Cameras For All Your Business Needs
Help protect your business by installing the right camera system to fit your needs. So visit our store or call us and request a free quote. We can help you determine what and how much you need in regards to equipment. No order is too small or large. We also offer easy financing for to fit your budget.
Get your Free C.C.T.V. Analysis and Recommendation
Complete a simple telephone based survey and receive your free, no strings attached comprehensive CCTV needs analysis and financing options report. This offer is for business owners only. Residential customers are welcome with a modest service fee.
Make an Order Over $500 And Receive a FREE Gift
With every order over $500 we'll give you a free consultation with an experienced corporate/workplace investigator. Learn what to do if you find problems with staff on your new system, and more. We'll also provide you with a workplace investigations kit which includes policies to add to your employee handbook, an audit form, and other forms that can assist you in lowering your overall business liability.
All About Cameras And Camera Styles
Cameras come in different shapes and sizes. Know that this in itself does not affect the picture quality. The shape rather should be looked at in terms of cosmetics, convenience of installation and camera placement. Two cameras with different housings and similar components should perform no different if constructed properly.
Below you will find lots of information on the many types of camera styles available from un, and in the marketplace.
- Dome Cameras
- Box Cameras
- Infra-red Cameras
- Bullet Cameras
- Covert Cameras
- Wireless Cameras
- PTZ - Pan Tilt Zoom Cameras
- Can I use my old cameras?
- Indoor and Outdoor Cameras
- Day and Night Cameras
- Information on Video Quality
Dome Camera
- Dome cameras typically are the best choice whenever possible
- When the camera is within someone’s reach domes cannot be easily manipulated or vandalized
- Domes Installs easy in drop ceilings – usually 2 screws
- Since a dome has a covered lens the direction the camera is pointing is hidden
- Domes can accommodate infra-red for Night Vision
NOTE: While dome cameras are the installation choice there are limitations. As the domes themselves are typically small you are limited in the size lens available. If you need to focus on long distances which requires a lens of 50mm focal length or greater it will not fit inside a standard dome camera. Dome cameras can be simple plastic ones or metal vandal-proof for public places.
Box Camera
- When mounting to a wall or any vertical area
- When viewing long distances where a long lens is required, which would not fit inside a dome or bullet camera
- When extreme low light conditions are not a consideration
NOTE: If the box camera is within someone’s reach the camera is usually inserted in a protective enclosure. If the lighting is extremely low box cameras can be inserted inside enclosures that have built-in infra-red illuminators but the camera must be infra-red sensitive. Meaning it is able to utilize the infra-red illuminators from an external source.
Infra-red Cameras
- When there are extreme low light conditions
- When the camera is not within someone’s reach
NOTE: The distances infra-red cameras can see are based upon its illumination capacity. Infra-red cameras have LED’s, which cast out into the darkness. Realistically, a good rule of thumb (but not an absolute) is figure 1 foot for each LED. Therefore, if a camera has 30 LED’s then it probably can see about 30 feet. There are some newer LED’s called Cat’s Eyes, which have more power, but they are not very common. You would notice a Cat’s Eye by the extra large size of the LED’s. With respect to infrared quality it has more to do with the intensity of the LED's and the distance they cover. One thing to note is that infrared LED's do have a limited life since they are illuminating so they do burn out over time. Just because one camera has more LED's than another does not mean it can cast a longer distance, there are different strengths in the LED's. Unfortunately, again for the consumer it is hard to properly compare.
Bullet Cameras
- When you want the camera to be inconspicuous but not covert
- When the camera is not within someone’s reach
- When extreme low light conditions are not a consideration
- For shorter to middle distances
NOTE: As bullet cameras are small the type of internal boards and lens is limited. Accordingly, the picture quality of the bullet cameras cannot compare with other more traditional cameras, which can have double layer boards and camera function controls.
