Flying FPV Drones at Night – Best Low Light FPV Cameras and Tips

Not everyone has the opportunity to fly during daylight, or perhaps you just want to explore the night sky with your FPV drone. In this article, I’ll share essential tips and tricks to ensure you fly safely at night and help you choose the best analog FPV camera for low light.

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You can learn more about FPV cameras in this buyer’s guide: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-camera/

The Best Low Light FPV Cameras

While there are many FPV camera options on the market, not all are suited for low-light conditions. Fortunately, each major FPV camera brand offers a camera specifically designed for these scenarios. I’ve conducted comprehensive testing on all of them to provide you with a detailed roundup!

Caddx Ratel Pro

Get the Caddx Ratel Pro camera from these vendors:

• Caddx: https://oscarliang.com/product-b0o5
• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDa4vCt
• Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-rmaq
• RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-v7m3

Foxeer CAT 3

Get the Foxeer CAT 3 from these vendors:

• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBijUlB
• RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-qxsv
• GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-7ezk

Runcam Night Eagle 3

Get the Runcam Night Eagle from these vendors:

• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DcftoLj
• GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-iz6x
• Speedybee: https://oscarliang.com/product-ok0b

Day and Night Footage Comparison

Like many other reviews and tutorial, it takes time and money to do – making this comparison took a whole day and cost over $150 buying these cameras. I hope you enjoy this type of content and consider supporting me on Patreon.

In low light conditions, the Runcam Night Eagle 3 and Caddx Ratel Pro emerge as the clear winners! They both perform exceptionally well, even in near-total darkness. The presence of just a few streetlights significantly improves visibility. The Night Eagle is noticeably less noisy/grainy than the Ratel Pro, displaying its unmatched low light performance.

During the day, both the Caddx Ratel Pro and the Foxeer Cat 3 deliver outstanding images. The Ratel Pro’s image quality is more contrasty, sharper, and the colors are more vivid, but it just feels over sharpened and the digital noise can be distracting. The Cat 3 offers a softer and smoother image with a slightly lower saturation. In my initial review, I questioned the Ratel Pro’s small field of view (FOV) compared to typical FPV cameras. Now I begin to wonder if Caddx was just trying to align with their competitors’ low-light cameras, as I realized that all three cameras feature a similarly narrow FOV.

Overall, the Caddx Ratel Pro stands out as the best all-rounder, excelling in both daytime and nighttime conditions. While the Runcam Night Eagle 3 slightly surpasses it in low light performance, it’s a close call. However, since it only works in black and white, it’s not as well-suited for daytime flying.

How Well FPV Cameras Perform At Night?

Low light capable cameras excel at maximizing available light. Their performance in low light environment is measured by a parameter known as “LUX.” The lower the LUX value, the superior the camera’s night performance. Today, it’s possible to find FPV cameras boasting as low as 0.00001 LUX in black and white mode, ideal for night flying.

Here’s an example demonstrating the capabilities of these cameras at night. Below is how dark the playground appears to the naked eye or through a standard phone camera:

Low light environment captured from a phone camera

Contrastingly, here’s the same scene viewed through our low-light capable FPV cameras, significantly enhanced even without additional light sources:

Low light environment captured from a low-light capable FPV camera

However, without the benefit of a clear sky and a full moon, or the illumination from nearby street lights, your camera may still face challenges in providing a crisp image. That’s where a DIY IR torch would come in handy.

Building IR Torch

In extremely dark environments, the image quality of your FPV camera can significantly degrade, resulting in noisy and blurry footage that’s difficult to navigate with. However, there’s a practical solution to this problem.

One way to improve visibility without sacrificing the stealth aspect of night flying is by using IR (Infrared) LEDs . Unlike visible light, IR light is invisible to the human eye but can be detected only by digital cameras.

The most effective solution I’ve found involves using 48 IR LED boards, which cost around £6 (US$8). The only modification required was soldering a female balance plug connector to the LED board, enabling direct connection to a 3S battery, as they take 12V input. If you are using 4S or 6S LiPo, you might need an external voltage regulator to step down to 12V.

