Night vision seems to be on everyone's want list. Really, who doesn't want to see in the dark. The cost is usually what keeps most of us from getting into it. Welcome to the SiOnyx Aurora Sport day and night vision camera. We have discussed the Aurora's on the podcast. I now have had actual hands on with the Sport version and co-host Rob has the Aurora Explorer edition.
The SiOnyx Aurora Sport, sports a lot of features. It's touted as an action camera. So you get 720p video at 60fps. This allows for okay videos. The actual camera megapixel rating is 0.9MP's. This doesn't allow for great snapshots, but is that really why we're discussing the camera. What really matters is the 3 different camera modes, day, twilight, and night. More on that later. The Sport also has some water resistance to it. It has an IP67 rating: so under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. It uses a standard micro-sd card that is not included in the Sport version. One rechargeable battery is also included.
Extreme low light - color, No IR
Extreme low light - black & white, No IR
Extreme low light - green, No IR
The real question is, how about the "night vision". To start things off, it's not normal night vision. SiOnyx uses a really large sensor in their digital camera. This allows way more light into the camera. By doing this, you get a really good low light camera. Plus it is in color, or way more colors than normal night vision! For all you die hards out there, there's an option for green monochrome or black & white. If it is real dark, you will need some sort of extra illumination, like an infrared flashlight. When using IR, the colors will change slightly, but still essentially color! The IR light is a definite need on cloudy nights. Even with some ambient light, the picture would start to pixelate without IR.
Low light - Night mode
Low light - Twilight mode
I proceeded to take some photos with the Aurora. Because of the small camera sensor, the pictures aren't great. For instance, you can tell my dogs are dogs with the night mode turned on. Daylight picture are far better. As far as video goes, it's better than the pictures when in night mode. But it is also far better in daylight. Like I mentioned before, it really needs an InfraRed illuminator for really dark pictures and video. At night, I think it would best be used for target identification.
Battery and SD card access
Since the Aurora Sport is sold as an all around sporting night vision camera, I had to try it on a rifle. Especially since they show the other Aurora model on a rifle in their advertising. To make things short, the sport flat out sucks on a rifle. When mounting behind an optic (the optic in front of the camera), the parallax is so bad that shot impacts were 3 feet low at 30-50 yards. Rob also had this problem with his Aurora Explorer. This was with a 1-6x scope and a red dot. I then proceeded to mount it in front of a red dot optic. It did at least get rid of the parallax, so shots hit where I was aiming. There was also a problem with this set up. Not enough light was projected on the camera’s sensor, so the night mode worked worse than without an optic. I was going to film, through the red dot, during the day, but the next problem happened. Every time I would shoot the rifle, an AR15 in 223, the battery compartment and eyepiece would unlatch and turn the camera off. This was with the camera mounted toward the front of a handguard. So, if you are looking at mounting this on a rifle, I would highly discourage the Sport model for this. The Explorer edition comes with a picatinny mount that, I am told, keeps the eyepiece from unlatching during recoil.
Candle light - Day mode
Candle Light - Night mode (color)
What would I use the Aurora Sport for? With an IR illuminator it can be used for viewing wildlife at night. Tactical use is pretty much out because the IR light can be seen with any form of night vision, including other Aurora’s. As a sport camera, it would work okay, but the lack of autofocus really kills it in this area too. It does however use the camera industries ¼-20 mounting threads and makes it hook to almost any tripod. The ability to see the picture through an app on your phone or tablet could come in handy, especially if you mounted it to some other radio controlled device.
The Aurora Sport is an okay nightish vision camera. I would really like to be able to use it on a rifle, but mount it on a helmet with an IR illuminator and have some fun. The price isn’t bad for what you get. SiOnyx keeps improving these camera’s, with a “pro” version out now. Maybe an autofocus is next.
Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points
Claim to Fame:
Night Vision Camera
Target Market:
Those wanting some sort of night vision capabilities
FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):
Water resistant - IP67
Color or Mono display
1" optical sensor
Lenses - f/1.4 (Night), f/2 (Twilight), f/5.6 (Day) – 16mm
720p video
0.9 MP photos
Wi-Fi and USB connectivity
Micro SD card to 32 MB
Micro OLED display
Rechargeable battery pack
Approximately 8 ounces
Approximate size - 4.75” x 2.5” x 2.0”
What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?
Regular Aurora, Aurora Explorer Edition, PRO
What others are saying?:
⅘ stars on Amazon
A low resolution low light camera - not night vision
This is a decent low light camera. Sensitivity is primarily achieved by larger pixels and by removing the IR filter which takes full advantage of the spectral sensitivity into IR of modern sensors.
Here are the negatives: resolution is very low and on a moonless night it really struggles. This is definitely not comparable to gen 3 night vision as the video's on the manufacturer's website suggests. Those are very misleading. This camera / tech is probably more comparable to a Gen 2 night vision device.
But for the price it does a decent job. The connectivity to smartphones is very useful.
Link to other reviews:
Price point:
MSRP = $399.00
Retail = $399.00 on Amazon
I need it now! Availability:
Our Rating:
Pros:
Color Night vision
Water resistant
Wi-Fi connectivity
Lightweight
Price
Cons:
Needs InfraRed Illuminator
Manual focus
Adds Parallax
Problems when mounting on a firearm
