ColorVu vs Infrared Night Vision: What's the Difference?

Traditional infrared (IR) night vision records in black and white after dark, while Hikvision ColorVu uses a wider-aperture lens and a soft white light to capture full-colour footage 24/7 - so you can see the colour of a car or someone's clothing.

How infrared works

IR cameras switch on invisible infrared LEDs in the dark and produce a black-and-white image. It works well even in total darkness and is the cheaper, traditional option - but you lose colour, which can matter for identifying people or vehicles.

How ColorVu works

ColorVu cameras use a larger f1.0 aperture lens that gathers far more light, plus a discreet warm supplement light, to keep the image in full colour through the night. The result is footage that looks more like daytime than night vision.

Why colour matters

Most break-ins happen after dark. "A person in a dark top" is far less useful to police than "a person in a red top getting into a blue car". Colour-at-night turns vague footage into identifiable evidence.

Hybrid models

Many modern cameras are hybrid (Smart Hybrid Light): they sit in infrared until motion is detected, then switch on the white light for colour - balancing discretion with colour evidence when it counts.

Browse ColorVu kits. ColorVu is standard across Hikvision and on some HiLook models - see Hikvision vs HiLook.

Frequently asked questions

Is ColorVu better than infrared?
For identifying people and vehicles, yes - ColorVu keeps footage in full colour at night, while infrared is black and white. Infrared is cheaper and works in total darkness.

Does ColorVu need a light?
ColorVu uses a small built-in warm light plus a light-gathering lens. Hybrid models keep it off until motion is detected, then switch it on for colour.

Do ColorVu cameras work in total darkness?
Yes - in complete darkness they use the built-in supplement light to keep recording in colour, or fall back to infrared on hybrid models.