Re: Recomendations wanted for outdoor video camera (make/model) and retailer

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Andy Evans" <andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dcg0r6$vf2$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> With that temprature range, you will be looking at a heated external
> houseing, so you will be able to use just about any camera  and lens that
> you want.  Try looking at the dennard 506 houseing at
> http://www.dedicatedmicros.com
>
> Andy

That's not necessarily true.  Bulletcams, because of their dense
electronics, put out a *lot* of heat in their hermetically sealed enclosure.
The essentially *are* in a heated case (most consist of a machined aluminum
tube with a protective glass plate at one end and a gasketed, screw-down cap
at the other).  This one:

http://www.smarthome.com/7538.html

is rated from -22F and 140F.   While I've never gone much below 0F with
mine, they've shown no sign of trouble, even at that temperature.  There are
no moving parts to bind up:  The focus is usually fixed and the electronic
shutters do away with the need for delicate iris diaphragms whose lubricants
can stiffen in extreme cold.  While I don't really believe it, this bullet
camera:

http://www.hometheaterstore.com/store/product.php?productid=1107&cat=0&page=
1

alleges specs of -100 to +500 C RH 95% Max (which runs between the unlikely
melting points of chlorine gas (-100.98 °C) and zinc (419.58 °C) so take it
with a grain of NaCl melting point (804 °C)).  I think the bottom line is to
look at the specs and buy from a reputable dealer who'll back them should
the spec turn out to be overly optimistic.

Here's another one from a reliable manufacturer (I have some 10 year old B&W
ProVideo bullet cams that are still working just fine) that will fill the
OP's original specs:

http://azcctv.com/Color-exterior-high-resolution-low-light-cameras.46.0.-hr-
ll-.0.htm

ProVideo CVC-637EX Color Bullet Camera
Operating Temperature  -20 degrees to 122 degrees F

If the OP has a *really* cold freezer he can pre-test them before mounting
them under the eaves.  I would recommend that highly no matter what option
he chooses.  It's a lot easier to debug such problems from the freezer than
from the eaves in a -20F blizzard.  Wait until the wife's away, though.
Freezer experiments (aka "cold soaking") are notoriously unpopular with the
ladies, I've found, but they're awfully important to perform before
deployment to hard-to-reach locations.

Unless the OP's house is regularly at -20F or he wants to use PTZ (Pan,
Tilt, Zoom) cameras that must be able to move even in extreme cold, then
heated enclosures (and yet another glass surface to cause reflections and
light loss) might be overkill.  They'll certainly be a lot more obtrusive
than bulletcams alone.

Though I couldn't find the housing at the URL you cited, I did find it here:

http://www.buythis.co.uk/open_product.asp?catid=67&pid=756&offset=&search=&s
price=&orderby=

The difference between a bare bulletcam and a heated housing is roughly the
equivalent of hanging a lipstick case from the eaves versus hanging a small
mailbox or birdhouse.  Things that big hanging from the roof usually have a
low spousal approval factor.  :-)  Also, I am not sure what £70 is worth in
Canadian bucks today, but I suspect for the price of a heated case alone you
could buy a very nice bulletcam.

--
Bobby G.