files. Everything is as the camera delivers it to you.

Thanks to its compact design, you can leave the GREC Night Vision Camera System on the night vision device when storing it.

CONCLUSION: We really like the GREC Night Vision Camera System because it is simple to use and does a very good job. Of course, the contrast could be better and a 4K resolution is the absolute minimum for many, but often the image that the NVG delivers is already extremely noisy and blurry, so we think the GREC Night Vision Camera System is very successful. In the future, you will see some recordings with this camera on our site.

You can currently get the GREC Night Vision Camera System through direct message on Instagram for 250 euros. Soon you will be able to purchase the GREC Night Vision Camera System on their site. Currently, the GREC Night Vision Camera System is only available in black, but more colors are planned.

Grec Nightvision online (site under construction)

Goons.Rec on Instagram

HERE is the direct link to the SPARTANAT Gear Guide PVS-14 Night Vision Device & Accessories