cglaeser

Yes, they seem confused. I'm guessing they always run coax and that's their comfort zone. One other consideration, if you run Cat5, it would save the cost of pulling Cat5 in the future should you decide to upgrade to IP cameras. For this budget, I would get three quotes. Best, Christopher

I expect it's because that's all he's ever done. I would be shocked if he has done large IP installations. And if he's never worked with Cat5e, you need to find another installer. Best, Christopher

What are the distances to the cameras? Best, Christopher

I hope you heard this wrong. They will run all Cat5e and convert coax to Cat5e, right? Best, Christopher

Yes and yes. A hybrid DVR connects to the analog cameras via input of a video signal, and connects to the IP cameras via the LAN. Best, Christopher

Yes. Depends. Analog cameras typically have fewer pixels than IP cameras, and fewer pixels means larger pixels for the same sensor size, and larger pixels typically means better low light performance, everything else being equal. The best solution really depends on the requirements and budget. Best, Christopher

Get referrals for installations of similar size and scope. Generally, I do phone interviews with previous customers, but for a job of this size, I would try and actually meet with at least one customer and ask to see the install. If they can't give several referrals for installs with forty or more cameras, I would walk away. Best, Christopher

How does one comment on pink elephants without thinking about pink elephants? Best, Christopher

Will an Altronix power supply function properly in an attic that gets pretty warm in the summer? Are Altronix supplies routinely installed in the attic, or should they be installed in another location? Best, Christopher

I don't know. I've never seen this in photography, which is the source of most of my lens knowledge. Unlikely because many CCTV lenses have this specification and I doubt all of them are f3.6 at the long end. Could have something to do with circle coverage (not all lenses cover a circle), but again, that's just a wild guess. Best, Christopher

No, you're going to tie yourself in knots trying to select this way. A 1/2" lens requires more precision glass than a 1/3" lens, and there are so many trade-offs in lens design, this type of general statement is not helpful in selecting a lens. If you are comparing a 1/2" and 1/3" lens and you want the one that has be largest aperture, then look at the specs and pick the one with the largest aperture. Varifocals can be tedious to compare because you don't usually know the aperture at each focal length. However, one nice feature of aperture is that it remains constant regardless of the sensor size (ignoring third order issues like vignette, etc). So, a 1/2" f1.8 is f1.8 on a 1/2", 1/3", and 1/4" sensor. Best, Christopher

Be careful not to confuse focal length and aperture. Although practical design considerations do link the two, one does not necessarily imply the other. For example, it's possible to have any combination of short vs long focal length and large vs small aperture. For example, if you are willing to spend the money, you can purchase a long focal length and large aperture. And, some pin-hole spy cameras have a short focal length and small aperture. So, while in practice cost often dictates that longer focal lengths have smaller apertures than shorter focal lengths, this is not always the case. 1/2" lenses are bigger and typically cost more than 1/3" lenses. However, depending on the specs, the cost difference may not be that great, and it may be cheaper to build/distribute/stock 1/2" to cover both applications. Best, Christopher

When did you autoback focus? At dusk when switching modes, or when it was dark? It may perform better at dusk. Also, one nice feature of the Pana is the ability to set day and night focus presets, so you might try that as well once you are happy with the focus. Best, Christopher

What is the MSRP on the EL? Best, Christopher

Did you mean 504? The 502 is IP. Best, Christopher

Thanks. I knew it could be side mounted, I just didn't know it could be side mounted exposed to the elements. Best, Christopher

Is the 484 designed to be mounted like that? Are both sections of the white clam shell waterproof? I have the 502, and I thought it was designed to be mounted under an eve and that only the lower clam shell and dome was designed to be exposed to rain.

Sounds like the cheap ones. What is your budget? Best, Christopher

Sure, nothing wrong with it, but a lot of people are being played for fools. Here's an example of how it works. A law is passed that makes a particular type of gun or bullet or knife illegal. The law will go into affect in 18 months. Manufacturers fire up the production line as orders increase five fold. Sales outstrip supply, there is a shortage, buyers are frantic to stock up on items they would never have purchased in the first place had the law not been passed. If it's going to be illegal, then they have to have a dozen. Then the law takes affect. Several years later the law expires. Now that the item is legal again, sales are low. So, they introduce a bill to make them illegal again, sales jump, and so it goes ... OK, so who really benefits from this cycle? Want to increase CCTV sales? Introduce a bill making them illegal and then hype it on the internet. Your sales will jump through the roof. Best, Christopher

It's not silly if you sell knives. It's great for business. Guns, bullets, knives ... sales always spike on internet chatter like this. Best, Christopher

The Axis and Panasonic are indeed great cameras, but regarding ftp, Panasonic does have one serious flaw. It will not create folders using ftp. Too many files in one folder can bring an OS to its knees when trying to access one or more of the files. This should be relatively easy to fix in firmware, but they need to do it. When you talk to a Panasonic rep, please tell them they need to get with the program! Best, Christopher

What did you think of the books? Best, Christopher

The "Profile" buttons near the bottom of each post return a bad link. Best, Christopher Edit: "Not Found The requested URL /memberlist.php was not found on this server."

If it's a $99 10x varifocal lens, odds are good the f1.4 is at the wide end only. So, if you set the camera to 5mm, then you will get f1.4. If the lens is set longer, the aperture will decrease (f number will increase). The longer the reach, the smaller the aperture (except in more expensive lenses with constant aperture). A smaller aperture means less light, which means lower performance in low light. A one stop reduction in the lens means the lux performance is halved (e.g. a 0.3 lux camera now requires 0.6 lux due to 1 stop loss in the lens). Security camera manufacturers are notorious for this type of misleading information. Lux values are reported at the slowest shutter speed possible, which may be 2 seconds or more, with no information on IRE, gain, etc. Lens apertures are similarly misleading, and spec sheets typically only list the widest aperture of a varifocal/zoom lens. The better manufacturers generally have more complete and meaningful data sheets (e.g. f1.8 @ 5mm; f3.5 @ 50mm; or something like that). There's a reason why lenses with apparently similar specs may have big differences in price (precision glass, coatings, etc, etc). In general, you get what you pay for. However, keep in mind that, dollar for dollar, a fixed lens will typically outperform a varifocal lens, so if you know in advance the focal length you need, then the money spent on a fixed lens will likely produce better results than the same amount spent on a 10x varifocal. Best, Christopher

Equal in performance? No, for several reasons. First, it's important to consider the aperture. A 5-50mm may be f1.8 wide open, but typically has a much smaller aperture at the long end unless it is a very expensive lens. A smaller aperture (larger f number) means less light is focused on the sensor, and if low light performance is a consideration, then you want all the light you can get. If you know the focal length needed, then it will be less costly to get a wide aperture in a fixed long lens compared to a zoom lens at the long end. Second, it is easier to design for good detail, contrast, IR correction, etc, etc, in a fixed lens or even a 3x zoom lens that it is in a 10x zoom lens. So, the more the zoom range, you will likely sacrifice other features of the lens, unless, of course, you are will to pay a premium, and even then, dollar for dollar, a fixed lens will always win. So, if you know the focal length you need, there may be reasons to go fixed. That said, this is security, not photography, and relatively inexpensive varifocal/zoom lenses are common and do just fine. But it is important to understand the trade-offs. Best, Christopher