CCTV analog cameras specs

[ethanw 0]

I've done some reading, new posts, old posts, you name it. That being said what are the best specs available to date for analog cameras? TVL, CCD, Lens? I really want to buy the best is out there for analog cameras and I want to get the best quality possible. They will need to be outdoors and weatherproof and lastly is for residential install. Money not an issue.

 

Appreciate your time and guidance

[Soundy 1]

If you've done your reading, you should already know that "best specs" are a nebulous thing. There's no industry standard that manufacturers are required to abide by, so testing methods will differ, giving different results, and some (cheaper) manufacturers often seem to simply make up numbers. Published specs only only tell part of the story as well, because there's more to a camera's image quality than simply TVL and LUX numbers.

 

Also, you say you want "the best quality possible", but even that is subjective - the best quality for what purpose? Some cameras are better at low-light, some at handling backlighting, some have esoteric features that make them better for specific circumstances. There is no single "best" camera for every situation.

 

It's like saying you're shopping for a vehicle and want "the best quality possible"...

[dolladave 0]

I've done some reading, new posts, old posts, you name it. That being said what are the best specs available to date for analog cameras? TVL, CCD, Lens? I really want to buy the best is out there for analog cameras and I want to get the best quality possible. They will need to be outdoors and weatherproof and lastly is for residential install. Money not an issue.

 

Appreciate your time and guidance

 

This comes from personal experience through trial and error. I've picked up several cameras off of ebay over the last couple of weeks just toying around to see if the cameras were as good as the specs claimed them to be for the price I paid, between $75 and $100.... And none of them were. They were all bullet cams with built in IR's, I stuck with cameras that had a CS mount lens because they are readily available, however most of your bullet/cheaper cams use the M12 mount and it's more difficult to get a quality lens for those.

 

A simple lens change and it produced astounding results that were 100 times better. I discovered that using a better lens and no IR produced better results. Your best bet is to get something with the best specs you can afford and make sure you get a good quality lens to go with it.

 

You say they Have to be weather proof and will be mounted outside but you make no mention of the lighting they will be provided therefore making it impossible to give an educated recommendation as there are several choices. IR illuminators, built in IR and no IR at all. If money isn't an option, I would personally choose a good box camera(make sure it has a removable IR cut filter) with enclosures and select varifocal lens but make sure the lens are IR corrected.

 

By choosing the box camera, it will allow you to choose the quality lens you want on it without getting some cheap off the shelf lens. And by getting a camera with a removable IR cut filter, it will allow you to use IR illuminators if your application requires it.

 

David

[ethanw 0]

Thanks sound and dave. This is a residential setup , good for day and decent for nights I guess

It can't be all that subjective There must be some objective data to go by right?

 

Maybe I should ask the question differently. What cameras should I consider, camera with the top and best specs available in the market?

[Soundy 1]

In the vast majority of installs, we find the CNB VCM-24VF to be a good, versatile, all-around camera. It's a nice-looking dome, can be flush- or surface-mounted, vandal-resistant, IP66-rated so it can be placed in direct weather, dual-voltage supply, true day/night, excellent low-light performance with the Monalisa chip, has one of the widest ranges of varifocal (2.8-10.5mm) you'll find in a dome of this design, has good backlight compensation performance... as an installer, it's very easy to work with, and the three-axis yoke lets you align it pretty much any way you want, including looking right back down a wall or ceiling. I'd highly recommend this camera for a wide range of uses.

 

Of course, as I said, no camera is perfect for all uses... despite the good BLC performance, sometimes you need something more extreme: enter the Panasonic SuperDynamic models: CP502 (box) or CW502 for the newer SD5 type, or even the older CP/CW484 SDIII (there are a couple of these for sale in the classifieds section of the site). These are great for extreme backlighting situations, like looking out a glass door from the inside and capturing clear faces.

[shockwave199 0]

If you get all this in your bullet style cameras-

 

- Effio platform 650-700 TV Line

- 1/3" EXview HAD II CCD sensor

- Varifocal

- TDN/ICR

- Smart IR built in

 

...you'll have yourself some great cameras. You'll likely monitor them and feel you have excellent quality in line. You wanted a list of something- that's a great place to start. Make money an object. No need to spend outrageous prices just because you can. Not for analog cameras anyway. Good luck.

[ethanw 0]

Thank you much Sir. That is a good palce to start and I like your balanced approach.

 

If you get all this in your bullet style cameras-

 

- Effio platform 650-700 TV Line

- 1/3" EXview HAD II CCD sensor

- Varifocal

- TDN/ICR

- Smart IR built in

 

...you'll have yourself some great cameras. You'll likely monitor them and feel you have excellent quality in line. You wanted a list of something- that's a great place to start. Make money an object. No need to spend outrageous prices just because you can. Not for analog cameras anyway. Good luck.

[maalna2 0]

I just installed the exelon VHN-955 and for this being the first time I have installed a camera it seems to have a pretty good picture to it. It is a true day/night dome camera. If I knew how to get just snapshots from the DVR I would post a couple for you to see.

