IR CAMERAS
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OTHER TECH ITEMS
There are a lot of things to consider when looking into purchasing new cameras you’re your DVR system. First off, I wouldn’t just purchase a system that already has cameras with a DVR box. Usually the cameras are not the best quality for paranormal investigations. They work great in light but have poor night vision. You also don’t have to buy the most expensive cameras either. How many lights and TV lines are important qualities to look for? Also features such as auto focus, noise reduction, how far they view and even wide angle. The first set of cameras I used to use came with complete in our 4 camera system. They where 480 TV lines with 65 ft capacity. The looked like good cameras on paper but their quality was lacking.
Typical information from the manufacture for specifications.
- 1/3" Sony Super HAD Color CCD
- NTSC:768(H) X 494(V)
- 480TV Line
- 0.0Lux/F1.2
- 6mm Lens
- 30 LEDs 65-80ft
- Backlight compensation: ON/OFF(Optional)
- Electronic shutter: 1/50-1/60) <1/100,000ses
- White balance: AUTO
- S/N ratio: >48dB
- Gamma correction: >0.45
- Operation temperature:-20-50
- Video output: 1.2Vp-p/75
- Power supply: DC12V
- Dimensions(mm): 62(D)x112(H)
- Weight(g): 540g
So what does these terms mean?
Well TV lines is the amount of horizontal video signal that is sent. Camera over 480 are considered as high resolution cameras. The common thought is to get a camera with the highest number of TVL (TV Lines).
What is used to gauge the distance a camera can see clearly? There are a couple of factors. The first one is how many LED lights are used. Obviously, the more LED’s the greater the distance. However, using a poor quality lens will hamper the quality at further distances. Some cameras have the ability to adjust the focus, or zoom, to go along with the number of LED’s. So when looking for distance the manufacture usually states the lens type, how many LED’s and the distance the lens should be able to achieve. A long distance lens does no good if the LED’s are inadequate!
Wireless or Cable is another option. I prefer to use cable connections myself. The problem with this is that you are now running lots of cables everywhere. With wireless there is always that chance of interference or the lack of power supply where you want to run the camera. Watching the paranormal shows, you see just about everyone using cable connected cameras!
Other things to look at, and these are important as well!
S/N ratio- This is the ratio of signal to noise. You want more signal and less noise. Obviously, noise is bad. The higher the number, the better the picture. An S/N of 40 is good, 30 is poor and 60 is a great camera to get.
LUX- This is the term used for light sensitivity. Since we are looking for camera that works well in the light we need a very low LUX rating. I would only get a camera with a LUX of zero!
White Balance-This is the ability for the camera to adjust to different color spectrums. I would get one with White Balance of auto. Otherwise you might get weird color video. Besides, with most of our video in night shot, we get a greenish color anyways!
These are just the basics you need to know before you spend your money. Hope this helps! The information not discussed, such as Gamma Correction, are usually standard in a given price range or not as important.