I'm looking for a cheapish (under £100) B&W CCTV camera (with composite
output) to monitor a field on moonlit nights. I'm not looking for
image-intensifier brightness, just the ability to distinguish vague
shapes, and to see anyone sneaking around with a torch.

Ten years ago, it was possible to buy a CCD-based Philips Toucam Pro
webcam that could do this, but all cheap "night vision" composite-output
cameras now seem to rely on IR LEDs, which won't work with a large field.

I've got a B&W CCTV bullet camera which claims a sensitivity of
0.005lux, but in reality it can't see much.

Any recommendations?

On Mar 5, 7:13 pm, RustyCrampon wrote:
I'm looking for a cheapish (under £100) B&W CCTV camera (with composite
output) to monitor a field on moonlit nights. I'm not looking for
image-intensifier brightness, just the ability to distinguish vague
shapes, and to see anyone sneaking around with a torch.

Ten years ago, it was possible to buy a CCD-based Philips Toucam Pro
webcam that could do this, but all cheap "night vision" composite-output
cameras now seem to rely on IR LEDs, which won't work with a large field.

I've got a B&W CCTV bullet camera which claims a sensitivity of
0.005lux, but in reality it can't see much.

Any recommendations?

not sure abt composite butg google "nite devil"

Jim K

RustyCrampon wrote:

I'm looking for a cheapish (under £100) B&W CCTV camera (with composite
output) to monitor a field on moonlit nights.
I've got a B&W CCTV bullet camera which claims a sensitivity of
0.005lux, but in reality it can't see much.

The Sony EXview-HAD sensors are quite good (colour during daylight, B/W
at night) it could see in "total" darkness indoors let alone moonlight,
but if you're disappointed by 0.005 lux dedicated B/W cameras, they may
not suit as they seem to be 0.01 lux in B/W mode

In message ,
RustyCrampon wrote

I've got a B&W CCTV bullet camera which claims a sensitivity of
0.005lux, but in reality it can't see much.

Is that the camera body spec or the combined lens plus camera spec? Does
the camera need a f0.7 lens to achieve the low light performance. The
lens supplied, as standard, may be the cheapest compromise specification
and unsuited for low light performance.

Can you easily see someone in the field in full daylight or does the
camera resolution and lens field of view limit the intruder detection
ability.

0.002 lux is equivalent to a clear moonlight night - see the table on
Wiki at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lux.

In the past I haven't found to many visible cameras with a night-time
performance specified better than 0.002/0.005 lux. When in this night
time mode they probably don't have the "headline" detector resolution
and require a more expensive lens.
--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 05/03/2012 19:13, RustyCrampon wrote:
I'm looking for a cheapish (under £100) B&W CCTV camera (with composite
output) to monitor a field on moonlit nights. I'm not looking for
image-intensifier brightness, just the ability to distinguish vague
shapes, and to see anyone sneaking around with a torch.

Ten years ago, it was possible to buy a CCD-based Philips Toucam Pro
webcam that could do this, but all cheap "night vision" composite-output
cameras now seem to rely on IR LEDs, which won't work with a large field.

I've got a B&W CCTV bullet camera which claims a sensitivity of
0.005lux, but in reality it can't see much.

Any recommendations?

You might be better off with a webcam taking time exposures. Look for
one of the models popular with the amateur astronomy folk. Morgan were
selling off one very serviceable model until fairly recently.

You might need a little bit of soldering to tweak it...

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

The thing is, are you really sure that these cameras actually worked, as if
there is no light, there is no light. I'm sure some of the more modern IR
illumination systems do go a fair way if you angle them correctly.
Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Jim K" wrote in message
...
On Mar 5, 7:13 pm, RustyCrampon wrote:
I'm looking for a cheapish (under £100) B&W CCTV camera (with composite
output) to monitor a field on moonlit nights. I'm not looking for
image-intensifier brightness, just the ability to distinguish vague
shapes, and to see anyone sneaking around with a torch.

Ten years ago, it was possible to buy a CCD-based Philips Toucam Pro
webcam that could do this, but all cheap "night vision" composite-output
cameras now seem to rely on IR LEDs, which won't work with a large field.

I've got a B&W CCTV bullet camera which claims a sensitivity of
0.005lux, but in reality it can't see much.

Any recommendations?

not sure abt composite butg google "nite devil"

Jim K

I just wonder how he knows that burglars will only try to get in on moonlit
nights though. OK they acn use torches, buut there are now folk using infra
red glasses for nasty activities in the dark, so one would imagine the
light from those will show up as well?

Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Andy Burns" wrote in message
o.uk...
RustyCrampon wrote:

I'm looking for a cheapish (under £100) B&W CCTV camera (with composite
output) to monitor a field on moonlit nights.
I've got a B&W CCTV bullet camera which claims a sensitivity of
0.005lux, but in reality it can't see much.

The Sony EXview-HAD sensors are quite good (colour during daylight, B/W at
night) it could see in "total" darkness indoors let alone moonlight, but
if you're disappointed by 0.005 lux dedicated B/W cameras, they may not
suit as they seem to be 0.01 lux in B/W mode

On 06/03/2012 09:19, Brian Gaff wrote:
The thing is, are you really sure that these cameras actually worked, as if
there is no light, there is no light. I'm sure some of the more modern IR
illumination systems do go a fair way if you angle them correctly.
Brian

He asked for something that would work on a moonlit night - that is
actually quite bright really. You might have to drop the frame rate to
go deeper but a fair number of camera sensors can see roughly what the
human eye does if you use a fast lens and appropriate timing.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 06/03/2012 09:31, Martin Brown wrote:
On 06/03/2012 09:19, Brian Gaff wrote:
The thing is, are you really sure that these cameras actually worked,
as if
there is no light, there is no light. I'm sure some of the more modern IR
illumination systems do go a fair way if you angle them correctly.
Brian

He asked for something that would work on a moonlit night - that is
actually quite bright really. You might have to drop the frame rate to
go deeper but a fair number of camera sensors can see roughly what the
human eye does if you use a fast lens and appropriate timing.

The following URL lists webcams popular with amateur astronomers.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/molyned/web-cameras.htm

Some may need modification to get high sensitivity and the Sony chips
seem to have the best tradeoff of sensitivity and low noise.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 09:21:44 -0000, "Brian Gaff"
wrote:

I just wonder how he knows that burglars will only try to get in on moonlit
nights though. OK they acn use torches, buut there are now folk using infra
red glasses for nasty activities in the dark, so one would imagine the
light from those will show up as well?

Perhaps his field is being used as meeting place for Witches,or more
likely Hare Coursing . The hounds chase by sight so a moonlit night is
ideal for the activity. The people who indulge in this are not usually
nice people you can have a discussion with. Around here the farmer has
had to barricade his gateways with large piles of concrete railway
sleepers to stop easy access by 4x4 pickups . Same sort of people who
go around nicking lead.

G.Harman