Is the SiOnyx Opsin worth buying yet?

[@SpecOpsGear]

They've made a lot of small improvements since release.

[@Hoplopfheil]

Your video is the reason I held off on buying one until the big price cut.

[@SpecOpsGear]

Looking back on it, if it made better quality recordings then content creation could be a worthwhile use case. As is, "meh out of ten" is a good summary.

[@lawrencerodgers9845]

Can you give a few areas of improvement? Any improvement in extreme dark environments?

[@SpecOpsGear]

@@lawrencerodgers9845 my comment was based on hop's assessment. I haven't tried the latest version yet. But, based on his evaluation, it looks better processing, updated "gain control" and of course, lower price. The other main update that happened is the increased availability of decent quality NNVT chinese night vision tubes.

[@SpecOpsGear]

@@lawrencerodgers9845 i havent tried the firmware update version, but it looks like they've made some changes to the button functions, compared to what i remember. Also it sounds like the "gain control" knob now also changes some other settings, which is useful, if true. At $2,000 it's a better value than before, which makes it more competitive. *BUT* Chinese NNVT analog tubes are being imported at a discount, offering performance on par with photonis echo and green omni tubes for a lower price. These chinese nnnvt tubes are pretty good for the money, so i'd recommend them over the opsin in most cases. If the opsin recorded better footage and had more robust video files, i'd pick it over the nnvt tube because i create content. But, with nnvt greens in the low 2k's i'd snag one before the balloon goes up.

[@Tarburz]

Hop you have to simultaneously keep doing and stop doing this to yourself.

[@Hoplopfheil]

You're the boss

[@slavsupreme5129]

Schrodingers Hop

[@williamflowers9435]

Never stop!! Now you need a pre-GWOT NVG setup and an/PAC-4C and VLI (Visible Light Illuminator) for your 20” AR… Peak Y2K performance (and entertainment for us SubscribeStar high fructose cornsyrup daddies)

[@jrstoelting]

@@slavsupreme5129I was going to say this 😂

[@luvmechanix]

​​@@williamflowers9435gwot? What does game of thrones have to do with NVGs?

[@BrassFacts]

That water mark is what's going to radicalize me

[@TerminalM193]

@ASSfacts - When are nudez dropping? Don't make me hack your device.

[@mattrandazzo3289]

The sionyx water mark, or the water mark Hop left on that tree?🥴

[@thomasowens3135]

These guys really know how to juice up the stats…

[@alexanderm8880]

I'm like a battered housewife, I keep coming back to these videos even though I know I can't justify getting NVGs

[@LTsweaps]

poor is a mindset

[@alexanderm8880]

@LTsweaps Eh it's not that I couldn't save up for it, I just can't justify the cost/use ratio. Like he mentioned in the video, some people who buy NVGs have to go to matches to practice movement. For me it'd be just as fiscally irresponsible as buying a massive truck when you live in a downtown city area lol

[@rudolfsteyr5228]

@@LTsweaps Looks at the economy/inflation/dating -_-

[@Zoraxon]

I feel it man. It took me years to get a tube, but it's worth it. Budget if you can, be financially responsible.

[@VoFALT]

@@LTsweapsNo, it's a number.

[@RandyTheB_]

But bro, didn't you hear? Digital night vision is the future and performs better than a gen 3 pvs7. Surely big phosphor is paying you off to publish this hit piece.

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

Corrupt Big Tube!

[@ChandlerThomasvoon100]

Big phosphor 😭😭😭

[@top-hat-roach8116]

In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king homie

[@LaughingMan44]

How will they perform in 10.years

[@TerminalM193]

This is why I've been putting a ton of points in pirate vision. Both eyes work perfectly fine but 1 eye is constantly covered with my leather pirate eye patch. When moving from light to dark determines when I flip the patch up.

[@torman121]

This is where hop realized he wanted to become a rapper by the name Hopsin

[@Hoplopfheil]

Unfortunately that name is already taken

[@torman121]

@@Hoplopfheil dang, maybe a review of a 9mm tube pistol will spark something

[@iCookCrystalMeth]

Unfortunately Hopsin’s music is dogshit

[@williamflowers9435]

@@Hoplopfheil Hop-Z?

[@thomaseric8662]

Hop-Zyn

[@madeleineollerton5993]

you're pissing low left, try relaxing your firing hand

[@musicman1eanda]

😂😂

[@alexmaurice4274]

@AndreDeezNutzhuh? Are you anti 2a

[@skibur848]

@AndreDeezNutzWhy is it bad for a man to equip himself regardless of military service?

[@madeleineollerton5993]

@AndreDeezNutz I was talking about the actual pissing

[@Fives_ix]

The fact that everyone in this reply section didn't realise that​ @AndreDeezNutz was rage baiting is kinda funny to me

[@frost8077]

I was thinking "better than nothing" until I saw the price. For $2000, I would expect way better quality.

[@VoFALT]

Maybe NV just isn't for you 🤷‍♂️ Or...me for that matter

[@A-G-F-]

​@@VoFALT Gen 2s are arround that price tho

[@nfaisnfgay]

@@VoFALTI got my GEN 3 used PVS-14 for 1900. Digital needs to slash their price in half to even slightly be competitive

[@kevinalmgren8332]

@@nfaisnfgayme too. I got a GP PVS-14 with an Omni 7 tube for 1900

[@TerminalM193]

​@@nfaisnfgayThat's a hell of a deal! Was there any kind of issues with your set?

[@CGTjong]

I can’t tell how many times I’ve heard Hop say on multiple channels, “I’m not enjoying this!” On multiple videos…it should be a patch at this rate 9:13

[@urkince26]

Hop. Pls. Give us the patch.

[@elboogy]

Wen patch?

[@aspectofglass1713]

I watched the whole video and came to this conclusion: Hop REALLY enjoys the tunnel crawl and hopes it’s longer next year.

[@sudo_actual]

"I'm not enjoying this" is the moto of type-two-fun events.

[@homerj109]

I am sure Focustripp is going to have a good time with that sound bite.

[@utahjohnnymontana3373]

Embrace the Suck.

[@brandonschwertley2723]

I shot at the same match, and had a guy on my squad that also was using an Opsin. We shot on a overcast cloudy night that turned into rain the first night, and near perfect conditions on the second night. He was gracious enough to let me look through his Opsin on the first night and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that unit is only good for static observation on a properly dark night. For comparison I was using an Elbit white Phos tube with good stats, and I never felt like they were the thing holding me back. The Syonix Opsin was able to generate a good image, but at the cost of framerate. So every time I turned my head the world went blurry and it was unusable. He said that at the higher framerates that goes away but that 60+ FPS rates were not able to generate a good image in the overcast conditions. I didn't get a chance to notice the latency because I was just standing around turning my head. But at lower framerates you can't even do that without the world turning to pixelated mush. The device does intrigue me, and I am curious to see how it progresses. As it stands I could not in good faith recommend as a tactical, fighting unit. The performance isn't there yet and the framerate is frankly horrible when it's actually dark. However, if you were say a cop maybe a detective doing night time surveillance, this device would be badass. Or maybe you're a hunter with a dedicated thermal optic and just want a cheap static observation tool in a blind for recording your shots. Static observation, especially where recorded video is desired, this device rules that niche.

[@BlueJayWaters]

Can you ask your buddy to post a video?

[@brandonschwertley2723]

@@BlueJayWaters Never got his contact info, not sure if he has YT channel he posted anything to.

[@Hoplopfheil]

SO THERE WAS ANOTHER

[@jrstoelting]

@@Hoplopfheil "That boy is our last hope," "No, there is another."

[@makhnobux]

@@Hoplopfheil sir, a second opsin has hit the moogoo match

[@A-G-F-]

Finally a Digital Night vision review that dosent feel like shilling or is a dude saying "ehhh, it works for me"

[@andreivaldez2929]

"Works for me", is the new, "Just as good".

[@Cooleyo789]

Thank you for your sacrifice sir

[@JetorgXIII]

The pisscam had me laughing because I didn't expect it.

[@nunyabeeswax2575]

Haha I got a sneaking suspicion after a second because of the angle, the target and the focus.

