Sionyx Aurora Lens Mod

[@berniesulzer8998]

I just completed this mod. It's actually pretty awesome and just opens up the capabilities of the aurora by turning it into an interchangeable lens camera. If you're into low light photography or low/no light surveillance then this is gold. I bought an old c mount computar 12-75mm lens for $90 and threaded it into the camera but found I couldn't get the lens to focus. I realized the lens's focus ring had more room than the set screw would allow so I took that screw out and tested and yes I could turn the focus further both directions to get clear images at any focal length but there was the problem of keeping the objective from threading off the end of the barrel so I took my dremel and continued the existing groove in the aluminum lens barrel where rhe stop screw rides. I continued the groove in both directions as far as I could then put the lens back together after cleaning up all the alum shavings. It worked. The lens can focus closer and further now. Maybe this will help somebody. just my story of taking an old c mount and making it work correctly for this camera. It takes this camera to another level

[@ernestsmith9474]

Any reason can't do this with t mount adapter?

[@dipsylogic1715]

Wow. Stinkin cool. Would’ve loved to have seen some clips through that bigger lens!

[@edwardschwervi6543]

Guitar picks are great pry tools as well! I use a couple different thicknesses for cell phone disassembly

[@CoincidenceTheorist]

You can use them as fire starters too

[@UV-NIR-Thermal]

Thanks for this guide. I did this mod with a pro and came across the mode selector sensor issue that switches from Night, twilight, day modes. If anyone does this, you need to have the night mode sensor have a reflective piece over it(not touching) and the other two need to be covered and not able to reflect back to each other. I used felt in a black heat shrink tube for the day and twilight sensors. I taped the curved assembly sensor side down to the back of the reflective tape on the inside of the unit so the night mode sensor reflects the IR light back to it. I can use all my manual lenses now. Carpe Nocturnum on youtube has been a big help too for this process.

[@WillHollick]

Hi bro please tell me more details, i could not do it ;(

[@DangaiRo]

Please, could you upload the movies, captured with this modified version? I'm far beyond courious about the results.

[@jonnyyuma5327]

Outstanding DIY explanation. Very informative and well done!

[@robertdole5391]

Given that typical military NVG are cost prohibitive for most civilians, it is an imperative that citizens find creative solutions for maintaining parity with their government.

[@icwells]

I've found these aren't a very good replacement for nvgs (the frame rate is too slow and it gets disorienting), but it works very well as a standalone unit.

[@dirtbox9251]

If you’re truly interested in parity with a government, particularly if you’re in the US, night vision and direct action skill sets lack value and are a bad use of your time.

[@dh7164]

I don't recommend Sionyx - or night vision in general. Create narrower "tech" avenues of approach, force more primitive situations. Anyone who attacks the people at the small-unit level will suffer more from bright lights, bricks, and baseball bats, than fragile, expensive UV-IR tech. If you want to familiarize yourself, by all means. But if you intend to win, don't depend too much on the gear.

[@dh7164]

@@icwells don't use video. Switch to camera. Or am I missing something?

[@N4CR]

nvg is old crap. thermal is affordable when it's not a huge markup from the manufacturer but no one wants to pay more than a gun for a good scope.

[@krfloll]

You have good content usually but this is amazing. Got a patreon subscriber for sure

[@erichershberger3733]

I've often thought of buying one of these as a clip on night vision option for a rifle. From what I understand the actual processing speed is fairly slow tho. The other issue is the probability of the recoil chewing it up. I would think that these are not designed to be subjected to rifle recoil. If anyone has experience with implementing these in this manner I'd love to hear about it.

[@AV-nl9gc]

Most high end models are rated at 5000 rounds of 556 if i remember correctly. Take that for what it is. I think It has about a millisecond delay. Such a cool idea but just falls short on use case. Unless you have alot of ambient light and only need a red dot.

[@TheUnchosenOne]

The usability is just not there. Digital needs to come farther before its a legitimate option.

[@dh7164]

It's advertised as recoil rated, but it's obviously going to last longer as a head-mounted monocular. If you get an IR illuminator, it is much more effective. Of course, if you're going to use it the way I suggest, might as well get an Aurora Sport - $300-$400, approximately half the price.

[@andreaalmeda3600]

Processing speed is faster than a blink of an eye. information released by sionyx themselves. People use this to hunt with. And yes rifle rated.

[@jordansprad]

If you used it for only 1 shot it would maybe work for that, but the latency is too slow to do any moving or multiple targets. I should say, to do it quickly.

[@ChevTecGroup]

Nick Chen did a good article on this for TFB. He just put a envis lens on though. I really really like the idea of putting a magnified lens on though. Genius.

[@Rickster691000]

@S2 Underground Thank you for the great instruction. Can you please tell me if i can use these same instructions on the Aurora Sport (white) or the Aurora Black, rather than the Aurora Pro? I already have the Aurora Pro but I'd prefer to risk this with a lesser model. I've NO technical skills, LOL.

[@uap.sciences]

Is there any differences in modding the Aurora Pro? Planning to mod my second Aurora this weekend. Any recommendations or tips for choosing c mount telephoto (prime lens) or zoom lenses? If you have a chance to mention. Thanks and this video was well done, you made it very simple and concise. Love it…eWarfare

[@UV-NIR-Thermal]

Did you end up doing the mod?

