cleanplanets 0 Posted March 20, 2014 Hey guys, like the title says - Do auto iris box cameras not need IR? I have recently tried a few out and have noticed they see very well in the dark even with no IR.... Is the iris just big enough to let enough light in or if it got REALLY dark would you need IR? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kawboy12R 0 Posted March 20, 2014 The Cliff Notes answer is yes, CS-mount lenses have larger iris openings than M12 lenses but you definitely need IR to see in pitch black. As far as seeing in low light, not all cams are created equal. Results depend on the whole package- lens and camera. If you're comparing cheap bullets to a good low-light box camera with a nice CS lens then you'll see a big difference. Some cheap cams can barely see at night even WITH the IR turned on. So yes, box cameras need IR to see in the dark, but you have to compare apples to apples to see what the difference is between the lens on a box camera to whatever they slapped into a bullet or dome with comparable guts inside. As for picking lenses, well, you can buy very nice fast (good in low light) CS-mount lenses. Everything else being somehow equal, you should get better results with a box camera and CS mount lens than the same camera with an M12 lens on it. If you want to loosen the purse strings a bit, you should be able to get a MUCH better CS mount lens than M12. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cleanplanets 0 Posted March 20, 2014 Can you give an example of a nice low light cs-mount lens? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kawboy12R 0 Posted March 21, 2014 Nothing specific, depends on the job. Look for something in a name brand with a low f - stop (1.0 is nice and fast) with the length and features you need. There are sometimes some good used deals on ebay if you don't want to pay a few hundred dollars for a lens. I bought a 5-50mm one quite a while ago for a specific task once but I don't remember the brand. I'm more of a hobbyist though, so maybe someone with more firsthand experience with CS mounts could recommend a good value. That doesn't mean the cheapest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myiicu 0 Posted March 21, 2014 Fujinon YV2.7X2.9LR4D-SA2L is a great low light lens. 1/3" 2.9mm-8.0mm F0.95 D/N Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