Covert Cameras
- Just as they say, these are meant not to be seen and come in all shapes and sizes from a wall clock to a sprinkler head or smoke detector
NOTE: It is important to check your local laws with respect to surreptitious recording. In some states certain types of covert cameras are illegal. For example, in New York State you are not allowed to install smoke detector cameras. With respect to recording audio, there are very specific laws, which vary from state to state. Some states require all parties consent to recording, while others only require a single individual.
Wireless Cameras
When connection to the digital video recorder is not practical
NOTE: Remember though wireless is just for the video signal, you still need a method to power the camera. Wireless cameras can be found in most styles. For the most part wireless cameras require a line-of-sight to function properly. Distances will vary depending upon the strength of the transmitter and receiver, what other devices are in the same spectrum, etc. Realistically, you are looking at distances of 100’ or less on affordable wireless equipment. There are external wireless transmitters and receivers that can attach to any standard camera and make them wireless, but the costs are incredibly prohibitive.
Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) Cameras
When you want live control of the camera and adjusting the manual pan, tilt or zoom on a fixed cameras is not practical
When you want to set up a camera to tour the premises
When you want to view several angles from a single camera
NOTE: Pan, Tilt, Zoom cameras cost anywhere from 5x – 10x the cost of a fixed camera. The Pan, Tilt, Zoom camera cannot record or see where it is not looking. You cannot pan, tilt or zoom after it has been recorded (this can only be done with a 360 degree camera). Making a PTZ camera wireless adds thousands to the cost. PTZ cameras can though perform various functions not possible with a fixed camera. You can control a PTZ camera and zoom in optically up to 36x and beyond digitally up to 12x giving zoom capabilities in the 100’s. The PTZ’s have intelligence and can be programmed to perform pre-defined tours and upon the event of an alarm the camera can swing to a specified location before continuing its tour. An operator can override and take control of the camera at any time.
“I have old security cameras can I use them?”
The simple answer is yes, but the newest generation of CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras, are much better than their analog predecessors of as recently as 3-5 years ago. You may say, “I spent a fortune on those cameras. They must be good!” Well, is the VCR that cost $2,000.00 two decades ago (not even taking into account its real cost in terms of inflation) better then the one you can pick up at WalMart today for $49.00? The answer is a resounding no. Technology changes and advancements are made. In fact, to the contrary, it is a technologically inferior dinosaur. Much the same can be said for surveillance cameras.
Future generations of cameras will continue to improve upon this. Although cameras are called Digital CCTV cameras they are not “pure” digital.
So what is different between the analog cameras I bought a few years ago and now? It is most evident in the sharpness, definition and quality of the picture. If you're still unsure, we recommend replacing one or two first and compare the old with the new. Make sure when you compare cameras that you do it as apples-to-apples, meaning it is a similar shot, as lighting and various other conditions will affect picture quality radically.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Cameras
Ostensibly, indoor and outdoor cameras are the same in terms of styles, sizes and shapes. The principle difference is outdoor cameras are at a minimum weather-proof.
While rain is a primary issue other considerations such as moisture, dust, sand, snow, frost and humidity need to be addressed. Accordingly, some cameras are equipped with heaters and blowers to counteract the elements, while others can be housed in outdoor enclosures for the specified purpose.
Outdoor cameras most likely have to address low light conditions for evenings. Accordingly, they either have to have infra-red or some day/night technology, which today are quite affordable.
Night vision and Day/Night Cameras
For low light situations there are two possible camera technology solutions. If there is total darkness then the only possibility is infra-red or otherwise known as night-vision.
Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. The name means "below red" (from the Latin infra, "below"), red being the color of visible light of longest wavelength. The infrared portion of the spectrum has a number of technological uses, including target acquisition and tracking by the military; remote temperature sensing; short-ranged wireless communication; weather forecasting and for our purposes night-vision.
Infrared is used in night-vision cameras when there is insufficient visible light to see an object. The camera uses the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, sometimes referred to as thermal imaging. The radiation is detected and turned into an image, hotter objects showing up in different shades than cooler objects, enabling the camera to see warm targets, such as human beings and automobiles.
Day/Night technology is a sensitivity enhancement technology which improves light sensitivity of a camera by a factor of 2 for visible light and a factor of 4 for near-infrared wavelengths. It still cannot work in near zero light as will an infrared camera.
While both infrared and day/night technology sound expensive, both have become commercialized and are surprisingly affordable. The difference in camera pricing for one of these cameras versus a traditional camera is nominal.
The rule of thumb we like to use is if you walk the area where you intend for the camera to be and view it at its lowest possible lighting, if you can see with the naked eye, then the day/night camera should be fine. If you cannot see, then an infrared camera would be recommended.
CCTV cameras similar to your movie camera are rated in terms of “lux” for purposes of lighting. In addition to night vision and day/night cameras there are low light cameras, which are standard cameras with a low lux rating (0.1).
Video Quality
The manufacturers of the CCD's (which is the main guts of the camera) primarily make 2 or 3 basic grades of product in terms of camera lines of resolution. There is a standard resolution for color cameras (which people quote as anywhere from 330 TV Lines to 380 TV lines) a high resolution for color cameras (which people quote as anywhere from 450 TV Lines to 480 TV Lines) and a new standard some refer to as “high definition” (which it is not true high definition – with quotes of anywhere from 520 TV lines to 550 TV lines). For black and white a 420 line and 600 lines are similarly standard and high resolution, respectively.
The more lines of resolution in the picture, the higher the quality of the picture should appear. You will find many companies will quote a higher number of lines to gain a marketing advantage, when in fact the information is incorrect. The CCTV camera business is dominated by 2 companies that control more then 95% of the CCD market; Sony and Sharp. It was very similar to the television tube market, which despite the name on the set; it was either a “Trinitron” tube from Sony or a Black Stripe tube. These companies make a limited number of CCD’s for the surveillance market.
In our opinion, Sony offers a much higher quality picture and richer colors then Sharp. There is a significant price differential to go along with it. In fact, in our opinion a standard resolution Sony CCD appears better than a high resolution Sharp CCD.
This brings us to another issue. You will see some web sites or companies publish specifications that are much higher than others. Be suspicious, as they should pretty much be the same; since the majority uses the same identical components and all they do is assemble. Some unscrupulous individuals will also try to sell you product represented as one component when in facts it's another. The 2 main components of the CCTV camera are the CCD and the Integrated Circuit (IC). So they may use a Sony CCD and a cheap IC. This is one of a handful of concerns.
This is a problem since the consumer has no way to easily identify whether it's a Sony or Sharp CCD or it's a standard or high resolution. It all comes down to credibility. Since the CCD’s and IC’s are commodities most pay similar component costs. Accordingly, suspicion should be placed on anyone selling dollar bills for 75 cents, meaning a similar product is being sold by one company well below the price point of the rest of the market. The only way to be able to truly identify the specifications of a product is if it is a well-known branded product and not a “blank box or “brand-x.” The Internet creates part of the problem as just about anyone can hang up a shingle and promote themselves, as someone even if they are working out of a basement.
CCD quality is but one concern. We talked about earlier lux ratings. Even a high quality CCD has certain limitations. As such, you need the proper CCD for the job. Lower lux CCD’s are more expensive and when you get into the area of day/night CCD’s they can be significantly more then standard CCD’s but not prohibitive.
CMOS cameras or digital cameras are referred to in terms of megapixels and are very uncommon as of this date due to the prohibitive costs associated with equivalent product to those of the CCD. There is a lot of confusion with respect to CMOS cameras. Probably the cheapest cameras in the market and the most expensive cameras in the market are CMOS cameras. There are CMOS cameras like your web cam that are made into CCTV cameras, which are inferior in quality in every respect and there are high megapixel digital cameras, which can cost in the $1,000’s, which are not necessarily much better. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum. CMOS cameras and the underlying IP camera technology have a long way to go.
