0 LUX: VHS Night Vision Camera
Not claimedGreen glow
By ISAIAH MICHAEL PARADA · Photo and videoWhy we expect it: A carefully specified retro camcorder concept with clear value for nostalgia fans, backed by a thorough, well-organized description.
About
Green glow. Tape hiss. A timecode ticking in the corner. It's 1994 and the camcorder is rolling.
0 LUX (say "zero lux") turns your iPhone into a 90s night-vision camcorder. Not a filter you slap on afterwards — a live GPU effect on the viewfinder, so what you see is exactly what you record. Real scanned tape grain, bloom and CCD smear, dropout sparks, interlace scanlines, head-switching static along the bottom edge and the IR hotspot glowing in the middle of the frame. The footage you remember from music videos, home movies and late-night backyard tapes.
IN THE FILE, NOT A FILTER The look is in the file. Hit REC, hit STOP, and the clip in your camera roll already has the effect. No render queue, no editing app. Photos too. Point, shoot, share.
THE FULL ON-SCREEN DISPLAY STBY / REC. Timecode counter. Date and clock. Battery. LUX meter. Corner brackets. A "0 LUX" or "NIGHT MODE" badge. And BURN-IN is your call: write a small date + time stamp into the corner like a real tape (the default), burn in the whole display, or keep the frame clean. With 0 LUX PRO, switch each readout on or off individually.
IT HANDLES LIKE A CAMCORDER • T/W motorized zoom rocker with lens detents, or pinch to zoom (0.5x–12x) • Tap to focus • Slide and hold to ride the static level live • MOTION FX: static that reacts when you move the phone • Double-tap to flip cameras mid-recording • Back torch and front-camera screen flash for rooms with no light • PHOTO mode with the volume button as your shutter • The last-capture thumbnail on the main screen doubles as the Import button
PICK YOUR DECK Four whole-camera looks, each tuned frame by frame from real footage: DISC '07, TAPE '98, TAPE '04 and 0 LUX. Tint, grain, hotspot, softness, even the zoom motor change with the deck. Add a FISHEYE on the 0.5x lens, or SLOW SHUTTER for motion trails.
DIAL IN THE TAPE Gain: OFF, +9DB, 0 LUX. INK POP contrast levels 1–4. STATIC LOW / MED / HIGH plus the live slider. Record at 480P, 720P or 1080P, in 16:9, 4:3, 9:16 or 1:1, at 24, 30 or 60 frames per second. TAPE AUDIO adds hiss and narrows the mic bandwidth so the sound matches the picture.
IMPORT Already shot something? Tap the thumbnail in the corner, pull any video or photo from your camera roll, pick the deck, choose whether the date stamp goes in, and it saves straight back to your camera roll looking like it was shot on tape.
NEVER LOSE A TAKE Interrupted mid-take by a call or a dead battery? 0 LUX rescues the recording the next time you open the app.
PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No sign-in. No analytics, no ads, no tracking, no servers of our own. Recording, the effect and Import all run on your device. 0 LUX uses the camera and microphone to record, and your photo library to save captures and pick media for Import. The only thing that leaves your phone is your App Store purchase receipt, checked through Apple and our purchase provider so RESTORE works on a new iPhone.
FREE The full night-vision look, the DISC '07 and 0 LUX decks, 480P recording (authentic VHS resolution), every aspect ratio, FISHEYE, photos, every gain, static and frame-rate setting, the display and burn-in modes, and every handling control listed under IT HANDLES LIKE A CAMCORDER.
0 LUX PRO — ONE-TIME PURCHASE A single purchase, yours for good: • 720P and 1080P recording • Import: run videos and photos already on your camera roll through the look • The TAPE '98 and TAPE '04 decks • DRILL and IR MONO filters • SLOW SHUTTER motion trails • Custom OSD display items (switch each readout on or off) • TAPE AUDIO (hiss and narrowed mic bandwidth) • INK POP contrast levels 2–4 (level 1 is free)
People rate it
Sign in to rate this app. Honest is what counts.
No ratings yet. Tried it? Be the first to rate it.