camera-newbie

I've looked at a lot of the low-to-mid-tier cameras and haven't seen anything like that -- yet.. I don't really see how an HDMI output on a camera would have a wide audience though since I think the cable lengths are fairly limited (wikipedia claims 15 meters max as a likely limit) and if you're using IP cameras why not use a computer with HDMI output to view the image(s) that way as many computers have HDMI outputs built into the motherboards now including Asus' which has some using the Intel Z68 chipset IIRC. YMMV!

There was a thread on here a week or two ago IIRC talking about a camera that was in something like -30F well below the rated temps without heater as I recall... I don't recall the specifics though.. I'm sure others wil chime in, but a heater would probably be a good idea if you're able to have one...

" title="Applause" /> Yes, there was a company that makes vacuums under that name but I don't think they're related.. Oh well.. Silence gives me my answer I guess..

I ran across this while searching for a CS mount lens which I gather they also make among other things.. Seems like a product that not too many people know about -- take it for whatever that means. The specs look OK for an IP TDN camera with optional CS lens, ONVIF compliant, etc.. I did a search here but only found references to their lens products and an older controller for analog stuff.. Anyone tried one of these? The specs for their 1080 cameras can be found here... It's not so great for multi-streaming (one stream at 1080p, two at 720p) but that'd be OK for me.. Anyone played with one?

Yikes! That would be a major pain if installing a bunch of cameras that behaved like that!

Good to know.. I've got a note into Pentax CCTV lens people in Denver asking some more lens questions.. The one issue with the small basler's (assuming you're using their recommended Aigis enclosure) is getting a lens that will also fit the enclosure -- some with the DC iris are a little iffy size-wise -- the computar I mentioned earlier may be a fraction of an inch too wide to fit -- I suppose I could try to 'adjust' the case to make it fit but will keep looking.. It's hard to find a IR corrected 2.8-12mm, F1.2 Varifocal DC Iris Megapixel lens apparently.. Many lens places just don't have the combination needed.. If I were in the market for a 5MP capable lens, my choices would be even more restricted unless you ditch the MP need and get a regular lens. Many places go up to 3MP and a few to 5MP from what I've seen.. P.S. I was reading the spec sheet for one of the Computer/Ganz lens and noticed the street addresses listed on the bottom -- their California office is located about 5 minutes from my house.. Go figure!

So, I've got one camera on it's way and it's got a 1/3" CS mount and I was looking at some Fujinon lenses but they don't apparently use the phrase "ir corrected" which I'm assuming I want for an outdoor camera for use in low-light situations (in this case the camera is the 1.3Mp Basler).. I was thinking, for example, of this one which has a decent focal range and has the needed DC iris this camera supports. Is the linked lens an IR corrected lens? Is their "ND filter" feature the give-away here? Please advise.. Thx! Signed -- CS mounted lens newbie

Welcome Jim.. I'm also new here and learning at a great pace.. My mother lives up your way in good 'ol Newport on the coast -- also very wet territory. I'll keep an eye out on your progress as I'm interested in what others are doing as well!

Ok.. Got my reply from Bud at IQeye a little while ago.. At least I know they respond to emails.. I sent an email to KT&C last week and haven't received any replies yet.. I'm not expecting one either at this point.

Thanks.. From your perspective is there any benefit to, at least in this case, using one over the other? I'll probably pop a note to IQEye (or I guess I could drive down there on Friday and pester them since they're only about 50-60 miles south of me here in So-Cal) and get the answer.. If it turns out I buy a lens with a DC iris but the camera uses a manual iris -- is it safe to assume they can't really be used together since there'd be no way to control the iris outside or jury-rigging a control circuit of some sort..? I just sent a note to one of their guys -- hopefully I'll get an answer..

The iq's are the older (not current model) Sentinel's -- I'm specifically looking at the IQ853 -- unfortunately the specs don't really tell me everything I need to know about the lens -- I'm looking at the 1/2" varifocal IR lenses with CS mount -- unfortunately it does not specify what type of iris it needs -- DC, manual,etc..? Do you know by chance? I'm hoping it's not manual..

Thx! I might be buying multiples IF that other local guy sells me a few IQEye cameras since they have no lenses either..

Turns out there is no Fujinon that does what I want exactly so I looked over at Computar.. They've got two lenses that are both IR rated but one has an f1.3 aperture and the other is f1.8.. I'm thinking I ought to spring for the f1.3 since it will bring in more light.. Correct?

Thanks Matt.. This camera does have the removable cut filter.. so I'll see about finding a lens with IR correction.. I see pricing on these things is all over the map.. I did find this document on their site which does list which lenses are day/night so I'll stick with those if I buy a Fujinon lens.. Thx!

By the way.. I'm wondering how a pair of CNB VCM-24VF's would do in the front yard in lieu of bullets. In talking (via email) with Sean, the camera he suggested (box style housed in an enclosure) I'm thinking is a bit too bulky & obvious for a front yard whereas the domes are a bit more inconspicuous IMHO. Any comments on how you think the CNB's might perform with the rising sun hitting them from the east? Although if it were an issue it'd probably not last too long and the likely hood of something happening during that time is not as great I suppose..? By the way, I've kinda decided that the Basler BIP-1300c-dn, which is on it's way, will be mounted in an Aigis HS9480 enclosure and placed at the peak of the roof in the backyard to give a good generalized overview of the entire yard..

fire -- any more photos you can share for the cameras you got from Sean? Just curious.. I'm still trying to figure my own install out.. Got some more info from Sean to ponder over..

