A good pair of binoculars helps a lot if they are optimized for low-light use. There will always be a role for good binoculars because of their versatility and because they use no power.

But the ever lower prices of good Gen-I night vision scopes has tipped the balance. Used to be Gen-I night vision came in two flavors: expensive or useless. Sometimes expensive and useless. But the average quality has improved and you get more for your money. All but the very cheapest are functional and reliable. They are also far lighter, more compact, and are easier on batteries.

I advise anyone unfamiliar with them, or if you haven't given them a chance in the last five years or so, to find a shop that will let you try out display models so you get some idea of what you're getting.

Good, functional, if not great, monoculars are available for considerably less than $200 and sights are under $400. Catch them on sale or wait for display models to go on sale when they switch models and you can cut the price even more.