Bszelda 0 Posted November 9, 2012 Long story short, My mother and I recently had our lights smashed on the brick piers at the end of our drive. The drive is about 90 feet or so from the garage door. We've recently purchased a Swann 8 channel/8 camera system (420 TVL cameras) and they don't seem to pick much up from the porch. We also purchased a Swann 670 camera that supposedly is 600 TVL and can see as far as 80 or so feet. The 670 is definitely better but still isn't very clear when someone walks by the piers. We moved the 670 and one of the kit's cameras to a small tree in our yard that is about 50 feet or so from the piers. It is a bit more clear but still seems a bit pixelated to really tell who the person is when testing. We've been researching online and there is this one camera that seems to be pretty good. Here is the camera: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088ITLOW/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&colid=2QGUXVHIZM90O&coliid=I1JMH4RR70Q7PJ&me=&seller= . This camera has 72 ir leds, 700 TVL, among other things like auto adjustment of the night vision for facial recognition and optical zooming. Seems pretty good for the price... The better distance at night along with the zoom capabilities make this camera seem more desirable than what we are currently trying to set up. One question that we have is concerning whether or not we can connect this camera to the DVR that we have purchased. Here is a link to the Swann system: http://www.amazon.com/Swann-SWDVK-825508-8-Channel-Recorder-Smartphone/dp/B004VFGK1I/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1352427927&sr=1-1&keywords=swann We think this might possibly be clearer than what we are using. Analog is really our only option right now because we can't afford to sink thousands into a high performance HD system. Another question I have is more on topic with this thread's title. What is the absolute best analog camera out there that uses a BNC connections and has superior night vision performance? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vector18 1 Posted November 9, 2012 Without knowing the resolution capability of the DVR itself, that camera you linked will be much better than the ones in the kit. A camera is only as good as the DVR. If the DVR streams and records at a low resolution, the camera will look like it has low resolution. As far as night vision, that sony effio will produce a much better image than those in the kit. And as far as compatibility, any analog camera will work with any analog dvr. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bszelda 0 Posted November 9, 2012 Without knowing the resolution capability of the DVR itself, that camera you linked will be much better than the ones in the kit. A camera is only as good as the DVR. If the DVR streams and records at a low resolution, the camera will look like it has low resolution. As far as night vision, that sony effio will produce a much better image than those in the kit. And as far as compatibility, any analog camera will work with any analog dvr. Okay thanks. I think we may end up returning the DVR system and get the newer model. The newer model costs more but it allows for higher resolution and has hdmi 1080p output so I'd assume that the newer version is better in terms of clarity than the one we are using considering the older model only has a vga output. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kawboy12R 0 Posted November 9, 2012 Look for one that records at least D1 resolution on all channels. After that it's hard to tell quality from a spec sheet, you just have to go on price. That Empire cam with 12mm lens should give a good zoom at 50' for facial detail. You'll want more than one though. One or two for closeups hoping to catch a face plus another cam set to wide angle to give an overview of everything that's happening, not just a small part of what's near the lights. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
empiresecuritycamera 0 Posted November 9, 2012 I just wanted to point out quickly that the 3 other sellers of this camera have copied our product information without authorization. They are not authorized re-sellers and we will not honor warranty from them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yakky 0 Posted November 9, 2012 For really good night time ID, you are going to need a TDN camera and some IR to augment. The CNB 24VF series cameras are a rock solid choice at a reasonable price. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bszelda 0 Posted November 13, 2012 Okay another question or two. If we were to get this Swann system ( http://www.amazon.com/Swann-SWDVK-830008-US-TruBlue-600TVL-Cameras/dp/B008P8FEMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352833357&sr=8-1&keywords=trublue ), would we be able to connect an HD camera such as this ( http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/features.jsp?model_id=MDL102090&feature_id=01 ) to the TruBlue DVR? If not, where can I find a DVR or DVR solution that would work with HD 1080p surveillance cameras? Any advice is appreciated as we will likely be purchasing the DVR today as well as possibly other cameras. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kawboy12R 0 Posted November 13, 2012 You will need a hybrid dvr to connect analog and IP cameras. You'll also have to verify that it will work fully with the IP cams you wish to use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bszelda 0 Posted November 13, 2012 So, I've been researching hybrid dvr's and found this one that seems interesting: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/813907-REG/EverFocus_EDRHD2H14_2_EDRHD2H14_Endeavor_HD_SD_Hybrid.html Would this camera on the same site be able to connect to this dvr? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/830264-REG/EverFocus_EZH5241_HDcctv_1080p_Bullet_Camera.html Sorry for all these questions. Just needing to find a good, reliable system without spending thousands.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
