infrared sensitivity?

N

numbersix

New member
Hi,

this is my first post here at DVXuser, but I've been reading for a couple of months now.
After selling my old Canon XL1s guess what Camcorder I bought last week? The new DVX100AE!

Has anyone of you ever noticed the DVX captures infrared light?
I've pointed the remote control at the lens and when pressing a button the LED turns bright red.
Never noticed this on the XL1s...

So does this mean you can record in complete darkness with the dvx when unsing infrared spotlights to illuminate the scene?
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

Wow. Thats interesting. Perhaps its the signal its picking up. I doubt (although not sure) it will pick up infrared lighting like the military uses though.

Thats weird.

Doesnt Home Depot sell Infrared lighting for secuirty stuff?
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

[quote author=numbersix link=board=Links;num=1077558468;start=0#0 date=02/23/04 at 09:47:48]So does this mean you can record in complete darkness with the dvx when unsing infrared spotlights to illuminate the scene?  [/quote]
Nope. I just tried it with my infrared light from my Sony HandyCam. In pitch blackness, the DVX recorded... pitch blackness.

The light isn't overly strong, but it can illuminate enough for the Sony to be able to see 100' away. But the DVX saw nothing at all. I held the light directly up against a white object (about 1" away) and put the DVX right up next to it to shoot it as close as possible (also about 1" away) and all I could see was the red reflection of the light on the white object.

So, I guess if you got some unbelievably powerful super-mega-huge infrared lights, you could maybe record a scene, but it'd be all red.
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

Hmmm...
The remote's LED might not be strong enough for illuminating objects...

A short clip showing the infrared LED flashing: (331KB)http://www.vfx.de/ablage/infrared.wmv

These LED-Cluster-Lamps for security purposes?
cluster.jpg
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

the issue isnt whether or not the ccd sees the infered info, im sure it does,, the issue is that the circutry behind it is designed to ignore it..  the cams with night vision switch off the proccessing for the normal viewable spectrum, and switch to a througput for the IR spectrum.  you cant show it all at once, or your images look weird.  i would assume the dvx has no circutry to process the IR spectrum the ccd picks up, since it has no "night shot " mode.. instead its hardwired to just cut it out of the picture(does a bypass on it)

most remote leds (or any other IR emmiting light)are visibley(to the human eye) a bright red when activated.. even alot of heat lamps using infra red are reddish in appearance(thnk of a baby chicken egg incubator)
thats because the led also gives off some light down in the spectrum visible to the human eye
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

You would need a phenomenally powerful IR source. Like I said, I've got a Nightshot light for my Nightshot-capable camera that will illuminate objects 100 feet away. The DVX sees it as a little red light.

If you did get a 5000-watt IR light, you could probably light something up that the DVX would see. However, it would see it as entirely red.

In other words, nice idea, but it's probably a fruitless exercise. It isn't going to work.
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

yeah.. the dvx will only show you a little red light no matter how strong the scource, even though it truly sees more. its only going to show you the small amount of light that is within the visible spectrum allowed by its circutry. if it had a pass to swith to night shot mode, youve probably noticed that the IR scource doesnt have to be that strong, because it is such a short wavelength, it can cut through a long distance of atmosphere with little trouble (similar to how a short wave radio can go such a long long long way.. just not quite htat short of wavelength)
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

And I thought the "Night Shot feature" on Sonycams only boosts the GAIN, do somes digital sharpness processing and converts to monocrome ???

My plan was mounting some IR-Clusters on my DVX for a music video. You know, like the one from Bjork...

But a headlight on the DVX with some image processing in post will produce a similar look, I think.
 
Re: infrared sensitivity?

it could possibly be that way.. not every cameras "night shot" mode is required to run the same way.. some cams have "supergain" and other gimmicky stuff to degrade your consumer image, but the IR illumination works as described.. for the most part every ccd has the capability to see into the IR spectrum, and has to have some circuitry to limit that fromhapening so that the exposure is normal. they just switch the gates for the IR modes.and allow ir frequncy info to pass throug, and shut off the rest . whil sending out Ir to bounce back.
 
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