sierra1194 0 Posted January 29, 2012 (edited) I'm new here from SF Bay area living in SoCal for many years now. We own an apt building and sign of the times.....feel we need to install some kind of system to view and see what's happening around the perimeter of the building now. As a family, we occupy several units (grown kids have moved back but into their own separate units; close enough but not - yeaaay!). And as economic times are not good and will likely continue for some time as is....we have experienced an uptick in break ins, burglaries, robberies, around and about our neighborhood. So with that in mind, we would like to learn more about systems and what we should be thinking about and looking for before we purchase anything. The building is located on a corner and is two story, 6 units upper and 6 lower with carports underneath. We thought perhaps 2 cameras located at each upper corner of the building (from the roof aimed downwards towards the opposite corner), and then maybe some in the carport areas (though these might be easier accessed and damaged by anyone), and some maybe at the 2 front staircases. Would need to see what's going on at night too. We don't know anything about cameras or quality or systems but at least this is a place to start. We are pretty handy and maybe we could install this ourselves. We've read some of the reviews for the Costco products and they seem to be a mixed bag: Qsee, Swann and who knows what else but hope to learn more before making any decisions. Any suggestions are welcome too! Thanks! Edited January 31, 2012 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted January 29, 2012 One of the biggest drawbacks to the pre-packaged "Costco systems" for situations like this is that they tend to have cameras with middle-of-the-road fixed-focal-length lenses that don't really give you wide OR tight coverage. For the types of things you want to view, you're probably looking at needing a mix of really wide lenses to cover large areas for general activity, and a couple of tighter lenses to get higher-detail views of some smaller areas. That usually means varifocal (adjustable-zoom) lenses, and/or picking specific lenses for each location. Edit: BTW, here are some samples of different lens lengths and their respective fields-of-view. Keep in mind your average package system is probably going to have either 4mm or 6mm lenses. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24549 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sierra1194 0 Posted January 31, 2012 thanks for the link to the zoomed in and out lens views. That was very helpful to see and your suggestion about different type focal lenses, wide, adjustable zoom, etc We would definitely like to be able to get good quality views at night too. Would an electronics shop be a good place to get help putting together a system? Or is there a website for DIY's? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted January 31, 2012 We would definitely like to be able to get good quality views at night too. Would an electronics shop be a good place to get help putting together a system? Not usually... my experience, most of them will just charge you a bunch of money to install the same kind of cheap package systems. Or is there a website for DIY's? You're already on it. viewforum.php?f=54 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DTS 0 Posted February 1, 2012 Hello, I agree with Soundy. Also you have to take into account that you are not installing the cameras to high up that you are only viewing the top of a person head ,which will be no good. Many individuals are more keen to purchase from the Cosco's type stores but as Soundy mentioned they are some draw backs. I am in the process to reselling CCTV cameras and equipment for the Diy-ers for situation like this. Everything should be finallized within two weeks. FYI: Have an estimate of the distance from the camera to the object in mind when selecting the lens size. After that a Varifocal lens w/auto iris lens with the camera you select would be your best bet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sierra1194 0 Posted February 1, 2012 We're taking everything into consideration from the posts here and learning a lot here. Another we just thought of was that one side of the building has decks (upper and lower floor) that stick out about four feet, and, individual awnings over each patio door.. Now we're wondering where should cameras be placed? If they are placed at the top corners, view to the open carport area might be obstructed by the deck/awnings - hmmm. It looks like I can take pictures and attach them so I'll do that shortly. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
