Starlight CamerasFebruary 1 2018
Starlight Cameras
All you need to know - what it is, how it works and how to select the best.
Starlight cameras; the giant leap from traditional night vision. However, it’s normal to be confused after hours reading through the starlight Wiki and Google definitions for starlight. It’s also normal to suffer from an overload of information and come out empty from your search, still undecided about what a starlight IP camera is, how the security starlight camera works, what makes it miles away from the basic night vision and most importantly, which of them perfectly suits your needs and which you should go for?
In this article, we will be giving the most exhaustive insight into starlight cameras from our more than 15 years’ experience working in the industry.
Trust us; we know all the ins and outs of starlight cameras and we’ll be sharing them all with you.
Below are the topics we’ll be covering in this guide;
- What Are Starlight Cameras?
- Types of Starlight Camera.
- How Starlight Cameras Work.
- Pros & Cons.
- The recommended Top-Rated & Affordable Starlight Camera
What Are Starlight Cameras
Starlight cameras as the name suggests are cameras that can clearly see objects even with the weak illumination of starlight (normally above 0.01 Lux). This is done by using a specialized starlight standard sensor like the starlight sensor and Sony Starvis sensors.
The human eyes interpret illumination below 20 Lux as pitch darkness. With the starlight cameras, even at 0.01 Lux, you’ll get very clear and sharp images. This translates to being able to see in the ‘dark’!
Types of starlight cameras
There are many two types of starlight cameras available on the market, but these can be grouped into two categories with one really straightforward criterion. The two types of starlight camera are;
• Starlight cameras that record black and white images with extremely high clarity, and
• Starlight cameras that produce really clear color images just as your eyes would see under full sunlight.
The type of camera depends on the sensor that the starlight camera uses.
How Do Starlight Night Vision Cameras Work
The standard starlight sensor works just like the retina of the human eyes which is sensitive to ambient light; how much light the sensor receives determines the image quality.
It’s challenging for most security cameras to take clear high-quality images at night because it’s completely dark and their sensors are not designed to ‘see’ with just the “Starlight”.
Starlight camera technology makes use of highly sensitive sensors, wider aperture and goes a step further in its bid to obtain the best of images at night by reducing its shutter speed so it collects sufficient light for extremely clear images when all the human eyes and other conventional cameras would be pitch black.
A starlight camera would see right through the darkness; something that’s impossible for the human eyes.
Difference between Starlight Night Vision and IR
The main differences between these two types of cameras exist in the way they produce images, the image colors and night vision capability, and distance. I’ll just bump in here and say that the starlight cameras win in all rounds.
As we stated in the previous section, starlight cameras make the most out of the tiniest natural light and their specialized sensors to produce clear high-quality images. You also have the option of getting clear color images based on the sensor you go for and the light conditions.
The IR night vision, on the other hand, depends on the emitted infrared light to ‘see’ objects around them, this makes them have a vastly limited night vision distance. Also, unlike the starlight camera, IR light isn’t the natural light human eyes can catch and so ALL images will be black and white in this mode; there’s no option for a color image with an IR night vision camera.
There is another way of getting night vision apart from these two methods; this involves combining security lights with a regular camera.
This way, the light illuminates the scene making it easier for the security camera to monitor the lit-up area.
The IR night vision presently boasts of being popular among the security cameras which is solely down to its relatively low price. The starlight camera, however, is gaining more and more attention and has become the choice of the future as it offers all the IR night vision offers and much more incomparable advantages.
Starlight Cameras: Pros & Cons
If you’ve followed this article until now, you should know that the starlight camera offers much more than just an excellent night vision. Below are the pros of starlight cameras, what makes them stand out and what is gaining them great attention in the industry.
Pros of Starlight Cameras:
Starlight Security Cameras gives Greater Clarity
Like we mentioned, starlight cameras possess super-sensitive sensor and specialized lens to ensure the most exceptional night vision; ensuring full HD resolution and even surpasses the popular 1080p. What this means is you’ll never have to worry about possible IR reflection of a license plate, this is as starlight cameras provide crystal clear as day photography.
Starlight cameras use its own smart algorithm to better present the images and guarantee real high-quality night vision, whether black & white or color. Of course the issue of whether a film is black or color shouldn’t matter that much when this is used as a security camera. The reason is security cameras are used solely for collecting evidence of a crime and doesn’t matter whether this is done in color or not.
Starlight Cameras See Much Further
IR night vision cameras rely on IR light reflection to produce images, however, starlight cameras collect natural lights that come from other objects; the way our eyes work. This means that the starlight cameras “see” much further than the normal IR night vision cameras. The IR cameras see just the areas illuminated with IR or the area the security light shines on, starlight cameras, on the other hand, can see further, like the signboard across the street, people in faraway buildings, etc.
As with every technology, there does exist certain inconveniences you have to bear when you decide to go for starlight cameras. There are listed below
Cons of Starlight CCTV Cameras:
Starlight Cameras are Priced higher
It should be a surprise to absolutely no one that the high-tech starlight cameras which carry superior sensors cost more than the normal night vision cameras. The upside to this is that starlight security cameras would be more cost effective everything considered. Look at it from this angle, starlight cameras make use of natural light, and so are more durable than other types of night vision cameras. Another upside is the fact that you’ll end up saving the cost of electricity bills up to 12 hours of the day for IR or external light.
Most Starlight Cameras exhibit Light Trails Effect
Like we stated earlier, starlight cameras slow down its shutter speed to get enough light for night vision. This means a reduction in the number of pictures it takes each second; this results in blurry images of fast-moving objects.
Again, this issue can be avoided when you go for starlight cameras from the reputable brands, we personally recommend Veer24.
Top-Rated & Affordable Starlight IP Camera
We personally recommend the Veer24 as the best bet for clients looking to get a starlight camera. The Veer24 comes with Sony quality starlight sensor and provides the best night vision even under extremely low lux; both indoors and outdoors.
The Veer24 camera captures gives the best chance to see what is happening in low light conditions. A normal IR camera couldn’t do this.
Hopefully this information helped. Please email info@coderedsystems.net to see how Code Red Systems can upgrade your facility to starlight cameras.