Short answer
An infrared camera gives a black-and-white image in complete darkness and does not draw attention. A color night camera gives a color image in low light; it is preferred if clothing and vehicle color are needed. A hybrid-light camera normally works with infrared and turns on a white light when it detects a person or vehicle. In gardens and parking lots, the hybrid model is often the most balanced choice.
How does an infrared (IR) camera work?
Around the lens of an infrared camera there are LEDs that emit light the human eye cannot see. When the surroundings get dark, the camera switches to night mode, removes the color filter and forms an image from the reflection of this light. The result is a black-and-white image.
Most IR cameras work at a wavelength of 850 nm. These LEDs glow faintly red when viewed up close. Models with 940 nm LEDs do not glow at all, but at the same power they light a shorter distance. This difference matters where you do not want the camera to be noticed.
The weak side of an IR camera is the lack of color information. When you need to say the color of a suspect’s clothing or a vehicle after an incident, a black-and-white image falls short.
There is also the transition moment. In evening twilight, the camera can switch back and forth between color and black-and-white mode. On most models, the light level at which this transition happens can be adjusted. On cameras where this has not been set, the image goes dark and then bright again at just that hour, and this shows up as flicker in the recording.
What difference does a color night vision camera make?
Color night cameras use one of two approaches. The first is a highly light-sensitive sensor and a wide-aperture lens (such as F1.0). This lets it give a color image even in the weak light of a street lamp or a wall light. The second is a warm white LED on the camera. If the surroundings are very dark, this LED turns on and lights the area with visible light.
The good side of white light is deterrence: a person entering the garden notices they are lit. The bad side is the same thing. A light shining into a neighbor’s window can be a nuisance, and a white light that stays on constantly attracts insects and dirties the front of the lens.
Hybrid light: in between
Hybrid or smart-light cameras have both IR and a white LED. Through the night, the camera records in black and white with IR. When it detects a person or vehicle, it turns on the white light and switches to color recording, then returns to IR mode when the event is over.
With this method, no disturbing light stays on all night, and a color image is still captured at the moment of the event. For it to work correctly, the camera needs a detection feature that can tell people and vehicles apart. On models with simple motion detection, a branch swaying in the wind can also turn the light on.
Expert note: On a hybrid camera, be sure to set after installation when the white light will turn on. Some models leave the light on constantly at factory settings, and some never turn it on.
Common problems that spoil the night image
Most night image problems come not from the type of camera but from its placement. Pay attention to these points during installation:
- If an eave, wall or pole is right in front of the camera, the IR light reflects and the image turns white.
- A camera placed behind glass sees the reflection in the glass at night. An infrared camera cannot watch the outside from behind glass.
- IR light attracts insects, and spider webs in front of the lens glow and trigger motion detection.
- Headlights or floodlights coming from the front blind the camera. At these points, a wide dynamic range (WDR) model is chosen.
- The IR distance in the catalog is measured in open terrain and may be shorter in real use.
Which one for which area?
Around a home garden and detached houses, a hybrid-light camera is a good balance. It does not disturb anyone through the night, and when someone enters it both turns the recording to color and deters with light. In places where nobody should be, such as a back garden, the white light coming on is a warning by itself.
In parking lots, the color of a vehicle is often as important as the license plate. In a poorly lit parking lot, a color night or hybrid camera is preferred. In a well-lit housing estate parking lot, a camera with a light-sensitive sensor can give a color image without needing extra LEDs.
Long, dark lines such as fields, the back of a warehouse and perimeter walls call for cameras with a long IR range. When there is no light at all around, as at a field warehouse on the Harran Plain, the distance lit by white LEDs stays limited and an IR camera sees farther.
Treat ambient lighting as part of the system
Sometimes the cheapest way to improve night images is to change the lighting, not the camera. A motion-sensor or timer wall light placed at the front door, the parking lot entrance or the garden path keeps the camera in color mode. That way a good standard camera can do the job instead of an expensive color night camera.
The direction of the light matters. The light should hit the target from behind or beside the camera, not face the camera lens. A floodlight directly in front of the camera leaves a bright blotch in the image with a dark area around it. Warm white light shows colors more naturally than cool white light and does not dazzle.
In summer in Şanlıurfa, strong lights that stay on all the time in gardens where people sit outside at night attract flies and insects. Motion-sensor lighting reduces this problem and keeps electricity use low. Planning the lighting together with the camera plan stops the two systems from interfering with each other.
Check before you buy
Judge a camera's night performance from a real night recording, not from a catalog photo. If possible, install two models at the same spot for a few nights and compare them. A good daytime image does not mean the night image will be good too.
Sensor size, the lens aperture value, IR range and the white light activation settings are written in the technical datasheet. Evaluating these values together with the camera distance tool makes it clear which camera suits which spot.
After installation, Desa Bilişim checks the image with a night visit and finishes the angle and light settings according to night conditions.
Models that leave the camera's night-mode switch threshold and infrared power adjustable allow fine-tuning after installation. With models that lack these settings, the only way to fix a wrong placement is to move the camera.
Frequently asked
Can a night vision camera see in complete darkness?
An infrared camera emits its own light, so it gives a black-and-white image in total darkness. Color night cameras, on the other hand, need either at least some ambient light or their own white LED.
Why is my night image white and hazy?
Usually an eave, wall or spider web in front of the camera reflects the infrared light back. Changing the camera’s angle, cleaning the lens or moving the camera away from the obstacle often solves the problem.
Can I put a camera behind a window and watch outside?
You can watch in the daytime, but at night the infrared light hits the glass and reflects back, and the outside cannot be seen. For night recording, the camera has to be mounted outside, or a model with its IR turned off has to be used with outdoor lighting.
How clearly do you see at night?
Let us look at the dark spots in your garden or parking lot on site and decide together which type of night vision will suit.
