alpine0000

It looks like my deck does have some very bright spots and some shady spots at the same time. I think a different camera would not deal with this lighting on the deck as well as the panasonic. I also know what i need to adjust on the camera when i get home for a better daytime picture

I just realized I took that screenshot before my landscape lights turned on. Here is another screenshot with my front lit up properly, how it is each night. Other than the lighting on my home, it is pitch black outside. The sun is completely gone: I dont think I need any IR here

Night time shot. I have a lot of lights out front of my house, so no IR needed.

Yea, i know... but the dome is mounted to the eave. Theres nothing else really logical that I could do here to get it lower except for buy a box cam and enclosure, or mount the dome on the wall of the house, which i didnt want to do I am going to install another dome on the end of the house that will cover the driveway/mailbox area

Got another camera installed at the front entryway tonight. The install was done the exact same way as the one I have pictures of in the first post of this thread, using the same model camera. I guess the screenshot is somewhat useful for identifying people (camera mounted kind of high for facial identification, but still not too bad), but mainly I would use the camera to see if I have packages sitting on my doorstep when I am away I receive packages a few times a week from UPS/FedEx, and I travel a lot. I will try to post a night shot later. Screenshot:

Hmm... I don't think so. My house was built in 1978, and we had a bad hail storm about 8 years ago that caused extensive damage, so the shingles, gutters, and siding was replaced and covered under my insurance policy. I am pretty sure that the old siding was like that too, but I cant say for sure.

i was not aware that you could do that, nor do i know how. I just take my laptop out to the camera, login to the dvr using internet explorer on my laptop, and manually press the menu buttons on the camera while i look at my laptop. its not high-tech, but it works

You probably already know this... but for those who dont, its because of the dehumidification motor on the backside. Considering everything that you get with this camera, I dont think its that big

Just thought I'd show you a screenshot using the software that came with my G4 DVR. It's a night time shot.

Its 10pm here in the Metropolitan DC area, and I decided to go out and walk around to get some more night shots on the deck. I'm not saying it's the best camera ever, but this is *more* than good enough for my application. I am happy with it. Enjoy

I have placed many orders with Mike at shoreviewsecurity.com over the last 12 months. I think maybe 3-4 different orders since last October. I bought a G4 DVR, cameras, some wiring, and a power supply from him. Not only do I *HIGHLY* recommend using Mike, but I also highly recommend the G4 DVR's that he sells. I am very happy with mine I thought the novelty would wear off after a year, but I am still tinkering with my cctv system all the time. I just installed another camera today! http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18575

Here ya go, Rory... Some more pictures for ya. I got one of my Panasonic 484 domes installed. I took some pictures of the installation, since it probably will help out another person here who, like me, has never done it before and is wondering how. I will post all of the images of the installation in the 'Security Cameras' sub forum. This image makes it easier to see the gap that I was talking about between the soffit panels and the wooden eave. The vinyl soffit panels we pretty easy to pull out.

Problem is... everybody has a different budget. There isnt a single camera that would be best for everybody. What is YOUR budget? $100? $200? $500? $1000? $5000? if you want the *BEST*, how much are you willing to spend for the best? Here is a really respectable camera with great usable night time video: http://www.mobotix.com/eng_US/Products/Cameras/DualNight-M12/M12D-Sec Is $1500 realistic for you to spend on one camera, though? Not for me

Here is a live screen shot from both cameras taken at the exact same time, looking at my back door. The room is completely pitch black. The cheap LTC camera (left) has 36 IR LED's lighting up the room. The Panasonic camera (right) is just using the IR from the cheap LTC camera. Here are the two cameras: Notice the clarity of the blinds, the plant, and the wall on the left side of the picture. The wall appears grainy to the cheap LTC camera, and smooth to the Panasonic. During the day time, the light coming in from the back door completely blinds the LTC camera, but the Panasonic deals with it very nicely. (I will try to post a screen shot of that tomorrow afternoon) I bought two Panasonic domes (thanks WDRJack!) for the exterior of my house and was just testing them out tonight, playing around with them. Man, I'm spoiled now... I think I want some more for the inside of my house, and maybe just wire up a seperate IR illuminator.

How would that help? Or does snow look better with a slower shutter? Hello Rory, Admittedly, I am still new to cctv (just got into it about a year and a half ago), and am not 'hip' with setting up shutter speeds yet, so I dont know how that would help. I was just making a guess at why a ski resort 'might' do that, as somebody else had suggested the whole ski resort thing. Excuse my ignorance sometimes when it comes to shutter speeds and focal stops. But hey, thats why I hang out here with you guys! I am still learning a lot about cameras each day

Depends on the application. Snow and weather conditions at a ski resort are one such example. Best, Christopher How does that work? Well, the ski resorts around here have cameras mounted at the top of the mountain just to monitor snow conditions, and the probably dont care if the people skiing are a little blurry in the picture. I guess they use a slower lens, or slower shutter speed, but I dont know?

