Hey guys, I have my own film company (very low key as of right now ) but basicly what we film is car races late at night....with this in mind i have run into a big road block, what type of cam to get???? I dont see this question asked often here? Well i alrady have a cam but it doesnt deliver with quality i want...please give me a cost effective cam that will help me achieve my goals. I need something that will get good night footage...if it helps i have a sony cam (handy cam??)right now, im not upset with it but its just not on par with what I want....thank you

"...car races late at night" Sounds like an illegal "sideshow" or street race... Though I must acknowledge a dirt track race in the post sunset period, back around 1970 Missouri...

You won't find anything in the consumer lines. Anything scene with less light than a 100W bulb within a few feet (5-6 ft from the light) is going to be "low-light". Low-light is typically handled by: 1) boosting the gain on the sensor (which results in increased noise); 2) slowing the shutter speed such that exposures take longer than individual frame! (lots of blur, and trailing effects). [And I /have/ measured with an old Minolta AutoMeter-IIIF -- a 60W bulb and 4-5 feet just breaks the 100lux boundary which practically all camera manufacturers list as the recommended light level... Yes, they advertise "low-light" capability down to 2lux, but those are running shutter speeds down around 1/15sec and slower -- when interlace field rate is 1/60sec! OR they activate a moderate LED -- the Sony's have an infrared emitter and sensors that respond to IR light... no color though]

Larger sensors, with low pixel counts, give more latitude as the large cells can grab more light without needing the gain boosted.

Now... a camera with 3 1" sensors of 720x480 resolution... That might be great... But if anyone makes such, the lens alone, if it has a 10x range, will cost a small mortgage (1" sensor puts one in the class of 35mm film range -- now try to find a 35mm film lens that runs 35-350mm at f1.8-2.0; common on small sensor video cameras)

Look at your local high-school football stadium... Does it have banks of high-power lighting for night games? That lighting, by the time it reaches the field, is probably too dim to break the 100lux barrier! Consider adding power generators and equivalent portable lighting systems to your races... You might be able to get reasonable exposure then. <G>

I suppose you could couple a large night-vision scope to the front of the camera lens, and record a green amplified IR image.

Where can I find one of these and would it work for any camera?
If not, I have a Canon Xl1s and will be getting another HD camera soon.