How to Make a Night Vision Camera From a Regular Digital Camera (Infrared IR)

How to convert a digital camera into an infrared night vision camera. I needed a camera that could film in the darkness of night whilst doing astronomy, so I converted this old snappy to be able to see infrared light. It works a treat!

[@garychap8384]

Some additional tips for anyone trying this... Many of the cheaper or older cameras don't have a very good IR cut filter. A lot of them will show you the IR LEDs in the end of a TV remote control quite brightly... the brighter those TV Remote LEDs look, the better the camera will do. That's a quick'n'dirty way of comparing a couple of old cameras to see if they will work adequately without modification. Note that finding an IR filter that can be removed will give you a significantly brighter image... but removing it may not always be absolutely necessary, depending on your IR-lighting and requirements. Some cheap webcams have almost no IR filtering - probably because they are designed for indoor and use crappy unbranded sensors that don't have good coatings. These tend to swamp really badly if there is any sunlight in your scene... real bad for a webcam - but great for a night-vision camera. Basically, the more expensive a consumer camera was when new, the more likely it has decent optical filtering... so cheaper is often better if you want to capture UV or IR. Dismantling tips : I'd be very careful to avoid snapping the retaining clip in the miniature ribbon connectors as many connectors just won't work without them. They often rely on the pressure from the clip to hold the ribbon against the pins... without the clip they just don't connect. This applies to the ones designed to offer no insertion resistance. Some (most?) don't remove at all - they slide forward and then hinge upwards to release the cable - so be very gentle and let the connector show you what it wants to do : ) The jewelers set screwdrivers are not very magnetic, which can be a pain in the bum when dealing with tiny screws... You can fix this by taping a magnet to the shaft _(or, if you care to spend the time - by magnetising the shaft by stroking it repeatedly with a good strong rare-earth magnet like the ones from inside of broken hard drives)_ Lastly... The IR image isn't as bright and can be easily swamped by other lights. You can add an IR pass filter if you don't want your near-field IR image swamped by distant lights like streetlamps. The newer LED streetlamps almost entirely disappear leaving you with a lovely image - the older yellow sodium streetlamps put out a lot of IR, but even they become a lot less problematic with an IR pass filter. Just suggestions, I am by no means an expert. Have fun : )

[@rickvanman]

Some great tips there - thanks :)

[@TheCarDemotic]

I have a 14 year old camcorder. Battery works great. I noticed I could see IR light from it so I decided to see if this would work. That’s how I’m here. Now I just need a IR flashlight

[@Thinking-iu4hm]

@Philip Hastings I did this to a Lumix TZ10. I watched videos of cleaning the the lens. I memorized the structure inside and out and that is how I managed to succeed

[@Thinking-iu4hm]

@stephen john gray If your camera's shutter speed can be set to 1 do that and use the flash and you will be able to see even if it is pitch black. I did this with a Lumix TZ10 so I went into P on the dial, turned on power LCD. The ISO was at 80, and it was on incandescent mode. It was using +2 exposure and flash was on. This worked without the use of any LED Lights.

[@jonathanduldulao4087]

@stephen john gray otg it works on my phone

[@gilbertcuoco]

The screws holding the sensor are calibration screws as well. The spring you found is part of one of the calibration screws. The spring presses the sensor up. These calibration screws are used to align the sensor with the lens. Tip: record the height of all the corners of the sensor before undoing the screws.

[@paulgee4336]

I like watching your videos not only for the content, but because your voice is very calming and soothing.

[@barthoebergen4631]

He's the new Bob Ross haha

[@heleti0000]

Thanks for this, followed your tutorial and “converted” my old Nikon in less than 30 minutes. Now, with a cheap “evilBay” IR torch, I have been able to see in real-time, what animals are visiting our campsites on pitch-black moonless nights👍

[@menonepoviem9341]

How did it go in Night? Can you post a video?

[@hmhmurphy]

I have that exact camera in my bottom drawer! I can't wait to try this out. Thank you for sharing your hard work and the information you gained from it.