Well, wouldn't you know it... its rainy AND overcast outside, so I cant really test the cameras like I wanted to (facing my back patio door with very bright sun shining through). But here is a screenshot anyways. Yesterday, when it was sunny, the LTC camera was totally blinded, and it was a big white blob where the back sliding door is. Today it isnt that bad, but you can still see the difference: The panasonic can actually see through the glass door, and see the deck outside. The LTC cannot. There are no lights turned on in my house. The room is lit up from sunlight only. Also (and you cant notice it in this picture), but under certain lighting, the LTC colors are just washed out. For example, my hardwood floors show up a grayish color on the LTC, but the Panasonic shows them their true color, which is a deep, nice, brown color. Again though, not that noticable in this picture under these lighting conditions. The Panasonic reproduces colors very accurately. It's nice. Perhaps I'll post another screenshot when this rain goes away and the sun comes back out! ...Dont mind my poker table there

Last night I saw the auto1 and auto2 on the menu. i was wondering what the difference was... thanks! PLEASE DO! I would LOVE to see them! Can you honestly tell a picture quality difference between the 484 and the 504?

Yes, I think it's very sweet. I am happy with how good that Panasonic picture is at night using IR. In the screenshot, that room is completely pitch black. I couldn't see a thing. Not sure about the Panasonic, but I know that the LTC camera doesn't have adjustable shutter speed, nor do I know what the shutter speed is on it. Yea, I want some of the Panasonic 484 box cameras, but for my application the domes work better. I have an inexpensive D/N box camera and it works really well, too! As far as LTC... you get what you pay for, but it serves its purpose and I was aware of that when I bought it , and I am still fine with them considering they cost 20% of what the panasonic domes cost I wasn't planning on getting the 484 domes, but I saw too good of a deal to pass up in the classified section here. I was going to wait for a bit and get the new SD5 Panasonic domes. I am happy with these though. This is actually just a hobby for me. I live a very safe area with very minimal crime. I have lived in my house since 1989 and never had a break in, nor do I feel like I have any threats. I am just having fun with electronics In fact, I just googled my county to see what the crime rate was, and saw this on wikipedia: "Fairfax was the first county to reach a six-figure median household income, and has the second-highest median household income of any jurisdiction in the United States after neighboring Loudoun County" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfax_County,_Virginia

Panasonic WV-CW484S installed under eave of roof outside. I live in the Washington DC area. Panasonic claims operating temp of the dome is between 14 and 122 degrees WITHOUT the heater (with heater it operates to -30 degrees). Here is the climate data I got from weather.com on my city. Although the 'averages' look pretty safe for the camera, it does rarely get into the single digits at night time in January. To install the optional heater, or not? Basically, if I buy the heaters, I'll also have to upgrade my power supply from 12 to 24 volts. If I dont do the heaters, I can keep on using the 12v power supply. I don't mind upgrading if necessary, but it would be nice to not have to if I dont need to.

There is no right or wrong answer. Neither will give you a "better" overall picture. Which lens you need all depends on your application. A 3.6mm lens will give you a much wider angle picture. 8mm is zoomed in more and will have a narrower field of view. As a beginner, I would suggest going with a varifocal lens to make your installation easier, and take the guess-work out of it. Here is a link for you: http://www.ezcctv.com/cctv-lens-guide.htm And another: [edit by mod-store link removed]

So I have this Day/Night box camera that I am going to buy a new lens for (I am looking for vari-focal and auto-iris). I came across these two lenses that interest me -- one is day/night, and one is not: http://www.cctvimports.com/lenses-vari-focal-c-23_92/fujinon-2-9-8mm-day-night-vari-focal-dv-auto-iris-lens-p-334 http://www.cctvimports.com/lenses-vari-focal-c-23_92/fujinon-2-7-13-5mm-vari-focal-auto-iris-lens-p-337 What is the difference between a Day/Night Lens and one that is not? I know the difference between a day/night camera and one that is not. Is the lens just corrected to give a clearer picture when IR is present? Does a day/night lens have a built in IR cut filter? and if so, then i probably wouldnt need it if my camera already has this technology, right? More importantly, do I 'NEED' a day/night lens for a day/night camera that has an IR Cut Filter, or will a regular lens work also?

Got it. Thanks guys

Anybody? I just picked up two 484 Panasonic domes, and am still wondering how I should do this.

has anybody installed the WV-CW504 or the WV-CP504 cameras yet? if so, any screenshots on the video quality?