How to Make Night Vision Lenses

A blank, developed photograph negative can be used to adapt a regular camera into a night vision camera.

Night vision lenses are found in a variety of film and digital cameras. These lenses usually have a low-light imaging device, which essentially amplifies the available light. Most of these products utilize a microchannel plate -- specially coated walls to direct the light energy of electrons released from a cathode. Making this at home would be extremely difficult and not very cost-effective. Fortunately, by utilizing a secondary method of inserting a processed photo negative into a regular digital camera, you can make your own night vision lens.

Things You'll Need

• Small screwdriver
• Processed photo negative
• Nail glue
• Screwdrivers
• Infrared LED flashlight

Instructions

1. Disassemble the camera lens. You can use either a digital camera or a web camera. Unscrew the screws located on your camera and pull away the protective plate. You may also have to unscrew screws that are inside the camera to access the circuit board near the lens shutter.

2. Locate the CCD. Depending on your type of camera, it should be right under the shutter or the lens. A CCD is an image sensor and it looks like a small computer chip that has a square in the middle with a small piece of glass.

3. Remove the infrared filter glass, which is a small piece of square glass directly in front of the CCD. Save it in a secure location. You won't replace it immediately, but if you ever want to return your camera to normal, you will need to put this piece of glass back in front of the CCD. In the case of an SLR camera, the CCD glass can also be located in the front of the camera lens, so make sure that you check with your instruction manual before disassembling the body or lens of the camera.

4. Cut a piece of developed photograph negative into the size of the piece of glass you removed. Don't use a piece of the negative that has a photograph image on it, but rather a blank part. You will find a blank part at the end of the negative.

5. Cover the CCD square with the piece of negative. Use a very light strand of nail glue or super glue on the edge of the negative, then glue it over the CCD.

6. Replace any covers that were protecting the CCD and reassemble your camera.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that although your camera will now be able to take photographs and record video at night, you will not be able to see what you're shooting. This is because the human eye cannot register the infrared spectrum. In order to see what you want to photograph or record, you need to use the camera in conjunction with an infrared LCD flashlight or light.

References

• How Night Vision Works
• Archon Magnus: How to Build a Night Vision Camera