Re: Camera Suggestions

[J. Sloud <jsloud@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 10:02:58 -0500, Bruce
<crown@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Many of you have been helpful in the past and I appreciate any input
>to my question.
>
>I currently have a home with a Channel Plus 7120 Camera. It is wall
>mounted on the outside of the building in a double gang box which is
>set in the building. The camera works fine during the day but is
>terrible in low light conditions. It is a NTSC system which feeds into
>the video distribution in the house.
>
>Can anyone recommend a replacement color unit which has a fallback to
>B/W in low light or uses IR illumination? I am looking to keep the
>same type profile that I currently have, therefore I would like
>something which can mount in the existing double gang box.

>I see a lot of dome ceiling mounted cameras, can they be wall mounted
>as well?
>
>Thanks for any help.

The easy question to answer is the last one.  Most minidome cameras
can be wall or ceiling mounted.  Some can be pendant mounted using a
wall arm.

Low light cameras come in several types.  In gerenal B/W cameras are
better in low light than color.  However, there are some color cameras
that are very sensitive and can deal with low light better than the
human eye.  Pelco's CC3751H-2/CC3651H-2X is an example.  It can slow
down the shutter speed in low light conditions to make the most of
available light.  You seem to be familiar with day/ night cameras.
Most manufacturers make them now.  A relatively new tehnology that has
become popular allows usable images in badly backlit conditions.
Imagine seeing someone's face clearly with a bright light directly
behind them.  These cameras can sample and digitally adjust different
parts of the same picture to ensure you get a decent image.

When people say infrared camera, they usually mean using a regular B/W
with an infrared illuminator.  These are available from many sources.
Extreme CCTV is probably the best.  I've used a GE Kalatel model in
several installations with good results.  True infrared cameras,
however, use thermal imagers rather to since surface heat differences.
These cameras can see in complete darkness and through rain and fog.
They are limited in range only by resolution and lens size.  Thermal
imaging infrared cameras typically are used in outdoor envirornments
to view objects up to several miles away.