I’m trying to get the night vision results shown on the product page, but my images are really bad. I took a comparison: the left image is without the IR switch, and the right image is with IR clicked on. I also snapped a photo with my phone for reference and included a screenshot of the advertised quality. The phone shot is way better, but the IMX477 output is almost unusable. Am I setting something up wrong? Running it on the Jetson Nano with the Arducam drivers.
Thanks for the details and the comparison shots. Looking at what you’ve described, the most likely cause is that the scene simply isn’t getting enough infrared light. This module has an auto-switching IR-cut filter, so in night mode it depends on actual IR illumination hitting the sensor. Ambient IR from a normal room or a weak source usually isn’t enough - the advertised night shots are typically taken with a dedicated IR illuminator filling the camera’s field of view. Could you try pointing a proper IR illuminator (or a strong IR LED array) at the scene and take another shot? Let us know how that looks compared to the listing.
Tried that already. I filled the whole scene with infrared light using an IR lamp and it still doesn’t come close to the advertised quality. This is the Arducam infrared IMX477 for Jetson, the version without the hard case, and I installed the drivers per the Arducam website. Not sure what to try next. Could it be a defective unit?
We tested the same camera on our side in a completely dark environment and the night vision effect works as expected. I’ve sent you the screenshot of our test result via private message - please check your messages and let me know if that result looks acceptable compared to what you’re seeing. We’ll also update the product page with that test image. If ours looks correct and yours doesn’t, it points to a setup or illumination issue rather than the hardware itself. Can you confirm your test area is actually dark (no visible light leaking in) and that the IR source is aimed directly at the target?
Got the screenshot, thanks. But that test looks pretty close range. Can you test the camera looking at a more distant scene, maybe 10-50 m away? I own night vision goggles, so I have a good idea of what a usable result should look like at that distance.
Just to set expectations: this camera’s night vision performance is distance-limited. It works best for nearby objects at night. Theoretically you can expect a relatively good picture up to about 10 m with proper IR illumination, but beyond that we can’t guarantee the result - image quality drops off noticeably with distance, especially in the 10-50 m range you mentioned. So for long-range nighttime use, this IMX477 module isn’t really designed for that. For close-range shots with adequate IR illumination, it should perform like the test image I sent you.