Help: Night Vision Action Camera

DMICS

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I think this is the right section to post/ask this. If not I apologize in advance.

I'm looking for an action camera the size of a Mobius or smaller. One specifically that records in night vision. I'll be doing a lot of amateur projects this summer in the complete pitch dark (pretty much on bike trails, wooden areas). I just want something small in size, compact, unnoticeable like my Mobius. Would be great if it had 1080, HD capabilities. I've seen some online but no video test shots at night.

Thanks so much in advance.
 
^ Incredible, but it doesn't seem readily available. Also that price point is too high for me.

Was also looking for something also around the price point of a Mobius.
 
I think you will have to relax the specifications a little!

Do you really mean "complete pitch dark", or just twilight?
 
I think you will have to relax the specifications a little!

Do you really mean "complete pitch dark", or just twilight?

Complete darkness, like inside a cave or closed room.
 
Complete darkness, like inside a cave or closed room.

you'll either need to raise your budget or lower your expectations

are you using any type of lighting to supplement what you can see or are you trying to work without extra lighting?
 
you'll either need to raise your budget or lower your expectations

are you using any type of lighting to supplement what you can see or are you trying to work without extra lighting?

Nope, no extra lighting at all. Just want to be able to bring a small camera and start recording in the dark.

I now realize my original question should've been formed differently.

1) Does a low priced HD night vision camera that records completely in darkness exist?
2) If not, what are the best small Night Vision cameras? (preferably discreet and around the size of a Mobius)
 
Only way you can do this for cheap is go black and white and add a IR light to aid in the lighting.
It it is indeed pitch black nothing known to man will work beside FLIR ( thermal camera ) and even that might not work if temperatures are pretty uniform, thermal cameras are also pretty low resolution, and are pretty darn expensive.
You can take a camera with a okay for low light sensor like the IMX 291 and then remove the IR cut filter, but if the camera dont have a IR mode you will get footage with a magenta hue to it, and you still need to add irlight for the camera to see anything.

This are filmed with a little action camera that did have a few IR leds ( weak ones ( and was able to do IR mode ( FF towards the end of the video )


This is footage of a 8 mpix Toshiba camcorder with IR filter removed Vs the G1W 2 mpix dashcam also with ir filter removed, as you can see the dashcam handle IR light / low ir light better of the 2 due to larger pixel size on the sensor.

This is a 700 TVL analog camera filming thru all the glass of my airgun scope, aided by a 10 W IR light seen in the video above, doing the same with the G1W are okay if you done zoom on the acope, if you do and go to max zoom pretty much everything it see go dark, with the much more light sensitive 700 TVL camera on my scope this was no problem, here i am shooting about 15 M


I am not really aware of any camera that can go into black and white mode, so you have to make do with the purple hue.


Color footage you cant get without a little light, and then you are best off dropping a decent amount of money on a starlight camera.

 
would be my suggestion also, doesn't meet your size or budget needs but you have to appreciate the difficulties of what you are asking
 
That aurora thingie would so fit on my scope :cool: it is rare i shoot in complete darkness.
But i am affraid its way outside what i might manage to save up over a year, so really not a option.
 
would be my suggestion also, doesn't meet your size or budget needs but you have to appreciate the difficulties of what you are asking
That aurora thingie would so fit on my scope :cool: it is rare i shoot in complete darkness.
But i am affraid its way outside what i might manage to save up over a year, so really not a option.

Yeah if the early $399 pledge package was still available I probably would've done it. I'm definitely not doing retail. So it looks like I'll probably have to wait a few years to get it at a manageable price. https://www.kickstarter.com/project...t-day-night-camera-with-true-night?ref=50087f
 
looks great on paper, I'd still probably wait until release though, lots of stuff that comes out of Kickstarter is questionable, my mindset is only gamble what you're prepared to lose without feeling bad about it, these are a bit beyond that price wise, even at the earlybird pricing
 
Yup. Well said. Ah well, thought that since we're in 2018 the type of camera I was looking would be available for under $300.

Pardon my ignorance and "newbie" status to this topic, but these "Night Vision" cameras available on Amazon are a farce, correct?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B077D5KT5R
 
If only that sensor was 1080p, i would so drop that in a dashcam.

I am not sure that these guys do for the sensor, there have been several news over the past years promising much more light sensitive sensors, but this are actually the first product i have seen using this.
 
cameras like that will perform like the one i posted above, so to really see anything with it you will have to add a lot more IR light to the equation.

You have to be really careful with claims of night vision.

today you can get small and fairly cheap CCTV cameras like the arlo and similar, these are often build with sensors you would also find in CCTV cameras, so they do have a decent low light performance, but you still need to add IR light when it get really dark
 
cameras like that will perform like the one i posted above, so to really see anything with it you will have to add a lot more IR light to the equation.

You have to be really careful with claims of night vision.

today you can get small and fairly cheap CCTV cameras like the arlo and similar, these are often build with sensors you would also find in CCTV cameras, so they do have a decent low light performance, but you still need to add IR light when it get really dark

Got a list of cheap CCTV Cameras around the size of a Mobius or smaller that could do some justice?
 
Yup. Well said. Ah well, thought that since we're in 2018 the type of camera I was looking would be available for under $300.

Pardon my ignorance and "newbie" status to this topic, but these "Night Vision" cameras available on Amazon are a farce, correct?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B077D5KT5R
don't waste your money

you would do better with a CCTV lens with no IR filter on a Mobius and an IR flashlight
 
don't waste your money

you would do better with a CCTV lens with no IR filter on a Mobius and an IR flashlight

So I can adjust my Mobius to act as a CCTV camera? is it easy and quick to do? and I can switch back to its original form too?
 
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