What situations best suit board cameras and mini bullet cams

[Numb-nuts 1]

Aside from using unhoused board cameras to replace faulty ones in mini dome housings etc

what do you find them useful for and what limitations do you feel they present?

 

Do any of you create your own covert cameras using board cameras or do you prefer bullet cameras for coverts?

[SEANHAWG 1]

One limitation is that there are not many large lenses available for them.

[Numb-nuts 1]

Considering their size, I think there are a reasonably good range of lenses. Obviously, there is a size limitation,

but taking that into consideration there are auto Iris varifocal lenses that push the limits in terms of physical size

but then if the camera was being used in a covert situation, it would be that much further away so not so noticeable.

 

This is about as big as they get. I've not seen larger, but a 2.5mm lens gives an approximate horizintal angle of around 90 degrees

and a 22 mm gives an angle of around 16 degrees. You can do a fair bit with a range like that.

I think it's a 4 - 9 mm vari-focal, but where could you hide it, in a bird nesting box perhaps?

 

[rory 0]

Re; Mini Bullets

They can mount anywhere, places domes and other housings could only dream of.

[SEANHAWG 1]

I havent seen too many other applications for a regular vari-focal lensed board camera other than to be put inside a mini dome. Some of our customers jimmy rig them to use as regular cameras mounted bare but it looks pretty ghetto. I have seen some board cameras that have 50mm lenses on them but nothing larger than that. We get tons of them from retailer remodels, they like to put them above their cash registers inserted in a smoke dome or pendant mounted in the secondary isles.

 

If you want covert then get a good pinhole board camera. It takes covert to a whole new level. Of course your limited to a fixed lens but if short distances are all you need them for them that shouldnt be a problem. The opportunities are endless, you just need to find a hole small enough for the pinhole lens to look through. Here is a clock we got in from one of the places we contract with. I was wondering why the heck they shipped us a clock in for, then I looked at the back and there was a Filtech pinhole board camera attached to it. Someone drilled a small hole in a regular clock and glued the darn thing to the clock:

 

My sisters house have been having trouble with some vandals. First it was toilet paper, then it was paintballs, next it was someone who speared poop on their door. I plan on catching the poopatrator by putting one of these cameras behind a small planter that she has right by her door. Just gonna drill a small hole right behind the planter and stick this baby right in there. Noone will even have the slightest clue it was there, its basically invisible unless you stick your eyeball right up next to it. The camera is about as big as a quarter and has a brilliant picture too.

[Nimrod 0]

"next it was someone who speared poop on their door. I plan on catching the poopatrator "

 

Good one!

[Numb-nuts 1]

That covert clock camera is one of the best I've ever seen. If you hadn't shown a close up of the hole,

I might never have spotted it, ( well OK maybe after a while). I was aware that the pinholle cameras

were the really useful for peering through tiny holes. I have seen one that is hidden in a IP65 junction box

seen them in cereal boxes and of course my favorite, in a false ring-binder file on an office shelf.

 

My all time no1 favorite for imagination was a super-mini wireless camera in a Ketchup Bottle this was

something I saw on TV and it was a student apartment and one room mate was stealing the other's food,

but nobody knew who it was. It was made a bit crudely but it worked and looked great, until you have a

yearning for some ketchup.

 

I have seen on ebay a safe money-hideaway which is disguised as a can of beans. I suppose you could use

that with a pinhole lens too.

 

I am amazed to hear anyone say a 50 mm lens for a board camera, but yesterday I was reading a post from

a member asking other about 123 Security Products and they have the largest range of any supplier I have EVER seen.

Shame I'm in the UK, you Americans are spoiled for choice both in CCTV and in woodworking supplies (my other passion)

 

I was amazed to see a 50 mm board-camera lens (very narrow field of view) I also looked at housings

and especially vandal-resistant. (nothing is Vandal-proof. We have to take what we can get here in the UK

or send off the china or the US.

[rory 0]

 

I am amazed to hear anyone say a 50 mm lens for a board camera, but yesterday I was reading a post from

a member asking other about 123 Security Products and they have the largest range of any supplier I have EVER seen.

Shame I'm in the UK, you Americans are spoiled for choice both in CCTV and in woodworking supplies (my other passion)

 

I was amazed to see a 50 mm board-camera lens (very narrow field of view)

 

Just look for a supplier of KT&C in the UK, thats the manufacturer of those particular fixed lenses.

[Numb-nuts 1]

It's easy enough to add light in any given situation. IR boards with a hole for the lens are easily available from many sources,and very cheaply. You can use a low light board camera in almost complete darkness and still get a useful picture without additional IR light.

 

If you select the right board camera, no additional light would be needed in low light situations cameras with a low light rating as low as 0.0014 Lux can be found. I am not sure how they might cope with longer lenses but they are available.

[rory 0]

You can use a low light board camera in almost complete darkness and still get a useful picture without additional IR light.

 

If you select the right board camera, no additional light would be needed in low light situations cameras with a low light rating as low as 0.0014 Lux can be found.

 

quite right, this is just standard BW here, compared to color

 

[Numb-nuts 1]

You see, I do listen and learn from you experts.

 

What is the sensitivity of the B&W camera that made the second image?

[rory 0]

its a 5 year old EX82 .. dual CCD, separate color and bw camera .. photocell went bad and client said they dont care about the day anyway so just manually set it to stay in BW. I believe its BW 420TVL, probably 0.01 lux f:1.2. Nice thing is there is hardly any noise even when it gets too dark, if it gets too dark, it just doesnt see, its designed to be used with IR anyway. Seems that todays cameras suck so much they have to compensate like mad and hence a ton of noise, especially the single ccd Day night cameras.

 

Oh yeah, I need to turn the IR up, I think I accidentally turned it down yesterday, that or the IR no longer works either. The IR will light it up alot more.