In 2020, Hikvision unveiled the DarkFighter technology with advances like F1.0 aperture and large sensor areas. To meet the demand for superb nighttime capturing and high image quality, Hikvision released DarkFighter 2.0 cameras which, powered by the AI-ISP technology, significantly enhance night vision, delivering clearer and better rendering of scenes. This article takes a closer look at the cameras, based on product testing by a&s China.
Nighttime scenes are complex and ever-changing. To get better night scene capturing, users increasingly demand cameras with higher imaging performance. In 2020, Hikvision launched the DarkFighter technology, which gained wide and remarkable market acceptance. As night falls, DarkFighter cameras silently protect the society with more realistic colors and imaging, making the night as safe as the day.
To further meet the demand for high-performance and cost-effective solutions, Hikvision has launched the DarkFighter 2.0 technology which leverages the power of AI-ISP, or artificial intelligence image signal processing, which Hikvision has been doing R&D work on since 2019. This time, Hikvision has fully implemented AI-ISP in DarkFighter 2.0, which is the clear leader in the market for cost-effective night-vision solutions.
What is AI-ISP
Hikvision's AI-ISP technology combines extensive scene data with cutting-edge neural network technology to learn the distribution characteristics of multi-type noise (hybrid noise). This enables adaptive temporal and spatial noise reduction and accurately determines areas of motion and stillness, significantly improving the camera's image quality in low-light scenes. Below we look at what DarkFighter 2.0 empowers cameras to do:
Powerful color reproduction to produce a more realistic look
DarkFighter 2.0 features the 3D LUT color grading technology, which automatically extracts parameters such as hue, brightness, and saturation in different environments. Through intelligent algorithm analysis, it generates a color mapping that matches the scene content, providing a better rendering of scene colors.
Compared to traditional CCM two-dimensional color grading (which only provides basic color calibration), 3D LUT color grading utilizes a fully three-dimensional color space control method, significantly improving the accuracy and degree of color rendering. Furthermore, this type of color mapping offers stable gains, resulting in neutral colors and superior color control precision.
AI noise reduction and more detailed image quality
DarkFighter 2.0 also takes noise reduction a step further. Its DCNNs AI noise reduction technology can reduce noise significantly in nighttime images.
DarkFighter is based on massive camera image data learning, resulting in Hikvision’s self-developed DCNNs noise reduction AI model which can more accurately separate the color noise and brightness noise on the picture; this enables noise reduction by 90 percent, making the picture more accurate and precise. In addition to superb noise reduction, DarkFighter also excels in reducing the “ghosting effect” of objects moving at different speeds. We can see that the details of people running, walking, and riding bicycles at different speeds in the picture are excellent, and the ghosting reduction is very obvious.
Superb WDR capabilities
Compared to 1.0, DarkFighter 2.0 offers a significant upgrade in detail rendering in scenes with strong lighting contrasts. This is internally referred to as the "Superb WDR Algorithm."
Powered by AI algorithms, Superb WDR accurately analyzes highlight and shadow data, and automatically enhances the image's ability to represent these data, ensuring that highlights are not overexposed and details in shadows are not lost. We can see excellent suppression of street lights, parking garage lights, and shopping district signs. Even in backlit conditions, overly bright areas are effectively suppressed, and people can be seen clearly instead of appearing too dark. Overall, the technology enables a more uniform overall rendering, making it the leader in night vision.
More than just a simple upgrade
There are numerous products on the market labeled "lowlight color capturing-enabled,” but their hardware and software capabilities, technological principles, and manufacturing processes vary widely, naturally resulting in varying nighttime performance. Hikvision sets itself apart with the DarkFighter technology, whose evolution from 1.0 to 2.0 is more than just a simple version upgrade; it represents a technological innovation and breakthrough that makes video capturing as exciting during the night as it is during the day. With DarkFighter 2.0, users truly get a higher-quality, safer video experience.