Cheap Cameras: Opinions?

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

Just as residential use I've been toying around with this crappy 1/4"cmos black and white 380TVL Swann Secura Cam (SW214-SCC). It's okay but kinda borderline, it was given to me for free but it looked so cheap that I was thinking about investing in 4 of them (one for each corner of my home).

 

 

When I searched online I found the same cams for $20 each but in color!

 

 

I really don't need the IR lights, mic, or the fancy smooth case...so for double the price each @ $40 I can get these 1/3" CCD color 600TVL mini, resolution 811x508 (ntsc) which is better then the 380TVL 510x492...but HOW MUCH better would this cam be over the above??? I like this cam for several reasons; the lens can be swapped out for what looks like 25mm, 8mm, 6mm, & 2.1mm (other listings of this cam with one of those lens already on it). Also there is no mic as for I don't need one anyway in the neighbors house...no Ir lights either which are worthless and take up case/window space + electricity, the money must be going into the video quality. Will these work for monitoring ground level activities from 2.5 stories high or are they more of a door cam? (I know they don't zoom)

[yakky 0]

Any junk camera is fine for monitoring daytime activity. Its when you get into nighttime activity or trying to ID faces is when you get into trouble. If you are after small covert style cameras, CNB makes some based on the 20s camera/DSP. They do ok at night with some light but really aren't suitable for anything more than seeing what's going on. Unfortunately they don't make any small cameras based on their 24VF.

 

taUla1cVBOA

 

The above video is my VFL-20S.

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

So in theory it should have the same 600TVL 1/3CCD quality as yours? That's not too bad, from what the 3rd story or? I'm going to use motion flood lights for nighttime footage, even infrared flood lights would work with these cams right? I checked out your daytime footage it's not too bad for close things like doorways you can see detail in the bricks, but again for faces no way (3rd story?)

 

This is where I want to watch for activity, also face identification on the top door only. The blue circle is where I can kill two birds with 1 stone with a camera:

 

The gutter drain tube provides a tad bit of stealth, but I want to mount two cameras here; one facing the stairs/top door and another out the back facing my truck (blue circle):

 

I would need to put a wide angle lens on it to get from the back of my truck to the foundation I think, I already have a camera in the basement window for face shots/identification were the blue circle is:

 

I was thinking I could fit two of those $40 cameras into a universal bubble/dome for about the same price as a VFL-20S since the $40 barebone cams are not waterproof:

[yakky 0]

Yeah, that camera is mounted at the top of the 3rd story. For day shots, the image quality will be the same. In tricky lighting situations it won't. The DSP on a camera makes a huge difference in what you see. I'd encourage you to buy a pricier camera from somewhere with a liberal return policy and test it out. I too tried to go the cheap route, but quickly realized that at night is when most of the bad stuff happens, and at night, cheap cameras stink!

[jeromephone 6]

Ok are you buying smoke detectors from the flea market cause you can get them for 2.00 they may not work all the time but

you got a deal on them. Did you tell the contractor or real estate person I want the cheapest bottem of the line materials you can find. If I am going to the trouble of putting up a camera I am going to get the one that does the job. If you have a problem (especially at night) and you get crappy video it will not allow them to ID anyone. How much of a difference in your yearly budget is purchasing a 150.00 camera vs 20.00 ? I don't mean to rant but I am sure there are others here that can reccommend cameras for not a whole lot more that will actually work.

[cobra2411 0]

I have a couple of these: http://www.closeoutcctv.com/CCTV-High-Resolution-Sony-CCD-Dome-Security-Camera-p/cl-512s.htm

 

$50 IMO qualifies as cheap. They blend in very well when installed under the eaves and unless you're really looking for them you pass right by. They're waterproof, 3 axis adjustable and have a pretty good picture. The only problem that I would see is that they are wide angle, ~70 degrees/3.6mm lenses. For someone coming up the stairs you'll get a great face shot when they get to the top, but for someone walking around the ground you'll just know someone is there.

 

Here's the view and a view of the camera...

 

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

That doesn't look too bad for $50 but I see some wasted money; there are useless IR lights. Says 420TVL I wonder how much clearer a 600TVL would look....

[cobra2411 0]

That doesn't look too bad for $50 but I see some wasted money; there are useless IR lights. Says 420TVL I wonder how much clearer a 600TVL would look....

I agree with the IR lights but 0 lux wasn't a concern as I have pretty good motion lighting there. With a cheap D1 DVR I'm not expecting to get a much better picture with a 600tvl cam.

 

It's adequate for my needs at the moment.

 

Here's with the lights on and off. Ignore the spiderweb across it...

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

Your cameras; 752 (H) x 582 (V) that is full D1 isn't it?

 

So that dark still is without the motion lights and just the IR?? If so that actually has some decent IR range!

[cobra2411 0]

Yes, full D1 and the dark picture is IR only, but I do have a second camera (same model) on the other side of the garage. Just remembered that. Again, IR only, low lux isn't my main concern as I have a motion light and actually have enough light to get color pics.

 

The motion light is a dual-bright system, so for 6hrs after dusk it runs in low power till triggered. This gives a nice soft light to the house. After 6hrs it goes off and then is motion only. If I'm up late enough I'll disconnect power to the other camera and get a pic of the single camera IR performance.

 

Security for me is a multi-step process. You can't move around my house at night without triggering a motion light. I also have an electronic timer built into a switch I got from Home Depot that has a variable feature so lights don't go on and off at exactly the same time every day. It was around $30 or so. Very hard to tell when I'm home and not home.

