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 RadEd
 |  | CCD Nightvision?
< on 2/15/2004 7:24 PM >
|  | | | I've heard that many ccd camcorders can feature nightvision comparable to low price infrared goggles.
How does this work out? Has anyone tried that?
I'm thinking about engineering something cool if that works.
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Heartless
Location: Dakota Territory
Gender: Male
nowhere is a state of mind
| |  |  | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 1 on 2/15/2004 8:04 PM >
|  | | | I used to have a Sony Handycam that had what they called Night Shot mode, and it was pretty cool in the dark. I think it worked on infared, but don't quote me on that, so its effective range was limited to only a few yards. I'd imagine you'd be able to Mcgyver something like that, but the short range would be a limiting factor in some situations. I'm curious, let me know if you decide to give it a try...
Are you thinking of removing the CCD / lenses from a cam and rigging up something one can wear? Because otherwise I'd say just use the cam, then you can record too. Night Shot would make for some way rad video in, say, an abandoned asylum.
What if, speaking theoretically, you had the lens / CCD mounted like a headlamp, and had the screen suspended in front of your face or rigged something with fiber optics...I have access to myriads of fiber optic cabling of all sizes, which I can score for free, and legally. My father has a warehouse for lighting manufacturers and there's tons of it laying around.
"I hope that I find you in heaven, because I'm so lost without you down here..."
Lost Highway Photography |
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Asylunt
Location: MPLS
Gender: Male
The Friendly Beer!
| | | | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 2 on 2/15/2004 10:03 PM >
| | | | All you need is a decent CCD and some sort of IR light. LED's are cheap and last a long time, I have been working on making some LED Arrays for lighting Digital Video. If you check around you can get some of the brighter leds in bulk, relatively cheap. You'd have to make a reflector or lens to direct the light, this would improve your range as well. I'd be interested to see what you come up with.
Asylunt
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain |
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Chikote
This member has been banned
I R NO SPEL RITE
| | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 3 on 2/16/2004 12:56 AM >
| | | | I do own a camcorder with "nightshot" on it, and I have tried taking it out with me when exploring. It's rubbish. I could barely see a few feet in front of myself. Although I was in some thick fog at the time.
I have some mixed memories about that camcorder. But mostly I remember that the camera had very short range when it came to nightvision. For instance, you wouldn't be able to look down an entire corridor using the nightshot, only perhaps 10 to 15 feet in the right conditions.
Having said that, it is a fairly old camcorder now. So I guess you would just have to check to see what's out there, and maybe see if you can try it out in a dark room in a shop.
But I would've thought that most camcorders would not be a cheaper alternative. Given that you could get a decent monocular and headset, some ten times more powerful than any camcorders' nightshot, for about half the price of an entire camcorder.
Dear Chasey Lain, I wrote to explain, I'm your biggest fan, I just wanted to ask; Could I eat your ass? Write back as soon as you can. |
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PAWolf
    
Not from Pennsylvania
Location: KCMO
Gender: Male
We haven't located us yet.
| |  | | | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 4 on 2/16/2004 1:10 AM >
| | | | Posted by Chikote
I do own a camcorder with "nightshot" on it, and I have tried taking it out with me when exploring. It's rubbish. I could barely see a few feet in front of myself. Although I was in some thick fog at the time.
I have some mixed memories about that camcorder. But mostly I remember that the camera had very short range when it came to nightvision. For instance, you wouldn't be able to look down an entire corridor using the nightshot, only perhaps 10 to 15 feet in the right conditions.
Having said that, it is a fairly old camcorder now. So I guess you would just have to check to see what's out there, and maybe see if you can try it out in a dark room in a shop.
But I would've thought that most camcorders would not be a cheaper alternative. Given that you could get a decent monocular and headset, some ten times more powerful than any camcorders' nightshot, for about half the price of an entire camcorder.
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Your comparing apples against onions. The reason that your camcorder's nightshot doesn't seem to "see" very far is because it relies on infrared light that is just below the visible spectrum. When there is no visible light there won't be much infrared light either, that's why you need an IR spotlight or flashlight to actually get true nightvision. Camcorders don't amplify IR light the way that nightvision does so they can't really be compared against each other with any kind of fairness. The reason that the military likes to use nightvision is because it amplifies the already low light so that they don't have to use IR lights that would give their location away to the enemy who may also have nightvision.
Make Beer, Not War. |
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Chikote
This member has been banned
I R NO SPEL RITE
| | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 5 on 2/16/2004 2:05 AM >
| | | | A camcorder, plus an IR torch, doesn't exactly leave you handsfree to be very efficient in an urban exploring environment. But for say 400 bucks you could pick yourself up a pretty decent pair of nightvision goggles, that need NO extra IR illuminators, and are nowhere near as bulky as a camcorder.
