Sony are Phasing Out Infra-red Camcorders, what will Paranormal Groups Do?
UPDATE: Please see the comment titled “A Real Solution For Infrared Night Vision” below this article for a real solution around the problem of using modern camcorders in total darkness with infra-red. There is also a comment detailing a budget HD infra-red camcorder just above this comment.
Original Article:
It’s important that any respectable paranormal group has an infra-red night vision camcorder and for many years paranormal groups have been able to rely on Sony to provide Night Shot Plus or Super Night Shot Plus on all of it’s range of camcorders from budget models right through to very expensive professional models. The big problem is that for some reason Sony have recently at the time of writing decided to release a new range of camcorders and unfortunately NONE have infra-red night vision (Super Night Shot Plus or Night Shot Plus). After enquiring and investigating further, I have found out that Sony have phased out Super Night Shot Plus completely and this is terrible news for paranormal groups like Birmingham Investigators of the Unknown to which I’m a founder member. Although we currently have a night vision camcorder, replacing it in future will become increasingly difficult. I cannot find any other make or model of camcorder that has infra-red facilities within a reasonable household budget, but if anyone knows different, please let me know. Apparently the night vision technology is patented by Sony although I cannot confirm this 100%, if this is the case it’s makes it much harder for other manufacturers to fill the gap in the market and it’s questionable that this gap is big enough to even get the attention of other manufacturers.
So why have Sony withdrawn Super Night Shot Plus?
Well I can’t find any official information about this what-so-ever on the Sony website and for some reason they appear to have been very quiet about this. It wasn’t until my friend went to purchase a new Sony camcorder recently that we realised there was a problem getting IR night vision.
I can only guess the reason for it’s withdrawal, but I suspect it’s something to do with new Carl Zeiss 60x optical lenses which are on all the latest Sony camcorders at the time of writing that don’t have IR night vision. We also have an old Sony DCR 91E camcorder with only a 20x optical zoom, yet the IR night vision is amazing and stays in focus most of the time. We also have a more modern Sony DCR 110E camcorder with a 40x optical zoom, but there are problems with the IR night vision as it regularly goes out of focus. I suspect that Sony had loads of complaints from customers using the 40x Optical lenses with IR night vision and it’s likely that the new 60x lenses would have caused even more problems with night vision and because of this Sony decided to withdraw the feature. Sony have probably thought that more customers would want a greater zoom lens than IR night vision on their latest camcorders and that having a 60x optical zoom would be a greater selling point. It’s a terrible shame that Sony haven’t released at least one model of camcorder with Super Night Shot Plus that’s within a reasonable budget for paranormal investigating and other people who also need to film in pitch darkness (0 lux). A very powerful zoom lens isn’t so important to a paranormal group, but Infra-red night vision is absolutely critical.
What will paranormal groups do in future?
I’m hoping Sony will back down or another manufacturer will start producing IR Night Vision camcorders eventually, but unfortunately I doubt this will happen in the near future.
At first paranormal groups will be able to buy 2nd hand or refurbished Sony IR night vision camcorders quite easily. In the future however I suspect that the 2nd hand value of these camcorders will increase in value as they become fewer and far between. Eventually these camcorders will become very out of date with technology, but paranormal groups will be forced to hang onto them and get them repaired for as long as possible.
It is possible to convert existing camcorders to record infra-red using an IR filter and there’s already at least one company in the USA offering to convert non night vision camcorders for people at a cost which is at the time of writing rather expensive, but in the future hopefully the price will come down with more competition.
Paranormal groups can still use CCTV equipment as IR night vision will always be an integral feature of CCTV security surveillance.
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Comments:
Comment from admin
Time June 1, 2009 at 11:56 pm 
Apparently there was also complaints that under certain lighting conditions you could use the night shot facility to look through people’s clothing, I don’t know how true this is.
Comment from admin
Time June 19, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Apparently some of the very expensive Sony range do have night shot still, but they are phased out the camcorders that most people can afford.
Comment from admin
Time February 4, 2010 at 5:46 am
There’s a new Sony HD camcorder that does now have Infra-red Night shot now at the time of writing, although it costs around £800 (Update 20/06/10: I don’t think it’s really is an Infra-red camcorder, see comment dated 20/06/10 for more details below). Before this Sony were apparently having problems with Nightshot and high definition, hence why they phased it out temporarily.
