# How visible are the infrared lights on inside facing dashcams?



## Wakefield (Nov 2, 2017)

Hi all.

Some infrared lights are noticeable, some are not .. 

I need to know which make / models of dual lens dashcams that have infra reds lights which are less noticeable or not noticeable at all...

Any help really appreciated.


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## Iann (Oct 17, 2017)

My vantrue n2pro doesn't light up. Awesome camera by the way


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

Do you mean lights on the camera itself? Or the infrared lights in particular?

The IR lights should be a dim red when the camera is on...usually it’s noticeable to some extent no matter what.


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

The ones on my camera , I have never noticed emitting a light at all.

However, I just took a picture and....

















It isn't noticible, even in complete darkness, but the camera picks it up.


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## DrivingForYou (Aug 6, 2017)

ReyesMX6 said:


> The IR lights should be a dim red when the camera is on...usually it's noticeable to some extent no matter what.


Not if they are good quality. Good IR leds will not be visibly on when viewed by the naked eye.


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

DrivingForYou said:


> Not if they are good quality. Good IR leds will not be visibly on when viewed by the naked eye.


Did you google it trying to find out? Yes, certain wavelengths of IR will not be visible to the naked eye, but most cameras and IR lights I've seen you can see the red dots in the dark. "High quality" is not necessary to get the results you want with vehicle camera IR lights. It is also said to be a sign of the strength of the light that results in visible red glow. Weaker IR lights don't glow. Makes sense considering most cameras with good quality have only 2 IR lights while some with multiple have tunnel visibility.


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## Wakefield (Nov 2, 2017)

Iann said:


> My vantrue n2pro doesn't light up. Awesome camera by the way


Great to hear  thanks



wk1102 said:


> The ones on my camera , I have never noticed emitting a light at all.
> 
> However, I just took a picture and....
> 
> It isn't noticible, even in complete darkness, but the camera picks it up.


Thanks for the pik ... what camera or phone did you take the pick with as most smartphones have an IR filter and wouldn't see those lights  ?


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Wakefield said:


> Great to hear  thanks
> 
> Thanks for the pik ... what camera or phone did you take the pick with as most smartphones have an IR filter and wouldn't see those lights  ?


Samsung Galaxy S7

You know, now that I'm thinking about it I've taken pictures of it before with this phone and don't recall seeing them.

I'll look through my pictures later.


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

wk1102 said:


> The ones on my camera , I have never noticed emitting a light at all.
> 
> However, I just took a picture and....
> 
> ...


You have the flash on right? You can see the high white exposure in the LCD screen, all around the focal point, so it could be a flash reflection on the IR lenses resulting in the pink look. The Falcon 360 has tunnel night vision, looks like a flash light shining on the projected area. I had one testing it out and the white exposure and night vision are what made me return it. For the price it's a decent buy, but they surely didn't invest a lot of money in the IR lights to provide good quality night time vision for recording.

Also, not all cameras have IR filtering. The iPhone 6 does, but a 5SE doesn't. Samsung galaxy 6 didn't, but I don't know about the 7 without researching it.


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

ReyesMX6 said:


> You have the flash on right? You can see the high white exposure in the LCD screen, all around the focal point, so it could be a flash reflection on the IR lenses resulting in the pink look. The Falcon 360 has tunnel night vision, looks like a flash light shining on the projected area. I had one testing it out and the white exposure and night vision are what made me return it. For the price it's a decent buy, but they surely didn't invest a lot of money in the IR lights to provide good quality night time vision for recording.
> 
> Also, not all cameras have IR filtering. The iPhone 6 does, but a 5SE doesn't. Samsung galaxy 6 didn't, but I don't know about the 7 without researching it.


No flash


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

Iann said:


> My vantrue n2pro doesn't light up. Awesome camera by the way







This guy wasn't impressed by the Vantrue N2 Pro...maybe he's on this forum.

A true test and a challenge, especially since the subject of whether good quality IR lights emit red or not is in question, everyone post a picture of your camera image during the day and at night (use the darkest area you can find for night) and see how the image looks? There are a lot of good cameras out there, and if the only issue you have is whether or not you can see the IR lights then it has to be a personal preference issue. I don't worry about it as long as the image quality isn't an issue. I guess if you are annoyed by it then it doesn't work for you.


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## DrivingForYou (Aug 6, 2017)

ReyesMX6 said:


> Did you google it trying to find out? Yes, certain wavelengths of IR will not be visible to the naked eye, but most cameras and IR lights I've seen you can see the red dots in the dark. "High quality" is not necessary to get the results you want with vehicle camera IR lights. It is also said to be a sign of the strength of the light that results in visible red glow. Weaker IR lights don't glow. Makes sense considering most cameras with good quality have only 2 IR lights while some with multiple have tunnel visibility.


