florin

My application requires to monitor an area located between 0 - 10 feet from the camera and as wide as possible. I bought a camera board with a 3.6mm lens and after I custom built the enclosure and started the system I noticed the image is not clear at all. I took some measurements and found that my lens is actually 6mm, and not 3.6 as I was told. From what I understand, 6mm is suitable for longer distances, further away, so I am assuming the camera cannot focus right in 0-10 feet because the lens is 6mm instead of 3.6mm. Is that correct? If I replace the 6mm lens with a 3.6 lens, will it be able to focus better in 0-10 feet? Is a 6mm lens supposed to have the same image clarity with a 3.6mm lens at the same distance? Maybe my lens is just not installed right/ focused right? Anyway, it will be a nightmare to open it's enclosure and fix it. I learned the hard way that I have to check it before installing.

In the end, I decided not to remove the IR filter (I chickened out). Before assembling it, I checked the focus and I was able to get a much clear image by turning the lens about 60 degrees counterclockwise. I am soooooo happy with the clarity of this camera. I built the underwater enclosure and tested it 2 days ago when I went ice fishing. Here is the footage (the original footage has better clarity, I lost some quality when editing): Thanks for all the help.

Soundy, thanks for the heads up.

"glass that is glued over the chip's glass" Glued? If I remove that, should I expect some messy glue needed to cleaned up from the sensor? If I have to glue it bak, what kind of glue should I use? I hope I can do it tomorrow night. Thanks, Florin

rory, thanks again for the help. Your mention about removing the IR filter reminded me that I do have another camera that I can use, but it cannot see IR with it. If I can only remove the filter...that would be awsome, as I was very happy with the performance of this camera. Can you instruct me how to remove tat IR filter? Here is a link to the camera specs: http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/1%7B47%7D3-SONY-CCD-520TVL-Camera-Board-Lux0.001-High-Resolution.html If the link doesn't work, here are the specs: TV system NTSC PAL Image sensor 1/3 inch Sony CCD Image Sensor Effective pixels PAL: 752 (H) x 582 (V)/ NTSC: 768(H) x 494(V) CCD total pixels ~ 270K ~ 320K Sync system Internal Minimum illumination 0.001Lux F1.2; 3200ºK (20IRE) (Sense UP Max.) Lens & view angle 3.6mm Resolution 520 TVL White balance Mode ATW / AWC Range 3200 ~ 10000 ºK S / N ratio typical (MAX ) 50dB (MIN) / 58dB (TYP) (Gamma, Aperture, AGC, OFF) DNR (Digital Noise Reduce) S/N UP 4.5dB Gain control AGC ON / OFF Sense up ON /OFF (Preset X6, Option X32) H – mirror function OFF / ON V – mirror function OFF / ON B.L.C. function ON / OFF Color bar OFF / ON Auto IRIS A.E.S. / DC-IRIS Electronic shutter 1/60~1/120,000 sec. 1/50~1/120,000 sec. Video output 1.0V p-p composite video at 75 ohm With monitor output Operation temperature -20℃ TO 50℃ Operational humidity within 85﹪RH I will also check the camera you suggested. Again, thanks for all the help and patience. Florin

Thanks for all the answers, I'll try to readjust it first and post againg the results. Awsome forum, lots of things to learn, Florin

Rory, thanks for the quick reply. It is a 1/3 " Sony cheap crappy camera, but it is the second crappy camera I used and the first one worked much much better. Here is a movie of the first camera that cost $15 on ebay (it's a 1/4" CMOS 2.8 mm reverse car camera) and worked just fine: The second camera is 1/3" Sony that I was expecting to be better. Here is a movie made with it. It's pretty bad: The specs of this camera are here, but it's 6mm instead of the advertised 3.6mm: http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=11977 Any advice for a more suitable camera board for my project is welcome.

Hi guys, This is my first attempt to build a system and despite of my extensive online research, I still cannot decide what camera will fit best my needs. Please help! So, here are my needs: - I want to build a system similar with these ones: [mod edit store link removed] - I have a portable DVD player with Video Input, so all I need is a camera to hook to my "monitor". - I want to build my own underwater enclosure for the camera. - Water depth: 30 feet or less (am I dreaming for too much?) I found lots of cameras on eBay, but there are so many variables involved: should I choose color or BW? what minimum illumination will work for my needs? do I need IR? do I need white led's? Here are few options I found on eBay: - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270532006611&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330390570651&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350316251004&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260548550089&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT Most of these cameras are in the range of $50-$100, but which one is the best for my needs? Can I add IR to any of these? What IR will fit better to these? Please help. Thanks, Florin

I finished building the fishing camera. Here is a short movie with some building details and first test:

I am very new to CCTV and electronics, so, please bare with me. I recently bought a camera board from eBay and I was surprised to find out that it cannot see my IR illuminator. This is the camera board I just bought: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220532674740&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT This is my IR illuminator: http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=390165784187 I also have a much cheaper 0.2 lux camera that can see really well the IR illuminator and I was hoping that by getting a very low lux one (like the new one I just bought -> 0.001 lux) I will be able to get a better image in low light conditions. This is not the case, as the new one cannot see the illuminator, and without the illuminator the image is not smooth and it is 'noisy'. When I say the new Sony cannot see the illuminator, I mean it can see a very very very little light from the IR, while the cheap old camera looks like noon, on a sunny day on the beach when I use the same IR illuminator. I use the cameras in underwater enclosures, for fishing. Am I doing something wrong? Should I change some settings? Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Speo

Thank you guys for your replies. The eBay seller is "afraid that he shiped out the wrong camera" and he will send the one without the filter. I still have a bad feling about this... Speo

The camera will, as said earlier in the thread, have a IR cut filter, which is blocking the IR, the other camera does not have a IR cut filter by the sounds of things. I was affraid this is the case, but, somehow, I was hoping that the seller is right and I am missing something, like an option in the camera settings to disable/enable that filter (you are free to laugh if I just said something very silly), or it can see IR but a "special kind" of IR... So, here are my last 2 silly questions: - can I remove the IR filter - is it possible to see only certain IR illuminators? Speo

The other cheap camera is also color: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270532006611&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT Before buying the new Sony camera, I asked the seller if it can see the IR and his response was "Yes, of course it can use IR" and he also recommended me one of his illuminators. I did not buy the one he recommended, because I already had one. This is the IR that he recommended: http://cgi.ebay.com/Waterproof-IR-Illuminator-CCTV-Cam-60-Led-IR-50M-Night_W0QQitemZ260342800663QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3c9da3e117 This is the IR I have and it doesn't work with the new Sony camera, but works fine with my cheap old camera: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390165784187&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp3693.m38.l1313%26_nkw%3D390165784187%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1 Is there something special about the IR he recommended me? I tested the Sony camera again and it looks like it can see a little bit of the IR illumination. When I point the IR to the camera, I can see a white disc, but when I turn the iR with my old cheap camera it looks like noon, on a sunny day on the beach. Thanks, Speo

I replied to your PM, thanks a lot mrreddog. Florin

Well, unfortunately, he doesn't ship to my location, but I got an ideea from his web site about what kind of camrea (lux, resolution) would perform OK for my project. mrreddog, is your camera color or B&W? does it have IR or white leds? do you know the resolution and minimum illumination of your camera? That info would be really helpful, especially because you were happy with the camera when ice fishing and ice fishing is one of the reasons why I want to build mine as well. Thanks again mrreddog, Florin

Thanks a lot mrreddog, I checked the "lunkercam" and it seems to be a good option. Thanks, Florin