mikesus

They are not rated at all per the manufacturer, thanks for the heads up! Now if I could find a housing that looks similar that is rated...

Good points, I will have to check the ratings. As it is under a porch for the mounting, dustproof and moisture resistant would be the requirements more so than an out in the open install. As I am in North Carolina, I don't think I would need the heater, but the blower not so sure on...

When it comes to cameras it normally is though, especially the lenses anyway. The lens could be scratched from improper back focus or handling. The mechanical IR cut filter could be damaged or may not work properly from wear and tear or once again, improper back focus or handling or insertion of the lens, etc etc. Well, if that is the case, he is giving a 30 day return, so I should know by then if it is not working right. If it was a no warranty auction I would agree... With a decent feedback, a storefront, a warranty and his word that it is in new not used condition, its worth a shot. If not Paypal will take care of it

Second hand isn't always a bad thing. This guy is actually pretty close and has a wholesale business where he sells lots of electronics. And it looks like my system will consist of a pair of 484's and a Sanyo 4594. If I don't get the Sanyo, I might have em swap the 596...

I managed to snag a couple of wv-cp484's off ebay with WV-LZ62/8 lenses. Should I try to unload the Panasonic lenses and go for something better, or are they acceptable?

Actually I just bought it, and they will refund it. So that money goes towards the second wv-cp484 Thats why I said sometimes things just work out right

Well after only 15 hrs the ECL596 bit the dust. The image was blurry and fuzzy. Pulled it down, and it has a nice fog on the inside (bad seal or?) So it goes back for a refund. Interestingly enough, the guy that I won the auction from had 2 wv-cp484's and I got both for $475. Sometimes things just work out right Now I gotta find some enclosures...

Rory, That is about what I see on the screen. When I get a few more $$$ The DVR will get replaced. Unless I fall into another deal like this one: WV-CP484 SECURITY CAMERA W/ WV-LZ62/8 LENS Shipped for around $270 (no its not new, but who needs boxes anyway )

Here is a still from my Video E program (the camera actually looks a bit better than this pic)

Well, the birdhouse idea isnt bad but on the porch that might look odd... Not to mention, I did have a bird that pecked the tar outta one of my bullet cams once (it had a built in mic and the dumb thing ruined the mic on it!) I found some "shorty" enclosures, but I dunno how that will play with heat, doesn't look like those have blowers on em.

Yup! I have saved a lot of $$$ because of the info here! I was concerned about replacing a 420 line b/w camera with a 380 line Eclipse ECL - 596 Guess what? The 596 beat the pants off of the old 420 line b/w! (yes there is a bit more noise at night, but the image is much clearer) The one thing that I would love to see is image examples with cameras offered. Now I know that under certain conditions a cheap camera could look good, but if they at least tried to do an apples to apples image comparison, we might be able to make an educated decision. If you go by specs alone, you could buy a lot of junk.

If you are looking for a bunch of cameras you might want to check out the ECL-596 I picked one up on a suggestion from Rory in another thread (Thanks Rory!) The specs are a bit lower but the image is very acceptable. If you Google it, the first link is where I bought mine but there are places that are about $10 cheaper (one is a guy in Fl) Unfortunately he was on vacation when I went shopping.