http://www.recoilweb.com/sionyx-night-vision-camera-at-outdoor-retailer-139870.html#ixzz5MCQW21iE

Has anybody checked these out? I've been waiting to see the digital color night vision in a form factor small enough to be head-mounted. Are we finally there?

To be truly competitive, make it in a ready to mount bino setup with the f1.2 lens and find a way to lower the latency. With a decent IR torch and an external battery you could seriously make a dent in the hunting/one way range market. Plus not being ITAR restricted you can hit the Canadian and overseas market.

Here are some videos from this past weekend's hunt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UA19y4-btM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD5_Eq3i5kY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIH15E5bgoM

I'd pay for the 1.2 lens if available as an upgrade that's user swappable. Don't care about another oz or 2 of weight.

2X sensitivity of light would be fantastic

Just received one of these. The range at night is very good. One question - why is the red light on the right side flashing? I have read just about the entire user manual and cannot find any reference to that light.

Thanks!

Since the Aurora was designed as a "camera," a red LED was mounted forward so people you pointed the camera at would know you were recording.  Not what you'd like for this use case and we are looking into whether or not we can make this software controlled.

I just found out my wife got me the explorer package! She said they didn't ship until yesterday though. Maybe I can try it out this weekend.

Nice!

I fear that a Cola Warrior night run will soon be recorded and readily available. Yikes!

I really want one, but really need to play with one first. Just a little hesitant right now. But I see the potential!

Still on the side line...

I'm wanting this but reading and reading everyone is telling me it isn't a pvs14 clone.

Of course it isn't. The manufacturer even says this.

Show me where to buy a $ 600 PVs-14

Oh lawdy i hope they develop these into a set of binos

I just want that f1.2 lens for 2x light intensification in the dark.  No need for binos.

FOed.

Don't know if this is a dupe but on Facebook I just came across a company making bino setup for the auroras, company called lions, mount is called Hyperion.

https://m.facebook.com/lion.s.custom

can I hammer this until kingdom come...

has anyone really tested it out with their rifle setup or is it best to wait until the whole J arm thingy helmet thingy is figured out?

I put a small piece of black, electrical tape over that lamp.  Problem solved.

Look at the post above yours.

Thanks for that.

Is he gonna make it for just 1 or will that hyperion mount work with only 1 or it needs 2?

Looks 3D printed; not a criticism, just an observation. If it's cheap and it works until something better comes along, why not.

Si-guys...you seeing this? Dudes with CAD skills and free time on their hands are fabbing-up the quick and dirty for now, but it won't be long before some enterprising soul comes up with several different solutions. This time between Christmas and New Year's is practically an eternity.The race is on!

That part he is making is for a bino setup, but could be used with just one unit.

I machined a 7075 adapter to attach mine to a Wilcox:

Will that work on a norotros j arm setup?

It's the Wilcox bayonet adapter on a Wilcox L4 G11, so not sure.

Just ordered one from Optics Planet with a 10% off code.  Got it for $539 shipped.  I live more in the urban environment.  I will have a little more light pollution to help this work better.  I sold my PVS14 a while back because of living in the city.  I didn't use it much.   I will post some kind of review ASAP.

Pretty interesting

My explorer kit will be in Friday.

Damn it..... I should have never opened this thread

Gave in and got one of these. So far not disappointed. For what it is, it's pretty sweet. No comparison with Gen 3 and a toss up with Gen 2. Under suburban dark outdoor environments, it can compete with Gen 2 and even appear better under certain circumstances. Once it gets truly dark (indoor at night dark, for example), the noise dominates. Even lower end Gen 2 outperforms the Sionyx camera then. A noisy image (Gen 2) is better than just noise (Sionyx). Glass quality is pretty good too. No complaints there. Being able to go from dark to light environments without worry is a new feeling as well.

An IR illuminator makes all the difference. For the casual user, the Sionyx camera is probably the best bang for the buck short of hunting for a real deal on real NV. Easy to bash on relying on supplemental IR but for having fun at night, shooting hogs at night, or pest control (two or four legged) around one's property, an IR illuminator is a perfectly viable aid. Works well with a cheap IR flashlight as well as a PEQ-15. On low power, the PEQ beam and illuminator is useful even under indoor lighting conditions. On high power, night is day.

