storpotäten

Thanks, guys! I found your replies very illuminating and useful for my decision. Much appreciated.

Dunno about question 2. As for ethernet cabling over 300 feet, you can use a switch, hub or repeater. Or for a more advanced and more expensive solution, use fiber. Wireless is an alternative but probably not in this case.

Hello all, My first post here. I've been trying to grasp what specs are required to get a camera which can show accurately enough the licence plate of a parked car (or better: slowly approaching car) about 50 feet away. I want an IP camera (which will be connected to my pc through a PoE switch...I know computers and switching/networking very well so that part is not my worry). The camera will be mounted fixed, and I have no need to move/pan it sideways or anything like that. I want to watch the driveway in front of my house, and I'm quite sure I am more interested in a relatively narrow angle than the wide-angle. I have currently no need for nightvision/IR or anything similar. If I understand correctly one of the most important things is the lens focal length. The higher value, the better. And of course the resolution of the camera. My budget is limited and I would prefer something less than 500-600 USD. I think I want a camera capable of recording at least 720p at 30fps. First I was considering Axis M1054 but it has only 2.9mm (0.11in) focal length (see link at the end of this message). I assume this means the camera is not as suitable for reading license plates compared to cameras with focal length of, say, 8mm (5/16 in) or more. Next I found Axis M1114 which has a variable focal length 2.8-8mm. A third option is Zavio D7210 with focal length up to 10.5mm (almost 7/16 inch). Would you consider any or all of these suitable for my needs, or would I have to go to even better cameras? I'm not sure if I'm on the right track here. Am I paying too much attention to focal length? Any advice would be most apprieciated. Regards Storpotäten Specs Axis M1054: http://www.axis.com/en/products/cam_m1054/index.htm Specs Axis M1114: http://www.axis.com/en/products/cam_m1114/index.htm Specs Zavio D7210 : http://www.zavio.com/product.php?id=62