[dolladave 0]

If you get all this in your bullet style cameras-

 

- Effio platform 650-700 TV Line

- 1/3" EXview HAD II CCD sensor

- Varifocal

- TDN/ICR

- Smart IR built in

 

...you'll have yourself some great cameras. You'll likely monitor them and feel you have excellent quality in line. You wanted a list of something- that's a great place to start. Make money an object. No need to spend outrageous prices just because you can. Not for analog cameras anyway. Good luck.

 

Shockwave,

One of the cameras I purchased from ebay is the exact same model as one of the cameras you listed. It's a gadspot GS4009CF and even came in the gadspot box. I gave $78.65 for it and the quality was decent but no where near the advertised claim of 650TVL; however, as soon as I put a COMPUTAR T5Z8513CS-IR lens on it, the quality improved 10 fold. I removed the IR board off of the front for the lens to fit and mounted the camera in an enclosure and the quality is absolutely awesome without an IR for it at all in seriously low lighting. I got a steal on the lens but it can be picked up for less than $100 bucks brand new. Camera and lens new would equal $178 and I'd rank it up there in performance to a name brand $500 analog camera. Not to mention the lens is IR corrected so I can use it with external IR illuminators and it's got a zoom of 8.5-40mm! I'll see if I can't do some still photos tonight of the new and old lens and upload them tomorrow.

[shockwave199 0]

By all means- grab snapshots and post! Love pictures.

 

With that gadspot, it's this spec- 650 TVL 1/3" WDS High Res- you have to be careful with. As a number of guys have said here- don't get hung up or even distracted by just high tvl. That spec says 650 tvl, but with an unspecified chip. A number of models there have a much better spec, being Effio platform 700 TV Line Sony 1/3" EXview HAD II CCD. And also what has been discussed, it's not really about that 700 tvl spec, but rather the improvement in effio/exview that comes with it. The footage is gonna look a heck of a lot better than a 1/3" WDS High Res, which is what really? It'll run you closer to 100 bucks, but it's still a great price. And considering all the tinkering you did with your original gadspot, it's a plug & play option for those who don't wish to tinker. To me, even a cheap camera placed really well can catch a crook. I think we get hung up on the gorgeous picture mentallity, most times. Yes we want a clean, crisp picture. I certainly don't want to look at an inferior picture, and that's the motivation for camera upgrades over time. But I think there can be a point of diminished returns when it comes to residential. Whatever you can afford to hang at the moment- have the FOV appropriate, aimed really well, good lighting at night, and you'll likely have plenty enough to catch a crook. And in the big picture, that's what we're after. Not so much Rockwell photos of the property. I think a 100 camera can ID just as well as a 500 dollar camera if all things are well considered and installed. My opinions only, of course.

 

Dan

[dolladave 0]

You sure hit that on the head Dan and I couldn't agree more. Anyone of the ebay cameras I purchased could produce a picture capable of capturing a crook if placed correctly with adequate lighting. I wasn't intending to take a jab at you if that's how it came out, it wasn't intended that way. I was only intending to make a point of how impressed I was with a simple lens change. I tried the lens on several cameras with different chipsets and the results were all the same. My point is, I'm guessing one of the biggest differences in a great camera and a decent $75 dollar camera given all other variables are the same is in the lens. Afterall, if a good lens runs you $100 bucks on average, you can't sell a camera at $75.

 

The one thing all the cheaper cameras I purchased had in common was they all had an un-named lens that was constructed from some form of plastic instead of glass. I love this forum and I love everyones opinions and ideas, it makes us all a little bit smarter and even helps us to not make some of the same mistakes

 

Dave

[shockwave199 0]

No jab taken Dave. Keep in mind that there are truely qualified people here to really listen to. My opinions have been formed after only a short time being involved with all this. I may say valid things sometimes, and sometimes not. I only know from my own experience. When all the talk and comparisons are done, it comes down to what you see, and if that's good enough for you or not. I equate cctv to pro audio in a way. Like great audio monitors in the studio, so too are the cameras. The better the quality each one is, the better you'll hear and see fine details. But behind that is the rest of the chain. In audio it's the cable and the mixing board [and more]- and to a large extent the guy BEHIND the mixing board. In cctv, it's the cables and the dvr. You're only as good as your weakest link in that chain. Get the best damn camera money can buy. But you'd better have everything else right to really appreciate the difference. I'm on a tanget! Sorry!

 

Listen to soundy- what the hell do I know!

 

Dan

[joseph.chen0312 0]

Many solution one is megapixel CMOS IP camera or HD-SDI camera. If you prefer to use CCD you could consider effio-S the new and high performance but not too much supplier make it.

[ethanw 0]

I am not finding many bullet cameras with Effio-S....

 

Many solution one is megapixel CMOS IP camera or HD-SDI camera. If you prefer to use CCD you could consider effio-S the new and high performance but not too much supplier make it.

[dolladave 0]

I haven't looked very hard but I've never personally seen Effio-P... I think you'll be just fine with the Effio-E though. It does most of what any general user asks it to do. Just remember, the Effio isn't the only thing you after... The image sensor/pickup device is important to consider also.

 

David