Comment from Ian
Time May 30, 2010 at 11:19 am
Hi
I was just looking into nightshot camcorders to use with daytime skywatching (adding an IR filter) and came across your article. Do you know what the best available camcorder is combining nightshot/super nightshot plus and a good optical zoom that doesnt go out of focus?
Regards
Ian
Comment from admin
Time June 19, 2010 at 11:51 pm
I’ve looked into the new range of Sony camcorders and there’s still no consumer products that I can find with Infra-red night vision, in fact I’m struggling to find any new camcorder models from any make with true Infra-red night vision unless one is willing to spend thousands on a professional camera. This is terrible as paranormal groups becoming stuck using old technology which is becoming more and more obsolete as time goes on.
The new range of Sony HD camcorders use Exmor R™ (a trademark of Sony) which is NOT infra-red night vision. It’s simply a very sensitive CMOS Sensor that makes the most out of low light making it twice as sensitive as other CMOS camcorders, it however WON’T work in zero lux (no light) and isn’t really suitable for paranormal investigations in pitch darkness.
If you have plenty of money (and I mean plenty of money), you can buy the HVR-HD1000E professional HDV camcorder from Sony at the time of writing, but this will put you back thousands and is well beyond most people’s budget.
I will continue looking for a new and suitable reasonable priced camcorder with Infra-red, if anyone knows of such a model, please PLEASE leave a comment either here or on the public shout box, thank you! In the mean time, I recommend looking for new or reconditioned Sony camcorders (older models) with super night shot plus.
Comment from DeeeeLeeee
Time July 29, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Thanks this info was very helpfull! Ive recently been lookin to buy a Camcorder for General use, but then figured that seeing as one of my hobbies is ‘the paranormal’ i may as well try and find one with ‘night vision’… I’ve been goin round in circles ever since! Lol!
Its seems all the fun camcorders are in The States?!!!
In the uk, the main ‘night vision’ cameras that pop up when i do a search are ‘Security cameras’!
Alot of Paranormal sites mention Sony’s night shots, but each lead i followed came up dead, or back to the States… Now i know why! Thanks!
I’m wondering if anyone has found a replacement in the uk market yet, thats affordable to the general public?
If not, I’m toyin with maybe buying a ‘night scope’ to add on to whatever Camcorder i might get, if not too expensive?
The General camera i’m lookin for would also be High Definition. With at least 10 hours hard drive (and an option for memory cards) With a Strong Zoom facility (for ufo spotting!)
If anyone can help it would be much appreciated, as i’m hopin to buy one asap now. (been waitin 20 years! lol)
Thanks a mil! Dee
Comment from 226z
Time August 28, 2010 at 12:43 am
What’s wrong with the Sony HDR-CX500V? It’s got night shot and lots of other very useful features for any type of paranormal investigating. It’s actually the first affordable video camera I have ever seen anyone produce that has every feature I am looking for and the reviews are very positive about it. It’s supposed to have great video quality which will substantially improve the quality of the night shot as well from what I have heard. I am planning on buying one as soon as I sell my Sony DCR-TRV80 that I’ve used for many years now. Like I said, the 500V is the first camera I’ve found that is well worth replacing my TRV80 with…
Comment from admin
Time September 3, 2010 at 5:52 am
Thanks 226z, it’s a lot more expensive than many of the past IR camcorders when all Sony camcorders had Nightshot Plus, even the cheapest, but it looks an excellent choice if you can afford it. It’s good that Sony are at least putting Nightshot a few camcorders again even though very expensive. Unfortunately this model first appears to be remarkably difficult to purchase in the UK and that’s why I haven’t seen it before and considered it. One can search for a shop in the UK that sells it and it really doesn’t appear to be sold here at all. I will try a more in depth search in case the model is slightly different in the UK or if someone is already importing it for sale here. I see one can import it yourself (assuming there’s no problem with customs), although a 220V (UK) to 110V (US) power converter will be required for the charger and I suspect it will be NTSC (US) instead of PAL (UK), although it’s probably won’t be a big problem for most users.
Incidentally, I’ve also heard rumours that there was complaints that Sony IR cameras could see through certain clothing and that’s one reason why they withdraw it too?
Comment from admin
Time October 18, 2010 at 10:26 pm
The Sony HVR-HD1000E is coming down in price, but is still well over £1000 at the time of writing. Unfortunately it uses mini DV tapes, but one can buy an optional compact flash drive accessory. Unfortunately more up to date models still don’t have infra-red facilities, they work in low light conditions, but NOT 0 lux (no light).
