CrossMgrVideo: Low Light Camera Update (Success!)

Post date: Jan 29, 2018 11:59:48 PM

CrossMgrVideo (and CrossMgrCamera) would often record blurry photos at CycloCross races - even during what appeared to be bright conditions (the middle of an overcast day). The images were almost useless as the bib numbers to too blurry to see and the riders were most unrecognizable.

Fortunately, with the rising popularity of automotive dash cameras, low-light usb video cameras are available at low cost.

I ordered this one on ebay for under $100 CDN with the IMX 322 sensor. It took about 1.5 months to arrive.

Above are photos of some artwork taken with the low-light Sony IMX 322 and a conventional sensor at the same illumination.

The difference is highly encouraging (to say the least). The low-light camera is much more sensitive, much more true to color, and has a much shorter exposure (less blurry for moving objects).

For other comparisons, see here and here.

The low-light camera shows the image more brightly than the human eye. As I understand it, the Sony IMX 322 is being replaced with the newer Sony 291 STARVIS sensor, which is even better. So, expect even better low-light cameras to be available in the future.

I noticed that the low-light camera runs hotter than the conventional one. I recommend that the computer be on a power supply as the camera could drain the batteries quickly.