CNB VCM24VF External Infrared Illuminator question

[tmunroe 0]

What external infrared illuminator would work with cnb vcm24vf cameras

 

940nm or 850nm

Would I need to change any setttings on the camera when I install the illuminators

thanks

[Kawboy12R 0]

Both will work. I use a 940nm with good results. I don't know if I can say what you want to change in settings if it's set up the way you like it now. There's nothing really there to "enable" IR viewing besides the threshold to switch to B&W night mode. They tend to want to stay in colour (can't see IR) if there's any white light around. It's been a while since I looked at the menus/manual to offer other recommendations except to CNB to offer better explanations in the manual of what each option does and advice on adjusting them instead of just numbers.

[tmunroe 0]

thanks for the reply and info

any suggestions on reasonably priced ir's

[Kawboy12R 0]

Mine's a CMVision IR200 flood that I got from Amazon. Lots of light and for all I can tell completely invisible under my dark deck, although there's a streetlight with a big blue spruce blocking much of the direct light at the end of my driveway. It's a bit overkill for some applications though. Throw "940nm illuminator" into Google, Ebay, Amazon, Pricegrabber, or whatever and you'll get lots of hits. CMVision has the smaller IR100 and IR50 if you don't need to give your target a tan while you're taking their picture, plus there are tons of other makers and options that may well be worth the extra money over the CMVision cheapos.

[MaxIcon 0]

One thing to consider is that most cameras are less sensitive to 940nm than they are to 850nm, so you'll need more IR power to get the same illumination.

 

This can be tricky to figure, as there's no industry standard definition of IR power for these devices. Most specs call out the number of LEDs, and some include the actual power the LED consumes, but neither of these translates directly into the IR illuminance that the illuminator gives off.

 

The benefit of 940 is that it's much less visible, while 850 overlaps into the visible area more and gives off a red glow.

 

Here's a chart of the typical spectral response of a CCTV sensor. The details will vary from sensor to sensor, but the general response curve is similar for all of them.

 

From http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5973.asp: