stuart_52

Third time (almost) lucky I cleaned the dome again this afternoon, and also cleaned the IR emitters and the sensor. It is nearly as good as with no dome, but not quite. There is still some haze at the bottom. I'm thinking I might go to a proper bullet camera w/o a dome as this is a location where I really want the best image.

Here is your problem and solution http://www.securitycameraking.com/securityinfo/common-issues-with-ir-infrared-dome-security-cameras/ Many thanks for this (although the grammatical errors in the text gave me indigestion!) I can discount reflection off the vandal-proof housing as the camera is facing almost straight out, ie if the unit was mounted on a soffit and pointing down, the camera would be looking at the ground. I have done a thorough cleaning, inside and out, but it is interesting that the smudge patterns are different than previously. Will do so again tomorrow, however. The dome cover is indeed tight and as far as I can see the rubber ring is snug against the dome and not deteriorated in any way. The business about nearby reflective surfaces was something I was wondering about as there is the metal sun/rain shade on three sides, although I don't recall having this problem when I first installed it back in the spring last year. It's difficult to remove that shade as it's pretty tightly fastened down and sealed but if all alse fails it might be something to consider. I understand that IR behaves very differently than visible light, so putting an absorptive black fabric, like felt, on the inside of the shade isn't going to work. Stuart

Tonight I removed the dome and thoroughly cleaned it on both sides, soaking in warm water with gentle dish soap, then patting/blowing dry and wiping with clean lint-free cloth, which was repeated once I was up the ladder. Same problem, different pattern. I am pretty certain that I didn't get any finger prints on it while installing. After this I went back up the ladder and sprayed my reading glasses cleaner on the outside and wiped dry. No change. FWIW, here's a pic of the camera with the dome off. Looks OK to me It's obvious that the IR light is being caught by something but it seems very difficult to prevent. Tomorrow I can try cleaning the actual sensor with a photographic lens brush as well as cleaning the IR lamps, but it seem unlilkely that dirt could have got inside.

Obviously, I meant dome "bubble" only Heh heh heh... Yes, just the dome! At least it's warmer down here at night than in Calgary, although is sure isn't as warm during the day, by the look of it. I understand that IR cameras use various means of eliminating IR from leaking into the sensor, including special coatings. If it is OK with the dome removed - and I'll inspect it closely while it's off - this might suggest that there is a problem with the coating - if there is one - on the inside of the dome. If so, I'll contact LTS in the US and see what they suggest. (The dealer I got the system from is useless, to put it charitably.)

I was afraid you'd suggest that... Will do so tomorrow night if the weather out here on the "Wet Coast" coooperates.

Cleaned the dome this afternoon, using a soft cloth & mild detergent (same as I use for my glasses). Only cleand the outside. previously I had removed the dome and cleaned inside as well. No change

That was my first thought as well. I'll get out the ladder out and clean it again but as I recall, it didn't help all that much, and being 12' up, not a lot of dirt is likely to reach it. If it is dirt, I'm going to have to find a "ladderless" solution, though. Maybe go to a traditional bullet camera, although we do get a bit of less-than-vertical rain out here and some of the cameras don't have much overhang to keep the weather off the lens.

I've had this problem with one of my LTS HD-TVI cameras (CMHD3423) as well. I bought it last summer but I'm not quite sure when this problem began showing up, perhaps in late fall. It seems to be related to the IR illumination. I am near coastal BC so no issues with excessive temperatures. It was about 40ºF when the images below were taken last night. The bottom image is just before the camera switched to colour, so I think the IR had shut off although it was still in B&W mode. I have cleaned the plastic dome and made sure that the rubber ring is making proper contact with the dome- at least as far as I can tell. I used the same mount as I had with the previous camera, which was also a dome, but not an IR type- a Digital Watchdog "Starlight" model. (Yes, I should probably use a bullet camera.) I wonder if the sides of the metal cover are reflectng IR back into the sensor? It'd be difficult to remove the metal shade but I might have to at least to test. Would using a non-metal shade be a possible solution, if this is in fact the problem? In all other respects it works well, as do the other three LTS cameras I have, although this is the only dome model.