[@fattigla]

So the answer is the same. "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."

[@andreivaldez2929]

The answer is, "digital isn't it yet", and just save some money every month until you can buy a PVS-14.

[@toddinfl]

I'm glad you bought this so I don't have to.

[@frankholub4673]

Video quality is directly correlated with how much Hop suffers while making it.

[@semperanticusphotography3749]

So, keep on rocking my PVS7's... I appreciate these reviews because SIOnyx really does make some mean marketing pitches!

[@valkireace]

Hop with a beard is terrifying, It's like I'm watching guntuber Fred Durst...

[@lorkieborkie2537]

a total gamechanger would be if you could stream videos on that digital screen, so one could watch Hop content while Mooning and Gooning

[@cobrajack-official]

Hop - This may be your best video yet. It's such a great honest review of the product, with exceptional grounded comparisons to competitor product we can all relate to you, the match, and your own performance, and not only your own performance but in relation to the conditions between staff and main match. Please come shoot the TCGC multigun night match this December! We'd love to have you.

[@spehhhsssmarineer8961]

I feel so spoiled whenever Hop wastes money on us.

[@Zogger568]

Hardcoding a watermark on video files on a $2k+ device is like buying a blu-ray and their being ads in the middle of the movie. Scummy and gross.

[@ArmsForThought]

nice MRO

[@Hoplopfheil]

Damn you

[@VincitOmniaVeritas7]

Said no one ever 😆

[@thompson328]

Once again proving that while digital may be the future, we are still very much in the present

[@StorminNormanTheMormon]

Hop you have to keep doing this to yourself.

[@hellcy7237]

One thing I want to see with the Opsin is a team running it but using strobes, lights, and lasers in the 1100nm range; you'd be able to see their lasers but they wouldn't be able to see yours

[@Hoplopfheil]

Anybody with a Photonis tube would still be able to see them, and so would most likely any new production L3 unfilmed tube from what I've been reading.

[@pcyr9999]

@@HoplopfheilI have gucci L3 unfilmed tubes and 2007 LEO trade in Elbit gen 3 tubes and all of them can see the LIDAR from my iPhone and iPad. When trying to film through my nods I have to cover the LIDAR emitter or it affects whatever I'm trying to record.

[@warphammer]

@@pcyr9999 From a non-iphoner: You can't shut it off at all? I'm surprised we haven't seen video of people getting domed in combat zones because phone thought it was a good time to try to take a picture.

[@MarCorpsM4gery]

@@warphammer Phones have killed entire units in the Ukraine war for many, many reasons. It's speculated that the use of their cellphones is why many Russian generals are killed on the battlefield and just behind it.

[@sciloj]

@@pcyr9999 according to some articles, iPhone 15 uses 940nm proximity sensor emitter and iPhone 14 - 1380nm emitter. Which one you have?

[@PrecisionRifleNetwork]

Thanks Hop. I've been wondering about these units for nighttime recording.

[@BlueLoneWolf54]

Hop I have no useful input so I'm just going to say hello.

[@Hoplopfheil]

Hi Blue

[@nfaisnfgay]

@@HoplopfheilThis is why you’re my favorite channel

[@lmichnowicz]

The video that everybody hesitating needed. Once you start using even the old Gen2, you're not going to look back at the digital ever again.

[@ArbyPawn]

Congrats on growing your first beard hairs, bro!

[@Panzermeister36]

It'll fill out once he hits puberty

[@jonathansmith7306]

I remember being a pog on duty, and since we only had one pvs-14 for the platoon, we left it mounted to the machine gun. Maybe digital night vision might be more useful as just a red dot supplement

[@vertigo042]

I mean thats what holosuns new night vision optic is.

[@TheMsdos25]

I was seriously considering buying an Opsin before I got my PVS-14 on sale. This is by far the most thorough review of the opsin and the only one that actually answered my questions about it. As cool as the tech is, I'm glad I went with gen 3.

[@HopliteIndustries]

Can't wait to see what you think of our DNV-9. Based on this.. the Gen 2 wiĺl outperform the opsin in every way.

