February 5, 2008

See all with a Night Vision Security Camera



A great way to secure and monitor exterior building entrances and rural perimeters is a night vision security camera. Infrared Light provides detailed imagery in near darkness because it reacts very well to movement or living tissue, and like any other product, night vision cameras have different levels of quality so you must know how to choose a good camera.

How does a Night Vision Security Camera Work?

An object's atoms emit a low frequency infrared wavelength as a reaction to light which is similar to heat. Night vision cameras are very sensitive to these thermal-infrared emissions, amplify them and the measurement of the invisible wavelength is converted into an image on your monitor, and this is the thermal imaging. Thermal Imaging is great for detecting motion or people in near absolute darkness.

Image Enhancement or Image Intensification is another kind of night vision whose lens senses light at a higher frequency than thermal-infrared. The photocathode amplifies the light's photons after they are converted to electrons. To produce a strong visible image, the protons are converted back in into photons.

What do you need to know?

If you are considering a night vision security camera, you should look at the Lux Rating because it refers to the minimum illumination the image of a security camera can be picked up. The camera's performance in low-light or nighttime is better when the Lux Rating is closer to 0. If the illumination rating or Luxor is 0 means there is no light required for the security camera to see, it can see in total darkness.

Color cameras will automatically switch to green phosphor shades or black and white at night and switch back to color when the light level is adequate, and this switch is necessary to get the best performance in a low light situation. A high quality night vision security camera will give you a clear image in low-light situations or at night. The only compromise is color, video output of cameras with infrared image enhancement is sending in shades of green to your monitor.

Night Vision Security Camera Range

A security camera's range is limited by how much reflected IR light it can detect. In optimal conditions a night vision camera will view from a 30 meters distance to 300 meters and the range is also affected by weather conditions, but you can saturate an area with extra infrared illumination to increase your camera's range. Make sure your night vision security camera is the best because your peace and quiet depends on it.

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