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Duovox has launched its new Duovox Mate Pro night vision camera on Kickstarter. It promises to be ‘the most advanced true-color night vision camera’ and comes equipped with a next-gen Sony STARVIS 2 CMOS image sensor.
The backside-illuminated STARVIS 2 CMOS sensor promises sensitivity down to 0.0001 lux. This illuminance (lux) corresponds to a moonless, overcast night sky. As a reference, a clear night with a full moon is between 0.05 and 0.3 lux. Unlike many night vision cameras, the Mate Pro is a full-color camera. We recently wrote about how researchers are working on using AI to create full-color night vision cameras that use infrared technology, but the Mate Pro instead uses the visible light spectrum and Sony’s sophisticated STARVIS 2 image sensor.
However, the Duovox Mate Pro does include artificial intelligence. AI comes in the form of the AI Assist Dynamic Algorithm, which helps the user by selecting shutter speed, aperture and ISO. The AI also expands the camera’s dynamic range, promising up to 22.25 stops. AI also performs noise reduction and automatic white balance gain to ensure a clean, accurate color image.
The image sensor, which Sony exclusively developed for the Duovox Mate Pro, promises ultra-low pixel density. The 1/1.8-inch type sensor is only 5MP, so its pixels aren’t densely packed. The pixels are 244 percent larger than those in the Sony a7S III full-frame mirrorless camera.
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As you capture photos, you can view them on the built-in 3-inch LCD, which has 1.3M dots. The camera can transfer images over Wi-Fi and even live stream 2K footage. For example, you can use the camera as a live security or game camera. Additional shooting modes include motion detection start, timelapse video, instant recording, loop mode, delayed stop, way back recording (this allows you to capture up to 25 minutes of footage before you press record), facial recognition capture and more.
The Duovox Mate Pro has a built-in F0.9 lens, although the focal length isn’t clear. The sensor has a 4.9x crop factor. Video (1080p and 2K resolution) is recorded at 30fps. The camera records JPEG and RAW photos and .MP4 videos with H.264 codec to a microSD card. The camera promises up to 4 hours of battery life.
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Does the Duovox Mate Pro’s image quality hold up? You can see numerous sample images on the Kickstarter page. You can also read this hands-on review at The Verge for some real-world insight. It sounds like an interesting camera that offers impressive night vision capabilities, although perhaps not with particularly good image quality.
As of writing, the minimum pledge to get the Duovox Mate Pro is $599, which is 50% off the anticipated retail price of $1,200. The camera should start shipping in October. For additional information on the camera and different backing options, visit Kickstarter.
Note/disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project before backing it. Pledges to crowdfunding campaigns are not pre-orders. DPReview does not have a relationship with this, or any such campaign, and we publicize only projects that appear legitimate, and which we consider will be of genuine interest to our readers. You can read more about the safeguards Kickstarter has in place on its ‘Trust & Safety‘ page.
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This article comes from DP Review and can be read on the original site.
