Low-light CCTV cameras without IR-LEDs ?

[RustyCrampon]

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?

[Andy Burns]

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

[Alan]

In message , RustyCrampon wrote

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 .

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.

[Martin Brown]

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...

[Brian Gaff]

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

[damduck-egg]

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