Just bought 2nd-Hand Aurora in UK for £275 (May 2024). Even 3 years later your generously shared and incredibly detailed piece of work (you must have spent way more time editing than capturing) is hugely appreciated, and sits ready to help others after me: It answered all of my pre-purchase questions, and gave all of the tweaks for best performance. Across the years, and from across the pond I thank you sir.

I really appreciate the detailed and methodical review, thanks for putting in all that work for us!!

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

Can't believe I just found this video now. Very well done.

Recording limitations 8:25 Sionyx & Gen 1 - Full Moon 13:05 Sionyx & Gen 1 - Starlight 32:32

I just bought a Sionyx sport used for $400. Looks like I will have fun and more content for my channel!!! Good comparison!!!

Best comparison out there

Awesome comparison to the Gen 1. Thanks!

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Best demonstration video of this camera

Exceptional video, very thorough examination.

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Many thanks!

Fantastic workup - really appreciated. If you get a chance - review the new Pro version too !

@PhoenixRising62

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! ... And I'd like to, but I'm not sure if I will be doing that anytime soon, as SiOnyx is pretty "Proud" of thier stuff price wise, and after doing a good bit of reading and watching other reviews I get the feeling that the Pro version doesn't bring that much more to the table for the price they are asking and has the same sensor and resolution limitations as all of the other models, with the Pro just adding a bunch more features and perhaps tweaking the camera software to improve noise reduction etc. I would love to see SiOnyx come up with a new sensor that is at least 1080p with perhaps other improvements to the sensor technology for better low light performance, and if and when they do I will likely pick one up (this channel isn't funded / supported, so I either have to purchase or borrow the gear I review and although monetized let's just say that with a small channel this is pretty much a labor of love more than anything LOL!) My understanding on the primary difference with the SiOnyx sensor is that it's surface is textured on a nano scale to give each pixel more surface area so that less photons are reflected giving it better low light performance, along with the fact that it's low resolution (1280x720) with a 1" sensor (same size as the Nikon 1 and Sony RX10 / RX100 series cameras to name a few) so the individual pixel size / surface area is Huge compared to a normal camera as well.

GREAT review! Very detailed and informative. Thanks for making this.

Thank you for the Great Review. Shoutout from Berlin

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Always like to see Viewers and Comments / Thoughts from folks outside of the US!

One weird thing that I noticed using a green tinted 37mm filter on top of the eye rubber is that noise patterns on color mode are a lot more aggresive than grayscale (even thought the camera captures light in colors and the greyscale filter is a digital addition), so the firmware must do something to improve/correct color visualization that also spikes the grains, you can also notice more vertical lines forming on the image. Edit: My tests were done on poor illumination spots to make the noise pattern more noticeable, on ideal light conditions I doubt there is any visible dfference.

@drohappy

2 жыл бұрын

The green tint was to emulate the analog thing without using the blinding green filter on the syonix, so, taking color aside, it's a fact, at least with the firmware on 1.32/1.34 version, that the grayscale mode has less noise.

thank you so much for everything about this video

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome! Glad you found it Helpful!

Thanks a lot. This is very helpful.

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for the video. I checking out these digital IR night vision cameras the last couple days and really cant see the advantage over a good flash light and binoculars if need be. Other than stealth? What do you think some advantages are?

Do you have the new 1.32 firmware on the Aurora? It really cleans up the image and makes it more usable in low light

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I am running the v 1.32 firmware and that is what was being used in this video, Thanks for Asking! I did check the SiOnyx website and have to say their support section isn't too good at just listing all the different app and firmware versions you can check, or in giving detailed specs on all of the cameras either for that matter. Thanks for Commenting!

Hello sir, whats your opinion about ,,Nightfox Corsac'' does it compare to Sionyx? Nightfox corsac could be bought for ~130$ best price

Still don't know if I want to buy it alot of money and if it doesn't work like I think it should if I could talk to someone only place you buy them is is on line

Sionyx is good to go for me needs AS LONG AS I HAVE IR LIGHT.

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

I think you are correct ~ for many people the SiOnyx Sport with an add on Illuminator and spare batteries for both gives a lot of value as entry level night vision and with the ability to both stream to a phone or tablet and record it's also a lot of Fun!

27:47 lmao I would have that same reaction

Commenting this as I know some devices can't use timestamps that are in the description. INDEX: Tabletop ------------------------------------------------------------- 3:09 Recording Limitations --------------------------------------- 8:25 SiOnyx & Gen 1 Under Full Moonlight -------------- 13:05 - Reduced Framerate ------------------------------------- 25:22 - Full Moon Night Glow Greyscale ---------------- 26:28 - Full Moon Night Glow Green ----------------------- 28:05 - Full Moon Final Look Around ---------------------- 28:30 SiOnyx & Gen 1 Under Starlight Only ---------------- 32:32 - 850nm vs 940nm Illuminators -------------------- 44:53 - Reduced Frame Rates / Night Glow Modes - 50:18 - 7.5 FPS Greyscale --------------------------------------- 53:52 - Night Glow Green ---------------------------------------- 57:17 - Bering Optics using Built in IR --------------------- 59:37

What omni was your pvs-14 that you used in the moonless test?

