Megapixel Camera Lens

[jdowning 0]

Hi guys,

 

I was interested in purchasing a Dahua IPC-HF3300 box camera (http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/ipc-hf3300-12.html)

 

I was looking around on the internet and seen a variety of different lenses. I seen Tamron megapixel lenses and also cheaper, unbranded lenses.

 

Could anyone tell me whether megapixel cameras require megapixel lenses? Or can I go for the cheaper alternatives?

 

Also, does anyone know what this camera is like in low-light?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Jack

[MaxIcon 0]

MP rated lenses are better, as they have crisper, sharper images. Non-MP lenses give softer images. The no-name lenses are generally going to be riskier than the name brands. I'd recommend sticking with quality brands to get the most from your 3MP sensor.

 

You'll want a 1/3" lens for this camera. 1/2" will work too, but are less common, and you get a smaller field of view for the same size lens in different sensor sizes. You'll also want an IR corrected lens, if you're going to be using IR illumination at all, or the focal point changes between IR and white light, causing one or the other to be fuzzy.

 

You can find a variety of decent brand lenses by searching ebay for MPIR, computar megapixel, fujinon megapixel, etc.

[gilligan 0]

Speaking of lenses... anyone heard from M12lenses.com recently?

 

I sent them an email about a week ago (maybe more) and have yet to hear back from them.

[jdowning 0]

MP rated lenses are better, as they have crisper, sharper images. Non-MP lenses give softer images. The no-name lenses are generally going to be riskier than the name brands. I'd recommend sticking with quality brands to get the most from your 3MP sensor.

 

You'll want a 1/3" lens for this camera. 1/2" will work too, but are less common, and you get a smaller field of view for the same size lens in different sensor sizes. You'll also want an IR corrected lens, if you're going to be using IR illumination at all, or the focal point changes between IR and white light, causing one or the other to be fuzzy.

 

You can find a variety of decent brand lenses by searching ebay for MPIR, computar megapixel, fujinon megapixel, etc.

 

Thanks very much for the tips! Appreciate it! When I Googled these & eBayed these, they were very expensive. Is this the norm? If I were to go for a much cheaper alternative around $30-$40, would there be a very big variance in image quality?

 

Thanks

 

Jack

[buellwinkle 0]

The cheapest lens I got for a box camera cost me $110 for a varifocal lens. You get what you pay for and decent lens can cost several hundred.

[MaxIcon 0]

Yeah, CS and C mount lenses have always been more expensive. $30 is pretty cheap, though it would be expensive for an M12 lens. I don't trust low list price Chinese optics, for a variety of reasons, but I'm sure there are some good values out there.

 

Traditionally, lenses are one of the places you don't want to skimp, but it may be worth a try, as all these Chinese MP cams are coming with the equivalent of the $30 lenses on them. The real problem is you don't know if you got a good value or a junker until you try it, and if the image is soft, you won't know if it's the lens or the camera unless you try a better lens. This is why I usually go for brand names with a reputation for quality.

 

I've always bought used, and you can often get expensive lenses used for under $50 if you watch ebay, figure out the right search terms, and take a few chances. This isn't always practical, of course, especially if you need one quickly.

 

As an example - Not long before I retired my analog cams, I bought a used Computar TG3Z0312FCS-MPIR lens on ebay for about $50 (discontinued now, but still available online for $110 or so new). It's auto-iris, and my CS mount IP cams are manual iris, so I put it onto one of my better analog cams, replacing an inexpensive Rainbow L308VDC4P lens that was probably $30 new 10 years ago. The image was quite a bit brighter and sharper, and it was a good upgrade for the money.

 

In general, anything under $100 for a good quality MPIR CS mount lens is a good deal.

[gilligan 0]

Speaking of lenses... anyone heard from M12lenses.com recently?

 

I sent them an email about a week ago (maybe more) and have yet to hear back from them.

 

To follow up, they coincidentally? responded to my query today. They only addressed one of my two questions but they did respond.

[gilligan 0]

Will these lenses work on Dahua cameras? Specifically the 2100 bullet.

 

http://www.axis.com/products/cam_acc/lenses/m12_megapixel/index.htm

 

If they do fit how do they compare to the factory lenses that come on these cameras?

[MaxIcon 0]

They should work on the 2100, but the standards are much looser on M12 lenses than on CS and C mount lenses, and lots of people have issues, generally with the no-name lenses.

 

I'd expect the Axis lenses to have good quality control, and would expect them to be relatively pricey as well.

 

You would need a 1/3" lens for the 2100. These lenses wouldn't work on the 2MP and 3MP Dahua bullets, though.