NOD Comparison *** now with SiOnyx Aurora, and 5 other models ***PIC HEAVY*

Gloszz said:
Sorry but what is the point of having these if you cannot legally hunt at night with them? Unless I am missing something, for which I apologize.
Click to expand...

What's the point in having a race car to go to work? And having a full-auto pellet gun? It's not my thing but who am I to judge others hobby and life? As long as they live responsibly and respectfully.

Leftist want to prohibit handguns because they're scared and don't understand my fun in it. Then they talk about being tolerant and open-minded!
 
wildphil24 said:
What's the point in having a race car to go to work? And having a full-auto pellet gun? It's not my thing but who am I to judge others hobby and life? As long as they live responsibly and respectfully.

Leftist want to prohibit handguns because they're scared and don't understand my fun in it. Then they talk about being tolerant and open-minded!
Click to expand...

Well I just assumed you cannot use them or be in possession of them period. I honestly thought they are comparable to something along the line of suppressors, an item which I can legally use in Texas for hogs and coyotes. Or a better example, an item like the 25 round 10/22 mag haha, everyone has one yet it is prohibited.
 
Gloszz said:
Well I just assumed you cannot use them or be in possession of them period.
Click to expand...

We're still free enough for people to buy these electronics for target shooting, airsoft or whatever they feel like doing. As long as it isn't violating wildlife and privacy laws.
 
Gloszz said:
Sorry but what is the point of having these if you cannot legally hunt at night with them? Unless I am missing something, for which I apologize.
Click to expand...

You can shoot at night but not hunt. Some people travel to the US or attend training courses where low/no light shooting is possible.
 
Dr. Hunter said:
On my list of stuff I don't need but will eventually buy
Click to expand...
Well said ahahah

Gloszz said:
Sorry but what is the point of having these if you cannot legally hunt at night with them? Unless I am missing something, for which I apologize.
Click to expand...

Personally I think having a thermal monocular would be an excelent tool for saving fresh calves from the freezing Bush.

Do you think think the breach would be a decent compromise between NV and thermal for someone who really cant afford both?
 
ThatM305Guy said:
Well said ahahah



Personally I think having a thermal monocular would be an excelent tool for saving fresh calves from the freezing Bush.

Do you think think the breach would be a decent compromise between NV and thermal for someone who really cant afford both?
Click to expand...

My opinion - thermal is much more useful in my opinion. I have a hacked FLIR E4 (now E8 specs) and it's pretty incredible technology. I can see the coiled tubing runs under concrete and leaks in insulation.

NV is limited usefulness for me... I just use a flashlight. :) Thermal on the other hand shows you things your can't see with visible light. It would be PERFECT for spotting animals in the cold. You'll see them on the screen WAY before you see them with your eyes or even NV.
 
Can-down said:
Good s h i t too..... :)

If this tech was cheap most people would have it laying around like a pair of bino's..... who doesn't want to see in the dark.
Click to expand...

Good thermal is coming WAY down in price. Up until a few years ago, you couldn't even legally LOOK through a 30hz refresh FLIR unit as a non-US citizen (its bizarre, but true), let alone own anything close. With thermal you can definitely tell what type of underwear people are wearing and if they are excited to see you. ;)
 
canucklehead said:
Good thermal is coming WAY down in price. Up until a few years ago, you couldn't even legally LOOK through a 30hz refresh FLIR unit as a non-US citizen (its bizarre, but true), let alone own anything close. With thermal you can definitely tell what type of underwear people are wearing and if they are excited to see you. ;)
Click to expand...

In an age of decreasing privacy, in an age of increasing gang/gun violence in some areas..... I don't know why cameras couldn't pick up losers packing heat in the s h i t y.
 
canucklehead said:
My opinion - thermal is much more useful in my opinion. I have a hacked FLIR E4 (now E8 specs) and it's pretty incredible technology. I can see the coiled tubing runs under concrete and leaks in insulation.

NV is limited usefulness for me... I just use a flashlight. :) Thermal on the other hand shows you things your can't see with visible light. It would be PERFECT for spotting animals in the cold. You'll see them on the screen WAY before you see them with your eyes or even NV.
Click to expand...

