halam 0 Posted November 3, 2010 hi i wanted to know if there was actually any noticable difference of picture quality from using 420 or 540 as there isnt much difference in price between them or are they falsley advertised to make them sound better i have got a d1 res dvr, if there is any difference has any one got any examples please, thanks price for 420 tvl indoor camera is 25-30 price for 540 tvl indoor camera is 40-50 regards Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Birdman Adam 0 Posted November 3, 2010 420 TVL is 420 horizontal lines. 540 TVL is 540 horizontal lines. D1 quality is 720 vertical lines by 480 horizontal lines. So a 420 line camera isn't putting out a true D1 picture. I would go for the 540 TVL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted November 3, 2010 764x494(380K) or 510x492 (250K) Effective Pixels, you decide Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted November 4, 2010 I would go out on a limb and say you wont notice much of a difference if any. If you do notice a difference, its not going to be majorly significant. Case in point, I have 330 TV line cameras and then I have 600 TV line cameras, while I do notice the 600 TVL camera is a little sharper, its not noticeable enough for someone else with an untrained eye to notice any difference. In my opinion, there are alot more important qualities that I look for in a camera other than TV lines. When I look at specs of a camera, I breeze right through that section. I would rather get a camera with 420 TV lines with excellent low light capabilties, Back Light compensation, and other customizable features on it compared to a standard camera that has 540+ TV lines with no customizable features on it. But if you are comparing the same exact camera but one has 540 TV lines and the other one is 420 TV lines, and you are only getting 1 or a few cameras, go for the 540 TV lines, its only $20 more. But if you are talking about a large amount of cameras, buy one of each and test them and you decide what the next move should be on your future purchase. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leeline88 0 Posted November 4, 2010 honestly to say,It's really no such big difference for this two different Lines,At least I can't seperate them just from the image at once. But why the price is so big different,I think we need to ask Sony company ,Because sony sale this two ccd module with so different price so cause the different camera price ,I think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted November 4, 2010 In my opinion, there are alot more important qualities that I look for in a camera other than TV lines. When I look at specs of a camera, I breeze right through that section. I would rather get a camera with 420 TV lines with excellent low light capabilties, Back Light compensation, and other customizable features on it compared to a standard camera that has 540+ TV lines with no customizable features on it. QFT. There's a lot more to what makes up the price than just TVL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted November 4, 2010 Although other factors come into play as mentioned, such as the chip and light handling, there is still a difference, especially when you need to work with the evidence, and when initially focusing the camera as well. In CIF mode for example, you wont notice a difference though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
halam 0 Posted November 4, 2010 thanks guys! i was looking at the sony 540 or the 420 tvl ccd cameras is there much differnce in picture quality Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rory 0 Posted November 4, 2010 Thats a loaded question. Are these cameras made by Sony, or just cameras using a Sony CCD? Quality as mentioned is not just limited to the pixels and TVL, alot more will determine whether a camera is high or low quality, and even going by specs alone there is no way to honestly tell these days, although it helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
halam 0 Posted November 5, 2010 i think its just the ccd image device thats made by sony Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry-f 0 Posted November 5, 2010 We actually specify the electronics in all our cameras and have done masses of direct comparison testing so have a bit of knowledge on this one. We use a number of CCD and DSP combinations but have a pair of Sony CCD / DSP combos that work well to give us circa 420/450 & 550 TVL respectively. As has already been eluded to there is a lot more than just the number of TV lines to consider when looking at cameras. Even when you go for a decent brand like Sony there are big differences between the different CCDs and DSPs within their line up. We were shocked at the night time performance of some electronics combinations, particularly higher TVL combinations to the point where we thought we'd got the labels wrong. I would say of far more importance is getting the lens and framing correct on the cameras. Have a look at the first 4 photos on our camera buying guide. They show a 420 and a 540 TVL camera but the 420TVL camera has a better suited lens for the purpose (in this case filming a car as it enters a property). By zooming in more you get more detail even though the camera has fewer TVL. In the top photos you can see the slightly improved detail in the brickwork on the property with the 550TVL camera but neither will allow you to identify the registration number (licence plate). Incidentally when people talk of zooming in on a picture to increase detail they must be using completely different CCTV equipment to the stuff we've ever seen. If you recording a D1 resolution (4 times the size of CIF) you won't get any more detail by zooming in. You're dealing with an image which is about 400,000 pixels. 0.4 megapixels. If you were talking 5 or 10 megapixels then yes, zooming in will reveal more detail but I'm afraid when it comes to D1 or worse still CIF then zooming in is limited to James Bond, the X-files and Oceans eleven !! Hope that helps answer your question. Henry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
halam 0 Posted November 5, 2010 thanks for the info! how can i tell the zoom and the type of lense of the camera has Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted November 5, 2010 thanks for the info!how can i tell the zoom and the type of lense of the camera has what type and make of camera are you going to be looking at. zoom depends on how far you need to see Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted November 5, 2010 thanks for the info!how can i tell the zoom and the type of lense of the camera has what type and make of camera are you going to be looking at. zoom depends on how far you need to see This is a handy lens calculator: http://www.isorainbow.com/lens_calc.htm You select the sensor size of the camera you're using, the distance to the target object/area, and the width of field you need to cover at that distance, and it will give you the required lens length. Most cameras will list the sensor size somewhere in the specs, but in general: Cheap domes and bullets tend to be 1/4" sensors. Better domes (newer CNBs, for example), most box-type cameras, and lower-end megapixel models, tend to be 1/3". Mid- to high-end megapixel cameras (Avigilon aside) are usually 1/2". Varifocal domes and bullets are USUALLY limited to upwards of 12mm lenses.... beyond that you typically have to go to box cams with C/CS-mount lenses. These are all generalizations, BTW - there are exceptions, but this applies most of the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted November 6, 2010 That CSI thing is Hilarious. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeromephone 6 Posted November 7, 2010 I would just buy one of each camera and test them side by side the worst case is you would have a spare camera sitting around. To me there is nothing like having two cameras looking at the same picture with the same lighting etc. we have not purchased too many fixed focus cameras lately it just seems that the customer wants just a little tweaking and the varifocal give you some options. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites