image of dim lit bar with a panasonic 924

[sf1964 0]

[/img]

finally got a pic up from my bar.this is a pan 924 box cam with a fujinon 1/2 inch lens,it actually makes the image far brighter than it actually is!!

l have a couple of pan 474 d/n domes and ge b/w 540e 0.95 f cameras also installed which l will post later!!

l have a few glare issues with tvs and neons any suggestions re settings would be great ie masking etc.

[rory 0]

Yep, turn off AGC (Auto Gain Control) and BLC (Backlighting).

 

If still too much glare turn down the iris until the glare goes away.

 

Also, make sure the lens didnt get any finger prints or liquid on it.

 

PS. you got a ton of light sources in there ...

[sf1964 0]

it looks like l have a lot of light sources but it is very dark/dim with only the neons and tvs giving off light!!

How do l turn down the iris??

[Jasper 0]

Yep those Neons, TVs and Mirrors give off a lot of light. The IRIS adjustment is usually a little potentiator screw that allows you to adjust the amount of light coming into the camera.

 

If you haven't seen it already look in your manual and it should show it in there.

 

If you can handle the reflection you might want to leave it alone because the picture will get darker while trying to make the reflections less bright. You have a pretty nice picture now as far as no graininess.

 

You can adust the IRIS and see what you think though.

[Jasper 0]

Here is that same image with the dark areas showing light sources or reflective surfaces.

 

[sf1964 0]

thats cool looking ,how you do that??Anyway the main thing l am looking for is the picture of the people walking in the bar so we have an identifiable face of people that might cause problems(not that this is a dive bar) this is a university bar and some of the college kids can get a bit out of hand now and then!!

l prosecuted two people already one was a guy who wanted to sabotage one of my big screens by ripping out my connections and cables when he thought my bouncers wernt looking!l rewound the dvr and saw the guy backed him out to the entrance door and we have a id scanner that actually records the id presented by that person so l had evidence both ways id and crime, he had to pay $1500.00 for repair!!

The other time was on thanksgiving eve this year, a guy just wanted to do some vandalism and decide to put his elbow through the digital jukebox we caught him on camera and again got his id through the scanner and got him to pay for it!!

 

Going back to the cams,l set the pan 474 d/n domes to b/w however l am still seeing brightness on faces (too bright) and was wandering what adjusments l should do! Also the picture has a small delay that is noticable enough even in live view on the monitor,do l change anything with re.shutter speed,sensitivity,etc as l would like a nice smooth picture like a fixed lens!!

One more question(sorry) quality of camera like a pan 474 does the dvr have to be a certain quality to accept and process the picture in order for me to see good pictures(my dvr is the nuvico xg model and that picture was a still from the cdrw recorded at the site)

[rory 0]

Jasper catches on quick

 

histogram examples, notice image 1 is my car park with that big florecent light

(ofcourse images are camera dependent and you would need to adjust your glare issues)

 

 

[Jasper 0]

Thanks Rory. I have learned a lot from you.

 

How come you changed the Pan 474 domes to B/W? Switching them to B/W will only make them more sensitive to light.

 

Nothing using any kind of compression for the video is going to give you the full quality you can see on the monitor. Even if you recorded the video uncompressed your then limited by the maximum recording resolution of the DVR.

 

Are you using the WV-CL924A in the camera shot above? I briefly looked in the manual and nothing jumped out about adjusting the IRIS, but I am sure it is there. Felt like I was reading a book. That camera has a lot of features.

[rory 0]

I dont know the Nuvico but with most Stand alone DVRs thats typically the back up image size. (320x240) Local playback is where you would notice a big difference between a high res and lower res recording image.

 

Make sure everything is set to default, and just adjust the Iris level.

You dont need to adjust the shutter, AGC, or BLC on a decent camera in a location like this. If anything get a lower F stop lens and camera.

 

BLC would be for looking at an area with alot of back lighting such as a door entrance. AGC would be where there is very little light 24/7. Shutter speed would be where you are attempting to catch fast moving objects like cars.

 

Rory

[rory 0]

The iris adjustment is the same as with any camera. If the lens is an Auto Iris lens then you would have to adjust the Iris Port, or AI level, depending on the camera.

 

Open the Iris all the way (bright), then close it (dimmer) slowly until the glare goes away (not over exposed anymore). Then you can make the focus adjustments and any other adjustments required.

