Midnight Shot NV-1: New digital camera shoots in pitch dark
The new Midnight Shot NV-1 from ThinkGeek can take photos in complete darkness and even see through some types of fabric and materials.
It has become increasingly difficult for a compact digital camera to stand out in today’s saturated market—but one that offers superhero night vision and x-ray powers? That’s a whole different story. The Midnight Shot NV-1 ($139.99) from ThinkGeek does just that. The NV-1 can take photos in complete darkness and even see through some types of fabric and materials.
At first glance the Midnight Shot looks and functions like any basic digital camera, only when its night-shot mode is engaged do things get interesting. In night-shot mode the infrared blocking filter normally over the lens retracts to let all infrared light through, at the same time a super-bright IR LED—invisible to humans—illuminates the subject. You’re probably not going to be taking any family portraits in night-shot mode, but it does present a new option for those who would like to immortalize dark moments without a blinding paparazzi flash or for those wanting to experiment with infrared light.
The LED’s infrared light can penetrate various fabrics and materials which the human-visible spectrum cannot. This allows the Midnight Shot to see right through those same materials. This type of effect can be accentuated by adding an infrared filter to the setup. In night-shot mode the NV-1 records both infrared and visible light; an infrared filter would eliminate the visible spectrum. Even though the effect is limited to thin fabrics and other low density materials, ThinkGeek is quick to remind customers that they should “Respect the privacy of [their] fellow humans and [not] use the Midnight Shot NV-1 Night Vision Camera for evil”. You may recall that some time ago Sony unintentionally released Nightshot enabled Handycams with a similar feature—promptly replacing the model with a reworked version preventing daytime nightvision.
The Midnight Shot has a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor with a 7.45 mm lense and 8x optical zoom, it comes with a USB charging cable, wall adapter, wrist strap, manual and carry bag. Out of the box the NV-1 provides 16 megabytes of internal storage, but most will want to expand that with an SD card. In addition to still photography the NV-1 also supports recording video in AVI format at 640×480. While the Midnight Shot NV-1 isn’t going to replace anyone’s DSLR or even point-and-shoot, it is a great addition to any photographer’s arsenal for its unique abilities.
With privacy concerns permeating all aspects of our day to day lives, do you think there should be restrictions on cameras which allow this type of infrared mode?
Now that is pretty sweet!
sick, you think every pervert will want one
That is a very interesting question. I am one of those cock-eyed optimists and like to think the whole world is ethical … at my age … shame on me.
But this technology has been out there for some time and is now just bleeding into mainstream use.
Why shouldn’t we have this tool in our bag too? It might help even the balance of power, or make me think I have some choices … hummm.
I am buying one … too many concerts are just a dark hole in my film library. There are some great shots if only we could see them.
I’m all for it.
Well, with airports and everybody taking a peek, the whole nude thing is beginning to be too well trodden–a been there done that, sort of thing–to get more than a yawn, isn’t it? It is an antidote for the burqa, though. Could have a lot of fun with it at the local mosque.
LMAO!!! Right on!!!
Evidently this item is only available in the US as the ordering site at ThinkGeek does not allow for Canadian Postal Codes, despite allowing the country name to be changed.
Perhaps it is an issue with your browser; I have ordered numerous items from ThinkGeek and have had no trouble with shipping to Canada. Upon reading your comment I went through their checkout process and when I selected Canada it did indeed allow for a Postal Code. If you continue to experience this issue I would suggest contacting ThinkGeek, I’m sure they would be happy to help.
Phil Tucker……you are right. I switched browser and was able to place an order. Thanks for the tip, which will be useful in the future.
I do think this should not be allowed. As a photographer I do not see the need for something to penetrate fabric. There is a reason there is fabric on items including humans. It is nice that they caution their customers….please like that is going to do anything. I can see it know the only people buying and using this camera are going to sex offenders and pediphiles…..nice work ThinkGeek
gimmick junk ………..look at the low quality …they just want your money
The images used in this post have been resized from the original resolution of 3724×2793 and therefore have lost some quality. Nevertheless you are correct in that this camera’s strengths do not lie in sheer quality. As for ThinkGeek’s motivation, I think it’s pretty standard for retailers to want your money ;)
I can hardly wait to take pictures of hot chicks making them look naked.
Awesome.
I feel sorry for you. Such a pig. Creeps like you shouldnt be allowed to have access to anything but a jail cell and a room mate named Jimbo…
yeah they had glasses in comic books that did the same when i was a kid in the sixties.
hmmmmmmmmm you think it will not be used for evil….lol they need to take it off the market til they can disable this…if not hope the first person affected sues the ass off them
thats stupi what next you dont think people will buy them sure and they wont listen to the rules of privacy what next and they wonder why theres so many rapes.
Women don’t wear fabric that thin on their legs. And if they do, it’s a skirt. All you’re gonna see is their underwear, nothing more. Even on their tops it’s just going to be a bra you’ll see underneath … so it’s off to the beach we go heh heh. Anyways, at the beach you’re going to see women in bikini swimwuits who, most likely will want to flaunt their sexiness. Besides a guy with a camera at a beach snapping pictures all around is going to look pretty obvious.
This camera is not much use (for that purpose) except for a cheap thrill. This camera is not for me. Someone will use it and this feature will just happen to be an extra that someone will use once or twice then as quick as a built in flashlight on a radio.
Won’t be good for surveillance either, if someone’s hiding something they’re gonna wear heavier clothing.
Interesting using it on people with veils. Could be good in the court rooms.
You get what you pay for sure it’s new and cool but just like anything eles it’s going to make people mad at the quality they receive.Someone yet again gets rich off others.And as being in the states how many people will get sued over this.
so much for privacy laws , hello lawsuits
Sounds like a good tech for Ghost Hunters!
Well well…will that make a difference?since majority of women dress hal naked…then again that is invading their privacy.
[...] NV-1 can see right through these materials. While this may seem like an attractive feature to some, ThinkGeek does ask that NV-1 users, ‘Respect the privacy of [their] fellow humans and [not] use the [...]