SIONYXReviews of sionyx.com

Excellent website

With only a few days of testing, camera works great in dusk and dark as well, without any aid of an IR light. Case it came in is impressive as the camera. Charging light was a little confusing, most other cams blink green when charged, but the cam is easy to use and set up, even without directions. Can't wait to use it more!

Fast service. Aurora performs as advertised. Very good overall performance for a digital night vision device at this price point.

I purchased the SIOnyx Aurora three weeks ago and have had the chance to test it in a variety of conditions. The camera is fantastic in low light conditions where there is some moon and sky glow. At this light level the view is very good, a crisp picture with a 42 degree horizontal FOV. It is important to understand how the device works to get the best from it. For example as light conditions drop it may be necessary to lower the frame rate and resolution to maintain a good clear image. Also to really push this further, one can also switch off the EIS and HDR functions and select either greyscale or green viewing colour. In my view the greyscale is the best choice to deal with the lowest light levels that this device can effectively deal with. Is this a replacement for a Gen3 or high end Gen2+ plus NVG, no (its mission set is different), but it is an excellent complimentary device that has many benefits over conventional NVG. The ability to record video, take photos and time lapse sequence make this an excellent tool for those in scientific research through to law enforcement. For those that require stealth, the chimes can be switched off and the LEDs taped over - add rubber cup eyepiece and the splash is gone. My primary use is safety and SAR in remote locations so I look forward to the full implementation of the AR and teams function - for those that need extended time, as with NODs, simply add a power bank. Great piece of kit and at a very sensible price for its breadth of ability. Well done SIOnyx.

You really have to use one of these before you realize just how good it is. It's amazing.

Overall this product was a disappointment for the money spent and there was clearly a lack of attention put into human engineering or operational application. It does have good color night vision and functions as described in that regard. The images are also far sharper than any image intensifier based device. While the image quality is good, the night/twilight/day selector is small and difficult to manipulate even without gloves, and the lens adjustment is easily bumped out of position when attempting to adjust the N/T/D switch. This is definitely below par for hunting or tactical use due to the direction arrow controls being so small, making them difficult to manipulate when wearing all but nitrile gloves or perhaps tight fitting pilot’s gloves. Typical Nomex gloves or Mechanix type protective gloves will make this problem worse. It is also a sound and light discipline disaster, due to readily visible green and red LED’s on initial startup, combined with a zingy noise. You shouldn’t have to be an operator to realize this; any hunter or surveillance specialist will pick this out as a problem immediately. This will give away your position day or night so attempting to use this for law enforcement, security, or military surveillance is a mission failure waiting to happen. These should be disabled from the start and require a menu selection to enable them. Another point of failure is loading and unloading the battery. The rear end has to be removed and has no retaining cord, strap, or cable. If you were attempting to change batteries in a moving vehicle or during a high stress situation, this could easily get away from you, possibly putting your NVD out of action. The release lever for the end cap / battery access is also very difficult to operate when you are wearing gloves, probably impossible for someone with big fingers plus gloves. The “instructions” are a flimsy folded piece of paper with tiny printing that is difficult to read in all but bright light conditions. For the amount of money this cost I’m irritated that Sionyx couldn’t provide an instructional CD or mini-disc with a PDF instruction manual, let alone print a proper instruction booklet, even in black and white. I’ve paid less for other NVD’s and IR/visible lasers that come with a paper manual that provides more information in a format that doesn’t require magnifiers to read comfortably. It also wouldn’t have cost the manufacturer too much to throw in one of the Picatinny mounts with the package deal, especially since another manufacturer sells 3 different heights for $1 more. Next time, Sionyx, please do better research and look at some mil-spec gear to avoid the problems inherent to the Aurora not-so-pro.

It'll be here tomorrow! Pretty sweet!

Top Service... Thx