Digital night vision uses a CMOS or CCD sensor (similar to a camera sensor) to capture low-light images, then displays them on an internal screen. It does not use photomultiplier tubes at all.

Advantages of digital:

•        Can display in full color when ambient light is sufficient

•        Works with active IR illuminators to achieve very good performance in total darkness

•        Records video and photos to an SD card

•        Far lower cost — competitive digital units start under $300

•        Not subject to the same export restrictions as Gen 2/3 intensifier tubes

•        Can pair with smartphone apps for remote viewing (on some models)

Disadvantages of digital:

•        In very low ambient light without an active IR illuminator, digital sensors cannot match the passive sensitivity of Gen 2 or Gen 3 tubes

•        Screen-based display adds a small amount of latency that optical systems don’t have

•        Image may appear “video-game-like” rather than the traditional green-phosphor view

Verdict: For most civilian applications — hunting, wildlife observation, property security — digital night vision combined with a good IR illuminator provides excellent practical performance at a fraction of the cost of comparable tube-based devices. The performance gap between digital and tube-based becomes meaningful only in extreme low-light conditions without any available IR illumination.