[@ernestsmith9474]

I ordered a t mount to c mount adapter and a 420-800mm lens. Wish me luck

[@dandetande288]

I'm sorry but I just moved in America, and my English is not good, can you pls explain, why this modification is necessary? I don't fully understand, I read the description and still don't understand, love this channel and in a strong believer in peppering, I was born under comunism and that's why o watch video from your channel! Thank you

[@SCUBAdfq]

You can use parts from other cameras that are better than the lens that comes with the night vision camera. You can use parts that let you see very far away.

[@dandetande288]

@@SCUBAdfq thank you!

[@Whiteghost-pv5zy]

Great video. I’ll be destroying my Sionyx soon.

[@KoontzBand]

Dude, you my best friend! Have you had any issues with WiFi connections? Also, deactivating the sleep feature would be cool.

[@harsectinal]

Any advice on how this might be different process for the aurora SPORT version?

[@ernestsmith9474]

Should be exactly the same

[@seavil1]

Is the aurora better after all of this? do you have before and after ?

[@subversive3325]

Thanks for the info. Hope You have a Nice Christmas.

[@jakefromspace4659]

Merry Christmas!

[@Bruceworkouts3184]

For anyone into airsoft or crossbow hunting this mounted to a piccantinny rail with an IR laser as your zero at 30-50m is a badass combo. Pair it with a Day optic that has a QUALITY return to zero mount and you have an effective (tho limited, as all things are) 24hr optics solution.

[@Mr.SugeWhite]

U can use the sionyx during the day. So why not just use a visible laser for day like u use the IR at night? MOst IR lasers these days also have a visible red or green laser as well. 24 hour optics

[@bazookajoe3886]

Crossbow ? Id bet the recoil will tear this camera apart in a short amount of time

[@paintballthieupwns]

I wonder how this would perform on a small 4 inch telescope.

[@peterwoolliams1283]

Is there any sign of a movable IR filter in the system that moves out the way to give full spectrum night sensitivity? What does the scene selector do apart from change the iris (f-ratio)?

[@prepperintelligence]

Intel drops coming?

[@Jkp1321]

Someone make sure Hop sees this

[@steelcannibal]

Was just looking through comments to see if anyone mentioned Hop. 😂

[@freedomfalcon]

I mentioned this mod to him asking if he was going to try it out. No response.

[@wadeblasingame4371]

This is the tip of the iceburg with this stuff. One day Ill get mine fully zoomed with zero noise broadcasting to the big screen via wi-fi. Oh and with a thermal sensor shoehorned in sonehow.

[@minutemandefense3935]

Sneak achievement unlocked

[@chewdoobautomotivedetailtm2883]

Bro ur a genius thanks for sharing.

[@kirkragland7563]

What lens is that that you put on it at the end?

[@SpecOpsGear]

Will the improved lens help with low light performance, or just magnification?

[@TheMulk777]

Great question - this would be interesting to explore as you dig into the world of seeing in the dark. Thanks for your recent vids

[@gunner4lyfe723]

how can i turn this into a full fledge sudo pvs-31?

[@hiota45]

You can't it just doesn't have the low light performance. I would guess it probably introduces nasty amounts of paralax at range too (assuming you could even see that far). If you are shooting hogs at short distances where using an IR flood isn't an issue, I'm sure this is fine. Though not sure why this would be better than a dedicated digital nv rifle scope, which will cost about the same. But if you are looking at a use case where you are anticipating a fight where the other side has NV, then this would put you at a severe disadvantage.

[@gunner4lyfe723]

@@hiota45 i like those odds

[@hiota45]

@@gunner4lyfe723 Party on!

[@AdministrativeReload]

I had a dual Sionyx setup on a helmet mount. It sucked donkey dick all around. Completely useless. Battery life too short, digital lag makes it difficult to walk around with, eye screen makes for heavy eye fatigue, and honestly without supplemental IR illumination the low light performance was about the same as just allowing your eyes to adjust for a couple minutes. I ended up returning the whole setup and put the money toward a real PVS-14. Hog hunting with big IR lights or dedicated surveillance setups like what is shown at the end of this video is all the Sionyx is good for, and even then, there are better cameras out there for that purpose.

[@jkg6211]

​@@AdministrativeReload Okay. Name ONE. Just ONE...

[@samuellacher6423]

What is the red/black wire set for? The speaker?

[@ernestsmith9474]

Power

[@Thelawnenforcementofficer]

Can you comment on this unit, post lens mod being acceptable night vision?

[@crunchybones2528]

see Hop's review on them. they absolutely do not work as night vision.

[@PracticalTacticalSheepDog]

@@crunchybones2528 hop is an idiot. Digital Nightvision requires IR light, he went out into complete and total darkness without the use of an infrared light then totally butchered the settings for what I can only assume made sense in his mind only to then cry that they suck.

[@KidCorporate]

They work, but not as a head-mounted unit. There's lag in the electronics that will really mess you up when moving and shooting.

