I’m curious to know if fellow iNatters have experience using night vision devices for wildlife observations - and if so, if they have any gear recommendations, or advice on pitfalls to avoid?
I’m specifically looking to extend my monitoring of the local area into the night, using a handheld device while walking around - I’m sure there are plenty of mammals about (badgers, hopefully!), but I can’t see in the dark, and neither can my faithful Panasonic G9
I’ve been using the TOPDON TC001 for my Android phone (they also have an iOS version).
It’s tiny and I keep it in my shirt pocket and can quickly plug it into my phone and look around me in the dark.
The resolution is low, of course, but it will definitely pick up heat and it’s far cheaper than some other options. Plus, it’s small enough that you actually can carry with you at all times.
Interesting - I was thinking infrared rather than thermal, but obviously there are use cases for each.
What sort of range do you have for your TOPDON TC001?
Some fabulous photos on your observations btw, really clean and vibrant. The Agami herons are stunning, never seen them before
Thanks so much!
Infrared is doable, but requires a strong IR source for illuminating at a distance. And then it can be difficult to differentiate critters.
The range with my thermal camera is pretty good.
This image was taken on a hot day at an Agami Heron rookery from about 40 meters away, showing the adult birds.
That’s very useful, thank you! So works well to find the birds, but not to ID them.
Does have me wondering whether it might be a good device for zeroing in on shrews etc in leaf litter :) but not necessarily for the use case I had in mind, ie recording a badger/deer/hare across a field
It might be worth looking at camcorders Sony and maybe Panasonic some of them have IR mode. Maybe an older second hand model would do?
Thanks for the reply :) aye, I have looked into camcorders previously. I did take one of my very old HI8 camcorders with Nightshot out a few years ago - main obstacle being the fact it shot tiny images to Memory Stick, was a bit more involved to get them onto my computer!
A slightly newer one might work, especially if the recording media is newer/more compatible.
I’m also vaguely looking at full spectrum converted mirrorless cameras - but I’m unsure how sensitive they would be to IR illumination even when converted. With my budget, I’m looking at something like a Panasonic G3.