What kind are these? Just curious..

Hey Moe.. Which cameras are the CNB's? I know #7 is and some others but I wasn't sure based on your commentary.. Just curious as I'm trying to figure out how many cameras, lights, etc for our place as well..

This is one of the camera sets I've been steering my wife away from buying at the local Sam's Club/Costco and even saw some at the local Microcenter store last weekend as they seem to be returned a fair amount (at least at costco) and likely are not good candidates for many situations.. This is exactly the reason I'm still doing my homework so I don't end up buying stuff only to find it's unacceptable for my needs.. It all bubbles down to that old phrase -- you get what you pay for.. I'll admit that I've been all over the map on cameras starting with IP's but now leaning towards analog because, for me, I want more than 2 cameras and I can afford to do that with the analog stuff but not the decent (for the most part) IP equivs. YMMV.

I'm going to assume you're using Analog cameras -- are you daisy chaining all aspects of the video signals or just PTZ signals? If you're daisy chaining everything, I'm not sure you can do that from what I've read -- keep in mind (as my name implies) that I'm a newbie here and may not know everything but I'd guess you need home-runs for each camera -- a single CAT5 (or two if you like) for each camera going back to the DVR.. I suspect that the more cameras you daisy chain the worse the signals are going to degrade.. However, I'll let others chime in here as they likely know way better than I do.

Sean.. Is it too late to continue this? I'd love to see some dark setups on these cameras..

I've found someone nearby that is selling two Basler IP cameras -- one is the above bip2-2500c-dn and they've also got a BIP-1300c dn both with lens for a very good price albeit with no manual or box -- I'm very hesitant to act on this since they probably have no warranty since I have no receipt or knowledge of their background (how old, where they came from, are they "hot").. Regardless, I'm still interested in these cameras regardless of where I get them but would probably not pony up the extra $$ for the 5Mp model as the bip2-1920c-dn would be sufficient I believe for my purposes. Anyway, if anyone of you has used one I'd love to hear what you thought of them and particularly how well they behaved in dark outdoor scenarios and if there were any quirks when used with software such as Milestone,etc. They seem like really slick and well engineered cameras if you don't mind the ~$1k price/camera once lens/enclosure is in the mix if doing outdoors.

Can you even daisy chain cameras like this unless you're talking about PTZ control signals? I'm assuming they're analog cameras? If they're analog and you're feeding power through the CAT5 as well, I'm not sure you're going to have enough current to run a pair of cameras unless they're really low power or ?? I'm not sure what you're talking about regarding the crimping.. I think in general most camera's are wired point-to-point with each camera having it's own dedicated wiring.. Here's a link on CCTV daisy chaining -- perhaps it's helpful : http://www.cctv-information.co.uk/i/Control_Systems_and_Cabling

I've got one of it's slightly smaller and older cousins (mine is >10 years old I'm guessing) and use it on occasion and it's never failed me -- obviously noisy but works like a charm and built like a tank.. I've not found anything it couldn't drill through whether it be concrete, stucco, etc..

Hi all.. I'm new here and trying to get up to speed on all of the camera's available out there.. In my case I'm looking for two cameras that can be installed outside our house to monitor things in both our front and backyards as we've got issues with a neighbor who likes to fiddle in our yard (picking fruit in the middle of the night, shutting off our A/C disconnects on our solar panel inverters, etc). Unfortunately unless we have proof nobody can do anything. So, here is my wishlist of features I'd prefer to have (not in any particular order) : PoE powered Day/Night capable with little lighting - front yard has a street light, but rear yard has no lighting other than some ambient light coming from a medical plaza above us (~50ft), but which is about 1/4 mile away). Would like to be able to see faces well if at all possible Motion detection capable with include/ignore/masking features 1080P High-def preferred IR Cut filter (I think I need this) No extra cords to deal with (I gather that some PoE models have alternate outputs that must be hidden if using PoE) Bullet style preferred for one camera (backyard), dome style would be OK for front Software controlled (?) or ability to write to remote fileserver?? IP Able to record video at night (low-lux) from 50+ feet (~20+ meters would be nice) I don't think we need anything with a heater in our area since I live in the Los Angeles area so temps are not that cold (about the lowest is 40F). I've been eyeing Vivotek's (7162 IIRC) but hear bad things about their service/support. I'm leaning towards the larger companies (Panasonic, JVC, Sanyo,etc) as I'm thinking I'd have a better time with support should I need it. One particular camera that looks promising (but which I think is too high priced for me) is the JVC VN-H157WPU -- if the price were say $300-$400US less, that would be about right. I don't mind paying for a decent product but I've not seen many that can deal with the distance + low-light and still have a decent image.. I was perusing one of the forum threads here showing the images people get from various cameras/systems and saw some impressive images but I didn't see any/many night images where the light was absent (most had porch lights or parking lot lights on) which makes it hard to know how it would behave in my situation.. P.S. I just noticed (thanks to another thread) the IQ Sentinel series which looks promising.. I still need to check some of the specs for it.. Any suggestions?