The Truth About Colour at Night CCTV: Marketing Gimmick or Useful Tech?
The Real Story Behind Colour at Night Cameras
At ProCCTV, one of the most common questions we get is: "Can I get colour footage at night?" It’s a fair question. The idea of 24/7 colour vision sounds like a leap forward in surveillance technology. And to be honest, on paper and in demo videos, it often looks impressive.
But the reality is this: colour-at-night technology is driven more by consumer marketing than performance. It’s heavily pushed in the budget and prosumer space where Chinese vendors dominate and where feature wars between brands fuel a constant race to one-up the spec sheet.
Where Colour at Night Falls Short
While colour-at-night technology has evolved significantly, the improvements have been focused on static imagery in low-motion, non-critical environments. In real-world, high-stakes surveillance applications, the performance simply doesn't hold up.
Here’s why:
Heavy post-processing: To generate colour images in low light, the camera applies significant image post-processing. This not only introduces latency, but also degrades image clarity through artefacts and digital noise.
Poor performance with motion: As soon as movement is introduced, the system struggles. Tearing, ghosting, and blur are common—precisely at the moment when image accuracy is most needed.
Noise and artefacts: Even in still scenes, the extra processing adds image noise. When WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) is also enabled, this further complicates the camera’s ability to render a clean, accurate image.
Ineffective built-in LEDs: Some cameras use built-in LED spotlights that activate on motion or AI-based object detection. Unfortunately, object detection is only around 70% accurate. This leads to constant false triggers, which often annoy users enough that the feature gets turned off entirely.
Limited power output: These built-in LEDs are constrained by PoE/PoE+ power budgets, limiting brightness. In large, open areas or high-mounted installations, their effectiveness drops off significantly.
A Better Approach: Infrared + Lighting Integration
For critical surveillance, infrared (IR) illumination remains the most reliable, high-performance option. It avoids the drawbacks of colour-at-night gimmicks by preserving clarity, contrast, and detail in low-light conditions—even in motion.
Want colour at night? Integrate lighting properly.
The right way to deliver usable colour footage in low light is through dedicated lighting control, not low-powered camera-mounted LEDs. This can be achieved by:
Integrating your CCTV system with automated lighting control
Using high-output 240V floodlights triggered by motion sensors
Deploying lighting scenes based on camera or sensor inputs
These methods offer far more reliable and practical results, especially when identification is the goal.
Choosing Cameras That Perform When It Counts
Not all cameras are created equal. You can find colour-at-night features on $400 Chinese-brand cameras, and you’ll also find them largely absent in reputable enterprise-grade manufacturers like Hanwha, Avigilon and Axis.
Take Hanwha Vision as an example. Out of their entire professional lineup, only two models—the budget-focused QNE-C9013RL and QNE-C8013RL—offer colour-at-night capabilities. These models exist purely to compete with Chinese alternatives on price and marketing appeal. Every other camera in their portfolio, including those priced over $10,000, relies on IR illumination for night performance. That says a lot.
Hanwha and Axis are trusted in high-security applications by organisations such as Brisbane City Council and Defence, where reliability, Cyber Security and performance can’t be compromised.
The Bottom Line from ProCCTV
At ProCCTV, we don’t chase gimmicks or hype. We focus on deploying solutions that work in the real world and that prioritise long-term performance, reliability, and clarity—not spec sheet fluff.
We always recommend investing in cameras with:
High-quality sensors and optics
Reliable IR illumination
Trusted manufacturer support and warranties
Integration capabilities with lighting and automation for enhanced performance
When surveillance matters, the system needs to perform without compromise—day or night, colour or not.
If you're ready to install a system that works when you need it most, speak to our team.
Need help designing a system that actually performs at night?
Give us a call or contact us online. We're here to help you cut through the marketing noise and get the right outcome, the first time.