cglaeser

Thanks! They're always try to trick me with the shutter speed. I need to monitor moving people and cars, not cloud formation. Best, Christopher

Here are the specs on for the Samsung SHC-745 and SHC-737. Camera ... Sensor ................. B/W Sensitivity SHC-745 .. 1/2" Exview HAD .. 0.006 Lux SHC-737 .. 1/3" Super HAD .... 0.0025 Lux Doesn't Exview typically have better low-light sensitivity than Super HAD? Given that 1/2" sensors have about twice the area of 1/3" sensors, wouldn't that add yet another stop of sensitivity? Why is the 737 rated at twice the sensitivity of the 745? Is there a difference in gain? Does the 737 use a newer generation of sensor? Best, Christopher

Yep, that's the problem. On a Panasonic 502, you push the ABF button for 5 seconds. That will disable (center) the ABF. Then you do the best you can manually, and then enable ABF, either by momentarily pushing the ABF button, or programatically using the software. If the ABF is all the way forward or all the way back, all attempts to manually focus would be a blur. You need to disable BF before attempting to focus (or changing a lens). Best, Christopher

I don't see DSS in the 737 spec or user manual, and the minimum shutter speed is listed at 1/60, but it most be some sort of increased gain. Regarding DSS, are there analog CCTV cameras that have DSS? Best, Christopher

Do some DVRs have digital triggers such that PIRs and other NO/NC contacts can be used to trigger an event? Best, Christopher

$500 to $800 for DVR. I would double the DVR budget if it supported both analog and IP cameras, if there is such a device in that price range. Current IP cameras include Axis and Panasonic. 1 to 2 years is fine. No. Yes. Air conditioned IT room. Would prefer fanless to minimize noise. Best, Christopher

I have installed the newly released Panasonic WV-NW502S and I'm quite satisfied with the build quality and image quality, but some of the sections in the manual and on-line help are a bit lame. Some of the help instructions are of the form, "To turn on feature XYZ check the On button, and to turn off feature XYZ check the Off button", well duh, with no mention of what feature XYZ actually does or why you might want to turn it On or Off. It's a good thing the help menus are available, because without these well-written directions, there is a 50-50 chance I might have thought On meant Off. Best, Christopher

Thanks. I want to install an ultra low light camera (e.g. 1/2" Exview) and I can't find a suitable IP camera, and while an Axis video encoder is an option, I think a DVR may be a better option for me. Which 8 channel DVR should I consider that offers good value, where value means not the cheapest, but something that is a solid performer for the price. As for requirements, it should be network capable, support motion alarms and digital PIR alarms. I think I would prefer a box rather than a PC card. Recommendations? Best, Christopher

1/6 of the pixels??? Image sensors cover two dimensions, not one. To compare area, you must multiply length and width. The difference between a 1/3" sensor and a 1/2" sensor is approximately a factor of 2. Best, Christopher

Thanks. Best, Christopher

An entry level system; 4 channels and small disk. Best, Christopher

I looked up the price. Ouch. I was guessing less. Best, Christopher

What do you think about mating the SHC-745 (or similar Exview) to an Axis video encoder? I want to monitor a poorly lit area about 40' wide from about 250'. I expect that an SHC-745 with long lens would perform well, but would prefer an IP solution. Best, Christopher

What is the retail price on their entry level hybrid? Best, Christopher

Can the Samsung SHC-745 be mounted in an outdoor under eave dome? If so, what dome do you prefer? When adding the SLA-880 10x zoom lens to the SHC-745 (and similar box cameras), do installers typically mount the camera in one fixed direction? Or, do they typically mount the camera with zoom lens to a pan/tilt module? Best, Christopher

When setting up protocols like ftp and mail, is it possible to send a test image to make sure the settings are correct? Axis has a "Test" button, but I don't see that in any of the Pano menus. The course focus and ABF on my 502 are all set and look fine, but when setting the course focus and zoom, I noticed the lens could rotate in the mount. Is this common? Should it torque down when screwed in all the way, or can it continue to rotate to avoid damage when completely screwed in? When rotating slightly to loosen, I can feel in "break loose" and rotate more freely. When tightening, it torques down slightly, but can continue to rotate in the tighter direction. Best, Christopher

Yes, more light always helps, but based on my lux reading, I was expecting a better image. I turned off "Super Dynamic", and the night image is improved by a couple of stops. Best, Christopher

My camera shows three firmware releases: 1 : 1.01B 2 : 1.05 3 : 1.04 Does this mean three releases are loaded? Which one is currently running? The last one, i.e. 1.04? Best, Christopher

OK, I understand the confusion. This lens/sensor mismatch is common in digital SLRs, and a better way to describe this is image cropping. Using phrases like "reduced sensitivity" and "reducing the light" is misleading, because it implies that an f1.4 becomes an f2. There is no reduced sensitivity or reduced light. Rather, the image is cropped. FWIW, the image produced by a 1/2" lens is round, and a 1/2" sensor is rectangular. So, both 1/3" and 1/2" sensors crop the image produced by a 1/2" lens. Best, Christopher

Just installed the Panasonic WV-NW502S. Below is a sample night image. Most of the area in the image is underexposed, but notice the vertical banding in the properly expose region in the upper left. I don't recall seeing this in the other 502 night samples. Perhaps this is a bad copy? Some digital cameras have banding caused by AF motor noise. Perhaps the humidifier motor is causing this. Comments? Best, Christopher

Not sure what you are trying to say here. Sensitivity is generally used to describe sensors, not lenses. In addition, f1.4 is f1.4, independent of the size of the lens, so it's not clear what you are trying to say is reduced. A smaller lens on a larger sensor would result in falloff at the edges, but this discussion is about a larger lens on a smaller sensor. Best, Christopher

One more: - The images stored to the NAS via ftp are not in sequence. When scrolling through a sequence of images, objects move forward for several images, lurch back, and then forward again. Best, Christopher

Thanks. Here is my current issues list. - Severe vertical banding in low light. Could be just my unit since I did not notice the banding in the sample night images posted. I'll post a sample from my camera. - All ftp images are put in one folder. Need a feature to create new folders based on date and/or time stamp. PC and NAS become non-responsive if too many images are put in one folder. - Active ftp works fine but passive ftp fails. - When passive ftp fails, images are not stored to the SD card. - Need to add "Test" buttons to test ftp and mail configurations. - Maximum rate for storing jpeg images via ftp or SD card is 1fps. This needs to be increased to a more reasonable rate on a VDM/wired alarms. - Need a feature to monitor VDM hot spots to adjust VDM sensitivity. - Need a feature to record pre-buffer VDM/wired alarms. - Has an option for manual start/stop recording, but must select an option for either manual recording or alarm triggered recording. Camera can not be set up to record on alarms, and then have ability to manually start/stop recording as well. Manual recording feature should be separate from alarm recording to allow both. Comments? Best, Christopher

What is your preferred configuration for NNTP server? Best, Christopher

Oops, Adobe dropped support for NNTP and I want it back, but that's another topic. Thanks for catching the typo. Do you set each device (e.g. each camera) to time.nrc.ca, or do you set the router to time.nrc.ca and point each camera to the router? Best, Christopher