A Light in the Darkness

Most property crimes, including breaking and entering, burglaries, package theft, etc., occur during daylight hours and maintaining security at night comes with its own challenges as well. This causes the everyday user to ask, “What is the best option is for my situation?”

A valuable solution that users and installers can employ is using security cameras with night vision capabilities – also referred to as “low light” cameras.

Modern night vision cameras are often equipped with infrared (IR) illuminators to work in total darkness by emitting their own invisible light. IR light cannot is invisible to the naked eye, offering a discreet way to illuminate the area and create a clear image even in complete darkness.

This article will outline common types of night vision that you can consider when planning and deploying your own security solution.

Supported/Affected Devices:

MEGApix Ai Cameras (IP Product)
MEGApix V-Class Cameras (IP Product)
MEGApix White-Light Cameras (IP Product)
SiteWatch Illuminators (External Lighting)
Star-Light Plus Cameras (Analog Product)

How Different Technologies Work

Standard IR Light (Black/White)

Standard IR night vision works by using IR LEDs embedded into the camera hardware to flood the area with infrared light. The camera’s image sensor detects the IR light as it reflects off objects in the scene and converts it into a black-and-white picture. Infrared light from other devices like other cameras, IR lasers, IR illuminators, and cell phones can also be seen by the camera while in night mode.

Cameras equipped with this type of night vision technology do not require external light sources, only relying on their own IR illumination. Low-intensity, dim environmental light sources from streetlights, buildings, headlights and other sources of ambient light can sometimes help, but will otherwise blind the camera while in night-mode. So, cameras come equipped with Day/Night Mode settings that users may configure to determine when the camera will switch between using its color, daytime sensor to using its nighttime IR sensor depending on the brightness of the white light.

**NOTE: Be aware that infrared light will reflect off glossy surfaces like glass and mirrors, sometimes back at the camera creating the appearance of “orbs” or otherwise compromising the quality of the night image. Likewise, placing a camera too close to a surface can sometime create a blown-out picture, so be aware of where your camera is pointing upon installation.

While it offers crisp, high-contrast video, there are downsides of this technology such as reduced video detail. The images are always black-and-white, making it difficult to discern clothing colors or the paint color of vehicles. Range can be limited, depending on the hardware, so be sure to check the specifications of the camera before purchasing.

Full-Color / Low-Light Sensors

Full-color, low-light cameras work similarly but different from traditional IR night vision. Instead of switching to black-and-white, low-light color cameras use a different type of sensor and image processing to amplify light that is already available in the environment, maintaining color in dim environments.

High-end performance low-light cameras rely on “Starlight” sensors, use large chips, wide-aperture lenses, and noise-reduction algorithms to produce clear, color video in very low-light (0.01~0.1 lux approx.) environments. However, there must be at least some ambient light for this to work. In pitch-black environments, the camera will often change to night-mode, rendering a black-and-white image and relying on the standard IR light illumination.

This technology can go further, such as DW’s Star-Light Plus™ products that essentially work by using back-illuminated sensor (BIS) technology, which flips the positions of the circuitry allowing the camera to collect light from the light sensor’s backside.

In comparison other camera’s light detection technology, this improves the Star-Light Plus™ camera’s light capture by 60% to over 90% which increases the camera’s imaging clarity.

White-Light Equipped Cameras

Some cameras come equipped with both white light and IR LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs to illuminate the scene. This removes the need for ambient light sources to capture full-color video. Camera settings can be configured to activate the white-light to continuously illuminate an area and/or to surprise and deter intruders by suddenly turning on.

While it can help to create brightly lit scenes, these lights can be intense and are easily seen by the naked eye. They can also bother neighbors when installed in domestic environments if triggered often, which is something to consider when selecting your cameras.

Final Thoughts

When choosing which lighting solutions are right for you, the best thing to consider is the location where the camera will be installed including the positioning, the level of detail desired, and environmental light (including light in the background).

Standard infrared (IR) night vision offers a nearly invisible option for monitoring dark or pitch-black environments and prevents drawing attention to the camera.
Colored low-light devices work well for dimly lit environments and preserve the capturing of color images. It also can be less disruptive by not requiring extremely bright lighting.
White light equipped options work well for situations where maximum color detail and a visual deterrence is needed.

There are of course additional solutions that can be implemented to accommodate any surveillance deployment. The use of external lights can supplement camera setups by adding white or colored lighting to an area. There are also external infrared (IR) illuminators that create additional IR light for pitch-black scenarios, preserving the discretion that IR technology offers.

In the end, consider what your goals and objectives are when planning a security system installation. There are multiple avenues for night vision that you can take, and you are not limited to using only one kind of lighting technology.

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