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| Fig 1: Bushnell - High IR Light setting |
All makes and models have their pros and cons and none more so than when it comes to IR night illumination.
Pete from Crowle in Lincolnshire kindly sent these comparisons between the Bushnell 119477 and the Ltl Acorn 6210MC.
These images clearly illustrate the difference in light output between the 28 LED Array of the Acorn and the 40 LED Array of the Bushnell which is
superior on range performance and produces a much cleaner image.
Distance to the door is about 10.5 metres (35 feet).
For each camera setting I have included a 640 x 480 pixel image of the full frame and followed it with a 640 x 480 pixel crop of the image subject which shows the significantly superior quality of the Bushnell image.
These cameras use different strategies for taking IR night time images:
Acorns output the same amount of light for both high and low settings, fixing the aperture at f2.8, the shutter speed at around 1/15 seconds and varying the ISO, hence the reason for so much digital noise.
Bushnells on the other hand vary the light output and peg the settings as follows: Aperture f2.8 Shutter speed 1 second and ISO 100.
Firmware Versions:
Acorn 6210MC figures 2/2a and 3/3a V1.2.001T
Bushnell 119477 figures 4/4a, 5/5a and 6/6a BS761CCAx0120C
Acorn 5210A figures 7/7a V3.06A
Neither camera is capable of producing a clear, sharp image of fast moving subjects because of the low shutter speeds involved.
I've also included an example (figures 7/7a) from an Acorn 5210A taken during my recent close up experiments. This result compares much more favourably with the Bushnell and I hope further analysis of results from 5210 and 6210 cameras using different firmware might explain why. The LED output was diffused and reduced by a filter which I will provide information about in a later post.
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| Fig 2: Ltl Acorn 6210MC IR Light High - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1/14th second - ISO 1000 |
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| Fig 2a: Ltl Acorn 6210MC IR Light High - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1/14th second - ISO 1000 Full size crop from figure 2 above |
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| Fig 3: Ltl Acorn 6210MC IR Light Low - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1/18th second - ISO 363 |
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| Fig 3a: Ltl Acorn 6210MC IR Light Low - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1/18th second - ISO 363 Full size crop from figure 3 above |
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| Fig 4: Bushnell 119477 IR Light High - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1 second - ISO 100 |
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| Fig 4a: Bushnell 119477 IR Light High - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1 second - ISO 100 Full size crop from figure 4 above |
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| Fig 5: Bushnell 119477 IR Light Medium - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1 second - ISO 100 |
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Fig 5a: Bushnell 119477 IR Light Medium - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1 second - ISO 100 Full size crop from figure 5 above |
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| Fig 6: Bushnell 119477 IR Light Low - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1 second - ISO 100 |
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Fig 6a: Bushnell 119477 IR Light Low - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1 second - ISO 100 Full size crop from figure 6 above |
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| Fig 7: Ltl Acorn 5210A - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1/15th second - ISO 1000 |
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| Fig 7a: Ltl Acorn 5210A - Aperture f2.8 - Shutter speed 1/15th second - ISO 1000 Full size crop from figure 7 above This result compares much better with the Bushnell and requires further analysis |
Night time still image performance pros and cons:
Acorn 6210
Pros. Good power efficiency - Higher shutter speed
Cons. Poor digital camera noise performance - Lack of range
Bushnell 119477
Pros. Longer range - Low digital camera noise
Cons. Poor power efficiency - Lower shutter speed
Acorn 5210A
Pros. Good power efficiency - Higher shutter speed - Low digital camera noise
Cons. Lack of range
Conclusion: The IR flash booster promised by Acorn last year is long overdue.