A standard J-arm can be used to head mount it. Far from ideal. Camera sits at an angle and the diagonal of the screen is horizontal. One advantage is that the horizontal field of view is slightly greater that way. Quickly becomes unnoticeable.  Since the Sionyx camera doesn't have a recess to engage with the J-arm, it's not exactly a solid arrangement. Workable tho. Can walk around with it on my head. Can aim with a red dot without too much trouble. Aiming lasers are no issue. A J-arm could be easily modified to make it more compatible with a Sionyx camera tho (sand off the raised feature, maybe add a small rubber pad like on a camera tripod).

The real winner, at least for me, is the extended IR sensitivity. It outperforms everything else I have at 1064nm. Pretty cool shining around a 1064nm laser and seeing the dot clear as day while a Gen 3 tube is blind. A 1060nm LED lights up a dark room while a Gen 3 tube sees it only when looking directly into it (and that LED has some spectral energy well below 1000nm which is mainly what tickles the Gen 3 tube). A 1064nm aiming laser and laser illuminator is now on my to do list.

I've played with mine a bit recently. My first venture into NV. For urban use or areas with light pollution it's very good. I enjoy looking out into my backyard and seeing everything. I don't have IR illumination so I'll look into that next. As mentioned above, very low to no light and the Aurora will struggle. So far I'm happy and looking forward to learning and playing some more.

Saw Lonestar Boars with one on IG. Will be interesting to get his take since he uses so many NV and thermal products.

Got my Explorer kit today. Charged up things as much as I could, sitting in the woods now.

It came with EVERYTHING. Two camera batteries, one plug in camera battery charger. Car cable for battery charger. Two rechargeable batteries for the IR light. One charger for those batteries. Two USB cables for the chargers and camera. Rail mount for the camera is basic but seems sturdy. Same for the flashlight mount. Even came with a tiny screwdriver, required for the camera mount.

Reading through the manual, I'm overwhelmed by the settings and options. Most of them will probably never get used.

The objective lens seems prone to damage, and I'm surprised there is no lens cap of some sort. Gonna see if I can vet a butler creek type thing to work with it.

$539 is good price.  I may buy one when they come back down.

For those that don’t do FB, I believe this is the video referenced earlier regarding the Lion Hyperion helmet mount.



With the interesting part out of the way, I’ll toss out a nobody’s perspective on the Sionyx...

Been following this thread and other discussions for a while now. Very cool tech. While the end user reviews are encouraging, the reactions of some Gen 3 owners and industry folks are rather telling.

From the former, I’ve seen comments similar to what we get from a segment of NFA owners. The type who lament the idea that their equipment, previously protected by high dollars and scarcity, is suddenly available to average joes in the form of a comparable and affordable alternative.

From the latter, it seems there is some genuine concern over how close Sionyx has come to truly changing the game. They’re not dismissing the tech as the latest flash in the pan. The Aurora simply has too much going for it to be written off. Instead, they’re zeroing in on the one or two things that’s it doesn’t do quite as well as top tier Gen 3 offerings. Particularly, ultra low-light performance. While that’s a valid critique, it almost seems like it’s being used to deflect attention away from all of the other capabilities. Capabilities that are on par with (or exceed) that of the traditional tubes.

The Sionyx may not be a Gen 3 killer, but they’ve made a hell of an entrance into the market. For the master race naysayers/skeptics, and the optimistic average joes, here are a couple things to consider:

1) This is only their first iteration. Yet, at face value, the Aurora looks to be an outstanding option. Even for some folks who’d otherwise be considering a Gen 3 unit. Who knows what they’re already kicking around for the second iteration.

2) Remember, for as good as it is, the Aurora wasn’t even designed as a purpose built NVD for the shooting community. There’s a lot of opportunity between firmware updates, minor tweaks to the unit, and new accessories. Theoretically, without a major redesign, Sionyx could easily pull in more fence-sitters and skeptics.

As a consumer, I’m looking forward to more end user reports and future developments.

Quality post. I'm an admitted fence sitter at the moment. I had always dismissed NV because I knew I would never be happy with anything less than Gen 3 because that's what I had in the mil. This Aurora is a game changer to guys like me, who can't really drop 3k+ on a quality setup. I'm waiting for the second iteration, which I hope had many of the fixes that everyone has commented on so far.

I mentioned in another thread that I would love to buy one, but I won't.

The reason is is that they have been responding to threads, including here, in regard to peoples wants and concerns.

They are paying attention, and that means that they are a serious manufacturer.

They are looking at what people want, and their next iteration of the product will address many of the concerns and wants of the market.

I see a solid product here, and from all reviews the product is pretty promising.

I will wait for the 2nd gen of it because I believe that it will be MUCH better than the first.

