Camera outdoors without auto iris

[carrier82 0]

Hello world!

 

I got an IQeye series 4 (1,3 Mpix) camera fairly cheap and was planning to put it outdoors in a weatherproof enclosure. The camera does not seem to have auto-iris feature, which might cause problems (glare, sensor wear) in sunlight? Is it a strict no-no, or could some safeguards be implemented to extend the outdoor lifespan of the camera? Location is quite up north and sun tends to shine quite low most of the year. Pointing the camera north is not a valid option in my plan.

[buellwinkle 0]

I put an Axis camera facing outdoors, was sort of my weather cam at my vacation home. Worked great for two years. This is what it looks like right now and I plan to replace with another fixed iris camera so I get another 2 years out of it. Maybe if I give a pair of sunglasses it will last longer. Also note, this is a wooded area, no direct sun.

 

Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (this would be the 3rd such camera, first two with sun damaged sensors).

 

[carrier82 0]

On a second thought, I just had an idea for a good location opposite the garage where I can point the camera to not have direct exposure to the sun , hopefully it'll suffice. Any success stories on fixed iris and outdoor environment?

[buellwinkle 0]

Mine were not in direct sun. What, 2 years is not a success story?

[carrier82 0]

Err... No, I would expect at least five years life from a camera

[Blake CCTV 3]

I have installed about 30 arecont 5 meg cameras outdoors all of them had a manual iris lens fitted and they all work fine most of these were installed about 3 years ago.

They look in all different directions but they are fitted at an average height of 3 metres in a housing with a sunshield and angled downwards.

[carrier82 0]

Thanks, Blake CCTV. Is the iris set wide open on those Areconts?

[carrier82 0]

Soundy said this in another thread:

Main thing I can see is that the cheaper one is a video iris type, which most cameras don't support. With video iris, the camera mainly just provides power to the lens, and the lens itself controls the iris. Video iris used to be a lot more common, but not so much these days.

 

I was wondering, could i install a video drive lens to the iqeye camera and provide the voltage to the lens myself? Or do these kind of lenses require some kind of interaction with the camera?

[thewireguys 3]

It depends on the sensor that is in the cameras CMOS does not always need AA see Arecont and Mobotix.

Edited August 25, 2012 by Guest

[buellwinkle 0]

The Axis camera used is CMOS, Axis support said too bad, that's what I get for using an indoor camera to look outdoors. Yes, I agree, a high quality camera like Mobotix which doesn't have autoiris will run for many years with direct sun exposure. My guess is cameras made for outdoor use must have coatings on the lens, like UV coatings to protect the sensor and indoor cameras do not. Maybe gluing on a UV filter which are cheap on eBay may do the trick in protecting the sensor.

[carrier82 0]

buellwinkle, that's a good and cheap to try idea. Ordered a couple of UV filters off ebay, we'll see the results in a few years

[Blake CCTV 3]

Yes the iris is wide open

[buellwinkle 0]

buellwinkle, that's a good and cheap to try idea. Ordered a couple of UV filters off ebay, we'll see the results in a few years

 

It's clear that UV light damages sensors, I have no doubt about that. Also can cause a hazyness to the camera in direct sunlight. So there's no harm in applying a UV filter to the camera as it won't affect image quality or detract from low light ability and I feel it willl extend the life of the camera.

 

The question then becomes how do you attach this to the camera. Can't use it on a camera with IR LEDs on the lens or it will reflect back. I always thought a clever inconspicous outdoor enclosure for an indoor camera is a birdhouse. You can get cheap kits at art supply stores and cover the hole with a UV filter you glue in place.