Pondering over shopping for a camcorder with night vision? It is a bit more tricky than it might seem. There's a few things to be aware of before you part with any cash.
To start with, there are different sorts of night vision offered. There are three types commonly found in camcorders. There are more than three different types of night vision technology but the ones I won't write about are found in CCTV or they have military or civilian surveillance applications. These fit into three groups (there are others but these apply more to CCTV applications). For the purposes of this article, we will concentrate on those available to consumer cameras.
The first I will write about, and by far the most common is image intensifying.
The downside is that this type requires some form of ambient lighting to exist and can not be used in total darkness. There is also a possibility of damage if the unit is operated in good lighting conditions particularly if the camcorder is focused directly on a light source such as a lamp or car headlights.
The good thing about this method is the low cost. It's not only cheap moneywise but does not use much power. A real bonus when thinking about battery power. With image intensifying, you'll get not only a cheaper night vision camcorder but a more economical one as well.
The next type of technology is thermal Imaging. These cameras compose an image based on a heat pattern received by the heat sensors. These are brilliant in situations where there is no light at all (so image intensifyers will not work).
These give you the opportunity to get some sort of image, even in total blackouts. where these are really good is insituations where an amplifed image would be useless. For instance in inclement weather like fog, snow or heavy rain.
The downside is the price. This technology is expensive. The price can vary according to whether the sensors are cooled or not (obviously a cool unit is more sensitive to heat changes so should be more accurate. Cameras with uncooled units will be cheaper.
The image quality on Thermal Imaging camcorders is much crisper and less grainy than ambient lighting, however the price of the technology may make it cost prohibitive to the home user. If you are making a professional film or documentary that requires low-light filming then a thermal imaging camcorder would be ideal. For most home users this would be an expense that is difficult to justify. If you are making a professional film or documentary that requires low-light filming then a thermal imaging camcorder would be ideal. For most home users this would be an expense that is difficult to justify.
There is a third way which sits between the other two methods called near infrared illumination. With this, the camera produces infrared light which reveals the subject through when picked up by it's sensor.
It's really worth looking at this option as the price makes it affordable to most people. Don't let the low price discourage you as the results are excellent. Sharp images are produced even in low light conditions.
There can be extreme differences between in light and dark parts of the image.. With near Infra-Red Illumination the picture is consistently the same light. Infrared cameras score highly in another important category... battery life. Most night vision cameras consume far more power in night vision mode than normal camcorders working in normal lighting conditions. Infrared systems enjoy good (fairly low) power consumption compared with the others. Generally, these types of camcorders will come with a second battery. The idea is that (if you are indoors) one is being charged as the other is being used. For this reason, make sure there is a separate charger (rather than charging via camera itself.Unlike other systems, it is impossible to damage an infrared system bypointing it at a bright light source
Although you are primarily buying the camcorder for night use, you may still want to use it in normal conditions. It's well worth trying out both types of performance before buying. You couls also try using a specific night vision lens with a normal camera as an alternative approach. Another approach is to fix a night sight lens on a normal camera but this is beyond the scope of this article.
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