On Mon, 10 Jan 2000 12:34:10 +0000, Peter wrote:

>>No, it can't - but neither can any other Sony camcorder.
>>Unfortunately, this silly rumor prompted Sony to disable
>>a valuable feature (daylight infrared capability).

>What exactly did SONY do?

I don't know, but I suspect Sony linked slow-shutter
mode to it, causing daylight overexposure, reduced
vertical resolution, and smearing with motion (lest
anyone persist, and pile on enough ND filtration to
make it work...;-).

>>With
>>rare conditions, some "see-through" was possible, but
>>only with shear or open-weave cloth in single layers
>>(not likely to be encountered often enough to satisfy
>>the interests of those interested in this capability...).
>>Meanwhile, those of us who like to shoot daylight IR
>>landscapes (red filter works well, with B&W mode used)
>>have lost the capability in new Sony camcorders. DARN!

>Doesn't any normal CCD camera have a response well into the IR anyway?

Yes, but the IR sensitivity is reduced with filtration
(which is switch-removeable with Sony "nite-vision"
camcorders). The resulting greenish color can be removed
using B&W mode.

>What would happen if one fitted an IR-passing filter to the PC100, and
>used an IR lamp? I am familiar with this stuff from a night vision
>perspective, where powerful IR lamps with 50-100m range are standard.
>While filming through clothing does not interest me, the night vision
>capability is interesting.

This is preserved (though with the negative aspects
mentioned above), and it works quite well. I really
like B&W daylight-infrared video images, though, and
these can't be shot very well with current camcorders.
Come on, Sony, restore a nice feature, huh?! (I won't
try to use it for nefarious purposes, really...! ;-)