scotoscope

English

Etymology

From scoto- +‎ -scope.

Noun

scotoscope (plural scotoscopes)

1. Any instrument for viewing objects in the dark or in a faint light.
   • August 13th 1664, Samuel Pepys, Diary (London: Marshall Cavendish, 1988), 133.

     “Comes Mr. Reeve, with a microscope and scotoscope. [...] The other [the scotoscope] he gives me, and is of value; and a curious curiosity it is to discover objects in a dark room with.”

   • 1967, Harold V. Soule, Electro-optical Photography at Low Illumination Levels, page 363:

     At present the scotoscope's field of view and viewing-range requirements are in conflict, and improvement of one results in a decreased capability in the other.

   • 1979, Proceedings: Second International Conference on Wildlife, page 206:

     A scotoscope (night vision device) was the most versatile viewer examined and provided maximum viewing distance for all markers.

   • 1990, Illes P. Csorba, Selected Papers on Image Tubes, page 376:

     However, where the angular field can be below 40°, a scotoscope with a refractive objective becomes a very useful device even with this small cathode diameter.

Usage notes

The early scotoscope recorded in Pepys' diary made use of lenses and mirrors to concentrate what light there was. Other old scotoscopes include devices that used candles in combination with lenses. Modern scotocopes tend to use electronic image intensification or thermal imaging.