SiOnyx Opsin review: color digital night vision, honestly

By the OpticVerdict Editorial Team.
Research-based review · Updated 2026-10-05

How we reviewed it: a research-based review built from SiOnyx's own product page, specification tables, accessory page and warranty policy, the retailer listing, and all 3 owner reviews on OpticsPlanet. We have not used this Opsin ourselves; the score is our editorial opinion and owner ratings are shown attributed to their source. Where the retailer and SiOnyx give different numbers, we print SiOnyx's and say so. Claims we could not confirm on SiOnyx's own pages are left out. See how we evaluate.

What the Opsin is, and what it is not

The Opsin is digital night vision. A camera sensor gathers the available light and the image is shown on a small display behind the eyepiece. SiOnyx describes the sensor as its own Black Silicon CMOS sensor and the display as an AMOLED 1920 x 1080 panel. That makes it a different device from a PVS-14-style monocular, which amplifies light through an image-intensifier tube. Tube generations (Gen 2, Gen 3) describe those tubes, so they do not apply to the Opsin, and we do not give it one.

SiOnyx's own framing: "Inspired by the U.S. DoD's desire to integrate digital night vision into surveillance and support low-light operations, OPSIN is changing the night vision game." That is SiOnyx's marketing description, not a statement that any military unit uses it. SiOnyx also states that the Opsin has "a jurisdiction and classification of EAR99" and is "available globally with minimal export restrictions". We are not giving export advice; check the rules that apply to you.

Which Opsin is this? One listing, one version

OpticsPlanet sells the Opsin as one new configuration: part number C013400, black, UPC 811251020156. SiOnyx's own product page lists the same code. The listing has one orderable new row, and the 3 owner reviews all belong to it.

SiOnyx lists the box contents as the OPSIN camera, eye cup, swing arm, battery pack, canvas pouch, micro SD card, lens cap, charger and user manual. One reviewer confirms it comes with a dovetail arm.

Battery, field of view, sensor and lens: SiOnyx's figures

The retailer listing shows different battery, field-of-view, sensor and lens figures from SiOnyx's; this page uses SiOnyx's published figures, with the label SiOnyx gives each one, because SiOnyx makes the product.

SiOnyx's pages are not fully consistent with each other either: its in-the-box list labels the pack ">16 HRS Operation Time", above the 14 hours in its own battery table, and its feature list says 44 degrees where its spec table says 45 degrees horizontal. We show each figure with the label SiOnyx puts on it rather than pick one.

What SiOnyx says it does

• Low light, in color. SiOnyx's headline claim is "<1 millilux moonless starlight night vision", and its range figure is detecting a man-sized target at 150m in clear weather at 1/4 moon. Those are SiOnyx's figures, not an independent test.
• Frame rate and lag. 30, 60 or 90 Hz, with system latency of less than 1 frame.
• Infrared. SiOnyx lists a visible spectrum of 400-1200nm and sells a separate 1050nm Compact Helmet-Mounted Illuminator on its Opsin accessory page.
• Recording and navigation. Photo, video and audio recording, a built-in GPS and digital magnetic compass to geo-tag location, micro SD storage up to 256GB, and WiFi plus Bluetooth. SiOnyx's firmware notes say the Osprey 2.0.0 update (September 2023) enabled SIONYX mobile application connectivity.
• Toughness. IP67, which SiOnyx spells out as water-resistant at 1m/30min submersion, vibration/shock and salt/sand; it also says the Opsin exceeds the MIL-STD-810G drop test. Operating temperature is -20 to +55 degrees C.
• Helmet mounting. A standard dovetail interface and an adjustable, reversible swing arm with a quick-release button. The camera itself has a mini rail.

What the three owners report

The pool is small: 3 reviews, one five-star and two four-star, and no review of three stars or lower. The two dated reviews are from early 2024 (January and February); the third, shown in the listing's Most Helpful box, has no date on the page. With so few reviews, read them as three people's experience, not a verdict from owners as a group.

The longest review comes from a reviewer who says they were in the military for 5.5 years, "ran mono and bino gogs" and were a night systems instructor. Their headline is the color:

“The full color is honestly incredible, its like naked eye at dusk.”

Jesse Cardinale (NY), four-star review, via OpticsPlanet

The same reviewer likes that it feels sturdy, wears well and is easy to use, and adds that "The battery lasts forever and being able to snap pics and videos is also really cool." They also say it works with glasses and that it can see IR very well. The five-star verified owner bought it as an alternative to costlier military goggles:

“I didn't want to spend double the price for military grade NVGs.”

TAK (PA), verified owner, five-star review, via OpticsPlanet

That owner also writes that it is "obviously not military grade", and recommends it for what it is intended for.