[@SamSam-ih6nt]

The what

[@maplemaple1439]

​@@SamSam-ih6nt Hoplite is some Australian or New Zealand (sorry, genuinely don't remember!) company that's coming out with the DNV-9 and it's a digital unit. Idk how good it is and I'm doubtful but they have posted some stuff on their reddit and Twitter/X pages.

[@andreivaldez2929]

Will it have that same delay that other digital has?

[@HopliteIndustries]

@@andreivaldez2929 it does have some delay,. Our Gen 1's are currently running at 33ms at 60fps, or just under 2 frames.

[@anon-means-anon]

Lol I knew you'd be here somewhere

[@Shoelaces77]

I was waiting for this after seeing Brass Facts video where you decided to bring an Opsin in the MOGO2024 event.

[@j.e.pedersen9615]

It is such a joy to watch your videos unlike most other guys talking about their newest possession. You are doing a real review and not just reading the spec shet and mentioning the downsides of things. Thank you for that.

[@hamlaser]

Detailed as always. I love that you intrinsically tear into the experience of everything you review

[@tireballastserviceofflorid7771]

The best review of its kind. Been looking for 2 years trying to get an idea. I am now totally clear. The NV God has spoken.

[@lieutenantdan116]

Glad you enjoyed the event, its an excellent facility and 1shepherd are incredible people. Hope to see you at more great matches, like Gunfighter Gauntlet.

[@HunterCarlson-d6l]

At this rate, I might have to sell my flying car to buy digital nv once it finally drops in working condition.

[@williamflowers9435]

Hmmm… I just assumed a flying car would have FLIR built in

[@officecomputer8887]

@@williamflowers9435 how did you get a flying car? and why arent we sending them to the ghost of the kiev yet?

[@Ammoniummetavanadate]

It depends on demand TBH, you can make photosensors sensitive to IR wavelengths but for obvious reasons making dedicated chips like that costs way more than a photomultiplier tube that has been around for like 100 years in some form (including things like electron microscopes).

[@Windowlick_]

Hop keep yourself have doing to this dont you

[@aftershock68]

the rest of the sensor likely goes to 'pixel binning' for better low-light performance

[@rakshal132]

Facts, Brass Lopfheil, Hop My sense of humor must be completely fucked if I find this hilarious.

[@240pixel]

I was always interested to see non advertiser footage through one. it is far from perfect. but digital devices seems like they are heading the right way. i assume thermal fused devices would be easier to achieve AKA fully digital alternative to ENVG-B/PSQ-42

[@bretkilker119]

As always, I love the in depth and honest reviews. Keep it up Hop. Thanks for doing what you do.

[@GunFunZS]

Your commentary on this one was great.

[@TsunTzu]

The first person tunnel crawl...I really felt the arthritic knee popping.

[@Esch_atton]

Just can't beat the good ol reverse engineer Roswell crash retrieval tech 🛸

[@CDOES]

20:21 I was personally attacked and I need my support pillow to cry into.

[@gadgetguy99]

I wanted to dip my toes into NV before pulling the trigger on analog tubes, ended up getting an Aurora sport for $300 used. It's fine for passive observation but insane to go with digital NV when you can get a decent used pvs14 for under 2k.

[@andreivaldez2929]

You would've been better off not buying that Aurora and putting that money towards real NV.

[@gadgetguy99]

@@andreivaldez2929 I mean it's my shmekles not yours but it was worth it for me. I ended up getting a pvs 14 used and still use the aurora on top of a 22 for pest control.

[@rando3448]

You nailed the real issue, which is that there really aren't that many places to shoot under NODS.

[@urkince26]

There was a guy in my squad at Moons Out who ran the Opsin. He also had not very many good things to say about it.

[@chummykomi5224]

With the release of ADNV-G14P digital night vision is slowly climbing its way up. It still has worse sensitivity than OMNI 7/8 but it is really getting close. I hope they start driving the prices of tubes down.

[@aesthetic8780]

I would love to see more NNVT gen2+ footage from you!

