Using An Infrared Illuminator For Low Or No Light Night Vision Camcorder Recording

Many people think that night vision camcorder technology is only available to the military or through the purchase of the latest high tech night vision equipment. Currently, however, the situation is rapidly changing and a number of cameras and camcorders have truly exceptional internal low light and infrared vision capacity.

The current usual and lowest cost method of capturing video or images in the dark is by using an infrared floodlight or illuminator. One current example is the Sony Night Shot video camera which pioneered this technique a decade ago

The internal CCD recorder in many modern video cameras can record IR light. This allows the camcorder to record better quality video at times when there is no light. And on a number of units, an internal IR emitter is included in the camera to give better results when recording when there is low or no visible light.

For close up work or in low light interiors, these added IR light sources perform fairly well. People find, however, that the cameras don't do as well in extremely low light situations, such as filming wildlife in the dark. There is a lack of a strong IR source to illuminate an outdoor area using only the low powered built in unit. But, by adding an add on IR illuminator, excellent night time video can be captured.

Add on illuminators range from accessory units you can get from your camcorder manufacturer to extremely powerful add-ons from other suppliers. Many external infrared floodlights are not high priced, and more powerful battery backed external light kits that allow adequate extra IR light up to 30 or 40 yards can be found in the two to three hundred dollar price range.

By making use of an external IR light source of adequate power, it's possible to set up a useful night vision video camera without a huge cost outlay. The extra IR invisible light that you use can't be seen, but you can use the LCD panel on your camcorder and see what you're shooting in what will look like near daylight conditions. The use of additional infrared illumination really takes away the 'graininess' you often see with low light photography.

Give this a go yourself in low light situations. It will be surprising to find that your camera can become a night vision camcorder and do a lot more than you thought.