Get this IR LED board from:

• Amazon: https://amzn.to/49rzoP2
• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dllw9rT

I simply mounted the LED board on a GoPro mount, placing it on top of the quad. This setup is particularly convenient because it allows for angle adjustments.

For those without a GoPro mount, consider the creative alternative shared by fellow pilot, Konrad Stepanajtys. He mounted the LED panel on a cardboard box, which then sits on top of the quad.

To prevent glare, ensure the LED is positioned away from the camera lens.

Unlike a ordinary torch, the IR LED doesn’t produce a glaring white spot but instead emits a soft, widespread glow, enhancing visibility without being obtrusive.

Tips for Using a DIY IR Torch:

• Your FPV camera must NOT have an IR filter in order to effectively see the IR light.
• Keep the IR LED at a distance from your camera lens to avoid reflective glare, which can reduce visibility.
• Verify the voltage requirements of your IR LED panel. My 12v panel connects directly to the quad’s 3S LiPo battery via the balance port. If using a 4S or 6S LiPo, a voltage regulator or BEC from the flight controller will be necessary to supply power appropriately.

Flying Tips for Low Light Conditions

Black and White Mode: On your FPV camera, adjust the Day/Night setting to auto or set it to black and white. This mode provides better visibility at night, reducing digital noise compared to color mode.

Slow Down: The reduced visibility inherent to night flying means you should fly slower to allow enough time for reacting to obstacles.

Maintain Line of Sight: In low light conditions, it’s challenging enough to navigate; you don’t want to compound that difficulty with signal issues by flying behind obstacles. Even with a clear camera feed, keeping your drone within visual line of sight ensures reliable video transmission and is a critical safety practice.

Get a Spotter: Flying with a spotter who can alert you to approaching people or animals you might not see in your goggles can improve safety.

Choose a good Location: Flying in areas with some light sources, such as near street lights, can significantly improve visibility at night.

Add a Self-powered Buzzer and Tracker: To prevent losing your drone, attaching a buzzer with an integrated battery is advisable: https://oscarliang.com/drone-buzzers-with-battery/. A tracker can also help locate your downed drone more easily.

GoPro Settings for Low Light: If you’re capturing your flight with a GoPro, consider my recommended settings for low-light conditions, available here: https://oscarliang.com/gopro-settings-fpv/#For-LowlightNight-Shooting

Camera Comparison in 2018

Back in 2018, I conducted a comparison of several low light FPV cameras, most of which have since been discontinued. However, they might still be available second-hand, so I’ve decided to leave the video here. The cameras were tested at night in two locations with different levels of brightness.

In this particular test, the Runcam Night Eagle emerged as the clear winner, though it’s worth noting it only works in black and white, making it less appealing for daytime use.

The Runcam Micro Eagle slightly outperformed the Runcam Owl 2 Pro, despite the latter being designed for low light conditions. However, the Owl did exhibit less digital noise in testing. Notably, the Eagle offered superior image quality during the day compared to the Owl, positioning it as a more versatile “All-Around” camera. Thus, the Micro Eagle ranks as my second choice.

The Foxeer Falkor stood out for its exceptional daytime image quality – arguably among the best. Yet, for low light or night flying, I found it unsuitable, primarily due to a bug in the “Auto Day/Night” mode that caused the screen to flicker at certain brightness levels due to constant switching between color and black & white. A helpful tip for reducing digital noise in low light is to adjust the DNR setting from 0 to 1; I observed no further improvements by increasing it beyond that.

Conclusion

Night flying with FPV drones offers an unmatched experience. With the right camera, careful planning, and adherence to safety and regulations, pilots can safely explore this challenging yet rewarding aspect of drone flying. As you venture into the night, remember that thorough preparation and selecting the right equipment are crucial.

Edit History

• Dec 2015: Article created.
• Dec 2017: Article updated with the latest FPV camera options.
• Nov 2018: Added night FPV camera comparison.
• Apr 2024: Article updated with the newest FPV camera options and comparisons.