CCTV

[time]

This may not be practical, but ...

I'd like to get an HD camera with some way to achieve a 16:9 aspect ratio and view the capture on either a 16:9 monitor or TV about 5 meters away.

Picture quality is my main criteria and I'm only concerned with daylight illumination.

Icing on the cake would be the ability to switch to another camera with enough sensitivity to work with streetlights, but without concern for aspect ratio or picture quality, probably about 15 meters from the monitor.

Overall budget needs to be <$2k (less is good).

All ideas welcome!

 

[ddrueding]

Are wires between the camera and TV allowed or do you need wireless?

 

[ddrueding]

1080p with a decent image good enough? Does that budget include the screen? Do you have a computer or other smart device connected to that screen?

 

[ddrueding]

Given that budget and those requirements, I would go with one of these:

http://www.axis.com/products/cam_q1765le/index.htm

 

[time]

I wondered if it might be a little messy to connect an IP camera to a regular TV / monitor, but this looks good: http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=1049

That Axis is way too rich for my blood - I don't need IR and I certainly don't need the motorized zoom! Looking at other models, I think a dome camera might be the best option on a house. Wider view angle is always better.

And yes, I'm looking at cables rather than WiFi - I need to provide power somehow anyway.

 

[ddrueding]

Wider view requires higher resolution to be of any use. I've installed several CCTV systems, and the learning curve typically goes like this:

1. Put a camera pointing at the thing you are worried about.
2. Realize that you can't see their face when they are looking the same direction as the camera.
3. Move the camera to point at a place they will be coming from.
4. Realize that you can see them coming, but can't identify them.
5. Get a longer lens and relocate the camera to point at a bottleneck from some distance at approx head height.
6. Realize that your IR illuminator can't reach that far with the longer lens.
7. Relocate light source closer to target coverage area.

The best results I've had were with a long lens from far away with a nearby light source and low angle. Managed confessions and convictions with those. Just showing that someone stole something is only good for the insurance.

 

[time]

Perhaps I should clarify, I'm not after burglars or vandals. I don't expect to be able to identify anyone - I'm in the wrong place to get face shots of the riff raff that pass by near here.

I'm proposing a technological solution to a problem we have with our house: you can't see outside!

The first camera is to show the (very small) backyard. I want to bring the outdoors inside, so that's why I'm interested in picture quality; I want to display the back yard on a monitor/TV in the room that's in the center of the house.

The optional second camera is to look out the front at the street; hence my interest in cameras that can manage with just streetlight illumination. The only view we currently have is from our bedroom window, which is obscured firstly by a hedge, and secondly by either a tree or an overgrown shrub. In any case, we can't see out the front of the protruding garage.

So ideally, I'd like 90° coverage of the rear and 60-90° coverage of the front. Hikvision products look really interesting ...

 

[Howell]

What makes hedge clippers and windows impracticable?

 

[time]

Good point. To clarify further, the hedge gives our ground-floor bedroom (this is a bungalow) a slight vestige of privacy, although that's mostly from the overgrown shrub. Bottom line is we can't see out front of the garage or beyond the said shrub. Not being able to see out front of the garage is my main concern.

And consequently, it should be obvious that we can't insert (useful) windows in the garage door, and in any case, we'd have to dance around the cars that reside in the garage to do so. But as ever, I like your style.

 

[Howell]

I'm not familiar with the camera systems so I'll focus on commiseration.

There are garage doors with windows big enough to let light in and see out but not provide what I would call a view unless you replaced with an all glass garage door. It is not that expensive compared to your budget actually.

Perpaps an outdoor wall of mirrors in front of the bedroom windows to increase field of view.

 

[P5-133XL]

Camera+screen placement is much more flexible than poking a hole through a wall to get a window.

 

[time]

I was going to get a much bigger dome camera, but this 3MP 1080p one does pretty much everything I need and is remarkably small:

Day videos - check out the second one in particular.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a US shop that will ship to Oz, so I'm forced to consider an
AliExpress store. The price is of course amazing, but I wondered if anyone else here has bought anything through the AliBaba group?

 

[Mercutio]

I had a need for custom printed flash drives. I bought them through Alibaba. They were made right away but then took about 20 days to ship to me.

 

[Stereodude]

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a US shop that will ship to Oz, so I'm forced to consider an
AliExpress store. The price is of course amazing, but I wondered if anyone else here has bought anything through the AliBaba group?

You've heard about their huge IPO a few days back? It's sort of like a cross between Ebay and the Amazon marketplace.

 

[time]

Circumstances have changed and I now need a couple of cameras ASAP.

The nature of the circumstances mean I'm definitely after short range, wide field of view cameras, so I would like to stick with the 3 megapixel Hikvision DS-2CD2532F with a 2.8mm lens if at all possible. Unfortunately, retail pricing through the official Australian distributor is 3 to 4 times the China price ...

US gray market dealers like Wrightwood don't ship internationally. I found a place on Ebay that does, but it's normal mail and would take weeks - I need DHL or Fedex.

Help?

 

[Stereodude]

Why not get them from China then?

 

[time]

* They don't usually sell the 2.8mm variant (I can't find any so far).
* Delivery times can be exceptionally slow.
* You may get a malfunctional device.