Most cameras will record in the IR. a basic camera used for surveillance costs around 100.00 and you can get them on Ebay and they often have an IP address.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16881339014&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Surveillance+Cameras-_-N82E16881339014&gclid=CMWly9TFj7oCFeRj7AodwGMAkg

Hi Olga - I have some experience in video recording even in low light conditions but the answer to your question depends on a number of factors. I tell you what I've been using and what pros/cons they have:

- a number of IP cameras, like the Y-Bullet cam. Pros: they have a strong build, have built-in InfraRed capability, you can stream to a computer/server via wifi or via LAN, depending on the size/connectivity of the server you can record for long periods without needing to touch the cameras and even control the cameras. Cons: they are not exactly 'cheap' (this one is in the range of 300$/piece, althoug there are cheaper options. if you search for IP infrared cameras you'll find many);

- a surveillance kit, like this (sorry the page is in italian, I couldn't find the english version): http://www.atlantisland.it/pub/prodotti.php?famiglia=1&l1=10&l2=73&articolo=QTA5LVZENDAwLUtJVC1X

which comes with 2 cameras and a recorder for about 300$ and you can separately buy additional cameras for a fraction of the price. Pros: the cost is relatively low, cameras have built-in IR, they use only one wire for power and transmission of videos. Cons: the recorder only records in a proprietary video format, so you will be able to see the video only through their system.

- you could use IR webcams (there are many in the range of 10$) but you will need to attach them to a computer, so if you have to record many cages at one time it would be expensive to get the computers (although you could buy Raspberry Pi, a small computer running linux which costs about 30$).

- you can use any consumer-level camcorder that has a night-recording mode, even without infrared most cameras have a light gain control that allows recording even in very low light conditions. pros: not too expensive, you don't need to attach them to anything just place the camera and press the rec button. cons: battery and storage may limit the maximum length of videos, so you will need to recharge the battery and downlonad the videos often.

As you see the variables are many - if you tell me a little bit more about your experiment (length of videos, how often will you be able to access the camera, is there a LAN in the lab, will you need to import videos into other programs for data collection of do you just need to view them etc. the more detailed the better) I will be able to give you a more accurate help. Ah also tell me what you mean with 'affordable' - because prices can vary greatly but features and quality will also change.

cheers,

Paolo

Thank you, Paolo! Some more details:

-We tried cheap IR webcams, but the video quality was too poor for what we wanted to do. We also tried Canon Vixia HFM500 which we had in the lab for a different project and there just isn't enough light in the box for a decent image, especially with dark-colored birds.

- Each operant chamber is attached to a computer so we could in principle attach the camera to a computer and.or LAN, no problems.

-Ideally, the length of the video would be about 2-3 hrs, although we could probably work with shorter videos if needed. We'd like to analyze the video with ImageJ once they are collected.

- Affordable for our budget is $100-$200 per camera.

Does this change anything in your advice?

Another way to go is to purchase a video camera system and attempt to remove the built in IR filter. This takes some care and tools.

Olga, given your setting, I would buy an IP camera with built-in Infrared (provided that the infrared leds do not disturb the pigeons). I cannot recommend a specific model, as I've only been using the one I've linked you which is out of your price range.

Thanks, Paolo and Victor! Guess we will give an IP camera a try. Pigeons do see infrared, but the presence of IR does not seem to interfere with behavior that we are interested in.

I am studying positional behaviour in a number of small mammalian nocturnal species for my Ph.D. project. For all recordings, I used an older generation Sony Handycam with a built IR torch. This proved to be more than enough for my needs.

The downside is that you can only record 20 minutes with each mini DVD it uses.

I also used, for a couple days, another Sony Handycam which recoded on MiniDV tapes, rather than DVDs. The image was better, and you also get to record 1hr of footage. However, transferring video from tapes to a digital format might be more of a fuss.

This is the DVD camera:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=DCRDVD610&LOC=3#/manualsTab

And this is the miniDV camera:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/p/model-home.pl?mdl=DCRHC62&LOC=3#/manualsTab

I got the DVD camera used for 50 euros. I imagine that the miniDV one could be even cheaper but also worth the trouble of digitalizing the tapes, for the extra quality.

You can easily buy on AliExpress some IR illuminator. Thos are used together with IR security camera. They literally light the subject with infrared so you can pick it up with your security camera. Those are simply extra IR led like the 4-6 ones you'll find in a standard camcorder (or point and shoot camera if it offer the IR mode).

You just buy some, add them to your scene and your Canon will do a perfect job. Or any other one too... I saw some of the Unitopek brand at 20 USD.