Night vision hidden camera

Night vision hidden camera

Hidden Camera manufacturers love low lux ratings, but consumers may be left in the dark. You've seen the claims: "Night vision" or "Outstanding reproduction in low light conditions." Night vision Hidden Cameras with low-lux ratings are the norm, and manufacturers seem intent on seeing just how low they can go. Claims of 2 lux, 1 lux, 0.75 lux and even 0.1 Lux are not uncommon.

What do these ratings really mean? What is a lux, and just how many do you need?

Simply stated, the lux is the metric unit for measuring the amount of light that falls on an object, and is the European equivalent of the British foot-candle (or lumen). Specifically, 1 lux equals the amount of light that falls on a one-square-meter surface that is one meter away from a single candle. 10 lux equals the amount of light produced by 10 candles one meter away. A hidden camera with a 1-lux rating claims to be able to produce an image by the light of one candle that is about three feet away from the subject. Many cameras on the market today can do just that. The problem is that the resulting image may be of very poor quality. When a manufacturer slaps a 1-lux rating on the side of its camera, it is giving a subjective opinion of what is an acceptable image. While the ratings are more uniform, objective and scientific than they have been in the past, what a given manufacturer considers "acceptable" is probably not up to the standards of the quality-conscious video grapher. A grainy, monochrome form is probably not what you had in mind when you purchased your night vision "low light" hidden camera. Also, since "acceptable image" is a subjective term, lux ratings will vary from one manufacturer to another. Brand X's 2-lux camera may produce a noticeably better image than a competitor's camera also rated at 2 lux. There's no way to know without testing them both.

This is changing. The Electronic Industries Association (EIA) has created a new standard (EIA-639) that has wide industry support. This should remove the subjectivity from lux ratings and indeed many companies are already using the new EIA-639 standard. We are crossing our fingers that they will also start writing "EIA-639 Lux rating" on their boxes so we'll know what to look for. Espymall.com has been manufacturing hidden cameras and surveillance cameras for years in Los Angeles, California, They offer night vision hidden cameras with only 0.1 Lux, which produce very sharp image when there is only moon lights. As most crimes and special situations happened during the night, it's vital to purchase a night vision hidden camera and monitor and record everything possible.

Spy Camera, Hidden Camera