And lets face it, most camcorders cost around at least 350 to 400 dollars anyway.
If the only thing you are going to use the camera for is its nightshot, you might as well buy an NV monocular. Smaller, lighter, more resilliant, cheaper, and less battery intensive.
Dear Chasey Lain, I wrote to explain, I'm your biggest fan, I just wanted to ask; Could I eat your ass? Write back as soon as you can. |
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PAWolf
Not from Pennsylvania
Location: KCMO
Gender: Male
We haven't located us yet.
| | | | | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 6 on 2/16/2004 3:36 AM >
| | | | I think it all comes down to what you personnally want to invest in. For me a quality mag-lite or letting my eyes adjust to the starlight is plenty of nightvision. It's scary to take a $400+ peice of hardware into an environment where the likelihood of it being broken/lost is relatively high, but you are right that a IR flashlight + ccd camera wouldn't practically work for ue'ing without lots of modification.
Make Beer, Not War. |
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Chikote
This member has been banned
I R NO SPEL RITE
| | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 7 on 2/16/2004 4:37 PM >
|  | | | Well I agree that $400 is a bit of a risk as far as UE is concerned. Which is why I suggested a monocular with an IR illuminator taped to it.
That should be plenty of brightness to scan the place before you go walking about.
Dear Chasey Lain, I wrote to explain, I'm your biggest fan, I just wanted to ask; Could I eat your ass? Write back as soon as you can. |
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Heartless
Location: Dakota Territory
Gender: Male
nowhere is a state of mind
| | | | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 8 on 2/16/2004 8:40 PM >
| | | | I believe RadEd was talking about engineering something cheap for basic UE use. Suppose he had a defunct camcorder with a working CCD...
I suggested housing the lens in something like a headlamp and having the screen either handheld or hanging in front of the face. Thing is though, the screen would give off light, too; so if the purpose of this device is to not have to use a light for fear of being noticed, then one of the night vision / IR systems described above would be a better choice. That or a dim (perhaps filtered via shirt sleeve) LED flashlight.
"I hope that I find you in heaven, because I'm so lost without you down here..."
Lost Highway Photography |
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RadEd
| | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 9 on 2/18/2004 6:46 AM >
| | | | Yeah, I was thinking of doing some kind of hack job on it to maybe boost its effectivemess. Get a broken camera from someone looking to get rid of it and see what I can do to make something like an NVG
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Chikote
This member has been banned
I R NO SPEL RITE
| | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 10 on 2/18/2004 2:49 PM >
| | | | Ah, I see what you mean now. Hmm, yes it would probably work, given the right IR illuminator.
That would make for a good cheapo disposable NV rig. One you could use in say, drains or whatever, without fear of losing it.
Dear Chasey Lain, I wrote to explain, I'm your biggest fan, I just wanted to ask; Could I eat your ass? Write back as soon as you can. |
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Malabaristo
Location: Eau Claire Wisconsin
Gender: Male
| | | | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 11 on 2/19/2004 2:54 AM >
| | | | One thing I've played with is one of those really small black and white cameras hacked to the eyepiece of an old camcorder. You also need a source of IR light, such as LED's. The advantage of those cameras over the camcorder are their smaller size, reduced complexity (one fixed-focus lens), and lower power consumption. They can be found for $30-70.
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cacophony
Location: Buffalo, NY
Gender: Male
| | | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 12 on 2/20/2004 7:43 PM >
| | | | Kaya-optics has a IR filter that attaches to many camcorders and still cameras. They claim that it allows you to see through many objects as well as nightvision.
They have examples of what it can do as well as indepth articles about nightvision at http://www.kaya-optics.com/products/experiments.shtml
For $100 it looks like it could be intresting.
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Duke
Noble Donor
Location: Awww-shitby, Ontario
Gender: Male
Move it or lose it
| | Re: CCD Nightvision?
<Reply # 13 on 3/14/2004 7:55 PM >
| | | | Something like this: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3084172737&category=48629
Could be spliced to a small eyepiece. I've also seen inexpensive 7" LCD screens which would be even easier to hook up (ie, no ripping apart a camcorder and splicing bare wires). Also, more than one person could use it at once and it would provide a soft glow from the screen itself. The problem simply becomes power. but it'd be nice to have a camera you could point all around and into tiny little crevices and such. Plus the whole shebang would still cost less than an NV monocular.
If not for actual navigation, it'd be a cool little tool to have. Hole in the wall, hey, there's a room on the other side. What's in it? where's the door? Peek in the night-sight and snoop around.
Contrary to popular belief, death isn't just for dead people. I know I was surprised too! It can happen to anybody! Horses, fiddler crabs, even a potato can die! - Tick
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