dona.paula 0 Posted November 3, 2009 Hi Guys, I need help choosing the right camera for a client of mine. His requirement is as follows: SINGLE CAMERA INSTALLED ON A 4m pole SHOULD RECORD CLEARLY FROM 50m AWAY LICENSE PLATE NUMBER OF A VEHICLE MOVING AT 25 KM/H WITH HEADLIGHTS ON at night on a 3 lane road (12m). We are NOT looking for a ANPR Camera. Just a megapixel IP camera that can meet the requirement. The client wants to review the video when required and manually read the license plate numbers by pausing the video or zooming into a image grab. Any help is appreciated. Thankx and regards, Dona Paula Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thewireguys 3 Posted November 3, 2009 What NVR software are you using? This is not going to be easy. Do you have IR or while light to illuminate the plates at night? Do the cars stay in there lanes or is it just a big open road? A 3 MP camera with give you a pixel density of 150 ppm at 14 meters wide which is enough to read US plate on a 12m FOV. If you control the traffic day time will not be a problem but night time will be a different animal. A Mobotix M12 could do what you want and can be setup to see LP's at night without being blinded by the head lights and tail lights. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dona.paula 0 Posted November 4, 2009 Thankx for your reply, thewireguys. NVR software is yet to be decided. IR illuminator will be used at night and vehicles do not stay in one lane. It is just one big open road. Mobotix is out of our budget. Looking for a more economical alternative. We can shell out upto $650 per camera. So far camera specs as follows: 2 or 3 MP IP camera with 1/2" progressive scan lens. Verifocal 5 to 50mm lens WDR, IR cut off Auto IRIS Any help further is appreciated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thewireguys 3 Posted November 4, 2009 Thankx for your reply, thewireguys. NVR software is yet to be decided. IR illuminator will be used at night and vehicles do not stay in one lane. It is just one big open road. Mobotix is out of our budget. Looking for a more economical alternative. We can shell out upto $650 per camera. So far camera specs as follows: 2 or 3 MP IP camera with 1/2" progressive scan lens. Verifocal 5 to 50mm lens WDR, IR cut off Auto IRIS Any help further is appreciated If you can find a 3MP camera with WDR and a 5 to 50mm lens for $650 let me know. Also keep in mind a WDR camera is not going to help that much with the head lights and tale lights. I recommend you look at Mobotix with the total system cost in mind. One Mobotix M12 for $1500 + POE injector $50 and a small NAS $300 = $1850 easy install 3MP camera $1000 + housing $150 + lens $350 + Server $600 - $1000 + NVR license $150 = $2250 - $2650 more labor Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cglaeser 0 Posted November 4, 2009 We can shell out upto $650 per camera. So far camera specs as follows: 2 or 3 MP IP camera with 1/2" progressive scan lens. Verifocal 5 to 50mm lens WDR, IR cut off Auto IRIS Any help further is appreciated 2 to 3 MP with 1/2" progressive scan and 5 to 50 varifocal lens for $650? What kind of help do you need getting them? Someone to hold the ladder while you yank them off a building? Best, Christopher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dona.paula 0 Posted November 4, 2009 Christopher. Nice joke Jokes aside. What do you think would be an economical solution for our requirement ? Thankx for your help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thewireguys 3 Posted November 4, 2009 Do you plan on adding other cameras to besides this one to read plates? what is your total system budget? You have two options to do what you want. The cheap way and the right way. If you go the cheap way you might as well throw away your money because the system is not going to do what you want. This is what you will get for around $650. Acti has a 1.3 MP cameras but they are not going to have the resolution you require, lens you need or the FPS. You can see sample images here. http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18773 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CCTV_Suppliers 0 Posted November 4, 2009 Thankx for your reply, thewireguys. NVR software is yet to be decided. IR illuminator will be used at night and vehicles do not stay in one lane. It is just one big open road. Mobotix is out of our budget. Looking for a more economical alternative. We can shell out upto $650 per camera. So far camera specs as follows: 2 or 3 MP IP camera with 1/2" progressive scan lens. Verifocal 5 to 50mm lens WDR, IR cut off Auto IRIS Any help further is appreciated Any particular reason for going IP MP solution since there are restrictions on budget? Besides the camera, you will still need the software (dependent what you pick, it could be expensive), workstation and storage server... Why not look at Bosch EX-series of cameras that are designed for this type of application? This type of camera aside, you have a lot more choices on selection of decent DVR, which can cost substantially lower compared to IP software, workstation and storage server combination... and yet, give you license plate capture capability... Sometimes the application must match the hardware requirements rather than hardware to be forced to meet the application requirements... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cglaeser 0 Posted November 4, 2009 What do you think would be an economical solution for our requirement ? Excellent question. First, stay focused on your requirements, and second, look to solutions that actually address your requirements. I know of a home that was robbed and set on fire. The homeowners had installed six cameras at the front door, back door, and inside the home. The system recorded many photos of three thieves as they moved through the home, but the images are pretty much worthless. Once every month or so, someone will post an image on this forum and request assistance to improve the image. The images are usually blurry, dark, noisy, night images with a time stamp that indicates what time the crime occurred, with little other value in actually solving the crime. You want to identify license plates and then immediately jumped to specifications like 1/2" sensor, varifocal lens, etc. Why do you think you need a 1/2" sensor. Why do you think you need a varifocal lens? Are you certain a fixed lens with the proper focal length could not do better? When trying to identify license plates, my suggestion is to focus on products that are specifically designed for this purpose. Will the system work with moving vehicles, will the system work in day and night, will the system work with both headlights and taillights, coming and going, etc. Yes, these systems may cost more than your initial budget, but if you try and solve this problem as a DIY on a budget, odds are good that you will spend your budget and not actually solve the problem. So, my suggestion is to post your requirements, e.g. number of lanes, speed of vehicles, distances, possible mounting angles, etc, and then ask for suggestions for affordable solutions that address these requirements. Hope that is helpful. Best, Christopher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
