recommend a good IR illuminator

[wozzzzza 0]

im in the middle of working out a cctv system for my house, so youll see m around here a bit looking for info and asking stuff.

i have some day/night cameras now, i need an IR illuminator but dont know what sort.

i am looking at one, but cant post a link, if you google "allthings Cat Code: IR-ILLUM $99" it is number one. take a look and tell me if you think it is any good or if you know of a better one let me know. i need about a 60degree angle and atleast 30m range.

also, whats the difference between 850nm and 940nm? will either work or not?

[cglaeser 0]

RayMax makes excellent IR illuminators. They also cost more than the cheapo brands.

 

also, whats the difference between 850nm and 940nm? will either work or not?

 

940 nm is further from the visible spectrum and are more difficult to see the source at night. 850 nm are closer to the visible spectrum, and it's much easier to see a red glow in darkness. However, the sensitivity of security cameras generally falls off from 850 nm to 940 nm too. So, if the camera sensor has half the sensitivity at 940 nm, then you will need twice the IR power at 940 nm to get the same image as 840 nm.

 

Check with the camera manufacturer to determine the IR sensitivity. 940 nm is often called covert, which means you can't see the IR source.

 

Best,

Christopher

[wozzzzza 0]

ok, found that my camera needs 800nm+, so if i had 2 lights, one at 850nm, the other at 940nm, the image would be better at 840nm? that right?

[cglaeser 0]

ok, found that my camera needs 800nm+, so if i had 2 lights, one at 850nm, the other at 940nm, the image would be better at 840nm? that right?

 

Probably. The better camera manufacturers can tell you the difference in sensitivity at each wavelength.

 

Best,

Christopher

[Sawbones 0]

ok, found that my camera needs 800nm+, so if i had 2 lights, one at 850nm, the other at 940nm, the image would be better at 840nm? that right?

 

You need to know the spectral response curve for your particular camera. Without it, you won't know whether the 940nm will be viable, or a complete waste of money.

 

Most standard cameras drop off very quickly as you get deeper into the IR spectrum. Near-IR is really ideal for most CCTV cameras, with 940nm being on the tail end of the graph... so you have to use a LOT of 940nm light to make up for the decreased sensitivity. This translates into big $$$$, particularly since the truly "covert" 940nm illuminators come with a very non-covert price tag.

 

Just use the 840-880 stuff. You'll get better performance for less money, and you'll have a great deal more gear to choose from.

[wozzzzza 0]

about 10 years ago i got an IR camera, little one, for $89 and a 80LED IR light for it. it wasnt very good when i had it setup, it was only good for about 5 metres in the dark. I came to the conclusion the IR illiminator was a pile of crap.

I have now setup a cctv system in my new house with a box camera, good quality not these piddly $89 crap like i did before and tonight i thought i would just try to see how good this old 80LED IR light did with a good camera so i dug it up out of the shed. i hooked it up to a battery and it blew my mind, it was like i turned on a huge double 150W spot light. I couldnt see anything but the camera sure could, like day light again. Tell ya what i will defiantely be hooking that up as a permanent thing a bit later on.

[ak357 0]

im in the middle of working out a cctv system for my house, so youll see m around here a bit looking for info and asking stuff.

i have some day/night cameras now, i need an IR illuminator but dont know what sort.

i am looking at one, but cant post a link, if you google "allthings Cat Code: IR-ILLUM $99" it is number one. take a look and tell me if you think it is any good or if you know of a better one let me know. i need about a 60degree angle and atleast 30m range.

also, whats the difference between 850nm and 940nm? will either work or not?

 

Just for reference