A video camera system comprising: an imaging system having a camera lens, an image sensor, and a retractable IR-cut filter, and a control unit (20, 24), wherein the video camera system has a day-mode in which the IR-cut filter is arranged in front of the image sensor, and a night-mode in which the IR-cut filter is retracted from its position in front of the image sensor, wherein the video camera system has a field of view defined by properties of its imaging system, the video camera system further comprising a separate light sensor for measuring an ambient light level forming a basis for a decision regarding when to actuate a transfer from night-mode to day-mode, or vice versa, characterized in that the separate light sensor having imaging optics and is configured to enable adjustment to measure an ambient light level in a variable field of view and in that the separate light sensor is further configured to enable adjustment to measure the ambient light level in a scene currently being imaged by the video camera system in a current field of view of the video camera system by means of: the separate light sensor comprising a first and a second light sensor having imaging lenses (36, 36') of different focal length, and the control unit (20, 24) combining a light sensor reading from the first and the second light sensor, wherein a weight given to the reading from the first and the second light sensor, respectively, varies as a function of the current field of view of the video camera system. an imaging system having a camera lens, an image sensor, and a retractable IR-cut filter, and a control unit (20, 24), wherein the video camera system has a day-mode in which the IR-cut filter is arranged in front of the image sensor, and a night-mode in which the IR-cut filter is retracted from its position in front of the image sensor, wherein the video camera system has a field of view defined by properties of its imaging system, the video camera system further comprising a separate light sensor for measuring an ambient light level forming a basis for a decision regarding when to actuate a transfer from night-mode to day-mode, or vice versa, characterized in that the separate light sensor having imaging optics and is configured to enable adjustment to measure an ambient light level in a variable field of view and in that the separate light sensor is further configured to enable adjustment to measure the ambient light level in a scene currently being imaged by the video camera system in a current field of view of the video camera system by means of: the separate light sensor comprising a first and a second light sensor having imaging lenses (36, 36') of different focal length, and the control unit (20, 24) combining a light sensor reading from the first and the second light sensor, wherein a weight given to the reading from the first and the second light sensor, respectively, varies as a function of the current field of view of the video camera system. the separate light sensor comprising a first and a second light sensor having imaging lenses (36, 36') of different focal length, and the control unit (20, 24) combining a light sensor reading from the first and the second light sensor, wherein a weight given to the reading from the first and the second light sensor, respectively, varies as a function of the current field of view of the video camera system.