Not all cameras are made the same. There are lost of factors that need to be taken into account when choosing the right camera. The the most important ones that have the biggest influence on cost is how wide and how deep / location and level of detail needed at distance
In order to best fit the right camera to your needs please keep these two factors in mind.
How Wide and How Deep / Location
Location is obviously important. If you cannot see what you want to cover from where the camera would be located than you cannot record it. We suggest actually getting on a ladder if possible and placing you eye where you want the camera. Can you see everything that you want to capture?
Location is important, but "what" you want to capture impacts that camera choice. There cameras that specialize in capturing wide angles and cameras that capture areas at a distance, but there is no camera that does both (well). This is just a law of optics.
You need to identify the area you want to capture; how wide and how deep.
Level of Detail Needed at Distance
This is the one that causes the most confusion and unfortunately is the one that has the biggest influence on costs.
Keep in mind that, like the human eye, a camera has a useful range where objects are clear and have lots of detail. Closer or, more importantly, further away you start to lose that detail. To the point where an object is just a mass of dots on the screen.
Below you will find a picture that represents the different categories of identification. This highlights that while you may be able to see a person and tell what they are doing, you will never be able to use that recording in hopes of identifying someone if legal action is needed.
(click to make larger)
I like to classify these myself into two categories:
- Detect - This covers the first two categories and basically allows you to identify movement and some action.
- Vehicles, but not license plates or drivers
- People, but not who they are and sometimes even determining sex is difficult in this category
- General action. No details of any object smaller than a refrigerator
- Identify - This is the category that most people think they want. This raises the cost of equipment significantly.
- License plates are readable when the camera is positioned appropriately.
- You can identify people and determine features that would be useful if perusing legal actions
- General detailed actions are identifiable.
Helping Us Help You Get the Best Camera
Keeping all the above in mind we ask that you do your best to provide answers to the following questions.
- Have a definitive idea of the area you are looking to capture.
- Floor/site plans make planning immensely easier for all parties
- If you do not have any plans do your best to provide measurements of the area of observation
- Level of detail
- Using the above chart please identify the detail that you will want to capture in the observation area.
- Keep in mind that capturing a wide area and a high level of detail are mutually exclusive. This is one or the other.
- If a high level of detail is needed and you need to capture a wide area we can use multiple cameras to accomplish this. Again, costs are significantly increased as more cameras and networking equipment is needed.
- Camera location (we are happy to help with this part)
- If there are any special circumstances that require a camera to be located in a certain area? Please identify that.
- The higher you go the less detail you get. Tops of heads rather than faces. No license plates. Etc.
- Too low and you are encouraging vandalism.
- Network access (we will work with you directly on this)
- Cameras must be located near an network connection
- If they are not there is a significantly increased cost for additional equipment and labor.
- Locations that are not near the towns LAN will require a third party internet demarcation located on-site. This additional monthly cost would be covered by the department requesting the camera(s).
In short; we need to know where and what you are capturing with what level of detail.