[@CDOES]

You had such Nice weather for that first night. Jeez louise

[@Mrgunsngear]

🇺🇸

[@highdragguns]

Another episode in Hop is a masochist

[@sciloj]

At 5:58 and other pieces of footage from the back alley, you can clearly see another fundamental flaw of digital night vision. Look for the pulsing blue tint that appears on various parts of the scene. It's coming from the infrared LEDs built into power meters as a wireless communication interface. They are pretty bright and screw with auto exposure/brightness of anything digital sensitive to IR. At some spots near apartment buildings or commercial buildings, it might look almost as bad as if there's a police car with its strobe lights on.

[@thomasowens3135]

Newest development Hop hit puberty this week. Dig that sick beard.

[@riadm2959]

Thank you Hop. I'm sure a lot of us have been waiting for an infield review.

[@Minuteman_Medic]

Hop you don't have to keep doing this to yourself.

[@Slivyr]

Evil Kermit: "Yes he does"

[@homerj109]

@@Slivyr Hop is the "anti-sooch" he suffers and embraces the suck so we don't have to and saves us money!

[@Deltarious]

I know it basically can't work this way for fairness/time, but I really wish you'd got a chance to run the same stages again with some cheap analogue NVGs to see how much it affected your performance. Maybe it even would've been better for the digital to be 2nd so you could argue you'd had 'practice' on top

[@andreivaldez2929]

Digital has a delay between what's going on and the image being processed on your screen. Analog doesn't do that. That alone always kills anyone trying to use digital, let alone all the other issues with digital image quality and ability to gather light. It isn't worth it. It's a noob trap.

[@timwilliamanderson]

My L3 tubes have no problem seeing my iPhone LiDAR

[@han6211]

Hop, theres now another digital monocular called the ADNV G14P2, uses a custom sensor of similar size to the Opsins but with lower resolution and thus larger (and more sensitive) pixels. HYPE Militaria did a short review on its low light performance and latency, and it seems to fix most if not all of the issues of the Opsin. Latency, low light performance, and even decent-ish dynamic range. But most importantly they improved the battery life by simplifying the design and moving recording to an external unit. It has a roughly 15-16 hour battery life on a single 18650, compared to the Opsins of roughly the same amount of run time for 4 18650s.

[@bubblewhip382]

I will say this low light first person shooting as a camera is by far the best I've seen.

[@AS-mt4co]

Don't have doing, yourself to keep this hop to you!

[@ianray8823]

Hop I'm glad you exist That is all

[@tedwilliams8766]

this is why i love this channel. raw, pure honesty. no facks given. thanks.

[@Karza_357]

A+ level rant. Please make more.

[@emorelix]

The battery pack is a great counterweight for helmet use, and is rechargeable. You can loop the cable around the side of your helmet if you had an appropriate helmet cover, so it isn't telegraphing above your head. Living outside the states, getting hands on any PVS's gen2-3 is hard and pricey. More so than the OPSIN.

[@thegamingfox7665]

personally as a European, i can say there isnt much of a place for the opsin, we can get a jerry 14 for couple hundred euros more , and get the quality of real analog Nods. also props to the dude wearing PVS-21's, fucking madlad

[@Excard0n]

The only reviews I'll watch even though I'll never buy NVGs

[@highdesertdrew1844]

One of the questions I've been thinking about how to ask, is I need a low light camera, is it worth investing in an analog tube and camera combo, or getting a sionyx aurora. I've watched your sionix footage for a while, and that's how I was leaning.

[@glycerin256]

Great presentation, thanks hop

[@MrMattyoshea]

Thanks hop, great channel

[@rnginu59]

Love your videos Hop, thankyou

[@doejohn8674]

thanks for a honest review!

[@paulwuzhere]

What a fun match. I was curious about the opsin, but man are the drawbacks not worth it. I'll stick with my gen 3 PVS-14

[@ThinLineDefenseCo]

I have waited so long for this!

[@D.M.Luiz.]

Watching everyone's videos from this event makes it look like a good time. Was it painfully obvious who has and has not used night vision?

[@Hoplopfheil]

I think the lighting conditions were so favorable that it wasn't a real litmus test. I didn't see many of the runs on night two when it was the darkest though.

[@JonConley]

I waiting to get into NVGs until after 'Half-Life 3' comes out.

