It looks like combat at night will be done in full color if this ultra lowlight camera gets to be used in the military. It might be unsettling that it is almost like seeing in broad daylight using the SPI X27 Night Vision Camera when the user knows he/she is looking at this his/her environment deep in the dark.

The Las Vegas-based Sierra Pacific Innovations (SPI) has developed a revolutionary night vision sensor called the X27. This has an equivalent of 5,000,000 ISO to capture images in extreme low light environment with low noise and high sensitivity. ISO is the sensitivity to light, and the higher the ISO, the better it is for lowlight image capture. Many digital cameras nowadays have a normal ISO range of 200 to 6,400 with higher end cameras such as DSLRs have the capability of being boosted up to 204,800.

But with the 5,000,000 ISO of the X27, the user now gets the benefit of seeing in full color in the dark as compared to the usual tech of night vision intensifier tubes that give the green color that many consider to be night vision or thermal imaging sensors. Apart from military applications such as reconnaissance and surveillance, it will be extremely useful for rescue, law enforcement, astronomy, biosensing, and medical purposes.

The X27 is a 10 megapixel LLL CMOS Sensor that incorporates high grade, coated, IR corrected lenses. While it is touted for its amazing full color low light imaging, it can perfectly take images during the day as well. The X27 is fully automatic, adjusting to the light conditions without the need of any input from the user.

Full color vision at night gives tremendous advantage to the user since brain friendly images increase detection and recognition as explained by the video below:

We do not know how much it will cost to own one of these. SPI is offering the X27 full color night vision sensor to be used in cameras, binoculars, night vision devices, and other products. It still very much a new technology and we do not know when this will be made available for civilian use as SPI is mainly a military contractor.

For now airsoft players will have to settle to using the first gen and second generation night vision devices for airsoft and milsim night games.