CCTV cameras

Hope this is vaguely the right place to ask........

Does anybody know where I can get decent CCTV cameras in the UK at a reasonable price. Buying one and seeing if it works OK in low light levels is an expensive trail and error method.

I have a supposedly low lux radio camera from Ebay watching the rear of house from the garage which is next to useless in low light levels (completely black picture from around 16:00 to 10:00 this time of year). A second more expensive camera from Maplin watching the carport is OK for a longer period of the day but still not a lot of use at night. Both cameras have IR leds.

IR illuminators seem very expensive and I'd like to avoid having the house bristling with large security devices or the neighbours are going to think I'm some kind of weirdo.

Reply to
Periproct
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Its as good as any althouth this is an alternative

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Somebody might, but not me. Personally I have experienced a you get what you pay for syndrome in CCTV cameras.

Yep.

That's no surprise. Most cheap cameras with IR LEDs rate the viewing distance misleadingly. When they say 30 foot range for instance they mean against a highly IR reflective surface such as a sheet of glossy white sign board. Means nothing in the real world. They seem to work better in general indoors in rooms with dimensions smaller than their rated range. Outdoors not so much. Heck, most better quality cameras with IR illuminators don't produce a usable image at more than half their rated distance.

IR illuminators are expensive. Well good ones that are rated for outdoor use anyway. How about motion activated flood lights instead? There are some starlight vision cameras around, but I have not seen any available through DIY sources. They are expensive and in the UK their use may be limited as they do require some light to work. They would be usless during an overcast night.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

isn't there something about the color green absorbing ir instead of reflecting it too?

not very useful when looking at grass and trees

Reply to
shady

My advice is stay clear of Maplins and CMOS cheap nasty "bargin" cameras from Ebay

Its the old story of "You get what you pay for"

I've been in the business for 16 years and have watched CCTV market progress so much, the only advice i'll give you is do your homework before you buy,buy CCD only with at least a min of 480TVL and if its day/night useage go for HAD/Super HAD

I deal with a few different companies but can recommend - Andy @ APC Concepts in Warrington

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him a call or e-mail as i think hes updating his website

Reply to
a

Well I can recommend AXIS network cameras. I have a 206, and the low-light performance is great. You cannot however connect this model to a standard video system; it uses a network connection to stream the video image.

Alex.

Reply to
Alex

try ' LJD '

Reply to
stúfús

Thanks for that.

Reply to
Periproct

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