Hehe, if you are privy to what some of those industry insiders are talking about amongst themselves (Sionyx not being one of them), you would be even more amused.

There's some serious concern in that circle right now, I wouldn't say outright panic, but some are loosing sleep over this thing.

The retailers are more flexible than the manufacturers in that they can just jump ship and start carrying Sionyx, but Amazon fits the bill just as well, so there's not much margin/leverage for any retailer to live off of.

Yeah, the industry can either gang up and take down Sionyx, or NV (color NV, mind you!!!) will become a lot more prevalent in the next 36 months.

A second/upgraded model is undoubtedly in the works right now, but whether Sionyx can survive until then is less certain.

NV is not like selling shoes, and solo/out-of-town game changers are almost always met with hostility.

I am in the same place. 600 would be worth it, but why? Sionyx is listening and know they can make it much much better for the desired application here.

Different lenses, purposeful viewfinder, mounting options, firmware options suited for the use case, etc. Decrease the lag, even if that means 200 bucks more.

I am curious about what they have here, but I am only interested in the potential product they can offer.

I am on the fence, I want to order one now but the arguments above about waiting for the next generation are compelling. What time frame is your best guess for version 2?

My understanding is that it's software upgradable thru the app.   Better NV performance with a different lens sounds appealing.

Ok. So far, due to weather and lack of time, I've only been able to play with mine for a short time at night.
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The pic above was taken 15minutes after sunset in "twilight" mode. No IR.
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Nearly complete darkness, in an open field. Overcast, no moon or stars and a little foggy. Have had constant rain here. No IR.
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Son at 8 feet away. Tree cover, zero ambient light.
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With IR.
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Woods with IR flood.

So I posted yesterday when I got the explorer kit. I have a few other points to share. @nv4u2

Need a "quick" menu. Specifically to quick access the night glow options and the EVF power off options. Would be good to select your own menu options to have on the quick screen, like favorites in your phone's contacts. This should be a simple software update, you could do the damn contra code on the unit to bring it up for all it matters.

The flashlight supplied seems to work well. One problem: to adjust the beam, the head SCREWS in and out. Meaning it's a PITA when one hand is holding the Aurora and other the light.

The camera rail mount needs to be more compact. The mount extends to the very end of the eyepiece, and since eye relief is critical with the Aurora, limits how tight you can get the unit to other optics or the rear of the receiver.

The battery cannot be changed while the unit is mounted to the rail attachment. That really sucks and seems poorly thought out, since a screwdriver is required to separate the camera and the mount.

There is also a "loop" mode, similar to a dashcam. You can set the "trigger" to be the shutter button or shock sensor (recoil) and it will save your specified length of video before and or after the trigger. Since the camera operates in the daytime also, and I have been able to focus the camera in front of magnified optics, this could be used to automatically record kill shots.

I don't recall ever seeing this mentioned in the marketing, but it should be.

In addition to Lion's Hyperion mount, I've also found this. No info except the poster's name, "cnoct".
https://www.cloudynights.com/gallery/album/10410-sionyx-aurora/
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The Carpe Sus YouTube channel posted a new vid using the Aurora mounted under his AR15 barrel

The conditions were the most challenging with respect to getting a clear NV image.

The moon was not up yet

There was cloud cover (no starlight)

The coyote fur color matched the ground (natural camo)

Due to wind being non favorable the shot was at 150 yards (well beyond the Auroras native magnification)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcQtDYBdxqE

The positives:

The camera didn’t blink upon recoil

The use of supplemental IR assisted in seeing eye shine with the Aurora

Pics of the Aurora weapon mounted. As you can see in the first pic, with the size of the mount it gets crowded on the receiver. The Aurora must be mounted behind a non-magnified optic due to eye relief. If I had a better rail on this rifle, I could move the rds on to it I suppose.
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It does not line up with my Burris optic. The riser makes it a little too tall, but it works better than without the riser.
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The optic here is a 6x24 Athlon. Was able to get it focused at 6x, did not try more magnification due to rain and this rifle is dang heavy with the camera that far down the barrel.
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Looks pretty solid.

Got any pics of the view?

Maybe tomorrow. It's raining and the tree line is too close to the porch at my house.

you are AWESOME.....

99.99 certain to pull the lever after your pictures dude.

Whatever. I already struggle to find people who will go out with me when I loan them Gen 3 equipment, why would I give a shit if they find a low cost high quality device that allows them to approach the same performance and possibly gets them to go out hunting/night shooting with me?

Click To View Spoiler