Coming into the marina at night can be a harrowing endeavor. With so many obstacles to avoid, it’s a wonder there aren’t more collisions. Enter the SiOnyx Aurora, a 16mm night-vision camera that fits in your palm.
When I think of night vision, I usually imagine green videos with eerie-looking people. But the SiOnyx Aurora has a full-color display, so looking through the lens in the pitch dark yields an impressively accurate, daytime-like view. One of our editors snapped a photo well after dark that looks like it was taken around sunset.
The camera can be used as a real-time visual aide or for documenting photos and video. The photo and video capabilities seem less useful, and uploading them to a Mac computer via the mini SD card proved maddeningly difficult (PCs are easier). We appreciated the view in real time, even though it sometimes took a moment for the camera to focus.
Adventurous users can mount the Aurora somewhere on the boat and control it via WiFi from a smartphone. It’s rated to IP67 water resistance, so if it accidentally gets knocked into the drink, a quick rescue should keep it running.
It’s an impressive little gadget, to be sure, but at $800, it seems hard to justify this addition to your gear collection.
