Fry's is great...just don't ask thier sales staff anything.

Yes, I know what you mean. :wink: On top of that, I've noticed over the last few years (after the dot-com bust) that they've been shifting their stock away from the "esoteric" electronics stuff on which they built their name in favor of more main-stream consumer stuff that you can buy anywhere. For example, yesterday I went looking for some odd DIN connectors and 75% of their display was empty! It was really depressing ... :(

Those shops are getting harder and harder to find. I'm just old enough to remeber when you could get anything at Radio Shack, now...they are the one stop shop for RC cars and batteries.

Here are some day and night shots of a driveway entrance from the Samsung 721 with a 16mm 1/2" lens. The distance is about 100' and the IR illumination is from an Extreme UF500 (one Big Bad Boy). (Unfortunately, the day image shown here doesn't accurately capture the color, which is much more vivid.)

WOW, those are some nice pics!!!

Couple of things, i have heard these cams are pretty reasonable, some cams do not have much tollerance between the switch in modes to B/W, this means at some point the cams will hunt (flick on and off between filters) the only one I have seen that doesnt is the Bosch oh and the Pana, the difference in the bosch removable filter, is it replaces the filter so that correct spectral response can be achieved (something like that) its called a dummy filter.

i know the CS Mount Bosch rnage have a setting to allow you to fake the required adjustments to back focus, so that you need no ND filter at all, oh and no screws either, this means ytou can do a back focus without even having to change a thing.

I have heard these cams are good at low light, but appaerntly they look like crud when you flash bright lights into them, try shining a torch towards it and see what the vertical smearing is like, I think that is the trade off, i think it overshoots, but I havent tested this myself.

As for the networking you could always try the following.... set the web html server to on, then simply minimise the DVR and type 127.0.0.1 into your browser, this works on most machines and is a great way to demo a network viewer when you do not have another pc. failing that ther is always the Print Screeen button.

Or if you're lazy you use localhost.

nah localhost is 9 letters, 127.0.0.1 is nine digits, not enough saving, shit!!!! i could have typed it by now C U

As for the filter switching mechanism, you'd think they'd include some sort of logic that says "once you switch from color to B&W, or vice versa, disable the switching mechanism for 10 minutes." :wink:

I know the extremeCCTV Camera and the Sanyo Day Night doesnt do that, cant speak for the rest of them.

See? These are the types of details we need to know *before* investing in these cameras. :evil:

Actually the Sanyo was tripping out at first, but after I adjusted the switch over level (a few nights to get it right) it worked normally, a small flicker as it switches is all.

The EX82s, I have them set to dark so they switch to BW as soon as it gets DIM, which means also in heavy clouds and rain, depends on the location, level of light coming into the photcell, etc. These use a Photo cell though, so switching is instant, its 2 seperate cameras also, but price is heavy.

There doesn't appear to be a switch-over level in the Sammy.

It uses an OSD to program it ? If so, check that out, or send me the manual if you can ..ill take a look ..

thanks
ROry

Some cameras allow for it and some dont, some cams say that after switching that a level drop of a large amount must be achieved before it will change back, this stops the mechanical filter from wearing out and hnting from occurring, for instance the Bosch will change on a certain light level but will then drop doen the level for changing back so that quite a change is needed before the picture changes, lets face it the slight increment between the change is not going to make that much difference, but if the lights are swithced off you really want it to.

Some cameras also allow you to set this level of change ...i think both the Pana and the bosch do this... one thing for sure only the bosch places the dummy filter to allow for correct focussing taking into consideration IR response

One common misconception is that only Day nighters have filters, thATS CRUD, all coulur cams have these to level out the effect of the amount of IR light found in standard sunlight... infact a good way to tell if a camera is B/W or colour is a rule that mostly applies, " a green ccd menas a colour camera and grey means B/W, this is because the colour cam needs an IR filter

all but some of the very cheap color cams .. you can tell the difference.
besides they are all really BW with chroma just added to it ..