jgriff 0 Posted August 5, 2009 I've recently been the victim of some vandalism in the parking garage of my townhouse complex. They keep coming back every week so I decided to set up an IP camera and see if I can catch them. I bought an ACTi ACM-4200. So far it's worked fairly well but I'd like to attempt to make some improvements. The garage is lit at night but it's not super bright. The images I'm getting are good but I think with a better lens I could get much higher quality. I'm currently using the 4.2mm f1.8 lens that came with the camera. I'm thinking of upgrading to one of the following. Tamron M13VM308 3.0-8.0mm f1.0 - about $100 ACTi LEN-201 2.4-6.0mm f1.2 - about $135 Tamron 13VM308AS 3.0-8.0mm f1.0 - about $45 Has anyone had any experience upgrading the lens on an ACM-4200? The M13VM308 is specifically designed for megapixel cameras. It appears that the 13VG308AS is a similiar lens that is not designed for megapixel cameras. Will one that is not designed for megapixel work with my camera and if so is the megapixel lens worth the extra money? Thanks in advance. I'm a total noob to this, sorry if these are dumb questions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgriff 0 Posted August 5, 2009 I went ahead and ordered the Tamron 13VM308AS. At only $45 it's not a big risk. I'll post my results when I get it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DoorMan 0 Posted August 5, 2009 Chances are you will have the full resolution in the center of image then getting progressively worse toward the edges of the lens. Other than that the F1 lens will be loads brighter than the F1.8. I like the Fujinon F.95 non-megapixel lens on my ACTi TCM-5311 so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgriff 0 Posted August 5, 2009 Thanks Doorman. Maybe the Tamron will be good enough. If not I'll check out the Fujinon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardwired 0 Posted August 5, 2009 Any one of the lenses you described should be a great improvement over the stock lens. One of the greatest improvements comes, though, when you close the iris a little. That may somewhat negate the lower F-stop rating of the other lenses, but it still will be a great improvement. You will definitely want to check your iris settings in day and night conditions, or at least simulate night with a #5 welding filter during the day. For the record, I'm using the Computar T3Z3510, a 3.5-10MM, F 1.0 lens, and been very happy with the results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ini 0 Posted August 28, 2009 jgriff- I'm looking at these for several small jobs. Do you have any demo pix, by chance? I've seen the demo's on ACTi's website but I always like to see what happens out in the real world. Did you get the lens in? I'd love to see a comparison between out of the box and with the new lens. thanks in advance!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
britchie911 0 Posted February 4, 2011 Is the ACM-4200 a CS type lens? Based on the forum feedback (inc. post above from hardwired), I purchased the Computar T3Z3510, a 3.5-10MM, F 1.0 lens. However, it is too short to thread onto the acm-4200. As a Noob, perhaps I am missing something? is there an adapter/extention needed or am i doing something wrong? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropna 0 Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks Doorman. Maybe the Tamron will be good enough. If not I'll check out the Fujinon. Tamron made excellent lens for SD cameras. But, at this moment, Fujinon MP lenses is more better, than Tamron..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
britchie911 0 Posted February 5, 2011 I must be missing something. The Computar T3Z3510 CS-IR lens I have is definitely a CS type, but its threads are too short to reach the threads on the Acti ACM-4200 after stock lens is removed. Any Ideas on what I am doing wrong? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thewireguys 3 Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks Doorman. Maybe the Tamron will be good enough. If not I'll check out the Fujinon. Tamron made excellent lens for SD cameras. But, at this moment, Fujinon MP lenses is more better, than Tamron..... Agreed with Fujinon statement. I am going to order a Tuss lens and see how they compare Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
britchie911 0 Posted February 11, 2011 Take a look at this thread with photo. Any ideas are appreciated http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24233&p=146517#p146517 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites