What Is Security Cameras Night Vision?

Security cameras night vision allows clear capture of images in spite of a complete absence of light. This feature is beneficial in protecting homes and offices at night time or in securing a dark area.

How Night Vision Works

 There are two ways security cameras are able to see at night or in the dark—thermal imaging and image enhancement. Thermal imaging amplifies thermal-infrared emissions—caused by atom’s reaction to light-- and converts the dimension of the invisible wavelength into an image. Thermal imaging is perfect for capturing images in areas with close to absolute darkness. This type of night vision is not as commonly used as the image enhancing one. Image enhancement is the most practical and popular type of night vision. Security cameras that employ this type of night vision have lenses that detect light on a frequency higher than thermal-infrared. Through a conversion process, the photons are converted to a visible image.

Infrared Illumination and Infrared LED

An infrared outdoor camera picks up a clear image in a dark area by flooding the area with reflective IR light. IR lights are invisible and can only be seen by a special apparatus. An infrared LED or low emitting diode is the light source; the higher the intensity of LED, the farther the IR range.

Things to look for in Security Cameras Night Vision

One way of determining the quality of the night vision in a security camera is through its lux rating--the minimum amount of light needed for the camera to pick up an image. The camera with a great night vision has a lux rating close to zero. For example, a surveillance dome camera with a lux rating of .001 is has better night vision than a camera with a lux rating of .01.

Another feature to look for is the IR range. An IR range is the maximum distance a camera with night vision can clearly capture an object in the dark. Security cameras night vision range is usually dependent on the amount of IR light it can sense and is also affected by weather conditions. An infrared outdoor camera with an IR range of 100 feet is better than a camera with an IR range of just 50 feet.

Whether you need a night vision feature in your camera or not solely rely on why you’re installing a security camera. An understanding of night vision and its importance in security cameras will help you consider this feature when making a camera purchase.