Carson (US Milspec) vs RPO PVS-14 lenses
Follow-up video featuring RPO 3.0 can be found here:
• RPO 3.0 Lightweight PV...
Read the full write-up here:
coldharboursupply.com/blogs/n...
This is a full video showing the differences between US Milspec (Carson) vs RPO PVS-14 lenses.
One isn't necessarily better than the other as each individual's requirements and priorities will differ.
RPOs shave at least 74g off a binocular night vision system but at the expense of some optical trade-offs like rainbow flaring and chromatic aberrations.
DOM of the test lenses are July 2021
All footage shot on Sony A7S3 with custom lens adapter on Sony GMaster 16-35mm F/2.8mm lens
Full manual settings: 1/50s, 24fps, custom white balance, ISO 640
Footage analyzed using Adobe Premiere 2022
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:21 - Carson lens background
1:43 - RPO lens background
2:58 - Weight comparison
3:31 - RPO weigh-in
3:39 - Carson weigh-in
4:18 - RPO construction and lightweight diopters
4:54 - Difference in coatings and optical performance differences
6:10 - Low Light performance comparison
6:40 - High Light performance & chromatic aberrations & halo
7:33 - Distortion
8:02 - Urban environment test - flare suppression/artifacts & rainbow flaring
8:57 - Rural environment
9:31 - Considerations & Conclusion
Weights:
RPO eyepiece lens cell (with o-ring): 30g
Carson eyepiece lens cell (with o-ring): 44g
Nocturn diopter assembly (no grub screws): 12g
Carson diopter assembly with lock ring: 19g
RPO objective (with o-ring): 35g
Carson objective (with o-ring): 52g
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Пікірлер: 23
Stellar comparison, nice work!
The RPO glass really screwed up with their non-existent/minimal AR coating. If they had a better anti reflective coating it would be a no brainer The signal to noise being the same with darker image… it just doesn’t make sense. ESP with the worse halo Halo and chromatic aberration is really important in mixed urban lighting. Add in the distortion… Idk for that cost I expected better. Much better.
@PandemicGameplay
Жыл бұрын
100%
Thank you. Great video
After seeing the actual comparison videos, Carson's for sure! Just that halo ring alone would irk me.
Hop has summoned me
Nice vid. Pennywise pound foolish skipping the coatings on the RPO if you would ask me. Downright foolish design flaw. Whats next? In 2 years there is V3 with AR-oatings for 1750 USD? AR coatings is standard in the optics industry, even for China manufactured optics. It would up transmitivity more on par with e.g. Carson as well. I would buy, but only when they have added the anti reflective coatings.
@remakine
2 жыл бұрын
I would be surprised if the eyepieces dont have any AR coatings to increase transmission, and given how close they look in brightness I personally think it is safe to assume they are coated, just with different coatings that to the naked eye look different (the hue of the eyepiece looking like clear glass on RPO and orange/green hue on Carson). The objective lenses similarly look bluish which as far as I have understood is there to increase contrast, to actually block some blue entering.
Really cool comparison. I recently got a Nocturn Industries Tanto and went with the RPO lenses simply for weight savings. The RPO over the Carson optics was only a $200 up charge. Not sure why the difference is so large in Canada. I did notice quite a bit of flaring in areas with alot of light sources and it's made worse when coupled with a sacrificial lense. It's a bit frustrating at first but when using it practically I didn't notice it as much. As for the Halo effect, I've not experienced that. Not sure what gen is my RPO optics. I put a video show casing the Photonis tube it comes with on my channel. I'm wondering if thats a manufacture defect you're experiencing or do it's multiple RPO's you've seen with this Halo effect.
Awesome information. Random question I see you have the tubes connected to your a7s3 I've looked everywhere can't find a way to do this. Care to share?
It would be interesting to see if there's any difference in halo using 720nm filters.
Is the flaring from the front lens, or the ocular lens?
Very well done! Your videos are great. Humor my theory: RPO makes both front & back lenses. Is there one or the other that would be producing the bulk of the aberrations? Like install RPO ocular lenses for weight savings, but Carson up front to have less lens flare? Am I way off base on this? Thanks.
@coldharboursupply
Жыл бұрын
Unfortunately most of these lens systems are designed as a set. You could mix them but once you stray from true milspec lenses, the results become less than ideal. We have a forthcoming video dropping this week where we mix and match with the new RPO 3.0 lenses with some ... interesting results.
@gMan1971
Жыл бұрын
@@coldharboursupply So you are saying that the RPO lenses aren't MILSPEC?
Which lenses are in ACT DTNVS gen.3?
How are the lenses from Alexe on AliExpress?
@coldharboursupply
9 ай бұрын
We have not gotten any in for testing but from a bit we have read online, they are rather poor.
What about Dep Ethers?
@coldharboursupply
Жыл бұрын
We can no longer recommend DEP Ethers because of their limited application for binocular systems. Basically they were designed only for monoculars as they cannot be put into a binocular system and properly collimated. Yes it will "work" but you might end up cross-eyed as a result. Best to stick with more traditional eyepieces that use a translating lens cell vs the DEP Ethers that have a rotating one.
Great job, in europe the difference is one thousand euro too.
halation.