[@luckyomen]

@@PracticalTacticalSheepDog do you have a guide or video for the proper settings. I'm interested in how you got it to work past all the various short comings beyond just the introduction of an IR illuminator.

[@hiota45]

​@@PracticalTacticalSheepDog If your nv requires supplemental ir, then it does suck for any tactical situation.

[@non-human3072]

Wowsers ebay listings are ridiculous... I wonder what other options are out there for people? Awesome video please keep up the great work you do.

[@non-human3072]

Oh I found your other video PVS-14 ... Cheers

[@MrBraddatz]

Color night time photos with a magnified lense :0

[@TRICKYBYRD]

Your a genius. I'll be doing this tonight thx

[@AussieStandsWithRussia]

IP rating looks like it’s now 0 though where the new lens attaches?

[@BakaDeru]

Would this be a mod for the normal Aurora and not the Black & Pro versions?

[@ernestsmith9474]

They are all identical

[@mattwernecke2342]

How about a ir / night vision rifle scope mod? That would be great! Thanks!

[@dennisnaffah8733]

3D printer. Probably print a modified pic rail / goose neck chassis? You’ll have to be creative with r&d. Though the recoil of the rifle might affect the camera.

[@vesuviateresearches1504]

They sell mounts that can be used in front of or behind a scope/rds. I havent had a chance to test the factory mount for zero retention yet though.

[@alojeda8751]

Thank you for sharing your video, your are great 👍

[@jakeb9188]

Cool vid! When will we get another intel brief?

[@alexandruenescu7122]

Keep up the good work

[@kayoray]

can you list the lenses and adapters that you needed to create your custom lens you mounted at the end of the video

[@ernestsmith9474]

Pretty sure that was just c mount

[@extrememiami]

They are recoil rated they have 2 models that are even recoil activated recording.

[@behumbledlife8929]

What does the mod do or achieve?

[@kerbalairforce8802]

Big lense see good far

[@tidelaw195]

Which Sionxy Aurora model do you recommend we get?

[@ChevTecGroup]

The PRO has proven to be better in night mode. But it is twice the price

[@scott_hunts]

Can’t you just upgrade the software on the base model to get to the quality of the pro?

[@alexmason1387]

Save your money and buy a wp pvs 14. I bought the Aurora black 2 about 1.5 years ago. And have buyers remorse. I’ve borrowed my buddies pro and ran dual nods and it’s useable, but a single helmet mounted Aurora is hardly useable walking in the woods at night.

[@chuckfinley3152]

It's the season

[@NationalAviators]

Why are you claiming there is some type of governmental censorship/prohibition on obtaining night vision gear? Could you point your viewers to that law? I'd like to read it

[@hunterjackson802]

Not openly but by other means, like no disclosures and contracts. Also nvg companies make so much from government, and the price is so high its not even worth their time selling to public.

[@DaveSmith-cp5kj]

Bans on night vision have been suggested by democrats for decades. California for example has actually made many forms of night vision illegal (which is ironic since most night vision companies that serve the military are in California).

[@AdministrativeReload]

I invite you to go try to buy an L3Harris ENVG-B optic or GPNVG goggles as a civilian and see how far you get. They are not specifically banned by law, but the government uses strong arm tactics, especially the threat of mis-application of ITAR to keep a huge amount of military tech exclusive to military and law enforcement. Civilians are only allowed to pick up the scraps of the previous generation stuff.

[@kerbalairforce8802]

Cali recently tried to ban night vision and IR devices, calling them "sniper Scopes '

[@Mr.SugeWhite]

There is. They, nor you can sell it or ship it overseas to foreign countries unless something has changed

[@SingleMaltSmash]

fancy

[@jacksson9391]

You should start with an explanation as to WHY there is even the need to do this. You just start ripping into this lens for a "modification" with no reason given.

[@shanek6582]

@Nathan Elswick not even an explanation of what he’s actually doing in the description.

[@paintballthieupwns]

It now has the same lens options like a camera. He explained it at the end if you were listening. Stop asking for your hand to be held and listen or heaven forbid think a bit for yourself

[@rianmach9043]

The reason is in the title, as well as being explained in the vid

[@paulsachs9983]

If you can't figure out why you would do this mod, then it doesn't apply to you. Not very hard to decipher

[@ronlabe5487]

If you don't understand why you are doing something... simply don't do it. He is not obligated to tell you why to do something just because he is showing you how to do it. That said... he does tell you why he is doing it. Pay attention.

[@bashkillszombies]

$1500 USD for a Chinese pseudo NV? Hard pass.

[@turinflang7132]

73

[@flopus7]

Price increase sucks. Wish I had kept on top of it

[@PracticalTacticalSheepDog]

That's unfortunately what happens when a company suddenly realizes their nearest competitor is made by L3 Harris not GoPro. Honestly I feel like they are shooting themselves in the foot, when you could get the sport model for $400 it was a no brainer if you wanted entry level NV on budget. But at almost $600 people start questioning if it wouldn't make more sense to just save up for a PVS 14

[@RedTick2]

Lmfao!!

[@CentralBase]

Hello, hobby astronomer here. Would you be willing to mod my Sionyx for a fee?