Finally, someone who actually shows the stars for once. Overall seems like a good comparison, although a fair comparison to Opsin would be a Photonis tube in my opinion. It would be appreciated if you would upload more of Opsin, recording is pretty decent on that device.
@@circlem7366 For what it's worth I also really liked seeing you just looking at the stars. It's so hard to find NVG reviews that aren't made for people who want to LARP as special forces badasses or whatever and just end up being a bunch of complaints about how something isn't perfect for running through the woods shooting everyone in sight. I'd love to see more use cases that normal people could relate to like hiking or taking care of your land at night.
Analogue tube has effective resolution of around 5 microns, the OPSIN detector is 9.4 microns, thus by looking at the stars you mainly see difference in resolution. The OPSIN also picks up two major irradiance peaks analogue devices can't "see"
The mount has a small tension screw above that little locking arm to lock it in place once attached to the Opsin. Loosen the screw and you'll be able to depress the lever fully and install it without issues.
For a digital, the opsin looks very good. I’ve been messing around with the cheaper stuff and found the NVG30 to be pretty solid for entry level night vision.
Excellent video! I own the Opsin but never seen true NV like the pvs14 gen 3s. I'd be curious as to how the Opsin stacks up on its higher refresh rates like 60 and 90. The higher the refresh the lower the light illumination.
Thanks! Yes it was unfortunate that the time I had available to use the device was limited. If I had more knowledge of how to change the settings the video may have turned out differently. As it is, I still think it's pretty cool to see how far digital devices have come.
Attaching the cable is trivial in the dark - you just put it on and twist it with a bit of downward pressure until it goes down and locks. Since the Opsin isn't yours you can't upgrade the firmware, but the owner should - among other things it converts the front knob to change Exposure Value instead of screen brightness, which is far more useful.
Another thing to note. I always leave that end of the cable plugged in, there’s no reason to unplug it. I have found that leaving the battery plugged in even while off will drain the battery but that end can plug in at any rotation so it’s not a big deal.
There is another small allan screw you have to release on top of the mount to allow it to slide onto the rail. That device doesn't have the OPSIN 2 upgrade. The brightness adjustment you were using was for the screen and not the gain (EV). With the upgrade package the knob on the front becomes the gain adjustment plus there are a range of additional refinements and filters. 😀 I have been using one for over a year now and its a real jack of all trades but master of none, in other words its a good real world device.
You can change the Frame rate, you had it on 30 the whole time, the 90 fps looks more fluid, you would only use 30 if there very little ambient light. Also, the mount is a bit tricky, but it wasn't out of spec. Hope to get an updated review when you get a bit more experience.
Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately I don't own the device and only had it for a limited time to test. I didn't want to risk messing with the settings or something since it was on loan. I do think these will come into their own and be cutting edge within a couple of years.
Aer you thinking of taking the tubes out to the countryside/woods to test? I haven't been able to find a lot of Opsin footage outside of suburban settings. It might not look like much to our eyes but light pollution makes a huge difference for NV. Digital devices tend to hit a wall where their performance rapidly falls off in truly dark settings, while analogs still produce a dim but usable image. Also, you could make one-take comparison shot by holding a PVS-14 in front of the opsin while it records.
Yes, I just posted another video where I took it to the country. I was trying more to show the lag, but it didn't quite work. As a side effect, you may be able to get an idea of the performance from that video. I totally agree. I tried using it in the house closer to blackout conditions and the difference is huge. I'm not sure what you mean by one-take.
Law enforcement. Because of the recording feature. But definitely not as main goggles. More as ARC RAIL (helmet) mounted system. It's great tool for recording your mission without using IR.