[@kalleklp7291]

Wow..! I'm amazed it actually is so easy to convert it into an IR camera. I would never have thought there is just this tiny filter thing in there. Thanks for sharing.

[@alexiulian2831]

This is a great video. I never imagined it's this simple to make a nigh vision camera. Great work, sir!

[@tonywedding5987]

Thanks for the DIY Rick. Followed you with interest on your camper van conversion videos and this was great also. Keep it up.

[@wb5rue]

You will also find that if you remove the IR filter from your SLR (if you use one for astrophotography) it will allow you to detect more of the H-alpha light since the pass-band of the IR filter overlaps the H-Alpha line. Most emission nebulae will be much brighter without the IR filter in place.

[@batsonelectronics]

IR cut filters don't usually kick in until 700nm. IR doesn't go thru the atmosphere very well. Put on a

[@terrybyford3605]

Great to see a sharp, well lit, video. and detailing all that is necessary to achieve a conversion. I've got a professionally converted full spectrum camera and being a Fuji X-M1 I wasn't prepared, or brave enough, to do this myself. But I do have an old Samsung point and shoot gathering dust and your video has made me think about giving it a try.

[@jimnyjolly278]

Very simple, well filmed and explained Rick!

[@mattcarolinesadventures1966]

That is superb. I'm scouring the house for an old camera now :-) Will give a new dimension to your videos too. Thanks for sharing Rick. All the best Matt

[@paulmaxwell8851]

I stumbled on this video by accident. Fascinating! I watched the entire thing. I had no idea an ordinary digital camera was capable of night vision.

[@starcat70]

Very interesting. Now I'm looking for an old camera to try this out on. haha! Thank you for sharing! :)

[@rominhawk3949]

Thank you "Rickvanman"; Great video topic and production. This is very helpful to know.

[@Mrbooboo1972]

Awesome video. Love the in depth Explanations and also the step by step instructions. Great job mate.

[@Denver_Risley]

VERY crafty, indeed! Thanks for sharing.

[@09mrdon]

Most amazing! Love your videos, Rick!

[@VREDFOX]

Running Microsoft isn't fun anymore

[@skunkhead2007]

so go for Linux

[@d0nnyr0n]

why?

[@sajadpda5228]

:)))))))))))))))))))) LOOOOL

[@windowstechsupport7429]

?

[@tychus7]

XD

[@timstowngarden2476]

Great video Rick and of course you can now take some really cool IR photos 👍😊📷

[@cyberpunk4622]

I have a old Olympus that I will be fashioned into a infrared camera. Thanks for sharing!

[@dell177]

You did a great job modifying that camera, with my hand tremors I could never do that. A few years ago I found a retired guy on ebay who lives a few towns over from me who buys refurbed point and shoot cameras and then removes the IR filter. I bought a Nikon L610 from him with the IR filter removed and have used it for some IR photography. I paid about $100 for it and it works very well for my uses.

[@WaterGirl49]

That was interesting; you're so inventive .. You did very well finding your way around that tiny camera.

[@kimb9539]

A great alternative to using or cameras that do not actually do the job very well. Thank you and I enjoyed the video.

[@ninatheambulancecamper]

Great job Rick, the results were great too. Next camp I'll bring my ir filter and you can see how cool photos look in the daytime. Everything looks white !

[@thetab0179]

Nina The Ambulance Camper Did you ever create a video for the results? I'm curious to see how it is in day as well as a distance for how for it can see at night.

[@GeekMustHave]

Very nice video, looks like I'm going to camera drawer and see if I can repeat it. Keep broadcasting!!

[@TheAyasan]

Ha! you are real handy there Rick now arn't you! I will also attempte to transforme my older camera as you did, I also need to be able to have infra red for night filming, thanks for thid great post and for shareing with us, stay blessed Dear =)

[@chrislee2874]

2 year old video and yet here I am watching it at 4:26am 😑

[@rjamil]

I’m watching it too just now. Lol.

