Video Footage in the Dark: Infrared Flashlight

Nocturnal, aspiring filmmakers take note: the Infrared Flashlight Video Recorder could be just the gadget you've been looking for. This unassuming camera, that appears to be a regular, oversized flashlight, utilizes a large single three-watt LED with an array of 17 infrared LED's surrounding it, allowing the user to film from up to 13 feet away in darkness. The main LED offers three separate brightness levels.  Night footage will be black and white.

Video and pictures are taken at 30 frames per second and offer 640 x 480 resolution. The CMOS sensor provides 66 degrees worth of picture angle. A built-in 128-MB memory stores up to 500 photos or 15 seconds of video. Mini-SD memory slot allows for up to two gigs of additional memory expansion. The flashlight VR includes a microphone so that you get sound as well as video.

The Infared Flashight Video Recorder is available from Hammacher and Schlemmer . Something similar is also available at Amazon for less thant $70. It operates on three C-sized batteries. The burly flashlight is just over a foot long and weighs one pound.

Sources: Hammacher and Schlemmer via Coolest Gadgets