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Hard to say as with most of the NOS / Blemished tubes you don't get any paperwork. Thinking probably 4 or 5 maybe 6. A couple of years ago I got to talk to someone who had been repairing NV for 20+ years and from what he said it's really hard to nail down OMNI Specs on tubes due to overlaps and even mfgr differences ect (not nearly as clear cut as most Believe). I do know that I've seen blem / NOS tubes who's performance was virtually the same but with different halo sizes that would indicate newer Omni specs, but without any real gains otherwise. So my take is pretty much if it can do what you need ~ good to go.

Just want to see what messes around my property at night

Is there a advantage of digital zoom vs. cropping in edit?

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Actually that's a good question! ... In this video I used the digital zoom because I wanted to show what someone's experience would be using it in the field for observation which is the most likely way the SiOnyx would be used. However if my goal was to simply shoot video then edit it later I could see it going either way as far as which is better but that would be largely hit or miss for which one depending on which does a better job interpolating and otherwise processing the image - The SiOnyx or whatever you are using to edit it with. If I had to guess I would say that you would most likely get better results doing it in post processing as there isn't a real time constraints involved plus you would also have much more processing power available on a computer and could also tweak other things like edge enhance etc to give you a higher quality output as part of the process.

@heyarno

3 жыл бұрын

@@PhoenixRising62 Thank you. I see, so memory constraint or battery life on the sionyx was not the reason.

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

@@heyarno Correct, this video was all about field use / usability as an observation tool.

@heyarno

3 жыл бұрын

@@PhoenixRising62 Good to know, I'm still procrastinating on buying a sionyx aurora. So that information helps.

@nolo1337

3 жыл бұрын

here is what you do get small single board computer send the video to it and have it processed and sent to a screen lol

I hoped to see what the aurora sees through the gen1 under starlight.

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Hmm... I hadn't really thought of that as an option, since that wouldn't fit the purpose / general Audience of this video. It might be interesting to see but I'm not sure how the practicality of doing it would work out... I did just pull out the SiOnyx and do a quick check and it does appear to be somewhat optically compatible to recording behind the Bering Optics at close to a full sized image circle, though there is a lot of distortion from the Rear lens of the Bering Optic when viewed through the SiOnyx as well as a loss of detail. Of course the 720p resolution limit on the SiOnyx may be part of the culprit there since when I filmed with the Action Camera at 4k I was still getting 1080p verticle resolution imagery of the Gen 1 (which still didn't have full detail). ... When I get the chance I might try to play with the SiOnyx vs. that Action Cam behind something better like the Zeiss Fero Z80 Gen 1 Cascade .... The results there might be a little more interesting!

@heyarno

3 жыл бұрын

@@PhoenixRising62 Thanks. I'm asking because I have a few gen0+ and gen 1 as well as gen 1 + devices. And recording the gen0+ is a bit difficult. Also out of curiosity, did you have a look what tube is in the Bering optic device?

@Ashley-1917

3 жыл бұрын

It would probably depend somewhat on the housing and lenses used by the gen 1. I own both a gen 1 unit an a sionyx. I just tested it right this second and the result is pretty crappy. The image is pretty washed out because of the relatively lower dynamic range of the aurora when compared to the human eye. Looking through the gen 1 you get a pretty crisp image (with enough light), but any light sources make massive halos when looked at by the aurora.

@heyarno

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ashley-1917 Thank you. What kind of light sources are we talking about? A bit of background info why I ask: For filming bright things like the starlit sky, my gen0+ and phone are enough. It's starlit landscapes that are below the cameras threshold. With the dark adjusted eye It's still possible to see a bit of the landscape, while it's harder with a gen0+. My gen1 doesn't pick up anything at those light levels, I guess it's the fibre optic input, that limits it's sensitivity. So for filming I am limited to a 3 stage gen0+. And it's image quality is not very great. My 3 stage gen1 is ok for the eye when looking at open areas under starlight. My camera can't capture that view though. In dark areas it's useless unless I hold a gen0+ in front of it. And that brought me to the idea that my gen0+ device (advertised as gen1) is good at picking up low light, but is sucks at amplification. I know the washed out effect though from other devices. Usually those are driven with a too high voltage to get out higher amplification. And in some cases it's just stray light from the sides, that bounces around in the lens. I took apart 1 85mm F1.2 lens to correct that effect by blackening the ground edges of the lens, but it was a pain. I had to set up a dust free work space, make sure my gloves are dust free, wear a mask and had a filtered air stream going over everything. Anyway, if the gen1 is not good for the Aurora in those situations, I could try a gen2 device, which is nice for the eye, but for the camera it needs to be cranked up to full gain and looks noisy. Or I could rebuild my 3 stage gen1+, which is strong enough for my current camera. So I have the choice to invest in a aurora or parts for my build.

Can you change the filter so we can see your eyebrows

So this is essentially a full spectrum camera.

@PhoenixRising62

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, with enhanced light gathering capability. I have played around taking pictures with a Nikon 1 (1" sensor) full spectrum with low f lens and the SiOnyx is definitely much more sensitive, though I'm not sure if all of it is due to a special more textured silicon used in the sensor (which would give each pixel a greater surface area to absorb incoming photons) or because the sensor is of lower resolution with a larger pixel size capturing more light per pixel similar to the differences in low light capability between small sensor digital's and a full frame DSLR. I wish SiOnyx would introduce something with a slightly larger sensor in at least 1080p (1920x1080 vs. the current 720p / 1280x720). Thanks for Watching!

just aint a full discript with out the star shots,itsa must". cheers.

37:03