Zohan 1 Posted February 10, 2012 How many of you guys buy varifocal ip cams vs. fixed? I have always used varifocal analog cams because it gives me options... With ip cams is it necessary, because there is better resolution to begin with? They are also a couple hundred more per cam... Opinions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted February 10, 2012 It's never NECESSARY... it really depends on the needs of a specific installation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted February 10, 2012 I get varifocal lens cameras for outdoor cams when I can because you never know what you want in the future, for example what if you repurpose a camera. Even a 3MP camera, we have one that has a 22mm lens, we want to repurpose the camera but can't use it with that lens and the price to switch lenses from Mobotix is prohibitive. If it had a varifocal lens, it would be a slam dunk but that wasn't an option at the time. Some of the new cameras, like the ACTi kcm-5211e have zoom with autofocus which makes life super easy. You don't like the focal length, change it from the comfort of your laptop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted February 10, 2012 Yeah just like everyone else said, it all depends on the application, but I would say that the majority of users simply zoom their vari-focal lenses all the way out to capture the widest view, if this is true for you, then it may make more sense to save a little money and get a fixed lens. If you are not sure, then get a vari-focal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stanislav 0 Posted February 11, 2012 Generally varifocal lenses have more optical aberrations and optical loss, less resolution than fixed focal length lenses. I suppose it is better to avoid varifocal lenses in those cases where they are not necessary. It is very simple to calculate appropriate focal length using lens calculators or CCTV Design software. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
