IR Illuminator again?

[gonzogg 0]

I have read other post with good recomendations for IR Illuminators, but they are out of my budged for now. I am wondering if anybody have tried a cheaper one with decent results. I am trying to iluminate a back yard about 60 feet long and I will be installing 2 hikvision ds-2c2032 cams.

[mechBgon 0]

What's your approximate budget? Also, for shopping purposes, what country are you in?

[gonzogg 0]

I am inUSA, budget is about $300

[mechBgon 0]

If it helps, the 100ft and 300ft ones here look interesting, but I haven't tried one yet: http://www.securitycameraking.com/security-camera-illuminators-223-ctg.html The customer remarks seem encouraging. They're rated for 2 amps and 3 amps respectively, so a guy would need to shop for a suitable power supply as well.

[gonzogg 0]

Thank you mechBgon, I was looking at this one http://www.amazon.com/CMVision-IR200-Outdoor-400-500ft-Illuminator-Adapter/dp/B004V9Z7ZY/

[Securame 0]

DS-2CD2032-I already has built in IRs. Why not try the cameras first, and then think if you do need extra IRs?

[gonzogg 0]

DS-2CD2032-I already has built in IRs. Why not try the cameras first, and then think if you do need extra IRs?

 

I do need extra IR, I am just testing inside the house now and is not getting too far inside a room.

 

This one looks interesting http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-IR-200-940-CMVision-Wavelength-Illuminator/dp/B004PLOPDS/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=A4AJWF423TD0Q

[thmaxxer 0]

 

This one looks interesting http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-IR-200-940-CMVision-Wavelength-Illuminator/dp/B004PLOPDS/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=A4AJWF423TD0Q

 

 

Keep in mind the range of light emitted by these emitters. Most cams are happiest around 850nm wave length.

[rayt 0]

last year i managed to snag myself a bunch of used Raytec Raymax Fusion 50 RM50-F-30 for less then $150 each, those things are crazy bright, sucks that the angle wasnt great for me.

[voip-ninja 0]

I am inUSA, budget is about $300

 

I am using an Axton illuminator that is in your budget. Look at their website, you can order them through quite a few resellers.

 

I am using one to illuminate my front driveway. It has a 90 FOV and throws IR out to about 75' quite well. It runs off of 48V (I use a cheap AC/DC power brick to run it) and was around $200 or so shipped.

 

What I like about the Axton is that they are very compact and fairly discrete as far as the external casing goes. They are also fairly rugged and weatherized.

[grege 0]

Thank you mechBgon, I was looking at this one http://www.amazon.com/CMVision-IR200-Outdoor-400-500ft-Illuminator-Adapter/dp/B004V9Z7ZY/

 

I have this one. It does a good job of throwing the light out pretty far. If I remember I will take a screenshot of it tonight for you.

[buellwinkle 0]

I've had good experience with using inexpensive IR illuminators from Amazon, work really well, unfortunately, the 2 I had died, one lasted about 2-3 months, one lasted about 5-6 months. If I ever buy again, I would make sure they have a good warranty.

[mechBgon 0]

Thank you mechBgon, I was looking at this one http://www.amazon.com/CMVision-IR200-Outdoor-400-500ft-Illuminator-Adapter/dp/B004V9Z7ZY/

 

I have this one. It does a good job of throwing the light out pretty far. If I remember I will take a screenshot of it tonight for you.

 

I'm interested to see your screenshot too, for the angle of coverage especially.

[grege 0]

Thank you mechBgon, I was looking at this one http://www.amazon.com/CMVision-IR200-Outdoor-400-500ft-Illuminator-Adapter/dp/B004V9Z7ZY/

 

I have this one. It does a good job of throwing the light out pretty far. If I remember I will take a screenshot of it tonight for you.

 

Here is a shot of my backyard using this illuminator. The house is a walkout in the back. The camera is mounted under the eve above the first floor and the illuminator is mounted below it on the deck framing. I am using an ACTi E42 camera and it is at the widest angle which is 3.3mm. You can see that the angle of coverage is not as wide as the camera but it is much brighter back there than what the built in camera illuminator was doing.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[mechBgon 0]

Thank you mechBgon, I was looking at this one http://www.amazon.com/CMVision-IR200-Outdoor-400-500ft-Illuminator-Adapter/dp/B004V9Z7ZY/

 

I have this one. It does a good job of throwing the light out pretty far. If I remember I will take a screenshot of it tonight for you.

 

Here is a shot of my backyard using this illuminator. The house is a walkout in the back. The camera is mounted under the eve above the first floor and the illuminator is mounted below it on the deck framing. I am using an ACTi E42 camera and it is at the widest angle which is 3.3mm. You can see that the angle of coverage is not as wide as the camera but it is much brighter back there than what the built in camera illuminator was doing.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[attachment=0]01130909_21-04-00a.jpg[/attachment]

 

Thanks, that's useful info I wonder if a diffuser would be effective at spreading out the IR for a situation where more spread and less range is required.

[buellwinkle 0]

Just get an illuminator with a wider lighting angle, maybe one setup for 70-90 degrees. This one didn't spec out what it is, so you have assume with the claims of going 300-400', it's likely a narrow angle, 45 degrees at most.

[MaxIcon 0]

Diffusers are popular in the high-power flashlight forums, where people like to take lights with a lot of throw and convert them to floods. The plus of this approach is you can test a bunch of inexpensive options until you find one that does what you need.

 

Materials that are frequently used are pieces cut from plastic milk cartons, scotch tape, Glad Press'n Seal, photography diffuser films, frosted glass spray, or sanding the clear cover, if it has one. To avoid permanently altering your illuminator with the last few, you could put a sheet of clear plastic over it, and try frosted spray or sanding.

 

If you google diffuser film, you'll see a large variety of them available.

[voip-ninja 0]

Just get an illuminator with a wider lighting angle, maybe one setup for 70-90 degrees. This one didn't spec out what it is, so you have assume with the claims of going 300-400', it's likely a narrow angle, 45 degrees at most.

 

It looks more like a 25 degree or 30 degree spot.

 

I have a 60 degree one and it's really 60 degrees. Covers my entire front drive and the sidewalk and street in front of the house, out to about 75 feet or more.

[buellwinkle 0]

It is very narrow so you are probably correct. I tried these before where they claim 60 degrees and it had a decent spread of light. Just wish they lasted longer.

 

http://www.amazon.com/vision-Infrared-Illuminator-Camera-visual/dp/B008JSLJEG/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1378864747&sr=8-9&keywords=263%27+ir+led

[voip-ninja 0]

My Axton is going on a year and is working fine. They warranty it for I believe either 5 or 10 years so not too much worry there.

 

One of those "you get what you pay for" things. Maybe not such a hit with the Dahua crowd.

[Hitch 0]

My Axton is going on a year and is working fine. They warranty it for I believe either 5 or 10 years so not too much worry there.

 

One of those "you get what you pay for" things. Maybe not such a hit with the Dahua crowd.

 

Voip - Have you ever posted a pic of yours? If not, are you willing to? I would really appreciate seeing how your Axton works with your Axis.

[buellwinkle 0]

He did post pictures before, very nice illuminator. I did contact Axton about the specific illuminator you have and it appears to be discontinued. The replacement illuminator is already in the same price range as Raytec rm25, or about $300ish. So I love the ideal of that illuminator for $200 but not sure it's still possible unless they re-started making it. To me, $200 seems to be a sweet spot.

 

When you think about it, a 12V LED light is something that should not only last many years, but it should be reasonably priced. It's not like LED is a new concept. 2 years ago you may have paid $60 for a 60w equivalent LED bulb and it was lousy. Today you get 60w equivalent bulbs for $10 and they are good.

[voip-ninja 0]

I have posted pics before, but I might be able to do some tonight with it on and off if I remember when it's dark later.

 

LEDs themselves are cheap, but it's the housing, light diffusion, weather sealing, power regulator (buffer the DC of PoE voltage) etc, that drives the price up for the better units in my opinion.

 

Anyone can slap some LEDs in a cheap housing, build them in China and sell them for $35 but they might be garbage.

 

If the price seems high I'd be interested if we could start a side business making these for less!

 

The US Military uses the Axtons (and some of the other decent ones) and sure as hell don't want it shorting out after a rain storm when they are out in the middle of nowhere at a forward fire base.

[zikronix 0]

There needs to be a harbor freight of cctv crap....decent quality for a a low price

[voip-ninja 0]

There needs to be a harbor freight of cctv crap....decent quality for a a low price

 

 

It's all relative. Some of the stuff from Harbor Freight is okay, and some of it is just junk. There are also plenty of "affordable" options for CCTV compared to what was available even a few years ago. For what I spent on 640X480 box cameras three years ago I can now get a really nice weatherized dome with integrated IR.

 

I was going to get pictures from my IR last night but it's been raining here and the neighbor left all of his lights on all night so the pics would have been a terrible way to judge things. I will try again tonight.