Where it runs out of light

Two of the three reviews say the same thing in different words: the Opsin needs some light to work with, and a tube or a thermal does better when there is almost none.

“There has to be a semi-decent amount of ambient light to get a good picture.”

Jesse Cardinale (NY), four-star review, via OpticsPlanet

“This Opsin is great in moonlight, but thermal or expensive analog like gen2+ and higher are stronger when there is almost no light.”

BadPhotographer (AZ), verified owner, four-star review, via OpticsPlanet

The first reviewer adds that you will not see anything in a pitch black room and that "Phosphor tubes win here for sure", and that "Where these beat phosphor gogs is with full color, clearer picture, and great focal adjustment." The same reviewer finds the zoom function grainy. SiOnyx's answer for darker scenes is IR: it sells the 1050nm illuminator named above as a separate accessory.

The external battery pack

Two reviewers say there is no battery inside the camera. SiOnyx's spec table gives a 7.2VDC power input, fed by a pack of four 18650 Li-ion cells (5960mAh, 42.9Wh) that weighs 298 g, almost as much as the 301 g camera. SiOnyx sells a separate OPSIN Battery Kit and OPSIN Power Cable on its accessory page.

“No; there is no internal battery. You have to use the pack”

Jesse Cardinale (NY), four-star review, via OpticsPlanet

The owners split on whether that is a problem. The reviewer above wishes it took a CR123 in the tube so it could run without the external pack, and says the power connection cannot be plugged in blind. The verified owner in Arizona is glad there is no built-in battery, since a failed internal cell would be harder to deal with, but wishes users could replace the cells inside the pack. The pack also shapes how the Opsin can be used off the helmet: the first reviewer notes it is weapon mountable but that "the external battery is the only source if power so i dont know who is willing to duct tape that battery pack to a rifle".

Eyepiece, display and tripod use

SiOnyx specifies 25mm of eye relief, a 7.5mm exit pupil, a -4 to +4 diopter and manual focus of the objective lens and diopter, focusing from 0.2m to infinity. The Most Helpful reviewer lists eye relief as a con: they write that the little "TV screen" inside is a rectangle but the diopter is a circle, and even with the eye pressed close they cannot see the data in all four corners.

“No way to view all 4 corners.”

Jesse Cardinale (NY), four-star review, via OpticsPlanet

The Arizona owner uses it for video recording on a tripod, which they say it does not adapt to very well:

“I had to hang it upside down like a helmet mount because it has no option to flip the display.”

BadPhotographer (AZ), verified owner, four-star review, via OpticsPlanet

Warranty

SiOnyx's limited warranty page gives the original end-user two years from the date of purchase against material defects in material and workmanship, and ninety days on accessories included with the product or sold separately. The policy is written for SiOnyx products in general and does not name the Opsin in its text, so confirm the terms with SiOnyx for your unit.

Trade-offs, plainly

• It needs some ambient light: two of the three reviewers say a tube or thermal sees more when there is almost no light.
• It is powered from an external battery pack, which two reviewers say is the only option (no internal battery), and SiOnyx's 298 g pack weighs nearly as much as the 301 g camera.
• It is a helmet design: rifle use means finding a home for the battery pack, and one owner found tripod use awkward because the display cannot be flipped.
• One reviewer cannot see all four corners of the display through the eyepiece, and finds the zoom grainy.
• The retailer listing shows different battery, field-of-view, sensor and lens figures from SiOnyx's, and SiOnyx's own pages give more than one battery and field-of-view figure.
• The owner record on OpticsPlanet is 3 reviews, and the two dated ones are from early 2024.

Key specifications

Specifications are SiOnyx's (product page and specification tables). Where the retailer listing shows a different figure, this page uses SiOnyx's. No editorial award is claimed.

Should you buy it?

• Buy it if you want night vision in color on a helmet, value recording, GPS and a compass in one unit, and mostly work where there is moonlight or some ambient light.
• Buy it with a plan if you expect darker nights: budget for an IR illuminator such as the 1050nm unit SiOnyx sells, and for a helmet mount and shroud if your helmet has none.
• Think twice if you need to see in near-total darkness without lighting the scene, or want night vision on a rifle without an external battery pack.

What else to consider:

• ATN PVS14-3 Gen 3: a Gen 3 image-intensifier tube that our monocular guide says shows a bright, sharp image in the dark with no IR light, at the cost of no daytime use and no recording.
• Best thermal monocular: handheld spotters that scan for heat, which our thermal guide says hunters use to find animals before shouldering a rifle.
• Wilcox G24 mount: the breakaway dovetail helmet mount, if you are building the helmet side of a setup; it ships as a mount only, without a shroud.

FAQ

More night vision: best night vision monocular · best night vision goggles · best night vision scope · Wilcox G24 mount review.