recommendations for camcorder w/ nightvision

Does anyone care to make a recommendation for a camcorder with nightvision capability? I am interested in buying one, and I can finds tons of reviews online, but wanted to get some input from people who have hands-on experience first.

Specifically, I'm wondering how well 'Nightshot' or the like would work recording images of a moonless night sky.

I have a JVC Digital Vid Camera, that has "night vision" I don't like it. It's to streaky . Of course mine is not top of the line, I'm sure there are others out there that have better "nightvision"
JVC no longer makes it..but here is a link to one.

www.all-value-shop.com...

Thanks, NetStorm. That is exactly the kind of thing I'd like to know.
I've found some good deals on a Sony DCR-TRV260, with "NightShot Plus," which is supposed to have one of the most natural looking low-light images.

I've got a Sony DCR-IP55 MicroMV camcorder. It has a decent nightshot function, which combined with the Color Slow Shutter provides tolerable pictures in low lighting situations.

It's not top of the line, in terms of resolution (1.1MP I think), but I love the small package it comes in. The build in IR emitter won't do much good in ranges exceeding a few feet, but I guess with the slow shutter function you would be able to capture those elusive aerial phenomena.

Rather than UFOs (which I would not object to capturing on tape!) I am going to try and record some meteor showers and Iridium flares*.
* www.heavens-above.com...

One of these days I'll have enough material to put up an interesting personal website. Thanks for the help

Originally posted by operatoreleven
I've got a Sony DCR-IP55 MicroMV camcorder. It has a decent nightshot function, which combined with the Color Slow Shutter provides tolerable pictures in low lighting situations.

It's not top of the line, in terms of resolution (1.1MP I think), but I love the small package it comes in. The build in IR emitter won't do much good in ranges exceeding a few feet, but I guess with the slow shutter function you would be able to capture those elusive aerial phenomena.

Taping undeveloped color film over a flashlight provides a pretty decent Infrared light source, the more powerful the flashlight the better. Of course you would need medium format, or sheet film for a large flashlight.

A friend of mine has a consumer-level sony DV camera.

it has sony's "NightShot� Plus Infrared System"

It gives excellent vision 100 feet away in total darkness like you see in nature documentaries. I wish my DV camera had a night shot this good. I have a panasonic NV-GS50* and the "night-vision" really sucks on it, it gives one frame per second-stuttery vision of slightly amplified light.

*damn, while leaning over to see what model my camera is, I knocked over and smashed my best glass bong



[Edited on 16-2-2004 by Zzub]

*damn, while leaning over to see what model my camera is, I knocked over and smashed my best glass bong

[Edited on 16-2-2004 by Zzub]
Ouch! My wife says to tell you that she feels your pain. She misses being a stoner.

I found that Sony DCR-TRV260 for $275, a steal IMO, so I am going to buy it and see for myself. It has the NightshotPlus which sounds pretty cool.

[Edited on 16-2-2004 by Spectre]

Don't spend your all your money on the camcorder at this point. Get experience first. I would suggest getting the Canon ZR960. It is a mini camcorder which will allow you to easily upload and edit your video on MovieMaker (PC) or iMovie on Apple. The ZR960 also allows you to use an external microphone, one of the few at that price that do.

Originally posted by Spectre
Rather than UFOs (which I would not object to capturing on tape!) I am going to try and record some meteor showers and Iridium flares*.

I can't advise you on what specific DVR to get, but I can give you some general tips and pointers, since I have been involved with meteors, and been trying to photograph them for almost one and a half decades.

Firstly, meteors are not easy to capture on camera. Most are dim and are not easily captured on camera, I use multiple DSLRs with mostly wide angle lenses to increase my chances of catching a bright one during a meteor shower peak. Even so, I rarely catch bright (fireball class) meteors, and most resemble hair-line scratches on a photograph.

It's not that there aren't any bright meteors - usually there are at least a few, but the cameras never seem to be pointed in the right direction to catch them.

Even with medium-wide lenses on the DSLRs, they won't cover the majority of the sky's total area (unless you have lots of them). It is possible to cover the entire sky with just one camera/lens, but wider lenses are usually slow compared to less wide lenses, and you will only catch very bright meteors with them.

On top of that, unless the meteor is very long, it will only cover a very small part of your frame/the sensor, and look unimpressive, compared to a meteor that stretches across the frame.

So you will probably be faced with a choice - either go with a wide but slow camera system, and hope for bright long meteors, or buy a more light sensitive ("fast") camera system that has a narrower field of view, which will still catch bright meteors, but it will also catch fainter meteors, and you won't need a super long one to be reasonably close to filling the frame. Obviously, if your camera's FOV is narrow, fewer meteors will pass through the frame, than a system with a wider FOV, which has to be weighed up against the sensitivity of the system.

There used to be software available called "Meteor Capture Calculator" that would calculate the relative efficiency of your camera system at catching meteors, if you know the size of the sensor (you will also need to calculate the area of sky the frame covers), but I can't find any links to download it at this time. U2U me if you want a copy (It's freeware) and cant find it.

I personally like the cameras the ITALIAN METEOR and TLE NETWORK uses, although I'm not sure what they are. Here's downloadable .avi format example It'll give you an idea what the high end meteor capture systems are like.

Keep in mind that running a camera outdoors all night can present problems, such as the lens dewing up, and the batteries run out quickly, especially on a cold night. It's possible to buy flexible heaters that wrap around the lens using velcro that will overcome this problem, but if you don't want to spend much there are alternatives, like taping "chemical hand warmers" underneath the lens, or using a small hair-dryer.

In terms of power, you may find that you need a portable power source to last a whole night. Rater than buying spare batteries for the camera, it's usually better to power from an AC adapter (if one is available for your camera) connected to a 12 V power-pack or ideally a "deep cycle" battery via a DC>AC inverter (watch out, some inverters may cause problems with the picture), if you think it's something you will be doing a lot in the future. There are lots of options available, but not all batteries are designed to take the punishment of being drained near to empty, as the deep cycle batteries will over time.

Don't forget to budget for a tripod as well.

Here is a video that can teach you how to make an infrared camera with the one you have.

I hope this helps

Light is Everything. Make your own X-Ray Camera



It starts at 1:53

I posted it a few years back.

Peace, NRE.

You and I are in the same boat. I've been looking also and the only hd camcorder I found is made by Sony. Now it is what type I want the 8mm, miniDV, DV, or hard drive. I might go with the 8mm because I still have some tapes from my old camcorder and might upgrade later to the DV when the price drops. I hope this helps and let me know what you find out.