Night Vision in Car

**NiteMax Mark** · 03-14-2006, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by amthar

Couple of things.

1. I've seen some "Auto-Iris" f1.2 lenses on ebay. Can anyone expand on what "Auto-Iris" is, and if it's worth it? I found that it is some sort of ability for the lens to close a cover of some sort to adjust how much light comes in...

2. I'm looking into f1.2 lenses as they seem to be the best for the nitemax and night vision setups in general. Does anyone know what focal length would be optimal as well?

3. Do I need to create some sort of "visible light" filter for the nitemax so that my headlights and other headlights do not "blind" the camera?

(1) Many cameras need to limit the amount of light entering the CCD. An Iris inside a lens physically makes the lens aperature (opening) smaller to limit the amount of light coming in. A lens with "Auto Iris" will use a signal from the CCD Camera to decide when, and how much, to open or close. (The camera determines how much light it wants to see.)

For night-vision, the whole idea is getting a usable image using a minimum amount of light. For this reason, you wouldn't want any iris at all. In fact, the bigger the lens opening (aperature) the better it will work.

As far as the NiteMax goes, the CCD Camera inside already does electronic brightness compensation which is very much like an auto aperature. I am sure that this internal adjustment has its limits, but it works extremely well without any real need for an auto iris on the lens.

When selecting a lens, you have no use for an iris at all because it will make the lens more expensive. An auto-iris is even more expensive than a manual iris. No-iris is the best choice.

(2) The f-number of a lens will describe how big the lens opening is relative to it's focal length. The bottom line is this: a lower number will let in more light and will work better at night. F:0.9 is awsome, f:1.2 is great, f:1.6 is acceptable and f:2.0 is not so hot. (Closing an iris has the same effect as increasing the f-number!)

The focal-length is best thought of as "viewing angle." A smaller focal-length will view a wider area. A larger focal-length will provide more magnification. There are charts you can find that will translate the focal-length into real-world information to predict how much area you'll be able to see. Maybe someone can post one here for everyone to see...

(3) You might be able to use a visible-light filter, but I am not sure it'll do everything you expect. On-coming headlights may temporarily screw up the picture from the camera but it won't damage anything. In-fact, there's a good chance that the on-coming headlights are putting out a good amount of IR already -- the filter won't help. In any case, the CCD Camera will adjust to give you the best picture it can under any lighting conditions.

I hope this helps...

**shotgunefx** · 03-14-2006, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by NiteMax Mark

...There are charts you can find that will translate the focal-length into real-world information to predict how much area you'll be able to see. Maybe someone can post one here for everyone to see...

Hi Mark,
There is one here, but it's buried on page 3

http://www.eyespyvideo.com/pdfdownloads/lenschart.pdf

(I still need to order those lcds off you btw, I'll shoot you an email later)

If someone wants to take the initiative, a new closed thread with a small faq and some technical diagrams might be a good way to trim this unweildy thread.

**NiteMax Mark** · 03-15-2006, 12:51 AM

The Official NiteMax Thread has been started here...

I am hoping that all this thread will revert back to the original purpose of general night-vision discussion.

**Genesisfactor** · 03-15-2006, 02:35 AM

Originally Posted by amthar

He told me to look at the videos and pictures, but none of them are up. He posted in another thread just today that he has been "lazy" about getting the videos and additional pictures up. I'm all for reading and doing research, but this thread is a cluster f*** and the "review" is barely extremely incomplete and does not address any of the questions I asked. Unless there is another review someplace other that in the "Review" forum... in which case I have been unable to find it by doing a search under GenesisFactor's username and the keyword "review".

Dude, i can email you the vids no problem, but i have three PMed requests for vids and i can't recall your name among them. Lazy is my nice way of sayibng in in too god damn much pain and too hopped up on narcs right now with 6 people asking me to do stuff when all i want to do is sleep

. Besides, other people have pics up, i just haven't linked them nor wll i take another person's stuff and claim it for my own. I've invited many people to add to the review. But fine, i took this gauntlet, and you have a point, i should see it through. I'l have a few more pics up by morning, one of the mightmax outputting to a televsion, and two shots of it in action- if i don't pass out like i did for the entire weekend practically to present. Vids, i'll email directly to you, but they;re short and unfortunately burry. My new (preowned) camera is shipping out tomorrow or the day after and better videos are on the horizion. I'm sorry if you can't wait that long.

Good deal on the nitemax thread. Hopefully this structure things a bit more...

**NiteMax Mark** · 03-16-2006, 01:33 PM

Check out this NiteMax on steroids! This is funny...

The Six Million Dollar NiteMax on eBay. Bigger, faster, stronger...

**MisterSpy** · 03-22-2006, 12:50 AM

I just upgraded my rear cam from a little cheap dinky 6mm cam that didn't have nightvision or anything...to an infrared 2.8mm 1/3ccd cam F:2.0 that I got from an eBay store. Now I can actually see stuff on my cam at night, whereas the old cam the was horrible and basically pitch black at night.

I don't really know why F:2.0 is considered bad. Compared to the last camera I had, this camera does a great job at night. In pitch blacks streets I can still see about 15 feet behind me, enough for me to not worry about backing into something directly behind the car. When I'm driving on the highway/lit up streets at night, I can see great.

There's always room for improvement. I'd prefer a 150 viewing angle over the 120 or so that this has, plus the ability to zoom in and out (to spot police cars LOL) but at 80 bucks I think it does a fine job.

**shotgunefx** · 03-22-2006, 03:11 AM

Originally Posted by NiteMax Mark

Check out this NiteMax on steroids! This is funny...

The Six Million Dollar NiteMax on eBay. Bigger, faster, stronger...

Wow, that's insane.

Question for you Mark, for using the board camera by itself, regulated 12v for the input ok?

I tried that out today (12v to red, yellow to rca tip and ground to black and rca barrel) and it worked fine. Just want to make sure I'm not going to damage it.

**NiteMax Mark** · 03-22-2006, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by shotgunefx

Question for you Mark, for using the board camera by itself, regulated 12v for the input ok?

I tried that out today (12v to red, yellow to rca tip and ground to black and rca barrel) and it worked fine. Just want to make sure I'm not going to damage it.

Perfect -- that's exactly how the NiteMax is wired up internally.

**shotgunefx** · 03-22-2006, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by NiteMax Mark

Perfect -- that's exactly how the NiteMax is wired up internally.

Thanks. I figured as much, just wasn't sure on the common grounding betweem the camera board and the RCA barrel. Figured it was the right way as it didn't work without it.

**quantum** · 03-22-2006, 10:53 PM

So, then, if I understand this properly, and i think I do...

There is no need for the NiteMax body at all if I am running direct from the CCD board to the 5" LCD, right?

Off the CCD board, I just run 12v to the red, yellow(white) to the RCA tip, and the black to ground and the RCA ground, yes? Then just plug it into the LCD with an RCA cable. Is that it?

Update on my project (spring is coming!). Mark helped me mirror a color CCD board (the only one you can as I understand) and I hooked it up last night. Basically, I got a perfectly reflected 5" (color-ish) image on the inside of the windshield, and the LCD screen sat flat in the speaker well on the dash. It was a true usable HUD with little to no glare back in my face. The image can be lowered or raised on the windshield just by angling the monitor a few degrees. It was the coolest thing, and I had no filters or tints on the glass at all. I preferred it as low as possible, about 4" up from the dash top.

Eat your heart out you factory Cadillac Night Vision peoples, you got thermal Black and White, but I got Sepia!

Mark, on the mirror boards, that jumper wire just flaps in the breeze, or does it get hooked up to anything?