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

The second camera makes since now, I am doing a motion light setup as well for full color at night. After I have all that I will look into IR floodlights as a stealth option if I want to monitor activity without scaring off my target.

 

Sounds like you have a good system worked out, I think these cams might be a good buy.

[cobra2411 0]

My main reason for setting something up was I had some kids rifle though my car at night. So I setup two cameras in a crossfire pattern to cover my driveway.

 

Many of my neighbor's houses are dark outside at night, so I figure if mine's well lit then any criminal types would go for easier targets.

 

As for stealth, you could look into some IR illuminators.

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

My friend has a box of these WDAC-5700C's sitting in his closet, they are used but all in the box I can probably get them dirt cheap. Only thing is he only has one lens and it is not even the right lens for the camera (with the cable) but it fits and seems to be a higher quality lens. Are the rest of them useless without the lens? They all include 2 adapter rings...does anyone have any opinions, comments, experience with them? Must be comparable to my Hitachi VK-C77U??

[cctvmann 0]

my opinion is its best to try different cameras of different styles and see what the limitations to each camera is, in different environments. for example we have these (vrcd5302) ok with external lighting but have no ir cut filter so ir isnt detected by this camera, the middle pictured camera has built in ir for night vision so they perform alot better due to emitting the ir from the camera itself. (mini ir 10x speed dome) im looking at replacing all out genie 5302's with a small varifocal static dome like these type (s3) the night vision on the next post due to only allowing three pictures is from the genies and the mini ir speed domes. (to follow)

Edited January 12, 2014 by Guest

[cctvmann 0]

heres the two shots from each type camera showing day and night on 2 images/uploads.

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

Even the white balance/sharpness looks better on the mini ir dome. I do not think these WDAC's have an IR CCD or else I would just use an IR flood light.

 

As far as lenses the manual says they accept C & CS type lenses, the one I have is a CS. Maybe I can just get a cheap fisheye for a few of them I think the adapter rings are for 16mm and 8mm lenses? (manual does not say)

 

I assume the F & N stand for far and near focus? The C & O for open and closed iris? T & W though?? This lens seems best suited indoors in a set lighting environment like stores because of that manual iris....my Hitachi VK-C77U has an auto iris but I do not think it is working it stays over exposed all day.

 

You can buy these for about $40-$50 that power up to 8 cameras so I was thinking about just buying a 120VAC-to-24VAC 50/60hz transformer and wiring it up myself because the transformer costs $10-$15

 

But for $20 I can but one of these...which would you use?? This block can run more then one camera anyway @50w right?

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

When shopping for lenses I just go by "CS" ?

 

Are there multiple thread sizes within a CS style lens?

 

I see a "1/3" on my lens does that mean I need a CS lens with a 1/3" thread??

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

So I bought 10 of these; the whole box for $30 but 6 were dead and only 4 are good...makes me think these like to burn right out on you. They power up but there are lines across the screen, and a few give no signal but there is still a power light on. Not sure if they are repairable or not but I will use these 4 @ $5ea. I will need some lenses though and using my 1 lens I have with a manual iris if I open it all the way the camera seems to try and compensate a bit as if the sensor has an auto iris.

 

Was thinking about using a motion sensor and relay between the power transformer and cameras to conserve the lifespan on the cameras used indoors, this would only turn them on when there is motion even if the capture device is recording a black channel until motion occurs. With this I could also break a splice out of each relay that leads to a light board or buzzer, which would alert me when there is activity with a light or noise but there would be a slight 1 second delay so if someone ran past a camera really quick I would probably miss it. I really like these cameras though they are sharp and the lens I have (2.8-12mm) allows me to use these cameras anywhere and capture exactly the area I want; wide or zoomed in. I will make sure to buy manual focus variable wide/zoom auto iris lenses since two will be used pointing out windows.

[CCTVSTOREUK 0]

We offer a wide range of indoor and outdoor cameras at extremely competitive prices.

 

http://cctvstoreuk.co.uk/all-products

 

Please feel free to call or mail us if you require further information on any of our products.

 

 

Kind regards

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

Generally speaking good sellers/vendors do not do not promote business the way you are...

 

These cheap box cams are going to work just fine for what I need inside with a few in windows pointing outside they are only 570-TVL but look decent to me thanks to their lens. I need two waterproof cams for the outside doorways under the roof overhang and I want dome cameras, I found these for $110ea that are partially tinted and 1000-TVL 1.3MP (2.8-12mm lens) but they are 720-HD so I assume they will work on my 4:3 system as long as I center the image on my subject and the 16:9 sides will be cutoff.

 

The model is CAM-VWDCSFP and there is nothing to find online by the model they must be made in China but $110 seems high for a China product.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1000TVL-1-3M-Pixel-Sensor-2-8-12mm-Zoom-Lens-Outdoor-Waterproof-CCTV-Dome-Camera-/351022320218?pt=US_Security_Cameras&hash=item51ba8f8a5a

[Mr. Anonymous 0]

I bought some cheap mounts for inside use, mainly top level floor window box cams. The two on the right are what they look like, I bought two silver mounts and a lot of four black mounts but I used the pieces from two of the black mounts to modify them along with couplers from the hardware store. I am not sure what combo I will use but the silver ones are for my narrow window sills...either way with the lens against the window I need to extend the mount.