[@alexcimitile]

Oh my God, it's 4:24am here

[@Q_QQ_Q]

3 year old

[@sjpiran]

You're so practical Rick. I'd never be brave enough to try something like that. Excellent video. Very useful. Thanks :)

[@Axesent77]

Nicely done! Will pull out my old IXUS tomorrow :D

[@the-nomad]

Going to try this with an old camera I have lying around..... :) Thanks for the vid!

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

Who would have guessed it was so easy! Brilliant video Thanks!

[@beaconmania]

This is a serious camera hack ; thank you for sharing your knowledge Sir.

[@JPinFuerteventura]

Really interesting video Rick. I will be hunting out an old camera now.

[@pino6061]

JP in Fuerteventura you will need few of them just in case 😂

[@hintzofcolorconcepts]

Pawn shops and garage sales are good sources of old electronics to hack

[@tinkmarshino]

good on ya! great show.. now I am gonna hunt up my old cameras... thanks mate!

[@nonames8335]

Thanks for teaching! Great video 👍

[@GrahamHoughton12]

The black ribbon cable clamp actually hinges up to allow you to release the cable. Breaking out the ribbon cable as you did will make the electrical contact very weak when you re-insert it. Take care they are very fragile.

[@tubedude54]

I would image he pressed the pieces back in to tighten it up... I hope!

[@Biffo1262]

They make a cheap and simple set of tools for such as flipping the ribbon cable hinge and to reinsert it. You can buy them on eBay for less than couple of quid. Without the tools you are at very high risk of damaging the connector.

[@WarthDader74]

What a great idea, that is very kind of you sir

[@mdrayhan534]

please give me a camera that you made address 12 18 road mirpur POLLABI DHAKA

[@mohamedjaishan8386]

yaa

[@JasonMasters]

Even with the IR filter in place, digital cameras can still "see" some infra-red light. This is a great way to confirm whether or not an IR remote is working, since you can just point it at a digital camera and operate it while looking at the camera's screen and if you can see a pulsating light, the remote is working. Interestingly, the light will often show up as blue or white rather than red. I presume this is because we can't see IR light and the camera just interprets it as a random visible colour because it's outside the range of colours which it's supposed to display.

[@ThoughtWave64]

Who would have thought they actually need to prevent night vision with a filter! Wow. Nice hack!

[@RickValasek]

Excellent way to "make" an IR camera...well done

[@deviatuspod48]

Great video... just tried it with a Canon PowerShot SD 790 IS and it was a similar build. The glue on the sensor screws was the toughest part, but worked out perfectly with your help. Thanks!

[@RynoRotorSports]

I'd like to thank you for creating this video. Pretty interesting what you created using an old digital camera. I am particularly looking for something with a range of at least 100 yards though si this certainly would not suffice but it is still pretty remarkable. A very good and comprehensive video for anyone who may be wanting to diy with some stuff they either may already have,or can pick up easily for under $100or quid! Thank you very much fine sir! Great video!! I sure do appreciate it!! I hope you are well and I hope to see more instructional videos from you & your channel as you executed the entire thing quite nicely! Very informative! 😊❤ thank you sir!!!

[@mars1952]

Brilliant! I have this exact camera languishing in a drawer.

[@shadowliving6858]

Excellent video. I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing.

[@whitefordpipeshandmadebymi7238]

Cool video! I had no idea it was so simple to do... thanks 😊 peace from Welland Ontario Canada 🇨🇦

[@GimmeADream]

This is an awesome tutorial video. Thank you so much for sharing it.

[@mrmactknife]

What a cool video. I never knew this was possbile. You've opened up a whole new avenue's worth of projects for me, thankyou ;)

[@CiderTalbot]

Love your vids dude never know what your going to come up with next :)

[@justme.9711]

Rick, you - ROCK! Thank you Sir.

[@ScientistPrepper]

Great video. Thanks for this tutorial - well explained!

[@paulsonap6]

Terrific video! I'm going to use this with my high school students in our just-developing library "makerspace" where students can come to tinker and create. (I'm the middle/high school librarian.) I've always been so impressed by how well you describe what you're doing. I hope there will be more videos like this!