Comment from admin
Time November 3, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Cheap HD Infra-red Night Vision Camcorder at less than £150:
Since Sony phased out Infra-red night vision (super night shot plus) on all their new camcorders that are designed for the home user (E.g. Costs less than £1000) , the only other solution to get Infra-red on a reasonable budget was to buy a 2nd hand or reconditioned Sony Camcorder that was manufactured before they discontinued the feature. The other alternative was to save up well over £1000 for a professional camcorder as a few models do have infrared, but for a good professional camcorder one could spend many times £1000 which is a lot of money for the average non-profit paranormal group. A workaround is to use CCTV cameras instead as even the cheapest of systems usually have infra-red. CCTV systems are good for some purposes, but unless one spends quite a bit of money, the quality won’t come close to a camcorder and CCTV is very inconvenient to set-up, CCTV cameras are not portable like a camcorder and usually requires a mains power supply. It can be easier to set-up using wireless CCTV cameras, but this can cause all sorts of problems with interference, distortion and loss of quality.
Many people got confused by the new Sony Exmor technology on their latest range of home camcorders, believing that it shoots well in total darkness. Well, this ISN’T the case with Exmor, it shoots better than most camcorders in low light conditions by enhancing the little light there is available, but it won’t work at all in total darkness (0 LUX) as there’s no visible light to enhance. The big difference with infra-red is it illuminates the film area with invisible infra-red light that the camcorder is able to pick-up just like a normal visible light, but to the human eye it films in total darkness and is therefore the only real choice for a serious paranormal group. With infra-red, one also has the option of purchasing extra infra-red emitters (infra-red lights) that will illuminate the film area better, giving a better range.
Here’s details of the cheap HD 1080P Infrared Camcorder
I have now found a cheap camcorder for around £150 that films in Infra-red with full HD 1080p video, but before anyone rushes out to buy it, it’s not a very well known make named, “Bell and Howell” and I therefore am unable to confirm the quality of the camcorder. Obviously if the quality is dire, then it’s not worth it even if it does have the crucial feature for paranormal groups.
I’d be very interested to hear from anyone who’s used or purchased this Infra-red camcorder. Is the quality tacky or is it truly excellent value for money? Well judging from a user comment, it’s actually pretty good, although the range of the infra-red night vision is quite poor and is only really reasonable indoors. The thing is the same is true with Sony Infra-red camcorders unless you purchase a separate infra-red emitter. I don’t think Bell and Howell make extra IR emitters, but it appears there is a standard cold shoe on the top which means there are a couple of options available.
Comment from admin
Time December 11, 2010 at 6:29 pm
A Real Solution For Infrared Night Vision:
If you use any camcorder or CCTV with a CCD sensor, it’s sensitive to Infra-red light which opens the door to numerous possibilities. This means one can film in total darkness with an infra-red illuminator like the Sima SL-20IR for-instance. Here is one suitable camcorder of many with a CCD sensor and it films in full HD, see the Samsung SMX-K40. The only real disadvantage of this camcorder and similar CCD camcorders is they don’t have an Infrared illuminator built in, so you must use an extra one and unlike older Sony camcorders with Night Shot Plus, the video will be in greenish monochrome only since Night Shot Plus attempts to colour infra-red video.
Don’t buy a newer Sony camcorders without Night Shot Plus with Exmor technology however if you want full infra-red night vision as the Exmor sensor is NOT sensitive to infra-red light and it therefore won’t see the infra-red light emitted from an infra-red illuminator, instead the technology enhances low visible light making it better than most camcorders in semi dark conditions. It however won’t work in 0 lux conditions (total darkness), since there is no visible light to enhance. These new Sony Camcorders are excellent in many other ways, but they are not suitable for paranormal investigations in darkness.
Comment from admin
Time June 20, 2011 at 6:28 pm
You can now buy a relatively cheap Infra-red filter for many camcorders that are sensitive to infrared (E.g. nightshot capability) including alledgedly the Sony HDR-XR520VE, but you’ll also need an Infra-red illuminator. Yes it seems that certain Exmor camcorders have got nightshot capability which is sensitive to infra-red, but I tested an Exmor camcorder without this capability and it couldn’t see infra-red light, so be careful (Note: I haven’t been able to test all these more recent camcorders since writing this article which is now quite old).
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Comment from admin
Time May 29, 2009 at 3:34 am
I had heard that some Canon camcorders have infra-red facilities, I’m investigating and will update.