Ive been debating whether or not to do this but instead of a 640, the 320.. I think it would drive me crazy trying to look through both images at once, especially considering I have a NEPVS14-17 which is green phos. I just like the idea of being able to quickly switch between thermal and night vision, but I don't think I'd run them simultaneously.
I would say that I've had around 20-25 people try on this setup, and only about 5 of them found it tolerable. I'm lucky enough that I can do an 8 hour night vision class and have no I'll effects from looking at two images at the same time. I have another video showing the pros and cons of the Sidekick 640 in a real life scenario where you can see how well if can pick up threats at distance, that video is my Innawoods Apocalypse Now Challenge video, and the footage I'm referring to is at the 19:10 mark if you want to check it out. The 640 had some issues picking up the shape of something that I thought should have been easy for it and could have potentially gotten me into a lot of trouble. I imagine that the performance of the 320 would have been inexcusable in the same circumstance.
@@Ejinikus Thanks for the info, I'll definitely check it out. And yea.. I understand this is an expensive hobby, but I feel like I should get something at the very least usable for $2,000 - 3,000 lol! Kind of disappointing really. everything has its short comings I guess.
It depends on what you are doing with your unit. For me the most important things are to make sure it fits my counterweight pack, is at least mildly waterproof, and can last for a few days. If you don't need those, then any will do really. I use a 10,000 mAh pack by Energizer. It only drains about 14% battery after 4 hours of use in temps around 50f and in rainy/drizzly conditions which was impressive. I took it to an NVG class about a month after thar where it was 90f for about4 hours and it used the same amount of battery up. Way more important than the battery itself is the cable that you choose. I highly recommend a 90-degree to 90-degree cable as it is much easier to do cable management with and I notice my sidekick never works it's cable loose anymore.
@@Ejinikus I got a pvs14 and just ordered a Rayvn group bridge as well. Looking to do this same sort of set up. But I am not sure of what thermal to get. I would have thought that with the Rayvn bridge the image would be flat instead of tilted with the thermal because you can adjust the IPD on a flat plane instead of tilting it as with like a pano bridge. Why it tilted in your video? Second question. You mention that the lag that we are seeing between the PVS14 image and the thermal image is because of the recording and you don't see that when you are actually walking around? Or is there still lag and its just not as noticeable as in the video recording? One of the big issues I have read about is that there is bit of a lag between the analog pvs14 and the digital thermal image. And so that causes people discomfort. Is this not true with this unit? I am considering this device or an RH25. What are your thoughts if you were to buy again vs that unit? Thank you for any response!
Very cool! I too enjoyed the bats😊
Happy you enjoyed!
Ive been debating whether or not to do this but instead of a 640, the 320.. I think it would drive me crazy trying to look through both images at once, especially considering I have a NEPVS14-17 which is green phos. I just like the idea of being able to quickly switch between thermal and night vision, but I don't think I'd run them simultaneously.
I would say that I've had around 20-25 people try on this setup, and only about 5 of them found it tolerable. I'm lucky enough that I can do an 8 hour night vision class and have no I'll effects from looking at two images at the same time. I have another video showing the pros and cons of the Sidekick 640 in a real life scenario where you can see how well if can pick up threats at distance, that video is my Innawoods Apocalypse Now Challenge video, and the footage I'm referring to is at the 19:10 mark if you want to check it out.
The 640 had some issues picking up the shape of something that I thought should have been easy for it and could have potentially gotten me into a lot of trouble. I imagine that the performance of the 320 would have been inexcusable in the same circumstance.
@@Ejinikus Thanks for the info, I'll definitely check it out. And yea.. I understand this is an expensive hobby, but I feel like I should get something at the very least usable for $2,000 - 3,000 lol! Kind of disappointing really. everything has its short comings I guess.
What's the best battery pack for the Sidekick?
It depends on what you are doing with your unit. For me the most important things are to make sure it fits my counterweight pack, is at least mildly waterproof, and can last for a few days.
If you don't need those, then any will do really. I use a 10,000 mAh pack by Energizer. It only drains about 14% battery after 4 hours of use in temps around 50f and in rainy/drizzly conditions which was impressive. I took it to an NVG class about a month after thar where it was 90f for about4 hours and it used the same amount of battery up.
Way more important than the battery itself is the cable that you choose. I highly recommend a 90-degree to 90-degree cable as it is much easier to do cable management with and I notice my sidekick never works it's cable loose anymore.
@@Ejinikus Energizer 10,000 mAh; 90-90. Got it. Thanks for the reply. Good video by the way.
What bridge do you use?
Ravyn, it's pretty cheap and works well enough.
@@Ejinikusdoes both pods roll up out of the way enough for individual viewing ? I think the first gen one from then didn’t
@mrgrump2534 ill make you a short to show you how it works
@@Ejinikus I got a pvs14 and just ordered a Rayvn group bridge as well. Looking to do this same sort of set up. But I am not sure of what thermal to get. I would have thought that with the Rayvn bridge the image would be flat instead of tilted with the thermal because you can adjust the IPD on a flat plane instead of tilting it as with like a pano bridge. Why it tilted in your video?
Second question. You mention that the lag that we are seeing between the PVS14 image and the thermal image is because of the recording and you don't see that when you are actually walking around? Or is there still lag and its just not as noticeable as in the video recording? One of the big issues I have read about is that there is bit of a lag between the analog pvs14 and the digital thermal image. And so that causes people discomfort. Is this not true with this unit?
I am considering this device or an RH25. What are your thoughts if you were to buy again vs that unit? Thank you for any response!