[@RonPiggott]

It has been 5 years (and a pandemic). How is your makerspace going? I love tinkering. It brings me so much joy seeing what I create.

[@RonPiggott]

In fact I am making a spot welder with a donor microwave oven. It isn't particularly hard. I bet some of the students would enjoy this.

[@paulsonap6]

@@RonPiggott I retired in June 2020---I never got to develop the high school makerspace as I was reassigned to the elementary school. Now I'm a public librarian with plans for a makerspace of sorts for all ages!

[@RonPiggott]

@@paulsonap6 One of my friends in Milwaukee makes great use of this. I just think it is so important to bring dignity, respect and practical experience to the trades.

[@JamesCox]

Amazing what you can do to make things work how you want them!

[@amanbishnoi3579]

I have not seen a better video on this.cheers mate🎉

[@susanspiers1476]

You must have the patience of jobe to put all them fiddly bits back in!_well done!waiting to see the results now !

[@jasper4661]

I HAVE DONE THIS ALONG TIME AGO AND THIS REALLY WORKS, IT WORKS GREAT. 👍👍

[@user-jl4sv3nf1t]

That was just awesome! I have been looking for a way to have an IR camera on my drone. I will start looking for a mini IR emitter with a lot of power. THANKS!

[@AllanNorstrand]

I mite try this on my extra camera on my Drone. Thanks again for the info Rick.

[@HeiderSati]

Brilliant Video, thank you for your time to make it.

[@welshskies]

Hi ya Rick, I bought an old Canon and followed your instructions, now I too can see in the dark! Nick

[@exploreandunravel5773]

Great work , Rick ..

[@jettscream]

thanks rick, you have a interesting and enjoyable presenter skill and easy to follow, non gimmick intel. i subscribed and stopped to say thanks mate, geoff in norwich

[@tommylee2894]

Rick, I predict this is going to be one of your biggest viewed vids, you have ever posted. Cheers mate!

[@doplinger1]

That's amazing - Im going to have to try that. My problem is that I always seem to have parts left over (like your little spring) when I'm done!

[@ruaboutasize14]

I saw the spring fall out, and my butthole puckered a little. I can't count the amount of times I've been futzing with an call phone, camera, etc and have a tiny spring fall out and I say out loud "aw, sh*t.... where does THAT go!?"

[@wopalongcassidy]

Flippin genius ! Thank you.

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

Thanks Rick,I have some old cameras and would quite like to convert one of them, I had not tried before as all the camera books that I have read told me that it would have to be done by an expert and that once the camera had been converted it was impossible to convert back. After watching your video I now know that was a load of twaddle to get more money for the "Experts".I have been taking pictures for a long time now and I have always been of the opinion that camera makers try to make things as difficult as they can to stop "Amateurs" from putting them out of a job.

[@outbackeddie]

That was great. And by pure chance, I have an old Canon camera that looks almost exactly like the one you used. I guess I will have to give it a try and see what happens.

[@MatthewWilliamsFly]

Most cameras have the IR filter glued onto the sensor and if you go near them the sensor dies. Glad you managed to get it happening without bricking things.

[@highflowhighflow9896]

Great video, very well explaned with good audio which is not much found , i hope to try soon with a small camera i not use normally as my phone has so much better resolution. It hopefully can give it a second life. thanks m8

[@kimmididwhat]

That was Awesome!!! Thank you for a great vid!!! 😊😊😊

[@yemarican]

Thank you very much.. enjoyed every little detail of it.

[@lindarogers8994]

Great video, excellent presentation. I would be brilliant to convert an old camera for night pest control, instead of paying out on very expensive night vision equipment.👍

[@mattywollaston3996]

Awesome video thanks mate. You smart bugger this will be great to try and replicate myself. Cheers and good luck with your astronomy.

[@richardt.4224]

What a great video, thanks for that, I'm going to try it.

