First, I would like to thank Andrea Crider for the opportunity to write about my firsthand experience with the Aurora by SiOnyx. Although I am currently employed by SiOnyx, as a female archery deer hunter, I was especially interested in this product when I first started being involved with the company. I personally could relate to the thought of walking to my stand in the dark and hearing every hunter’s favorite sound; the squirrel, but not knowing what it was due to lack of light. I had worked with night vision before, better known as thermal. Thermal is a good resource for knowing there is indeed an object in the way, but after using the Aurora for myself, I will not go back.
The Aurora gave me an added boost of confidence in the woods. SiOnyx advertises “color” night vision. At first, I did not fully understand what this meant but after working with the Aurora, I am highly impressed and that is the reason I wanted to work with this company. I get to use the product myself in everyday applications, as well as to spread the knowledge and uses of this product.
The Aurora really does offer a whole new experience than what we are used to. It is ‘true’ night vision. With the help of near moonless starlight, I can make out any and all colors that I would not be able to with the naked eye or other night vision. I found this to be helpful while walking into the woods early in the morning before first light breaks or at the end of a night hunt.
The bad thing about a night hunt is that it only gets darker the longer you are in the woods. This can be an issue if you are unfamiliar with the land you are hunting or if you are like me and have a bad sense of direction. The Aurora has a built in GPS and compass. Whether you are turned around or want to know exactly where you shot that monster deer, these features come in handy. It is a good product for safety. Being able to see and know the difference between objects in the dark when one is most vulnerable is a huge benefit.
Aside from nighttime, the Aurora is neat for the simple fact that I can also use it in the daytime without harming the product (sensor or lens).
The Aurora also falls into the category of an action camera. This means that all the images you are now able to see, you can also capture and look back on. The Aurora captures photos, videos, and time-lapse. I really liked this factor because not only can I navigate the path to my stand, I can also film my hunt. The Aurora shoots at 720p. The hunt can be filmed either by hand-holding the camera, due to its small size and weight of only 8oz. or mounting it to your bow. One of my favorite aspects of this product is being able to use it as a trail camera. What can the Aurora not do?!
The final thing that really sold me on this product happened while out on a hunt after first getting the camera. The weather was not on my side. It started raining and naturally I was nervous about my Aurora getting wet but there was not much I could do sitting in the tree stand. I tried waiting out the rain, but it soon became a downpour. I was soaking wet when I made it back, and to my surprise my Aurora still worked, no issues at all. The Aurora comes with a two-year warranty that covers the product getting wet up to 3ft. underwater for 30 minutes, or in other words it is rated IP67 water resistant.
In the past, hunters have had to spend a lot of money on night vision. The Aurora by SiOnyx is set at a reasonable cost of $799. I was able to justify this purchase due to not only gaining color night vision but everything else this product has to offer!
To learn more, visit SiOnyx online at https://www.sionyx.com/.
Kristena Ross
SiOnyx, LLC
Marketing Specialist