shockwave199

I would get neither as well. The cameras that come bundled with that dvr are garbage, trust me. As I've mentioned in another thread I believe was you- if you like the 428 think about buying just the dvr and get other cameras. These are the images I got from a qsee bundle- 420tlv 1/4" cmos. It was summer- everything nice and green and alive. I reviewed these cameras as being not too bad at first, but they really aren't acceptable, as evidenced in these shots- [TVL not mattering, for the tvl doesn't matter crowd] Night view- Here, even just modestly better cameras at 520tvl 1/3" CCD with better chips in them. Cloudy day after rain- Night, same camera- Qsee 1/4" night- Gadspot 1/3" night- So even just a bit better budget cameras will do better for you. Good luck.

Amazingly, I can make no sense out of what you just said.

Looks like the QT428 comes bundled a variety of ways- meaning the quality of the cameras. You could consider just the dvr and add better cameras than might come with a bundled package. In fact I highly recommend it. I don't have either dvr but I do have a qs408 from them and I like it a bunch. It came bundled with eight cameras which I quickly swapped out for better. My 408 is fanless but don't assume all of them are- confirm it. Good luck.

Hey Shock, Yeah, could well be. I just haven't had the time to check it out further. I was waiting for payday to pick up some 75 ohm BNC connectors and try running a cable strait to my monitor to see if there was any improvement. I'm using a 32" HDTV for my monitor, is that acceptable? Thanks, John I would try one at a time- first try running a line straight to the monitor and see. Then try the bnc. But not both at the same time. You never know what something is changing TWO variables at the same time. Far as the 32" tv, I don't know. I've never used tv's to monitor. Someone else will have to chime in on that one. Good luck.

Maybe this is speaking more towards the dvr itself. What dvr is it? If this is a problem across the board the whole time and you're just catching up to it because of zooming- it could very well be the dvr, no? And what monitor are you using?

Keep the meth- pass the hydroponic pot!

'Leave the room immediately'- the way that line is spoken floors me every time!

If we're gonna start talking about serious quality, look no further than this. Get a few of these and you're all set. V203Ias9Bv8

I'm not gonna defend quality levels. Of course I agree on that point. Like I said- what one chooses is up to them. I'm not pushing anything. I suggested the gads- the pics I get for that quality level speaks for itself. This pic again- a TDN with IR @ 600tvl looks every bit as good as anything I've seen including the one you just posted... except I can actually see the person at a decent size. A 60 dollar camera that's been through rain, 15F freezing cold, a hurricane, heat wave, you name it and it's still going. The OP will have to take all into consideration and decide for himself. What Tom and others suggest is completely right- get quality from quality sources. That I don't argue- no brainer. And to that I wish you good luck and good pictures!

Ok, so you don't like gadspots. Fair enough. I find it interesting though that most of the pics I see from from higher end analog cameras here mostly suck. Not all- but I've yet to see seriously good pics from better cameras yet. Do tell...or post.

What point was Rory's pic making 'exactly'? It's a great shot- 700 tvl with no noise! LOL! This is a first I'm hearing about 700 tvl itself causing a problem. I would think the crappy camera overall would be suspect- not just 700 tvl being lumped as a cause for all cameras. In general I also avoid pointing the cameras into light bulb fixtures as well.

Yaaa- I'm glad this went to page two- I wouldn't open up the first page again for anything and I have high speed cable. Way outa control- no need for that. And I got a bit miffed thinking we couldn't image link anymore here either because of that.

WOW- long battle ey?

Yeah, I get ya's. You have to do what's right for you, in the end. When it comes to budget gear, I'm finding my buys from them entirely acceptable at this point, simple as that. But I'm also willing to step up to better cameras along the way too. FF here is following the DIY route- a path experienced people try and help you avoid, but ultimatley it comes down to how far you can stretch a short budget and still get gear that will deliver something for you. The DIY road- - Buy a boxed system, convincing yourself everyone who says it's garbage is a gear snob with tons of money to spend on the good stuff. Lucky them, but I'll show 'em regardless. - Install said box system. - Look at the monitor and say hell, that looks fine- see, I WAS right. - Four weeks in realise it doesn't really look fine after all. Damn, maybe they WERE right- this stuff sucks. Usually one or more cameras outright fail too. - Tear down said boxed system, while cursing of course. - Piece together better gear, only now upwards of 3-500 balloons in the hole from said boxed system garbage, unless you're lucky enough to get your money back. - Manage to put together a better system that will have a chance of actually identify someone, but still on short budgets. There's total crap budget gear, and there's some that will actually work well for you and hold up. - Put all that into place and like it much better - About the one year mark or so, get antsy for even better cameras and seek to swap out for better ones- one camera at a time if need be. This is usually coupled with a want for MORE cameras and/or placement adjustment. It is fun after all. We need to noodle with the gear- it's a hobby too. Just make sure what you DO have up can ID a crook. Leave the head shot quality to the local photographer down the street. He'll be available after the next wedding.

