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Evelyn: Stephen, have you noticed that there is growing popularity of green dot sights now, I’m curious, compared to red dot sight, is green dot sight better?  

Stephen: Well, there is no certain answer of which one is better because both are useful for different applications, shooters should choose wisely based on their shooting scenarios and environment.

Evelyn: I see, so in different shooting scenarios and environment, shooters choose different dot sight?

Stephen: Yes, for example, if you are shooting in the woods or green background, would you choose red dot sight or green dot sight?

Evelyn: I think I will go for the red dot sight as the environment would wash out the green dot.

Stephen: Exactly, a red dot sight has a richer color acquisition than a green sight. As you can see in Picture 1, when you use a red dot sight on a green background, you will see it much faster; however, the green dot will blend into the background and it's not that easy to shoot the target quickly.

Evelyn: I see, so a red dot would be more applicable for shooting requiring a green background, such as hunting.

Stephen: Yes.  

Evelyn: I have a question. When I use red dot sights, the dot I see can get blurry as I have astigmatism(Picture 2), what about green dot sights? Does this happen to green dots too?

Stephen: Good question, a lot of people suffer from astigmatism issues, so the phenomenon you mentioned is common in red dot sights as the red color can put extra pressure on your eyes. However, the green dot is great through astigmatism because green responds better to the human eyes.    

Evelyn: I see, so for people with astigmatism, they better choose green dot sight for a clearer visual image?

Stephen: Yes, the red rays of light have a very high wavelength and a small frequency, so the red dot can strike your eye fast and accelerate your speed of target acquisition, but it can strain your eyes if targeting for a long period of time; the green color is less irritating to the human eye, allowing the human eye to see more clearly.

Evelyn: What about night vision? Can they both be used in night vision shooting?

Stephen: For night vision, I would say a red dot is more suitable. Check out picture 3, red has a sharp contrast with dark colors like blue or black, at night or in a low-light environment the red dot is very visible. However, in a bright environment, the visibility of red dot would be greatly reduced, so the red dot would be too weak to acquire targets.

Evelyn: And why is the green dot not recommended for night vision?

Stephen: The green dot can work with night vision sometimes, but it depends on different devices. Sometimes if your night vision device has ANVIS (Aviator's Night Vision Imaging System) lenses, then the green dot wouldn’t show up at all; but sometimes it can work very well with other night vision devices. So to combine the green dot with night vision, you have to talk to the manufacturer first and find out if it works.

Evelyn: I see, wow, I’ve learned a lot today!

Stephen: Are you clear now? What did you learn about the red dot?

Evelyn: Yes, so the pros of red dot sights are: they can meet most shooting scenarios, good for fast target acquisition and low light shooting, they are also more suitable for night vision; the cons are: in bright light, it is difficult for the red dot to acquire targets, and they are not recommended for shooters with astigmatism. (Picture 4)

Stephen: Yes, and what did you learn about the green dot?

Evelyn: The green dot is easier to see in daylight and is astigmatism-friendly, but it is not recommended for the green-background environment and night vision devices. (Picture 5)   

Stephen: Excellent! Generally speaking, red dot sight and green dot sight each have their advantages. When choosing, we need to take into account your needs, shooting scenarios, habits and preferences.

Evelyn: I got it! Thanks for sharing, Stephen!

Stephen:  You are welcome!

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