[@ninpolife7749]

The beginning of somthing great.

[@ArcanusLibero]

Thanks Hop

[@BlueJayWaters]

I greatly appreciate that you used digital NV. I plan on running it along with a PDW at next year's event. I have this concept called Clandestine Carry I've been working on and basically it's easier to carry cheap digital NV around all the time rather than carry expensive tubes. Between this and some other videos I know what to work on so I'm not too handicapped...but I'm fully expecting A LOT of penalties lol. Cheers Hop!

[@andreivaldez2929]

Dude, don't buy digital and just put that money aside while saving up for real NV. It isn't worth it and you're just going to end up wishing you'd bought a PVS-14 instead. Just be patient and save your money.

[@BlueJayWaters]

@@andreivaldez2929 I totally get that I'm taking a bit of an L on it, but I have a concept I've been working on and as dumb as it sounds, easily accessible NV is part of it. When I participate in next year's Moons Out, Goons Out, I'll be releasing a video that explains in detail the rationale. But I definitely still plan on buying true analog NV as well. It's not a substitute in the long-term, just a few steps before the main goal, ya know?

[@limpetarch98k]

Cool video as always, although I wheeze super hard at the fact you had the audacity to bring a MRO at a NV match.

[@Charles.The.Hammer]

As someone who has used both a Gen 3 PVS14 and a Sionyx Opsin, I strongly prefer the field of view with the Sionyx. With that being said, the Gen 3 is much better in extremely dark environments, but in environments where the Sionyx works, you get a colored picture which makes identification of objects / targets significantly easier.

[@homerj109]

Have you decided to keep it? If you are is this going to be a loaner or for fps footage?

[@TheMsdos25]

It would be perfect for filming first person B-roll and passive aiming tests.

[@NightOperators]

Hey Hop, would you like to get your hands on our new sub $500 thermal/digital NV goggle for a review?

[@singletrack4614]

I respect the challenge

[@Jasonz1919]

Thanks for the video. I was thinking this because I live in Canada but end up with the nnvt and I chose right

[@luciuschappell4648]

I understand the image quality may be dog doo doo, but seeing 1st person NV is pretty cool, especially doing events like this. Hope to see more 1st person footage using this device doing normal mountain shooting.

[@diobrando2575]

If they could get the prices low enough, I imagine these'd be really fun toys for someone who just wants to step out on their back porch and pull this out to look at the animals or what have you, but at the current price there is zero reason to not just get analog nods.

[@wackymacky3955]

Imo the best argument for this device is the european market, apart from holland most countries don't have a "official night vision market"(wich meansnno warranties) or services to maintain and repair analog devices, the only way you can get one is off sketchy second hand FB groups, and if shit get's fucked or either you need to become a technician with second hand parts (from said sketchy fb groups) or your out 2k

[@DissatisfiedCitizen]

I thought about getting the Opsin but I went with the NVG30 it's not as good I'm sure but for under $500 it seemed like a better value.

[@VoFALT]

This dudes gotta be taking the piss...

[@2heavyb517]

I finally coughed up the dollars for an AGM gen2 mono. Compared to the digital I have seen its amazing. No it's not as good as a gen3 but I now have basic capabilities to get around at night. Maybe one of these days they'll figure it out but yea I decided I couldn't wait any longer and got the affordable analog option

[@arkaneland8492]

Guess you could try out the Chinese adnv , I would say it's a huge leap in terms of night vision capability among other digital nvd.

[@nathantrest2345]

The tech is definitely still in its early childhood, but it seems like it does have a promising future and will have uses in some scenarios. Seems like a significant improvement, but it still needs a lot of work. I wonder if they are looking into coupling the digital tech with IR technology?

[@joemo1033]

Is this what Karl said is the future of NV?

[@joemo1033]

Just checked. It is. Thoughts, Hop?

[@nightowl9519]

Which Karl?

[@ImmaSaveUFromMe]

​@@nightowl9519 Erickson? TR?

[@joemo1033]

Commie, Satan loving, pride flag waving Karl. From InRange.

[@bghiggy]

​@@nightowl9519Karl badman