 

Here i link you to check out

http://www.mediacollege.com/video/camera/exposure/

Edited February 23, 2006 by Guest

[sf1964 0]

yep,thats the one,l bought it reconditioned for $250.00,and that was going to be my next question ie. where is the iris adjustmet on this cam as l did not get manuals with it.l am going off the 474 manual which is similar setup!!

Reason for b/w setting is it is very dark! and l decided to set it to b/w to get a clearer picture however l would like to get a couple of clear dome covers to allow more light so l could leave it at d/n auto switch if the light is too low it5 will switch to b/w automatically.l am still playing around with settings,the 474 cams are not facing the tvs or neons so it is a different light issue,l will get some pics in the next few days to show you what l mean.Also how do yo post a 10 sec video clip to the forum,l used photo bucket to send a jpeg image but l am not sure how to post a video clip from the cdrw l recorded at the site!!!

[rory 0]

if anyone has a link to the manual please post it

[Jasper 0]

Here is the link to your manual: ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/CCTV/OperatingInstructions/WV-CL924A-OPERATING-INSTRUCTIONS.pdf

 

This is the web site I have been using for hosting video files. It has a lot of annoying advertisements, but it is free so can't complain.

 

http://www.filefactory.com/

[rory 0]

Yeah found it thanks, everything is done in the OSD programming ... so good luck LOL

 

Actually yeah, leave Shutter OFF, Sens Up OFF, ALC.

 

under ALC, you can try it with Preset BLC on or Preset BLC OFF.

 

 

They have alot of settings you will have to play with, i think the AI level should be under ALC though I may be wrong as Ive only ever used a couple OSD cameras, basically the same settings as any other OSD ... i still prefer the dip switch Cameras with normal settings ...

 

Send me one of these and Ill figure it out for you ..

Or ... get it online with something where I can adjust it for you and see the image as we change the settings ... nothing like having it in your hands to check the settings under various lighting conditions to understand them properly though. I would suggest taking it home and testing all its settings properly first so you know what it is doing under different lighting conditions, should only take 1 full night/day

 

 

Rory

[Jasper 0]

Look forward to seeing the other two cameras in action too.

 

Post a couple of pictures when you can.

[rory 0]

and some video shots like Jasper posted

(but some better looking girls ...)

[Jasper 0]

That wasn't a girl it was something they found in the woods.

 

Just teasing.

[Cooperman 0]

sf 1964,

 

Just a quick suggestion for you; in the cameras present location (although to be honest, I'm not absolutely convinced that's the best place for it), if you tilt the camera down perhaps a further 15 degrees, you should loose the top 25% of the picture, which also contains a significant amount of your 'light' sources.

 

You'll have far more (better) foreground coverage, although if you do get any 8' basketball players walking in, you might just miss the top of their heads.

[sf1964 0]

cooperman,i will try that suggestion,maybe the centre of pic will be the focus and eliminate some glare,and we only have 7 footers here at rutgers

univ.

this camera is the best one in my location, and l wanted it in colour aimed on the door since all the other ones are in b/w because of low light!!

[Jasper 0]

After re-reading this thread I realize you intend on using that camera to ID people. That camera is not zoomed in enough on that door for good identification purposes.

 

I like the way Rory setup a camera at a club that gets a head and upper body shot of the person before they come in the door. Then in conjunction with other cameras used for monitoring you can ID the person easily.

 

Just a thought.

[VST_Man 1]

he is already scanning the ID's when they enter..........camera's add/support activity in bar.

 

If he has already used the system to identify and collect, all he's after now is a better pic.

[Jasper 0]

Yep. Your probably right. Forgot about the ID scanner.

 

How is the scanning being done? The system that allows you to scan their ID and take a video still image seems to be a good way. As long as every person that comes in gets their ID scanned then no problem, otherwise no positive ID.

[rory 0]

yeah Jasper they also have a walk through metal detector now ...

[Jasper 0]

yeah Jasper they also have a walk through metal detector now ...

 

Yeah, that place was long over due for one of those.

 

That place is so busy they don't have time to scan ID's. That place needs the X-Ray scanner like they used on Arnold in "Totall Recall".

[rory 0]

yep, they were searching shoes also BTW .... even with the metal detectors

 

that last stabbing though they didnt search the suspects shoes properly and thats how he got the knife in, hopefully this will illiminate any future incidents like that .. though they could just throw the knife over the wall in the day and pick it up at night ...