Xbox live cam

[cyber]

Hi

Could anybody tell me the pros and cons of removing the red lens in webcam ?

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

The little red lens is what is known as a IR blocking filter. 

it has special coatings that stop Infrared light entering the camera. 

Removing this filter makes your camera more sensitive to IR light. 

you can see this at work, pick up your tv remote and push a button.

you do not see any light, now place your camera/webcam/phonecam

looking at the remote control and again push the button. 

you now see the light glowing up. removing the blocking filter makes this IR lightband more stronger

in effect. 

Pro's 

camera is more sensitive, astro modded cameras ( expensive use this IR band to capture nebula, it enhances the red channel)

Cons

camera now focuses IR light at a different point, this can cause fuzzy/blurred/out of focus look.

camera now produces an image with a very red/pinkish look - Hue, that needs either custom white balance changes

and or some software tinkering on the computer of the final images ( the red/blue channel swap) 

As a point, most conversions of webcams will have a screw in IR/UV blocking filter purchased.

when used with your modded camera it removes away the pro's and the cons.

most of the time a IR/UV filter is a good choice. 

We remove the smaller filter , its cheap and does the job ok, but a dedicated IR/UV filter will be much better.

you will also find trying to remove the filter from the small lens is near impossible, they always tend to snap or shatter.

hence replacement.

[cyber]

Thanks

Cant decide whether to leave it in or take out now lol

At the moment only going to be imaging thinks like moon jupiter and saturn :-)

[Scott]

for what it's worth, I'd say take it out

[Guest]

Plus 1 for TAKE IT OUT.....

[DAKz]

I have a PSEye cam which is simular and it was a snap to take out, I suggest it since anything that makes it more sensitive and I like the results,

I would like to get a way better web cam for imaging, at least a 720p web cam, the problem I have is that it would be hard to rip a new webcam apart.

So I have to go with the take the IR filter out.

[ultramol]

I modded an xbox webcam as per the brilliant info on this site. One thing I could not manage to do was break the LED's. So instead I used black error correcting fluid ( I have different colours for painting my floats for fishing) mixed with a bit of thinners and carefully painted over them, this resulted in no stray light at all. I don't know if the heat generated from them will cause any problems.

[Langy]

I modded an xbox webcam as per the brilliant info on this site. One thing I could not manage to do was break the LED's. So instead I used black error correcting fluid ( I have different colours for painting my floats for fishing) mixed with a bit of thinners and carefully painted over them, this resulted in no stray light at all. I don't know if the heat generated from them will cause any problems.

You should easily be able to break them using either a small pair of snipe nosed pliers or wire cutters. I did my 4 LEDs with no problems.

I would guess that with them on must create some form of heat.

[ultramol]

You should easily be able to break them using either a small pair of snipe nosed pliers or wire cutters. I did my 4 LEDs with no problems.

I would guess that with them on must create some form of heat.

Thanks Langy but I think its because I am frightened to break it if I use to much pressure !

[MattGoo]

+1 for removing the standard IR filter.

Purchase a dedicated astro IR/UV 1.25" filter for your nosepiece.

I found the Xbox LEDs pretty easy to remove, a better solution than painting them.

[Langy]

Thanks Langy but I think its because I am frightened to break it if I use to much pressure !

The camera is less than £5 so I wasn't afraid to give it a go. If it was £50 then that may be a different matter.

Just make sure you can get the LEDs between something, I dare say even scissors would do the trick, you only needs to crush them a bit.

[ultramol]

Thanks for that. Do you know the resolution of this camera ?