[ddr]

My friend currently has a 4 camera setup with a DVR. However, his cameras are quite crappy at night and he wants to swap the camera for a 'night' one. The connections seem pretty straight-forward: one power, one video.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss43/franklinlam/IMG00070-20100526-1511.jpg

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with a certain brand/series of cameras, or recommend any local companies. So far I've found Spy Inc (http://www.spyinc.ca/), Canadian Custom Security Systems (http://www.cctvvancouver.com/index.php), Dominion Security (http://www.dominionsecurity.ca/index.html), and Weiland or SecurityCamera.ca (http://www.securitycamera.ca/). I've emailed the above but I wanted some other input. TIA.

[Manic!]

CNB makes a good camera. You should PM Soundy he's does CCTV installs for a living.

[oldsnail]

those are BNC connectors. pretty standard. these type of cameras are usually fixed analog cameras..

cameras have been phasing to Cat5/ POE allowing only 1 cable coming from the camera for feed and power regardless of quality 352 -> HD..
Also, when cameras become cat5's, the DVR will become an N/DVR, in most cases, not requiring any capture cards..

for brand of cameras.. iqeye. arecont. pelco has been popular.
for dvrs, 3xlogic (www.3xlogic.com) is a local company that has lots of retail customers across canada/US.
I also do CCTV for a living.. (i work for a company that makes CCTV software)

[Soundy]

Second 3xLogic for good systems (we're a reseller) but they're a little out of the range of most home users.

Megapixel IP cameras are awesome, but tend to be pretty expensive as well... and unless your DVR is a "hybrid" type, it would have to be replaced to support them (then again, some MP cameras have onboard storage and/or can record directly to external drive arrays).

CNB make really good analog cameras for a wicked price - we use them almost exclusively now for analog, unless a customer specs otherwise. Their new Mona Lisa line are fantastic in low-light situations.

Dragonone, what DVR and cameras does your friend have now? Was it one of those Costco all-in-one packages? The cameras included in those boxed systems are junk that get around poor low-light performance by jamming in a few IR LEDs with limited range.

Hey oldsnail, who do you work for??

[Expresso]

http://www.jlinks.com/index.php
http://www.jetviewcam.com/

Are two retailers that deal with CCTV equipment as well.

[oldsnail]

Soundy , if you are a 3xlogic reseller, then you will know camacc. i work at camacc head office in victoria. how about you?

even though we are a cctv company, our streamline customers are commercial.

[Soundy]

Soundy , if you are a 3xlogic reseller, then you will know camacc. i work at camacc head office in victoria. how about you?

even though we are a cctv company, our streamline customers are commercial.

Heh, we've been dealing with Vigils since long before 3xLogic joined the picture :) I'm with LPS Loss Prevention (www.lps-cctv.com)

[ddr]

man how come none of those sites came up when i looked locally lol. the cctv forum is of excellent help. Looked at the links and pm'd some of you. Thanks.

[oldsnail]

i might know you.. i've been around @ camacc (www.camacc.com) for around 6 years.

Heh, we've been dealing with Vigils since long before 3xLogic joined the picture :) I'm with LPS Loss Prevention (www.lps-cctv.com)

[JesseBlue]

i work with ccd cameras for a different industry...there is one company locally that sells hd ccd surveillance...avigilon...

[JesseBlue]

i might know you.. i've been around @ camacc (www.camacc.com) for around 6 years.

there seems to be an opening for a field tech...is that what you do? i'm kinda interested ... can you tell me more info on it that is not on the pdf? in other words how do they treat employees and such

[Soundy]

i work with ccd cameras for a different industry...there is one company locally that sells hd ccd surveillance...avigilon...

Avigilon id pretty much THE SHIT in this industry. They make 12 and 16MP surveillance cameras that use Canon EF-mount (ie. autofocus SLR) lenses. The cameras run well into the upper-four-digit range, and you can get lenses for these things that cost twice as much as the cameras.

There's one guy on a forum that's got a 16MP Avigilon hooked up to a 400-600mm Sigma lens with a 2X teleconverter, giving up to a 1200mm focal length... they use it to look at activity at the far end of an open-pit mine. He has sample images looking at a city skyline some 6.5km away, and they are REALLY sharp.

[Soundy]

there seems to be an opening for a field tech...is that what you do? i'm kinda interested ... can you tell me more info on it that is not on the pdf? in other words how do they treat employees and such

oldsnail sits around an office answering phones and providing tech support when shmucks like me call. :) Field techs are the people who actually go on site to install/tweak/fix things.

[oldsnail]

there seems to be an opening for a field tech...is that what you do? i'm kinda interested ... can you tell me more info on it that is not on the pdf? in other words how do they treat employees and such

you must like to travel and work at high heights.. mainly cctv , but also access control..
no criminal record and clean drivers abstract...

[JesseBlue]

Avigilon id pretty much THE SHIT in this industry. They make 12 and 16MP surveillance cameras that use Canon EF-mount (ie. autofocus SLR) lenses. The cameras run well into the upper-four-digit range, and you can get lenses for these things that cost twice as much as the cameras.

There's one guy on a forum that's got a 16MP Avigilon hooked up to a 400-600mm Sigma lens with a 2X teleconverter, giving up to a 1200mm focal length... they use it to look at activity at the far end of an open-pit mine. He has sample images looking at a city skyline some 6.5km away, and they are REALLY sharp.
i know of avigilon as the people who runs that place used to run our place...i know of the ccd that is being used there too...single one cost 8-12K and we use to burn a lot of them...from ugly process...

[Soundy]

From cctvforum.com:
Long Range testing.

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww342/megapixelman/1600mm_Lens_1.jpg

Distance 6.2km



http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww342/megapixelman/Distance.jpg


Lens @ 600mm City from 6.2km

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww342/megapixelman/600mmCitySunset62kms.jpg

[JesseBlue]

cool lens...

[Soundy]

Sigma 400-800 w/ 2X teleconverter...

[Amuse]

http://www.discount-security-cameras.net/22x-constant-day-night-speed-dome-ptzcamera.aspx

[Soundy]

^Meh. $355 is okay for that. $455 would be overpriced. Specs are mediocre at best. Not even "true" day/night, from what it lists there. 0.5lux is really really lame low-light performance. 12deg/s is snail's pace.

[Senna4ever]

Don't know if these local companies are relevant, but these two are clients of mine:

http://www.qimaging.com/

http://www.ptgrey.com/

[Soundy]

Nice looking cameras, but I don't know of any common DVR software that can use Firewire/USB cameras (other than shareware stuff that claims to use your webcam as a surveillance camera).

Surveillance is kind of a different market than machine/industrial vision.