Stumbled upon this company on X the other day and have read a few different things about how digital NV isn’t as good as analog, mostly on the disparity that is evident when the user is moving.

The price point is attractive though…$1400 for single tube.

These worth that kind of money or a solid pass?

I didn’t see a thread on it so, if it’s already been covered, please point me in the right direction.

Here’s the company

Hoplite Website

That's not a tube though.

A tube is a specific analog device similar to an old TV set, that allows amplification of very low light levels. Tubes are Vacuum Tubes. Same technology as old black and white TV sets in practice.

The devices you linked to are just cameras. From their website: Image Sensor - Starvis 2 CMOS color

They obfuscate the technology somewhat by referring to them as Gen2. They are not Gen2 image intensifier tubes. They are video cameras. This is extremely different.

You can read about them here. https://www.sony-semicon.com/en/technology/security/index.html

From the video, they look like they are similar to some early gen1 commercial russian equipment - CMOS is getting quite impressive lately, but I have yet to see any equipment that approaches gen2 or that I could say cross the threshold of what is considered "Militarily useful".

Only thermal and SWIR type digital are coming close to being practical for most applications. The Starvis series is just a visible spectrum camera.

David.

Thanks for the post.

Yep, I see what you mean by tube vs camera.

So, no real utility. Basically, like running around with one of my security cameras on your head.

Well, it's a little more advanced than sticking a security camera on your head. It looks to integrate a lightweight screen, and while you might get rolling shutter effect, it will still provide some image, and you will get a mountable form factor, so they are often used for airsoft. But generally, yeah, it's not going to perform any better than a security camera will, especially given it's noted to just be a security camera as the primary sensor. They even name the type - and I can respect that.

There are places this can be useful - eg, Cinemas, controlled locations with lots of IR, etc.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

I wish the digital NV companies would explore the real advantage of digital by splitting the components to get away from the analog tube form factor. A light, thin monocle eye piece (just the lens/sensor/display) in front and everything else (electronics/controls/battery etc.) separate for optional placement on the back of the helmet would offer usability advantages to at least partially offset the latency and sensitivity deficiencies.

So far, Sionyx is the only digital that works for what most 'normal people with normal jobs' want to do with a PVS 14 size NOD. So I'd read the biggest thread on the internet about them, in this forum. Every few months some company or Reddit 3-D Printer posts about "better" digital - only for it to be a joke "drone camera" or crappy Sony sensor.

An Aurora Pro will do everything you need, as long as the lighting conditions are NL4 or better. Word is they can now be found in the $5xx.00 range occasionally, and that is a hell of a deal for what it is and does.

The OPSIN has better performance at ~NL4.5 - but it is around $1500 (IIRC, at last check a while ago) on GuideFitter and almost $2K street price. That's a good chunk toward an actual 14, so saving a bit more for a 14 seems smarter.

But the Pro is awesome if your expected environment/use case, isn't NL5 (Analog territory).

Oct 2020, Southington Hunt Club in Garrettesville, OH - ARFCOM Shoot - NL4 conditions - The Dual Aurora Pros did everything the DTNVG/S and PVS31's did...because it was NL4.  NL is the key with Sionyx.

currently researching vehicle NV.  Digital is temping.  Earlier playing with digital was depressing at best - but it has become better.  But on the other hand, with vehicle - you can always just pump watts out to get the results.

At least on boating forums, BlackOak in general has better reviews than Sionyx.  BlackOak has better sensitivity.  It is black and white - but if you are dealing with IR - you are not going to get color anyway.  Resolution is almost not important - as in a vehicle context you are dealing with the limitation with the rca connection - not the camera.  But what gets to me is they give more specs that are easier to understand.  It does not really matter that the camera is 44 deg FOV at 1280x, when you are limited by the display to 640.  Black oak lets you choose lense for a known 30 or 20 degree...

But so much for my wining.  I am still looking at the current version of vehicle mounted Sionxy - Nightwave.  Mostly because it is about 1/2 the price of BlackOak.
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On the other hand - I am spec'ing this as a part on a boat.  The 2k price difference is essentially immaterial to the entire price of the boat.
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I have good helmet mount NV (mono and bino).  I have good rifle mounted NV.  I have good rifle and handheld thermal - as well as rudimentary fusion.  Wish the good boat stuff was not so fucking expensive (easy to drop 20k on Flir for boats).

That said, getting a decent IR lightbar.  Worse case I can deal with a helmet mounted NV on the boat (monocular - still need to actually look at the chart plotter).  Damn boat electronics are expensive.  Real issue I am finding with boat - FOV.  For land vehicle - you have a road, that is generally in front of you.  With boats - you have shit all over the place.  Low FOV gives you more time at speed - but no real idea of what is slightly off course.

First time I heard about the nightwave and BlackOak. Since you made me curious I looked up a comparison video of the two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGgawEghUjE

Pretty impressive what they can do. Especially the Sionyx seemed quite a bit more sensitive in the darker scenes.

Nightwave looked better to me, but I'm bias. Here's the Nitron cost (converted from Swiss Francs because I'm on a VPN) $4,054.24 USD. Nitron frame rate looked choppy AF. If the Nightwave has a Greyscale Mode, that will perform better at the limits - though you lose the Red/Green boating stuff.