For my uses thermal is for detecting livestock, image intensifiers are for dealing with livestock.

I do also use my FLIR 2400 to detect water leaks in houses.
 
JayCarver said:
I have no clue about this stuff. Can a PVS-14 be used on a rifle in conjunction with a aimpoint or something?
Click to expand...

Or as a standalone with the right kit: milspec PVS-14 plus 3x lens plus armasight aim

33137072945_4975eb7941_c.jpg


32291546364_052e8899d7_c.jpg
 
****WARNING!!! TRULY LONG WINDED POST!!! COLES NOTES VERSION IN THE NEXT MESSAGE!!!***

Welcome to part 2 of my great big night vision review! In this episode, we welcome the SiOnyx Aurora Night Vision Camera to the mix. There has been quite the hullabaloo regarding this camera, with many saying it is making conventional I2 NODs irrelevant. Is this the case, or is it just another “look at me” digital flop? Today we find out!

Pardoning my tacky tv show intro, I set out last night to test my SiOnyx Aurora and the rest of my night vision devices in more than just the “urban environment” that I used earlier. These tests objectives were to determine absolute low light ability, as well as how well each unit works in semi open country. The scene of these tests was at my family farm, using our shop for low light testing, as well as using my shelter belt and field for semi open country testing. The shop was useful for seeing what amount of light amplification each unit has. The shelter belt for seeing each unit’s resolution as well as “darkness penetrating” ability. When I say that, I mean how well did each unit look from somewhere of relative brightness, into an area obscured by in this case branches, and how well could it see into the dark area.

First, a note about the weather. I am located in southwestern Manitoba, where it is flat and snowy. The night had a full moon, with a completely overcast sky, and light snow coming down. My yard is a few miles from town, however the light glow on the clouds was certainly making it brighter, even where we live. It was bright enough to be able to easily make out neighbours’ yards, and if a coyote would have walked towards me on the snow, I’m sure I could have seen it with my naked eyes. Another note is that I did not have an SD card in the Aurora, so I am showing camera pictures of the viewfinder. Not the ideal way of doing it, however I would say this accurately represents the brightness of what I saw, however not the resolution.

I will post the pictures in replies below, with my ending thoughts of this test after that.
 
Last edited:
Coles notes/ TL;DR:

Armasight Orion: Not worth the money. Poor light amplification, ok resolution, fish eye makes it quite difficult to use.

Armasight Sirius: Decent light amplification, even in very low light. Decent resolution. Makes navigating in the dark fairly easy, though edge distortion can be a bit annoying.

SiOnyx Aurora: OK light amplification. Excellent resolution. Using a small screen in the eyepiece to navigate makes it a bit more difficult, but once used to it, it would likely be not bad. Absolutely the best bang for the buck, based on these two tests.

PVS-4: Good light amplification. Good resolution. Lots of light bathes the eye making it easy to pick up the picture.

PVS-14: Excellent light amplification. Very good resolution. Can see in the darkest of places, with good clarity. Makes navigating very easy in the very dark. If you want the best, this is by far still it.

FLIR Breach: Great for inside with temperature differentials; not great for navigating in the cold, when everything else is equally as cold.
 
Last edited:
First off, we will start with the easy test:

Every night vision device looks good when used under ideal conditions. Last night was certainly as close to that as it can be with cloud cover. Looking into my shelter belt from approximately 50 yards away, it was interesting to note that even my Gen 1 Orion was reasonably capable. Note the differences in resolution between each generation and device, and the light gathering ability. I would say each device, Aurora included, shows accurately how bright the image in the eyepiece was, however all the units suffered resolution loss in my camera vs my eye, with the Aurora suffering the most.

Armasight Orion:
View attachment 239572

Armasight Sirius:
View attachment 239573

SiOnyx Aurora (note that even in the dark, there is some amount of colour shown! Resolution is SUBSTANTIALLY better to the eye):
View attachment 239574

PVS-4:
View attachment 239575

PVS-14:
View attachment 239576

FLIR Breach:
Picture to come

*it looks like you need to click the link to see the pictures?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom