If you are in the market for cameras for security or surveillance
applications, then you no doubt have been overwhelmed by the broad
selection available from online stores. How do you choose a camera for
surveillance? What camera features are important for security? What is a
reasonable price for a security camera and the components for a
complete surveillance system?
In this series of articles I am
going to review the key camera features you should consider and what
price you should expect to pay. I will also provide a short list of
online resources and distributors of surveillance cameras for security.
In
this first article I will give a brief overview of the evolution of
camera resolution and offer a few scenarios to help guide you in
selecting the optimum security camera(s).
Improvements in Security Camera Resolution Required a Leap in Technology
For
many years the resolution of video security cameras was fixed on the
video standard of 480 scan lines per image and 640 pixels per line, i.e.
640x480 pixels. For many applications that resolution was perfectly
fine. But for security applications requiring a wide view, such as
retail store surveillance, airport terminal security, or parking lot
surveillance, that resolution fell well short of what was needed to
identify a suspect or interpret a scene. Such video surveillance
applications required the use of an expensive power zoom lens and a
pan-tilt camera mount to capture small sections of the scene to provide
sufficient image quality.
The development of solid state camera
sensor technology ( CCD & CMOS ) and digital readouts lifted the
restriction on resolution. By the mid 1990s digital video cameras with
resolutions of one, two, and even three million pixels (referred to as
megapixel cameras) became available. Megapixel cameras could capture
large scenes with sufficient detail to eliminate the need for power zoom
optics and pan-tilt systems for many applications. This significantly
lowered the cost and raised the performance of small to moderate video
security installations.
However, it was not until the development
of computer networking technology that megapixel cameras came into wide
use for video surveillance. IP, or "Internet Protocol", network
cameras, could be individually addressed on a network, and exchange
image data and control commands over common CAT 5 cabling. In a typical
installation, multiple cameras are controlled by a single remote
computer or dedicated recording device. There is no restriction on
camera resolution and in fact, multiple cameras of varying types and
resolutions could be run on a single common network.
Choosing the Right Surveillance Camera for the Job
Despite
the impressive developments in camera and computer technologies, you
don't necessarily need to jump into a megapixel security camera system
solution. Far from it. For many applications, the old analog, standard
resolution cameras are just fine, and competitive pressures have made
them extremely inexpensive.
panasonic lumix dmc gx 16 mp micro 43 compact system camera with 3 inch lcd touch screen, canon
powershot a4000 is 16 0 mp digital camera with 8x optical image
stabilized zoom 28mm wide angle lens with 720p hd video recording and 3 0
inch lcd, canon eos rebel t3i 18 mp cmos digital slr camera with ef s 18 55mm f3 5 5 6 is ii zoom lens 16gb deluxe accessory kit, panasonic 16 1mp digital camera with 8x wide angle image stabilized zoom and 2 7 inch lcd, canon powershot sd1400is 14 1 mp digital camera with 4x wide angle optical image stabilized zoom and 2 7 inch lcd, nikon
d5100 16 2mp cmos digital slr camera with 18 55mm f3 5 5 6 af s dx vr
nikkor zoom lens and sigma 70 300mm f4 5 6 sld dg macro lens with built
in motor 16gb deluxe accessory kit, fujifilm finepix z70, leica x2 digital camera with elmarit 24mm f2 8 asph lens, pentax optio wg 2 kit, canon eos rebel t2i 18 mp cmos aps c digital slr camera with 3 0 inch lcd, sony dsc w610 cyber shot digital camera, sony alpha slt a57 16 1 mp exmor aps hd cmos sensor dslr camera, canon
eos rebel t3i 18 mp cmos digital slr camera and digic 4 imaging with ef
s 18 55mm f3 5 5 6 is lens canon 55 250is lens 58mm 2x telephoto lens
58mm wide angle lens 4 lens kit w32g, canon
powershot elph 320 hs 16 1 mp wi fi enabled cmos digital camera with 5x
zoom 24mm wide angle lens with 1080p full hd video and 3 2 inch touch
panel lcd, panasonic lumix ts20 16 1 mp tough waterproof digital camera with 4x optical zoom, canon powershot elph 500 hs digital camera with full hd video and ultra wide angle lens, olympus e f1 compact system camera body only, canon
eos 60d dslr camera kit with 3 canon lenses featuring canon ef s 18
55mm f3 5 5 6 is ii canon normal ef 50mm f1 8 ii canon zoom telephoto ef
75 300mm f4 0 5 6 iii autofocus lens also in, panasonic lumix dmc s3 14 1 mp digital camera with 4x optical image stabilized zoom with 2 7 inch lcd, pentax optio wg 1 kit digital camera
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