@@aesthetic8780I'd say it's useful even as a primary night vision device because of the color output (useful for identifying subjects) and also because most cops work in a city that has high light pollution Even in places that require illumination that is OKAY, because most suspects do NOT have night vision and can't see IR They CAN see visible light illumination which is what patrol cops have been using since forever > why this vs PVS14 then Because I wouldn't take an IIT on a fucking patrol with light pollution everywhere, or where car headlights and helicopter spotlights and flashing high lux lightbars are everywhere More importantly seeing in color matters more when you AREN'T just out shooting anyone who isn't on your team T shirts look identical in WP, that is a fucking problem. > but patrol cops don't need opsin Buy an aurora pro from triarc for $500 and go see how much shit you CAN ACTUALLY SEE without illum and with illum IN A CITY Not in the forest or a rural backyard A city with that ""cheating"" amount of light pollution When you combine that with the fact that it is equally useful with white light and IR light, has a record and GPS log function, and could have integration with ATAK Why stand in the way of that to pitch IITs that you sometimes can't even buy because some military contract ate up the production capacity
Y'all are pretty much spot on. I would use this in a high pollution environment to avoid damaging my nice tubes, especially where IDing color is of extra importance. The onboard recording is pretty nice as an included feature; especially with audio. It also has good potential for a dummy (e.g. every grunt ever) who would turn it on in the daytime or do something equally stupid and damage an analog tube. I'm pretty excited to see what the future holds for the development of these devices. While I wouldn't use one in a combat setting, I'm willing to bet that the next generation of this device might be viable. @slowmo7500 @aesthetic8780 @DD-hz3ts
An interesting development came out recently with Sionyx making an IR flashlight that emits 1050nm IR which digital nightvision can see but analog cannot which in a scenario where there is absolutely zero ambient light digital night vision could be the preferred option which is pretty wild
Seems to me the Opsin is the winner if you need to look at everything but stars. And the white phosphor pvs14 is better if you're looking at stars and nothing else.
Lag on the Opsin is downstream of lack of low light sensitivity. In truly dark environments with less than half moon and tree cover, the opsin struggles at 90fps so you have to turn down the refresh rate. Then you have lag.
@@aetius9 I've ran the opsin quite a bit and 30fps sucks. Whether you call it "lag" or "motion blur" the opsin does represent progress but it's not quite ready to be legit night vision.
@@SpecOpsGear I agree that 30fps is not great. But lag (latency) has a very specific, technical definition. It is how long the light from the real world takes to show up on your screen. The Opsin does not have perceptible lag at any fps.
I'm not super technical with the terms, but the takeaway is that there is a delay between moving your head quickly and the image catching up. This one is far better than the original version, so I'm very excited to see what future versions of this device are capable of.
There is no latency. But very low frame rate. It should have 360 FPS but that's not possible at the moment. 90 frames per second is WAY WAY WAY to low for using it as night vision device. But it's great for recording!
I tried to make a video on that, which I will post soon; but since the camera I'm filming through has lag of its own it's almost impossible to capture.
@@circlem7366 If you have a camera with a wide enough FOV, a good test could be to find a crosswalk with enough light to see it, then film both the screen and the ground. I've checked this manually and the crosswalk lines appear exactly when they should.
To be honest, the OPSIN performance here is impressive; way better than the older GEN3 without doubt. I note the OPSIN isn't running the latest firmware which includes a Region of Interest mode for use with lasers pointers and illuminators - stop any intensity - overpowering the image! Monochrome mode in super dark conditions, 2D noise filtering, GAIN on the dial, WiFi streaming etc etc........ The frame rate subject is boring now...if you're moving run it at 90FPS, if you're static then switch to 60 or 30. Its not difficult to understand and at 90FPS there is no detectable lag. You have to unscrew the retention screw for the MUNS arm! Connector is full MIL-SPEC, its designed to find the connection point in the dark!
Finally, someone who actually shows the stars for once.
Overall seems like a good comparison, although a fair comparison to Opsin would be a Photonis tube in my opinion. It would be appreciated if you would upload more of Opsin, recording is pretty decent on that device.
Glad you liked the video! I'll see what more I can do.
@@circlem7366 For what it's worth I also really liked seeing you just looking at the stars. It's so hard to find NVG reviews that aren't made for people who want to LARP as special forces badasses or whatever and just end up being a bunch of complaints about how something isn't perfect for running through the woods shooting everyone in sight. I'd love to see more use cases that normal people could relate to like hiking or taking care of your land at night.
Analogue tube has effective resolution of around 5 microns, the OPSIN detector is 9.4 microns, thus by looking at the stars you mainly see difference in resolution. The OPSIN also picks up two major irradiance peaks analogue devices can't "see"
The mount has a small tension screw above that little locking arm to lock it in place once attached to the Opsin. Loosen the screw and you'll be able to depress the lever fully and install it without issues.
