Secret simple Night Vision
Finally done!
It is a public secret that all our cameras are actually night vision cameras, with a caveat. Digital camera sensors are much more sensitive than needed for normal photography. That’s why all consumer cameras, be it DSLR or smartphone cameras, have filters on them to limit their sensitivity to visible light.
Most if not all security cameras have that filter removed enabling them to see in the dark with help from InfraRed LED spotlight.
CMOS sensors are, in general, more sensitive to IR wavelengths than CCD sensors. This results from their increased active area depth. The penetration depth of a photon depends on its frequency, so deeper depths for a given active area thickness produce fewer photoelectrons and decrease quantum efficiency.
Some cameras have that filter as a separate lens element and can be easily removed but some have that filter as a coating on the main lens making it impossible to modify without destroying or replacing the lens with one without the filter.
Files for 3D printing handheld enclosure for the camera can be found on GrabCAD.
All 12V power wires (camera, and monitor + optional IR spotlight) were collected into one and are powered off car lighter.
