I need advise on a cctv camera

[JARHEAD 0]

Hello. I am about to start my second cctv system for my residence and I need some advise. My last cctv security system I purchased almost four years ago, and it set me back $1150 and I wasn't to happy with it because of a bulky monitor and seemed to run warm. The new system is four channel by Q See from Costco here in California. I have heard that tecnology has come a long way since my first purchase. Costco took my old system back and refunded me every penny which made me jump for joy.

 

Here is my question(s)

I need advise on where I may purchase a cctv camera, a bullet or dome with a very wide field of view. I like the looks of a slim bullet camera. I need one with a 2.1 or 2.8 lens. I will be mounting it outside (weatherproof, rain here in central calif.) under the overhang of my garage to view my driveway, street and sidewalk for at least four or five houses away easily in the daytime. I would like night vision capabilitie as well for the driveway and street curb. The four cameras that come with this system are fine for outside but are 3.6mm with 74 field of view and the other two are 6mm with 42 field of view. Any advide or pointers where I may get something like I discribed would be very much appreciated. Audio would be a plus but I am on a budget.I am willing to spend $200 tops.

My cctv system is a q see #441827

Thank you Doug aka JARHEAD

[scorpion 0]

You have to many failures that this venture may not be worth your expense.

 

(1)

Budget dictates quality. I am surprised that the QSee system was in the $1000 price range for 4 cameras. If it was long ago then yes that would be about right in those days.

 

(2)

Unless you are buying wholesale with a business license you are not going to get much for $200.

 

(3)

System design.

System design is 100 times more effective then just "buying a camera".

 

Those kits in a box are automatic failures before you even get started.

 

To those companies that produce these units please forgive me. I too sell those "kits in a box" and I forwarn of the issue prior to someone purchasing these system. An informed customer is a wise customer.

 

Wide Angle Lens:

This is where people are caught without a way to catch a criminal.

Wide angle lenses are not created to catch a criminal. They are designed as a tool. The tool in the CCTV black bag to solve peripheral problems is to use a wide angle lens. You will actually need two cameras! One zoom lens is needed to get up close to a subject, and the wide angle is to tell you the story.

 

Example:

A parking lot. I want to see where someone is going from car to car checking to see if they are unlocked, and to steal valuables. A wide angle camera pulls in left, and right peripheral view, and IT WILL SACRIFICE DISTANCE VIEW as a trade off.

 

A second camera will have a zoom (like a telescope) lens to get up real close. Pick a spot that someone is most likely to stand, or to walk in this area. A sidewalk with bushes on either side is a perfect "trap" zone to get a good look at someone's face!

 

Those of you that have a system with a wide angle lens, have someone stand in front of your camera at about the 20 foot mark. The wider the angle of lens, the farther away they are actually going to appear in the video. Their face is going to be so small in the video, and there are so many dots on your TV screen to recreate that face. If there are only 20 pixals to recreate that face then there is not much detail there for you to determine "who dunnit".

 

If it is a known neighbor then you can "figure out" who it is, but what about the slick defense attorney pounding on the jury railing about "beyond ALL reasonable doubt"? You have to prove to that jury that this was the person!

 

If the above scenerio is not important to you then you are wasting your money no matter what you do, or what you buy. For hobby purposes you can just buy based on your budget.

 

I would suggest that you hire someone local to you, and have them come out, and tell them exactly what you want.

 

I like to bring various lenses, and let the customer see the monitor. What you see is what you get.

 

If you buy the wide angle lens, or if you buy a "kit in the box" now you need to know that you should place the camera closer to what you are looking at.

 

Wide angle cameras do work. If someone is standing 5 feet from your house then they are going to be close enough that it does not matter about the distance distortion that wide angle lens creates.

 

If someone does something out at street side then there is no way to tell exactly who it was, but the camera will tell you the story of what happened, and it will give you a time stamp if you have it hooked up to a DVR.

 

This is much better than just a burglar alarm who sets off a screaming siren.

 

SYSTEM DESIGN:

What do you really want the camera to do?

 

SUGGESTION:

Spend a little bit more, and buy a vari focal camera. This will make your camera very flexible. When you want to watch a two car driveway to see two cars then set it for wide angle. If you want to watch an area, but you want to avoid the distance distortion then set it for the 6mm range. If you need to really get up close to something then use the full zoom range of your camera.

 

What is great about vari focal is that a situation may come up that you never expected. Instead of having to go out a buy a camera for every "emergency" that comes up, then all you need to do is changed the setting on your camera.

 

Now how is that for spending your money wisely?

 

What do you think?

[JARHEAD 0]

scorpion, thank you for the advise. Maybe the included cameras with 3.6 lense will work out, I guess I'll have to wait and see. My delima is, my wife and me have a neighbor whos 30 year old son is a wanna be street thug. We live in a good neighborhood but have lots of foot trafic to and from the mall as well. Back to the neighbor, he has problems with his anger management and his mouth runs a lot with insults to us and others. We also have a court order out ordering him to stop harrassing us. So, the cameras which are really for our proof (to the court/police) that he is not living by the order from the judge. The cameras also serve as a deturrent to him most of the times. My neighbor also has a kit-in-the-box set up and it works great. My last one worked out fine except it was a boxy monitor with the hard drive that ran warm, it was just taking up important space, unlike the system I will be getting this week. So basically it is designed just for one person, my dumb neighbor who I usually point out to the police that here I am and there he is in the monitor. I was just thinking maybe the 2.8 or 2.1 wide view lense would cover more ground to record. Maybe sometime soon I can post a picture of the area(s) i need covered and get your opinion. Maybe the 3.6 lense will be fine at an angle towards the areas of interest. ...Thank you!

[scorpion 0]

Sounds Good.

 

I would suggest multiple cameras rather then one super wide angle camera.

 

Are you getting a 4 channel DVR?

 

This can be connected to the internet.

 

Will you be watching this camera (cameras) remotely?

[JARHEAD 0]

Yes, it is a four channel system. I need to add the micraphone for audio as well. I think I may simple mount two cameras aiming in a crossfire type left to right and right to left configuration with the 3.6mm lense 74 of view. I have the typical garage with the peak and I'll mount them under the eves but at the outer edge for view up high and not in the center against the wall like before. Yes it has internet viewing capabilities. I mainly need something to record our loud mouth neighbor and or any phisical disruptive harrasment. I have also found the cctv helps in other issues like catching one guy who grafiitted the mail boxes one day. Police really like cctv cameras, one said it makes their jobs easier in removing any doubt with the neighbor. So maybe the 3.6 lense will work out. I wanted something to capture our entire driveway and any cars parked there but it only seemed to cover one because I think the lense wasn't far enough away or high enough on the garage, but it was as high as I could possibly mount it. This is why I was thinking of a wider 2.8 or 2.1 lense. you can google Costco cctv item 441827 and you'll see the system or link to it.

 

Sounds Good.

 

I would suggest multiple cameras rather then one super wide angle camera.

 

Are you getting a 4 channel DVR?

 

This can be connected to the internet.

 

Will you be watching this camera (cameras) remotely?