This. You just need to loosen the tension screw, position the scope, and then re-tension it.
Thanks! I didn't know that, I just thought it was out of spec.
Very cool to know that my opsin can detect slightly better than the cheap gen3 tubes I was told to get lol
The only drawback is the latency.
For a digital, the opsin looks very good. I’ve been messing around with the cheaper stuff and found the NVG30 to be pretty solid for entry level night vision.
For sure, it's better to have at least something rather than nothing.
This is the perspective I’ve been looking for in a review for this thing. Nice vid.
I'm glad it was helpful to you, thanks!
Excellent video! I own the Opsin but never seen true NV like the pvs14 gen 3s. I'd be curious as to how the Opsin stacks up on its higher refresh rates like 60 and 90. The higher the refresh the lower the light illumination.
Thanks! Yes it was unfortunate that the time I had available to use the device was limited. If I had more knowledge of how to change the settings the video may have turned out differently. As it is, I still think it's pretty cool to see how far digital devices have come.
Attaching the cable is trivial in the dark - you just put it on and twist it with a bit of downward pressure until it goes down and locks. Since the Opsin isn't yours you can't upgrade the firmware, but the owner should - among other things it converts the front knob to change Exposure Value instead of screen brightness, which is far more useful.
Good to know! Like I mentioned, it isn't mine; so I'm trying to be careful not to damage it. I'll be sure to pass that along.
The connector is a full MIL-SPEC Fischer. Its designed to be turned to find the connect point.
Another thing to note. I always leave that end of the cable plugged in, there’s no reason to unplug it. I have found that leaving the battery plugged in even while off will drain the battery but that end can plug in at any rotation so it’s not a big deal.
Digital night vision has potential but even a GEN2 PVS-14 beats the Opsin, $2000+ is WAY too expensive trying to compete with the real deal.
I think it'll be up to speed in a few years.
There is another small allan screw you have to release on top of the mount to allow it to slide onto the rail. That device doesn't have the OPSIN 2 upgrade. The brightness adjustment you were using was for the screen and not the gain (EV). With the upgrade package the knob on the front becomes the gain adjustment plus there are a range of additional refinements and filters. 😀 I have been using one for over a year now and its a real jack of all trades but master of none, in other words its a good real world device.
Good to know, someone else mentioned that. As it is, I don't own this one and don't want to mess with it since it's on loan from a friend.
You can change the Frame rate, you had it on 30 the whole time, the 90 fps looks more fluid, you would only use 30 if there very little ambient light. Also, the mount is a bit tricky, but it wasn't out of spec. Hope to get an updated review when you get a bit more experience.
Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately I don't own the device and only had it for a limited time to test. I didn't want to risk messing with the settings or something since it was on loan. I do think these will come into their own and be cutting edge within a couple of years.
Finally omfg, people love to make reviews and just compare it to random shi
I'm glad you found it useful!
Aer you thinking of taking the tubes out to the countryside/woods to test? I haven't been able to find a lot of Opsin footage outside of suburban settings.
It might not look like much to our eyes but light pollution makes a huge difference for NV. Digital devices tend to hit a wall where their performance rapidly falls off in truly dark settings, while analogs still produce a dim but usable image.
Also, you could make one-take comparison shot by holding a PVS-14 in front of the opsin while it records.
Yes, I just posted another video where I took it to the country. I was trying more to show the lag, but it didn't quite work. As a side effect, you may be able to get an idea of the performance from that video.
I totally agree. I tried using it in the house closer to blackout conditions and the difference is huge.
I'm not sure what you mean by one-take.
Did no one notice the ufo’s flying across the screen at the 13:15-13:30 mark? This is nuts.
I think that is the cellphone camera trying its best to use the available light. No ufos there, at least that I could see.
The star was stationary, he moved the phone.
What is the niche for this of it’s the same cost of a PVS14??🤔
Law enforcement. Because of the recording feature. But definitely not as main goggles. More as ARC RAIL (helmet) mounted system. It's great tool for recording your mission without using IR.
@@aesthetic8780I'd say it's useful even as a primary night vision device because of the color output (useful for identifying subjects) and also because most cops work in a city that has high light pollution
Even in places that require illumination that is OKAY, because most suspects do NOT have night vision and can't see IR
They CAN see visible light illumination which is what patrol cops have been using since forever
> why this vs PVS14 then
Because I wouldn't take an IIT on a fucking patrol with light pollution everywhere, or where car headlights and helicopter spotlights and flashing high lux lightbars are everywhere
More importantly seeing in color matters more when you AREN'T just out shooting anyone who isn't on your team
T shirts look identical in WP, that is a fucking problem.
> but patrol cops don't need opsin
Buy an aurora pro from triarc for $500 and go see how much shit you CAN ACTUALLY SEE without illum and with illum IN A CITY
Not in the forest or a rural backyard
A city with that ""cheating"" amount of light pollution
When you combine that with the fact that it is equally useful with white light and IR light, has a record and GPS log function, and could have integration with ATAK
Why stand in the way of that to pitch IITs that you sometimes can't even buy because some military contract ate up the production capacity
Y'all are pretty much spot on. I would use this in a high pollution environment to avoid damaging my nice tubes, especially where IDing color is of extra importance. The onboard recording is pretty nice as an included feature; especially with audio. It also has good potential for a dummy (e.g. every grunt ever) who would turn it on in the daytime or do something equally stupid and damage an analog tube.
I'm pretty excited to see what the future holds for the development of these devices. While I wouldn't use one in a combat setting, I'm willing to bet that the next generation of this device might be viable.
@slowmo7500
@aesthetic8780
@DD-hz3ts
An interesting development came out recently with Sionyx making an IR flashlight that emits 1050nm IR which digital nightvision can see but analog cannot which in a scenario where there is absolutely zero ambient light digital night vision could be the preferred option which is pretty wild
can a nvg pr pv 14 j arm and skull crusher mount for ots xlt atn monocular thermal
No. I believe the mounts are totally different.
Seems to me the Opsin is the winner if you need to look at everything but stars. And the white phosphor pvs14 is better if you're looking at stars and nothing else.
It's highly subjective, but any of these three would probably be good choices.
Lag on the Opsin is downstream of lack of low light sensitivity. In truly dark environments with less than half moon and tree cover, the opsin struggles at 90fps so you have to turn down the refresh rate. Then you have lag.
There is no perceptible lag at 30fps or 90fps. There is more motion blur when you move your head quickly.
@@aetius9 I've ran the opsin quite a bit and 30fps sucks. Whether you call it "lag" or "motion blur" the opsin does represent progress but it's not quite ready to be legit night vision.
@@SpecOpsGear I agree that 30fps is not great. But lag (latency) has a very specific, technical definition. It is how long the light from the real world takes to show up on your screen. The Opsin does not have perceptible lag at any fps.
@@aetius9Yes, they are all dummies. They doesn't like the frame rate. That's all. They want 360 FPS/Hz without knowing it lol
90 FPS is just too low.
I'm not super technical with the terms, but the takeaway is that there is a delay between moving your head quickly and the image catching up. This one is far better than the original version, so I'm very excited to see what future versions of this device are capable of.
Can you please compare latency?
There is no perceptible latency for the Opsin, and the others are analog.
There is no latency. But very low frame rate. It should have 360 FPS but that's not possible at the moment.
90 frames per second is WAY WAY WAY to low for using it as night vision device. But it's great for recording!
I tried to make a video on that, which I will post soon; but since the camera I'm filming through has lag of its own it's almost impossible to capture.
@@circlem7366 If you have a camera with a wide enough FOV, a good test could be to find a crosswalk with enough light to see it, then film both the screen and the ground. I've checked this manually and the crosswalk lines appear exactly when they should.
To be honest, the OPSIN performance here is impressive; way better than the older GEN3 without doubt. I note the OPSIN isn't running the latest firmware which includes a Region of Interest mode for use with lasers pointers and illuminators - stop any intensity - overpowering the image! Monochrome mode in super dark conditions, 2D noise filtering, GAIN on the dial, WiFi streaming etc etc........
The frame rate subject is boring now...if you're moving run it at 90FPS, if you're static then switch to 60 or 30. Its not difficult to understand and at 90FPS there is no detectable lag.
You have to unscrew the retention screw for the MUNS arm!
Connector is full MIL-SPEC, its designed to find the connection point in the dark!
I will say that I was very impressed. It did way better than I was expecting it to.