rory

That Honeywell is just a Color IR Dome, dont expect too much from it. Was the Q-See a bullet camera? If so that could explain the extra Infrared - Say it with me, "Bullets are better" at least when it comes to built in Infrared (in general) AGC will make it brighter, but its not a real Day Night camera anyway. In the world of Color IR cameras, specs mean very little, but the actual difference between one and the next can be like night and day - it is just a gamble. That Q-See was definately a 1/4" though. Neither have an IR Cut filter. That 15m IR Distance would be 45' indoors, or in a closed in outdoor area. You could try adjusting the iris level if it has one on the board.

Canal Alarm Devices, Inc. is the parent company. So far not had any issues. But I use 123 not the other site. They even accept my foreign VISA card, unlike most others. I had some issue getting through on the phone to sales as I imagine they are that busy, but otherwise using the online ordering everything went through right away, also Any questions I ask via the site are answered almost right away, and in full technical detail, so that really impressed me.

Here you can pretty much do anything you want, even if there is a law they are rarely ever enforced but i follow all laws ofcourse

The DVR actually doesnt look bad. I installed the CMS and went through the PDF. It actually looks alot like the Indigo DVRs from Korea (also used by CNB), similar GUI and features, but its probably from another brand. Im promoting a kit locally with their 8 channel DVR and 8x 700TVL cameras .. will see how it works out. Although Im still happy with the Dahua DVRs which do cost alot less ... I may also add the Canteks DVRs as an alternative.

How are they all powered? Was everything on power protection?

Old thread, but I finally found the site for Cantek: http://crcsolutions.net You need to register though to view any of the products and related downloads.

So, if you get the VCM, can mount as a VBM but not using the extra base? Best, Christopher Not exactly, if you remove the extra base it has to be flush mounted. Thats why I still like to offer both of them, but if I had the choice to stock one, it would have to be the VCM, even if it sticks out a little bit more.

Maybe because it was so close, that would be equivalent to something further away moving faster? Nah Ive seen people right up against the camera before .. seen it all in the clubs and such.

The camera guts are exactly the same, the housing is the only difference - the VCM has an extra base where you can put your connections if you were surface mounting it for example - if you mounted the VBM to a wall you would need to use a gang box to hide the connections as the cable is not long enough to go through the wall. If mounting to a ceiling or an eave, you can use the VBM, if you wanted it mounted flush, you could use the VCM - though the VBM is low profile enough generally. The VCM is a good all around selection, but if you know you will be mounting to a ceiling or eave I prefer the VBM. The price difference is very minimal normally.

Yeah the indoor model, I ended up leaving it on AGC instead as that did a better job in my application for bringing out the faces. The WDR had issues with faces of darker skin tones, basically was still too dark to see them properly with all the backlighting - AGC worked though.

Me, Just since last summer. Intellicam has been rebranding Dahua for years though. From the Dahua site they say theyve been making DVRs since 2002 which would make them one of the first. http://www.dahuasecurity.com/about.aspx?p=gydh&p_kind=8&c_kind=65&c_kind2=119

Cant speak for the rest but I currently use Dahua, since end of last Summer. The PSS Network software has gone from 4.01 up to 4.04, basically 3 updates with a couple noticeable added features. Firmware has been updated twice, last time was around New Years. I have posted on their online support form which is answered by one of their tech support reps, some info good some not so, but he has also emailed me back directly which was nice. I have basically bypassed the US distributor for support and gone straight to Dahua. As far as support from a DVR manufacturer goes, other than the old days of Kalatel (before GE bought them out) the support is the best I have seen, especially for such inexpensive products. Could it better, sure a real forum would be nice, but otherwise I have received answers to all my questions in a timely fashion, average 2-3 days max. (other than SDK related as the tech is not a developer). Also Dahua is sold under various Brand names in the US such as Intellicam (GenX), XTS Video, Mace, even Q-see sells at least one model, and others. They have software downloads right on their site including an SDK, and also support for almost every mobile device. They have 2 streams, a main and a sub, changing the main encoding settings affects the recording as well, the sub is used for mobile and other remote connections. Using the network software you can also do remote archiving or full blown Video Alarm Monitoring - I am actually ONLY recording to my computer's hard drive (across the local network) from my own 4-channel Dahua DVR as the old used HDD I was using to test it with died on me - additionally I have tested a couple remote sites for the Video Alarm Monitoring and off site archiving for several days, and it worked well. They have network support for PC/Mac/Nix/IE/I-pad/I-phone/Symbian/Blackberry/Android/Windows mobile.

Make sure there isnt something right near the 2nd image that could be causing the blur on that edge

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3287

How is the light handling? The AI also has a moving part .. on some domes and bullets it and the ICR are together inside the same mechanism. Although if thats stuck (its made up of a couple flimsy pieces of cardboard like material and flimsy thin metal makes up the mechanism enclosure, typically) then the ICR should also be stuck. I was also thinking maybe it could be that other mechanism for the auto back focus?

Yeah dont put your hand right in front of the camera, its going to try to adjust for the change in lighting, IR will kick in then be reflecting back from your hand Did you check the camera direct on a monitor? Using the DVR is okay but not good for troubleshooting.

Yeah those lenses arent cheap, especially the 2.8-11mm one. But I remember what I used to pay several years back when I used Box cameras almost exclusively, and for non Day Night/IR lenses .. so its still kind of cheap. Havent used Box cameras in years now but need a better image than the Domes can give in this one case at least. Plus with the fstop of 1.0 hoping to see more at night, and the Aspherical lens .. hoping at least on a few of them to be wide open with less blurr on the edges - will see what happens. I figure it will be another 1-2 weeks before they arrive though, shipping takes a while to get here, unless I was to spend $800 fedex and that wasnt happening

Looking at the brochure for that camera it also says it has; Electrolysis Dehumidification Device Functioning as an electric dryer, it reduces condensation by electrolyzing internal moisture and continuously discharging it from the camera. Anti-shock Auto Back Focus (ABF) New miniaturized mechanism provides greater accuracy and shock resistance Not so sure about the Dehumidification device as that is electric, but the Back focus says it is a mechanism. More info: Miniaturization of the mechanism, smooth and highly precise CCD migration and greater shock resistance are benefits realized by driving the cam and ball bearing structure with a miniature actuator. ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/cctv/SpecSheets/WV-CW484_Series_10_06.pdf

I agree those big screens rock dude, can I strap that sucker over my shoulder?

the google translator must have been working overtime on this one: http://www.tamron.co.jp/en/data/cctv_ir/ir_series2.html just hope they work better than they advertise them I got 12 of them on the way!! Well 10x 3-8 F:1.0 and 2x 2.8-11 F:1.4 going on 10 CNB BBM-24F monalisas and 2 CNB BBB-34F Blue-i

And if you really have time .. http://cctvcad.com

Havent used that camera, but if it has it, make sure the rubber ring around the lens is right up against the cover when you put the cover on, so the IR doesnt reflect back onto the lens.

Yeah but just because it looks clear on a 3-5" LCD monitor doesnt mean its actually focused 100%. When one plays back in D1 for example of views it on a larger monitor or CRT more suited for the resolution is when you can really tell if it is focused, even more so when dealing with low light situations. At that smaller size there arent enough pixels to focus on and an LCD just makes it worse, so for example one could be focusing on 4 pixels instead of 1 but at the tiny size of the monitor, maybe 260x or 300x it can look clear - its like taking a blurry 640x480 image, now resize that down to 320x240 .. it becomes much clearer - but we want it clear at full 640x480 or higher. I focus also sometimes on a 7" LCD for example when I have no choice, but that cant touch a focus using 9" CRT or a 13" TV, unless one uses a Focus Meter.

Maybe the IR cut filter mechanism is stuck? Ive never used this camera, can you take a photo of it close up near the lens?

3.5" is too small to get a good focus. If you really want a good focus get a CCTV CRT monitor 9" or above or even a 13" TV .. or use a focus meter. To just adjust the view it is fine though.