[@DickieBird888]

Thanks the the video Rick.. Well you learn something every day.. :-)

[@angelisone]

I had my SonyA7s II modified by ATG. My ATG Sony A7s II IRr now can shoot awesome HSS indoor sports/weddings where flashes are not allowed. Plus can see in total darkness for shooting stills and videos.

[@corruptsintax]

Pretty Kool! I might do this to a GoPro, for night time quad-copter flights! BTW: Love the black/white jacket. Hollaz!

[@MichaelJenkins910]

Awesome. I may do that with an older camera this evening.

[@mpccenturion]

Great show. Sony cams of yestur-year did not have the IR filter. They did have a very useful "Night Mode". Cheers

[@StringerNews1]

Yes, until someone started using the daylight IR mode to capture images of women that looked as if they were naked. Then suddenly it became illegal to sell them in the us at least. My post-ban camera has a near-useless "night mode" that's vestigial before they removed the switch entirely.

[@zaidhussain5206]

Really amazing , your hack is very informative , was very useful to me , I guess will try that on a free time , thank you so much & good luck

[@DFDuck55]

Older cameras and most cheap Chinese cameras don't have IR filters. Easiest way to tell if your camera isn't filtered and can see IR is look through the camera at the front of a TV remote and press some buttons on the remote. If you can see the red light flashing then your camera isn't filtered.

[@bosdad7]

Ahhhh, no. ALL camera's have an I/r Filter in them. some are over the cmos ( sensor ) and others are in the other side of the focal lens. but they ALL have them. if they didn't everything would look like it is covered in snow during the day. I repair and sell camera's for a living.

[@freedomlover8412]

Troll. Lying trolls. Keep Truth hidden

[@vizionthing]

It worth noting that the IR filters don't cut the IR 100% I have yet to see any camera that does, so the TV remote will always show up on any camera - with the IR filter removed its very much brighter

[@garychap8384]

+bos dad Actually, some of the cheaper chinese 'no-brand' webcams really have no filtering at all... as they use plain optics and cheap, noisy 'no-brand' cmos sensors. These crappy cameras swamp and saturate the moment any sunlight hits the scene. But I do agree, most cheap CMOS sensors (and almost all branded CMOS sensors) already have a conformal coating to protect the array - and most cameras will have adequate filtering. Of course, even these will still pass some IR - so whether they are appropriate _(even with their IR-cut filters intact)_ will depend entirely on the application, how near the subject is - and the amount of IR you can cast. In fact, I've not met many cameras that wouldn't be able to monitor the near-field, with a decent IR source. Even my relatively well filtered Lumix G2 consumer camera easily passes enough IR to be usable for near-field work. Obviously, if I needed a 15m throw, the IR output needed to overcome the filter would start to get ridiculous - and I'd need a camera with filters removed... but I'd also need near-darkness to avoid lights within the sensors pass-band from interfering. Whether filtered or not - I've found a decent IR pass filter can help if you're not in perfect darkness - because the IR image is weaker and things like streetlamps will cause the camera to lower its gain. I guess what I'm saying is, don't assume - just try. It may be adequate.

[@terrybyford3605]

Not quite true. If there was NO IR filter, the images would have a strong magenta cast, and the camera would be described more accurately as a "full spectrum" IR camera. The fact that the cameras you refer to take perfectly normal images is testament to the fact that they do have an IR filter. However, the degree to which digital cameras are still sensitive to some IR transmission , or totally suppress it, varies and some digital cameras don't filter IR light completely, even some fairly modern and expensive ones, and so what you are seeing is the little bit of IR radiation transmitted by the TV remote control that the IR filter hasn't fully suppressed. The advantage of this is if an IR filter, anything from a 680nm to, say, a 760nm, is placed over the lens, these cameras will display a true IR image. The downside is that the exposure will be very long because the sensor's sensitivity to IR radiation will be much reduced as there is so little IR actually getting to the sensor.

[@mccc4559]

OH WOW - THIS IS SO COOL - THANKS A LOT MAN!!! I LOVE THIS VIDEO AND YOUR CHANNEL SO MUCH. BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL!!!