No, I am a retired electrical engineer, and it is a subject I am quite familiar with.


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

DrivingForYou said:


> No, I am a retired electrical engineer, and it is a subject I am quite familiar with.


Well, I'm not retired and I'm sure you know that it is a constantly changing technology just like anything else.


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## DrivingForYou (Aug 6, 2017)

ReyesMX6 said:


> Well, I'm not retired and I'm sure you know that it is a constantly changing technology just like anything else.


It is a matter of wavelength.

The lower end of human vision is about 750nm. A bright 850nm IR led has a bandwidth wide enough to output some light in the 750nm range.

A 940nm IR led though is far enough away from human vision to remain completely invisible.


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

Go buy a 940nm IR LED then and test it. You obviously need to prove or disprove what can be seen. I’m not going to argue the points of what the human eye can and can not see because research has already shown that the human eye can see IR at levels believed that it couldn’t.

The point of my statements is that whether or not you can see IR light from your dash cam isn’t and shouldn’t be an indication of poor quality, or any issue, but rather personal preference. The companies designing these dash cams have engineers and they design based on specifics given to them so that the results they desire allow them sell and market a product. I don’t care if I can see the IR light or not. I care about the quality of the video recording and playing back.

Update: added front and rear images from a Blackvue DR650s-2CH IR. You can see the IR lights from the rear interior camera on the windshield in the forward facing camera.


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## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

Yes,it is invisible for 940nm IR light,and most dashcam used this type lihgt!
Anyway,you can option one Sony sensor if you want to get better image when low lux condition!


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

I cannot see the light on my IR cam on the same DashCam that wk1102 posted, the Falcon 360.


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

Iann said:


> My vantrue n2pro doesn't light up. Awesome camera by the way


I have the same one I actually wish there was a light I'm always paranoid that the time I'll need it , it won't be recording


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## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

UberDezNutz said:


> I have the same one I actually wish there was a light I'm always paranoid that the time I'll need it , it won't be recording


Do you mean this LED light on dashcam? G1W-CB has one Led light,which can be switched on or off manually.


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## randrace (Oct 4, 2017)

Wakefield said:


> Hi all.
> 
> Some infrared lights are noticeable, some are not ..
> 
> ...


Check out the he Falcon Zero F360. Pax rarely notice mine. IR lights are not visible.


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## Merc7186 (Jul 8, 2017)

I have the Blackvue DRS650 2CH IR and if you state at them, you will notice that it emits two tiny red dots. It hides very well right in front of the Lyft Amp base.


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## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

Just one quick question for everyone,is it a good idea to apply one dashcam with 360 degree swivel?


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

estore009 said:


> Just one quick question for everyone,is it a good idea to apply one dashcam with 360 degree swivel?


Sure, what would you like to sell us on now??!!?? I am SO curious my brain is busting out of my skull a little.


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## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

Is this b1w dashcam good for uber camera application?


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## surlywynch (Jun 22, 2017)

estore009 said:


> Is this b1w dashcam good for uber camera application?


I would say unless it has IR illuminators, it will not be so useful driving at night


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

surlywynch said:


> I would say unless it has IR illuminators, it will not be so useful driving at night


It's just a sales profile, after you respond they just try to sell you on something else.


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## DrivingForYou (Aug 6, 2017)

estore009 said:


> Is this b1w dashcam good for uber camera application?


No.

For the camera for interior it needs IR leds and be IR sensitive for night use.


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## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

estore009 said:


> Just one quick question for everyone,is it a good idea to apply one dashcam with 360 degree swivel?


If you cannot afford a dual camera, then yes. You can spin it around if you have an issue in the cabin. You will probably need to turn on the cabin light at night to see as well as most forward facing cameras don't have IR.

I have the Vantrue N2 Pro and cannot see the IR lights. It does have a faint blue light that pulses on and off to show that it's recording, but it's not very noticeable. The green light on my rear view for the OnStar is brighter.


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## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

ReyesMX6 said:


> It's just a sales profile, after you respond they just try to sell you on something else.


I want to make a wish list for my next batch,so we need to draw someone to give us some suggestion to improve it.
Thanks for reply!


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## DrivingForYou (Aug 6, 2017)

estore009 said:


> I want to make a wish list for my next batch,so we need to draw someone to give us some suggestion to improve it.
> Thanks for reply!


For honest suggestions here we go:

For FRONT FACING, the A119 is best value.

For REAR FACING any small camera that can mount in a way that does not impede vision (i.e. Not below
Mirror) AND has IR leds and good IR night vision (that are automatically on) is good.

For SIDE FACING optional side cameras, they need to be VERY SMALL to not obscure vision, as they need to be mounted top left/right of front windshield.


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