From their website- Why buy video surveillance cameras and security camera systems from Gadspot versus others? Unlike other resellers, Gadspot fabricates and manufactures all their cameras for their security camera systems. This factory direct model cuts out the middleman, eliminating the mark up involved. Buyers can easily save 60% to 75% by purchasing a security camera system from Gadspot. Gadspot is also able to accept large quantity orders and fabricate security camera systems for installers and businesses. True? Not true? Beats me really. I don't mean to push any one place. I just have some of their cameras so I can at least say a little something about them, that's all. Product choice is a personal decision in the end and like I always say about anything- YMMV [your mileage may vary]. In this particular case the high TVL coincidentally comes with the rest of the camera specs- one being smart IR's. That's all. If their 520's had smart IR and TDN, I'd surely jump on them at an even cheaper cost, but they don't. FF- if you pick up any of these smart IR's, let us know how they're working for you. I know I'll be grabbing a few shortly myself. Dan

Ohh- the 10x sounds awesome- toss me a link to one, even pm if it's direct. I've been looking for a good one for home lately. Thanks.

The front door cam in my vids is a qsee, which has been replaced by the gadspot I'm referencing above. The problem with blasting light is this, a pic from another very good camera at work- The only fix I know of for that is to adjust the light fixture itself- either the bulb wattage/type, aiming away from direct face on, or moving the fixture itself altogether. Better to do that than expect any camera to deal with too bright light in the face.

That looks like a nice one, albeit over a grand as well. I was looking like all hell for that brand in ptz. Thanks for that. LOL! Some years ago I had up a 'splashtron' attena with a cobra base unit, a really sweet one btw, with a 400 watt amp in line. Needless to say, I came through the neighbors tv's while they were OFF! LOL! There was no 'shhh' about that rig! Still have it all, including a smokin mobile rig. But I didn't have the heart to keep torchering the neighborhood, so I took it down. The radio got too quiet after a while anyway. Everyone got a ham license and started in with that. No interest in that for me.

I wouldn't ditch exterior lighting. Exterior lighting= good. Far as WDR, this same front door cam I use has it- in this camera it's just auto, always on. Whether it's real, fake, or whatever, it does do a good job on bright days when people at are my door which has a roof overhang, making it darker in the foreground. On real sunny days when the range is extreme, it still does very well. And I just noticed, this cam picks up the scar on my left arm. Well I'll be- damn good. This was a cheap 60 dollar camera but it still kicks arse. I don't think they carry this particular one any longer though.

Are you a ham radio operator? CB or both? Nice tower. You can find a CNB, SDN-22Z27F, 27X Outdoor Speed Dome Camera, 600TVL, 10X Digital for around 700 bucks. That would probably do you well. Besides that one from CNB, which is usually asociated with quality, all other brands worth considering such as pelco, toshiba, samsung, etc, are over a grand. Nelly's has a Costar on the cheap. Might be worth considering. He has video footage to check it out in action. Not bad from what I've seen. Good luck.

Try the GS4030SM. It's a smart IR TDN cam and at 60 bucks it's still a bargin. Smart IR will serve you well in tight enclosed spaces where without it, peoples faces would be really whited out. It'd probably do very well indoors or out. I don't have this one in line, but I have other gads. This one is a 60 dollar camera from them I have in line. Cheap? You bet. Bad? I think not. Not all good deals equal crap, but I can only speak for gads cause I have them. YMMV.

LOL! You're biggest worry would be an uptight neighbor. Nothing really gets noticed until one prick decides THEY are gonna rule the block, or people just complain about possible privacy infringement. Paint it quickly so it doesn't stick out. Good luck. Really slick that is.

I thought I posted in this thread- guess not. All these pics are from a q-see 408 with various gadspot bullets and eyeballs.

Looks cool, but I'm not all too sure I'd get away with something so close to the road in these parts. Gotta be some kind of code on that one here. Really cool install though!

^^ That's what I was gonna suggest as well. I'm up here in the north east, albeit we've had a fairly warm winter thus far. But it gets cold at night- plenty. How cold is cold by you? Good bullet cams can take a heap of cold. Have they failed you yet? Are you giving them a chance to see how it goes? They likely won't be a problem unless you regularly have extended sever cold snaps of 15f or lower- like day and night at that temp for a week. Unlikely.