As if this cool laser pattern weren't enough, Sony has once again included the NightFraming/NightShot mode in the Cyber-shot DSC-V3. Rather than permanently filter it out as other camera manufacturers do both of these features take advantage of the tendency of digital cameras to pick up infrared light. For normal photographs you want to filter this light out, because it distorts color rendition, but Sony got clever and mounted their IR filter on a moveable frame. Press the NightFraming/NightShot button and you'll hear a loud click. That's the IR filter moving out of the way. NightFraming is a useful tool, making the V3 more capable than even film cameras, because with this camera you can literally see in the dark, yet still capture a full color image. First the camera shows you a green monochrome image with an eerie glow at the center. This is from the infrared beam the camera is projecting (it appears as a dim red glow from the front of the camera). With this assistance, you can frame your shot fairly well. It really only illuminates the center of the frame with the camera at wide angle, but it's enough to see what's where before you take your shot. Then you press the shutter and the camera goes back to color mode, indicated with a click as the IR filter moves back into place. Now a laser pattern is projected to focus. Once focus is achieved, the IR sensor moves back out of place so you can continue to frame your shot with IR assistance. Finally, you press the shutter and the IR filter moves back into place, the shutter is tripped, and the flash fires, yielding a full-color shot with no IR signal to degrade performance. All this sounds like a lot of trouble, but the camera handles it automatically. It can be surprisingly useful in common low light situations like amusement parks or indoors at night.
Not quite as useful but still a lot of fun on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3 is the Night Shot mode. You won't hear any clicking in this mode except when you turn it on and off. Here, the IR filter moves out of the way during both viewing and capture. The resulting images are green monochrome (in some of my test shots, red does tend to show through a bit). This mode's usefulness is clear, for taking pictures in darkness or near darkness without disturbing the subject with focus assist beams or flashes. As I mentioned, the IR beam does glow a faint red, so anyone conscious of your presence will catch you--or else freak out and think you're giving them a truly evil eye--but it would be perfect for catching a sleeping child. NightShot mode can also be used for video, so you can also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your spouse snores, for example. We're told this mode does not actually see through clothing, as has sometimes been reported, so no one need worry that you're ogling them electronically.
