Night vision: infrared, white light and colour at night

What buyers actually want at night

The goal at night is not a pretty picture. It is a picture where you can tell a person from a shadow, see what they are wearing, and ideally see a face. Different camera technologies get there in different ways, and each has weaknesses worth knowing before you buy.

Three approaches are common. They are described here in general terms, since exact performance varies by model.

Infrared (IR) night vision

An infrared camera has small LEDs around the lens that emit light the human eye cannot see. The camera sees that light reflected back and produces a black-and-white image.

Strengths

• Works in complete darkness.
• Discreet, because nobody can see the light.
• Widely available and generally the simplest option.

Weaknesses

• No colour, which makes clothing and vehicles harder to describe.
• Faces can look flat and washed out up close, because nearby surfaces reflect too much infrared.
• Range is limited, and anything beyond it fades into black.
• Reflective surfaces such as number plates, road signs and high-visibility clothing can bloom into white glare.

White-light (visible light) cameras

These cameras carry a visible LED that switches on when something is detected, or that stays on at a low level. The picture is then in colour because there is real light on the scene.

Strengths

• Colour footage once the light is on.
• A visible light can make someone aware they have been noticed, which some owners find useful.

Weaknesses

• The light attracts insects and can disturb neighbours or wildlife.
• It announces the camera's location.
• In some settings, a sudden light is not wanted, such as bedrooms facing the yard.

Colour at night

Some cameras use sensitive sensors and wide-aperture lenses to produce a colour image in very low light, sometimes with a small amount of supplementary light. The marketing names vary by manufacturer. Performance depends on the sensor, lens and how much ambient light is present, so results differ between models and between locations.

Strengths

• Colour without the full floodlight effect.
• Often better detail on faces than plain infrared in a lit area.

Weaknesses

• Needs some ambient light to work well. In a very dark yard the image may fall back to black and white.
• Colour images at night often show more noise or blur on moving subjects, because the camera slows its shutter to gather light.

Features and quality vary by camera, so check what a specific model does in real conditions, rather than relying on the label.

Comparing the three

Insects, spiders and reflections

The most common night complaint is a screen full of white streaks. Moths and midges are attracted to the warm infrared glow and to the camera body, and spiders spin webs across the lens because insects gather there. At night the infrared lights make every web strand and insect glow.

Reflections cause the other big problem. Infrared light bounces off nearby surfaces, and a camera mounted close to a wall, a soffit or an eave will light that surface brightly and darken everything else. The same applies to glass: an infrared camera behind a window usually records its own reflection.

Ways to reduce the problem:

• Mount the camera away from walls and eaves, so the lights do not bounce back.
• Keep the lens clean, and brush down webs regularly.
• Use a sunshade or mount design that keeps insects away from the lens.
• Place cameras outside glass, not behind it.
• Position the camera slightly away from a light that attracts insects.

Insect and web triggers can also cause false alerts if the system is using basic motion detection. Human and vehicle detection, available on compatible systems and varying by camera and recorder, can help filter some of these, but it does not remove the visual clutter itself.

Lighting is often the cheaper fix

Before replacing cameras, consider improving the light. Often the simplest way to get clearer night footage is to put light where the camera is looking.

• A well-aimed sensor light at a door gives the camera real illumination.
• Low-level, steady lighting along a path gives a camera a more even scene than a harsh floodlight.
• Moving a light off the camera's line of sight avoids lens flare.

A modest camera with good ambient light frequently outperforms a premium night camera in a dark spot. It is also less likely to depend on infrared and its drawbacks. Check also that new lights do not shine into a neighbour's property.

Choosing for your situation

• A front door with a porch light. Almost any approach works, and colour at night is likely to do well.
• A long dark driveway. Infrared range matters, and you may want separate lighting.
• A yard with trees. Insects and moving branches are the issue, so position the camera carefully.
• A shopfront with street lighting. Often good for colour, but check for backlight from the street. See where to place security cameras.

For help matching a camera type to a site, the pages for backyards and gates and warehouses describe typical conditions.

Limits

No night camera is guaranteed to give a clear face in every situation. Distance, movement and lighting all matter, and the pixel density needed for recognising faces is covered in camera resolution and lens choice. If you want a view on a specific spot, you can ask us about installation.

Frequently asked questions