One item that intrigued me at the Annapolis show was a nifty little monocular camera that uses available light. Aurora Sport
They had a dark box on hand to demo it and I was impressed, but I'm a skeptic and suspected snake oil or trickery. This is not a blurry green screen - it turns night scenes into full color daylight. I was also a bit confused -- is it a camera or a monocular for live images? (They say it's both). Is it comparable to FLIR or less capable? (It is much less expensive and uses different technology: IR vs. Thermal).
I passed on it while there, but took the promo card ($100 off until Tuesday 10/15 if you type Annapolis10 in the promo code box on their website checkout). I decided to do a little online research before buying. It seems this new model uses the same technology as the prior model, but they left out some features, explained below.
I researched it some more online, and Panbo has a favorable write-up of its predecessor, SiOnyx Aurora night vision camera demo ride - Panbo and discusses the new product here New color night vision action camera from SiOnyx - Panbo
Ben Stein explains: "’I've been in touch with SiOnyx to understand the exact differences and it seems there are two differences between this unit and the Aurora. The first is original camera is ruggedized and warrantied for mounting on a weapon while the Sport isn’t. The second difference is the inretial measurement unit (IMU) has been removed from the Sport. The IMU contains both inertial sensors and the GPS unit. So, this means the camera isn’t going to be capable of tagging videos and pictures with geographic information. But, I can’t see how this will affect the primary use case on a boat, holding the camera in front of your eye and looking through the viewfinder to see better in the dark. "
So I decided to order this tonight at the show promo price of $299. I'll report back after I get it.
PS - I have no affiliation with or business interest in SiOnyx or FLIR.
They had a dark box on hand to demo it and I was impressed, but I'm a skeptic and suspected snake oil or trickery. This is not a blurry green screen - it turns night scenes into full color daylight. I was also a bit confused -- is it a camera or a monocular for live images? (They say it's both). Is it comparable to FLIR or less capable? (It is much less expensive and uses different technology: IR vs. Thermal).
I passed on it while there, but took the promo card ($100 off until Tuesday 10/15 if you type Annapolis10 in the promo code box on their website checkout). I decided to do a little online research before buying. It seems this new model uses the same technology as the prior model, but they left out some features, explained below.
I researched it some more online, and Panbo has a favorable write-up of its predecessor, SiOnyx Aurora night vision camera demo ride - Panbo and discusses the new product here New color night vision action camera from SiOnyx - Panbo
Ben Stein explains: "’I've been in touch with SiOnyx to understand the exact differences and it seems there are two differences between this unit and the Aurora. The first is original camera is ruggedized and warrantied for mounting on a weapon while the Sport isn’t. The second difference is the inretial measurement unit (IMU) has been removed from the Sport. The IMU contains both inertial sensors and the GPS unit. So, this means the camera isn’t going to be capable of tagging videos and pictures with geographic information. But, I can’t see how this will affect the primary use case on a boat, holding the camera in front of your eye and looking through the viewfinder to see better in the dark. "
So I decided to order this tonight at the show promo price of $299. I'll report back after I get it.
PS - I have no affiliation with or business interest in SiOnyx or FLIR.