focusing day/nite cameras question.

when setting up a day nite cam in low light like a dim lit bar,do you focus it in black and white mode first ie in the actual light setting of the bar and what basic settings should you st the cam at upon initial install,the cam in question is a panasonic wv-474 dome.Thanks for advice and info on this matter!!

focusing in the area with the natural lighting is best. some use a welders #4 or #5 lense to simulate darkness.which I have not tried yet but just purchased the glass today so I'll find out how well that works. the issue with focus is to focus the intend target area. the lense views from 0ft and out and your area of intented focus maybe 10ft to 15ft. or different. I am going to try a different method of focusing myself to see what makes the difference. ie. compare my tried and true method of focusing to known distances at night, no light, using IR to using a welders glass during the day.

the problem is that during the day light the color "problems" make focusing harder to perfect. the B&W mode of camera's remove the croma crap and allows you to focus to a simpler degree. in other words, B&W modes is not filled with color bleed, blemish, and ect.

as always, when preparing a camera for install; clean, focus, test. then goto the job site and hang it. I used video goggles to get my camera angle/view and I am done pretty quick.

thanks vst,l actually focused using a spot monitor 14 inch tv at the bar itself under the actual dim lighting conditions,l was wandering what dip switches or settings on the cam should be at when focusing at these conditions etc!

i tried polarising filters in the daytime, too much glare still outside in the sun ... gave them away to a photographer.

Anyway, best to focus in BW mode under low lighting (either fake it with tinted glass or filters like the Polarising Filters or Welders glass, or just turn the lighting down if indoors like a bar), but just enough light to get a crisp focus, eg. Use something with words on it. If its a bar and the area is only 40' then focus on something 30' away, if the area is smaller like 20' then focus on something 10-15' away. If its a long distance that is being covered, then focus on say 50-75' away .. (from the start of the lens view).

If nothing with words, focus on something that has a contrast, such as iron bars (we got alot of them down here ) or a Jeep's Front Grill, etc. You will see the difference as you do it.

When dealing with additional IR will depend on the camera and lens used, and also location.

So basically my preference is to focus them all under low lighting at my place, to the set lens, and then just install them at the location and use a monitor to adjust the view. In a bar, its easy enough, install them all in the day time, then go back in the evening to focus - if it isnt too far away.

Adjust the focus several times, even after you think you have obtained the best focus, just to make sure. I only ever had focus issues when dealing with IR, and that was when using non IR and non Aspherical lenses.

With Day Night setups, always expect to spend some time at the location at night time .. even if its a bar which may have low lighting available 24/7.

Rory

thanks for the info rory,l will be installing the ge b/w box camaras with the 0.95f lens you recommended and also 2 of the pan wv474 domes l managed to locate for good price,will post pics as soon as l am done.

Also what 1/2 inch lens would you recommend for a pan 924 box camera,based on my dimly lit bar??

that pano is a 1/3" cam right?

whoops edit just noticed the 924 .. no real experience with 1/2" cameras but if its a Pano, Id probably use a Pano lens .. otherwise a Computar or Fujinon should suffice.

what size f stop?you recommended f.95 to allow more light in dim light!!for the b/w cam,l want a wide angle 2.6 -6mm range,any suggestions,thanks again!

with the 484 it is best to set it during the day and have you preset set for during the day. Then come back at night and set the preset for night. That is the best way to get the absolute best.

2 presets. is the way to go. I have dealt alot with those. oh ya I have had the best luck with 1.4 but that does not matter due to environmental diffrernces.