2 Camera video surveillance system... Help Please!

[nv40pimp]

I'm looking to set up a 2 camera Pan-Tilt-Zoom system that is pretty high quality.
one camera will be indoors, the other on a covered deck.

Need...
-2 PTZ Cameras
-DVR
-Something to control the cameras

I don't have much experience with this but I know its not beyond me, I just need some pointers to a good place to purchase cameras and tips on which ones are high quality and will produce a clear picture.

Thanks!!

 

[twilyth]

PTZ cameras can be very expensive. The cheapest are a couple hundred and quickly go up to $1000-2000.

Also, the recording and control unit must have special ports in order to control these cameras. A normal port only needs wires for the video and maybe sound and power depending on the type of surveillance system you buy. Obviously, for PTZs you also need to control camera positioning and zoom, so a standard port isn't going to work.

I would also point out that while almost all surveillance systems still have a max resolution of 640 x 480, there are new cameras that are 1280 x 1024. Take this one for example.

Personally, I would go with wireless network cameras like the one in that link. They come with recording, motion detection and alarm software and you can use a pretty small, cheap computer for your base unit. In fact, since these cameras will have their own IP address and can be accessed and controlled via a web browser (on any computer or smart phone), the control unit is pretty much optional.

 

[nv40pimp]

Thanks for the info, however price is not much of a factor in this case. This is for a local business and the budget is pretty large 3-$4000 (including labor) so high quality PTZ Cameras are what we're after, preferably under $1000 with high resolution.

 

[nahtanojdej]

Here is a good place to look for a DVR system with 2 camera bundle.

 

[SaiZo]

AXIS 214 PTZ paired up with the Micros BX2 DVR is good. If you are looking for something that can't be tampered with then the MOBOTIX V10D is another choice, it's price is double that of the AXIS 214. The Micros BX2 DVR is one that can actually offers a control device to pan, tilt, zoom etc.(Yes, others can do the same, but the BX2 is the best suited DVR unit) the AXIS 214 cameras, it is a 16 ch. 1,2Tb DVR system.

The KBS3A keyboard is not included in the package with the DVR however, this is also the wireless model, and can be used up to around 4000ft away from the DVR unit.

Since the budget is around 3-$4000 then you could easily get 4 cams including that DVR system, change the disk to either 3Tb or have it in RAID configuration. I do not know the current price tags for the DVR and cameras where you live, but look around the net. Maybe you can find a good package with both DVR

If you are looking for good IR cameras, then go with either the ThermoVision Security HD or the WideEye model (both made by FLIR Systems). If you are looking for state of the art spy cameras, then search for stuff like the pinhole-optical camera.

 

[newtekie1]

I've had great experiences with EzWatch Pro systems.

 

[Ptep]

If you are looking for good IR cameras, then go with either the ThermoVision Security HD or the WideEye model (both made by FLIR Systems). If you are looking for state of the art spy cameras, then search for stuff like the pinhole-optical camera.

Those are thermal imaging cameras, not IR light sensitive cameras. They start at about $6000 for a 160x120 resolution camera... Not quite in this guys price range!

Back to the op:
Its cheaper to use fixed position dome cameras than PTZ cameras if all you are doing is recording - i.e. nobody sitting there controlling the cameras. With modern megapixel cctv cameras you can cover a wider angle of view than with a vga res camera and digitally enlarge the area you want an image from. Also use wired cameras with PoE, dont bother with wireless as you'll have the hassle of getting power to them, whereas running a CAT5 cable is usually a lot easier.

Megapixel cctv cameras start at 1MP and go right up to 10MP, although expect to pay a lot for anything above 2MP (1600x1200). There are specific cameras for different situtations - megapixel cameras usually work best in daylight or artificial visible light, wide dynamic range cameras work well in low light situations, and CCD sensor based (as opposed to CMOS sensor - which are usually megapixel cameras) cameras work best under IR illumination. Mobotix get around this buy using a daytime colour camera and a nightime b/w IR sensitive camera in some of their units (M12 is one of them), but one of those cameras is pretty much your budget!

Oh and dont buy an 'in the box bundle' they are usually total crap.

If you intend to use non-visible light illumination then check the cameras spec against the illuminators spec - there are different IR wavelengths used and cameras are usually more sensitive to a specific wavelength range.

Edit: Check out the Vivotek camera range, they are quite reasonably priced, and having used them myself I can vouch for their quality. Axis and Mobotix are very good cameras, but they come at a price - particularly so with the Mobotix cameras.
For recording have a look at the QNAP Viostor NVR units - they are specifically designed for cctv with a feature set to suit, also if you find those too expensive QNAPs regular nas boxes will support upto 4 IP cameras with a more basic feature set (lack of event triggers and motion detection afaik). The other (cheaper!) option is to find some open source cctv dvr software and run it on a dedicated box, i think these are usually linux based but i cant say ive ever played about with them, ive always used Viostors. Dont forget a PoE switch if you use PoE cameras!

http://www.arecontvision.com/index.php?section=gallery&s_fk_category_id=8
The Arecont website has a gallery of snapshots from its cctv cameras at 1.3, 2, 3, 5 and 8MP resolutions which if you download the image then view it on your pc will give you some idea of the resolution - and the scope for zooming in afterwards from the various resolution cameras.