With its new ColorX cameras, Reolink wants to redefine color night vision

ColorX is the baptismal name of the technology with which Reolink promises to “surpassing the limits of darkness”. It will be integrated into the cameras of the range of the same name in order to improve color reproduction during the night. Like most cameras hitting the market with the promise of color night vision, ColorX is expected to rely on one or more onboard floodlights. So it seems a bit less innovative than the tech on board Ezviz’s C3X, but other things come into the equation.

Projectors, a large aperture and a large sensor

Said projectors should deliver warm light (3000 K), therefore less dazzling than that of the projectors usually used for color night vision. Reolink adds that they will light up gradually in order to limit “light pollution and inconvenience for neighbours”.

To work, ColorX also requires optics that allow a lot of light to pass through, as well as a sensor with large pixels. Were thus retained an optic opening at f / 1 and a 1 / 1.8 inch sensor of 4 Mpx, which we should therefore find on all cameras stamped ColorX, in the immediate future at least. We imagine developments later, in particular to follow the market which is gradually migrating to 8 Mpx sensors for 4K video.

A flattering first glimpse with the CX410

The first ColorX camera is based on this configuration. This is the CX410 and we have to admit that the images chosen by Reolink to illustrate its low-light capabilities are flattering. They show a flowery courtyard with relatively bright colors and very little noise, but we would have liked to see the same scene captured without ColorX to compare. The footage is known to have been captured at 9:00 p.m., but without a date or location. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine the ambient light.

For the rest, the ColorX CX410 is fairly standard, except for its intelligent detection system which must be able to distinguish pets and vehicles, in addition to humans, to limit false alerts. Intended for outdoor use, it is obviously protected against rain (IP66) and Reolink allows you to use only an Ethernet cable for connection and power supply (PoE). Here there is no wifi or battery. Finally, we note the presence of a microSD slot to store recordings locally, knowing that Reolink launched a cloud offer in France in 2022.

The ColorX CX410 camera is available for pre-order at the preferential price of €108, but it will be launched at the recommended retail price of €120.