[@rogerrabbit6522]

Brilliant, was just searching for how to film at night

[@_J.F_]

2:04 "take a visual look" as opposed to what other kind of looking I wonder?! Besides that how can you not love a video about 'tech' being made in a kitchen. Brilliant!

[@BuckBrothersProjects]

thanks for the video. My camera was way more difficult than the camera you had in this video, i had to Remove Solder in five spots and the Infrared filter was glued to the camera sensor. i thought there was a 90% chance that i had ruined my camera, but i put it back together and it worked!!!!! except that it was slightly out of focus and that my camera is already riley bad at recording at low light

[@ScudoCamper]

Bloody works a treat to. footage came out really well mate. :-)

[@paulthurston2883]

Thanks Rick. I'm going to mod one of my SJCAMS after watching this. Cheers mate.

[@paulthurston2883]

An update. I modded my SJCAM SJ5000 WiFi. Worked a treat. All I needed was an exacto knife & a pair of soft grip pliers. Pull the front plate off, (just unclips), then unscrew the lens with the soft jaw pliers and a piece of cloth. The iIR filter was glued to the rear of the lens. It just popped off with a little persuasion from the exacto. Screw the lens back in and clip the front plate back on. All good!

[@Nellyontheland]

Hey rick! Get yer'self a circular polorising filter for your recording device you used to shoot this vid! You can be rid of that pesky reflection on yer specks. Thanks for the vid too.

[@RVFreeDa]

Wow Fantastic! If I ever need brain surgery i'll look you up. That is cool about a simple way to make a night camera. I just happen to have an old camera but it scares me that I would never be able to put it back again. I commend you for just being able to do that.

[@garychap8384]

Hi RVFreeDa, Some old cameras (especially cheap ones) don't need to be taken apart - as they don't have a very good IR filter. So, you could try this ... Gather all the remote controls you have. Point them at the camera. When you press a button on the remote you might see the IR LEDs light up in the cameras viewfinder. They may look a little green, or a little purple... but the brighter they show up, the better the camera is at seeing Infra-Red. If you're lucky, they're nice and bright... and you might not need to modify the camera at all - particularly if it is an older model which was cheap when new - or even if it is a new (but cheapo) unbranded Chinese camera. I know you posted a year ago... but this might still be useful for someone else : )

[@myaccountishacked6417]

Hope he doesnt snap your ribbon cable clip while under anesthesia

[@gomadoe]

Great video ! Thank you.

[@quicktastic]

Glad it worked. I'm still wondering about that spring though.

[@TeamStephenson]

This video is excellent, I'm going to try it.

[@deborahhatswellbbr]

i shared this rick. many of the bigfoot researchers will like this handy tip.

[@tinkmarshino]

you have "big foot" in the UK?

[@tanilorn]

tinkmarshino no not here or anywhere. Big foot does not exist

[@Jannie303]

Thanks man, very useful video. I plan to use this technique to make some trail/wildlife cams. By the way, that 'bar' you removed to get the second ribbon cable out, you're not supposed to remove it. Just flip it up and it should release the cable. I guess you've probably worked that out by now given that I'm 2 years late.

[@mischef18]

Yep quite interesting thanks bro. All the best

[@juana1483]

Bloody good mate!!! Cheerio.

[@howardlee259]

Thanks for sharing this snippet, I never thought about that. taking the mod a little further, you could may be disable the lense motor and mount it in your scope instead of your eye piece. Just thinking aloud here, need free cameras!

[@williamvan909]

Wow thank you very much for the information I got a lot of old cameras.. I can put to use out standing video wow .

[@davidstorton910]

I must say firstly "I'm never ever going to do that", but I watched from the beginning to the end

[@StringerNews1]

^^^ What he said. I would end up with scrap for sure, but I see that there are places that will do the work on my old Nikon D70, and that works for me.

[@wendys390]

Thank you! That was amazing.

[@jerryfacts9749]

Very Interesting. The idea for the IR filter is to allow the image sensor to have true color spectrum as like the human eye can see. IR camera can see heat patterns behind some types of materials.