ECL-578 Compact Outdoor Super Bullet Cam + OSD (Image Query)

[Threezzzs 0]

Hello again,

 

I have just bought and installed an ECL-578, Compact Outdoor Super Bullet CCTV Cam with integral OSD (retailed by a Polish firm named Kenik, but sold by others in other countries, too). After a lot of fiddling at the top of a ladder with the so-called 'joy-stick' (a truly questionable design concept), and while using a 'phone to my wife at the monitor end, we eventually arrived at a decent quality image. But there are issues and I'm not sure if they are the norm.

 

Firstly, when set at the zoom distance that best suits out needs (about 15m away and about half-way along the zoom spectrum), the peripheral views are deformed into what I can only describe as a fish-eye view. When zoomed fully onto the target (i.e. 100% zoom in), the side of our house is perpendicular and not deformed. As I zoom back, however, each incremental step introduces a curve into the vertical 'Tudor' planks on the wall of our house. When zoomed back fully, those same boards are curved almost into a radius.

 

Because the best setting for our needs is about half-way, the deformation is not terrible, and we can live with that if needs be. But the second aspect of my query is that everything in the picture is stretched vertically. I have been through the camera's OSD in fine detail and, after two hours of yet more fiddling atop the ladder, I decided to eliminate any potential cabling/connection issues by removing the camera and setting it up next to the DVR. The reults were the same. A good, bright picture resolution, but stretched vertically, and a 'fish-eye' distortion whenever the focal object is anything more than about 5m.

 

I should add that ours is an analogue system that now contains a new, high-quality DVR. Upon installation of the camera, the mini-joystick on the camera had to be switched to the Analogue mode in order to see a picture and to access the OSD. This aspect worked fine and without issue. But I really want to know whether the 'fish-eye' aspect is the norm, but especially, how to 'shrink' the picture such that the people and cars it sees are not stretched vertically. (Examaple images available, if required.)

 

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Best regards to each.

[topchips 0]

Hi There

 

What is the Lens you are using in the cam? on the OSD you are using the digital zoom which is not recommended as it pixelates and stretches your picture, using the correct lens will help, the average lens is a 3.6mm on a 1/3" sensor then you pic will just start to curve, sounds to me you have a very wide angle lens installed,

see attached pic for example

 

Regards

[Threezzzs 0]

Hi There

 

What is the Lens you are using in the cam? on the OSD you are using the digital zoom which is not recommended as it pixelates and stretches your picture, using the correct lens will help, the average lens is a 3.6mm on a 1/3" sensor then you pic will just start to curve, sounds to me you have a very wide angle lens installed,

see attached pic for example

 

Regards

 

Hello TopChips,

 

Many thanks for your response.

 

Yes, the image you included is just what I'm getting, but I don't have digital zoom on. (In fact, I don't think that option is included. If it is, I can't find it on the OSD.)

 

Regarding the lens, it's as supplied and is a 2.8/12mm (2Mpx) objective on a 1/3" Sony Exmor sensor. Other salient details that I have been able to translate are switchable analogue, horizontal lines (2000), AHD-H, 1920 x 1080, PAL/NTSC, IR LED - 40m etc.

 

Without doubt, it's a good quality image, but not suited to our particular purpose, which is a fairly narrow road next to our house. In other words, a narrow field of view would have been better, methinks! I can put up with the very slight curve in the picture when set at its current 50% position. But the vertical stretch is hard to live with; cars appear overly tall, people strecthed and so on. I'm assuming, then, that adjustment of same is not possible?

 

Good of you to have responded anyway. Sincere thanks for your help.

 

Best regards,