Cameras revisited....

[Rupp]

OK guys. I would like to see is night time pictures and the model of your cameras. I want to upgrade my cameras to a good quality night vision camera but the more I shop the more confused I get.

[GregKing]

I second the request.

Good resolution and good light sensitivity. For me, IR is optional.

gk

[Kyham]

Here is what I use

Most B&W cameras are sensitive to IR and you can use IR LEDs to provide the light. There are a few places that you can buy IR iluminator kits in the $20 range. Work to about 20'.

I use CCTV cameras that have been removed from security systems and replaced with newer units. Mine are JVC TK-S240 and take C or CS lenses. They can be powered by either 12VDC or 24VAC and supply a composite video output to a BNC connector. You can use RG6 to feed into any VCR or video card input directly.

COLOR cameras normally do not work with IR since most have a builtin IR filter that blocks the IR so that the color is better. There are some that work Color during daylght and B&W and IR at night. I haven't tried them so can't say how they work.

The advantage is with the CCTV cameras, the quality is really good. Look for a camera with a rating of at least 400 lines or higher. Any level less than 400 will give poor quality.

The JVC cameras I use also support an AUTO IRIS that adjusts the lens to meet the light level. Helps eliminate the washed out look in bright sunlight. They also have a switch setting for backlight control when the light is behind the subject and in front of the camera. Helps fill in the shadows.

The CCTV cameras can be purchased from some of the security firms that use them as they upgrade their installations.

[drozwood90]

How about something like these:

http://www.criticalimaging.net/

Looks like TRUE IR imager.

No costs on the webpage...might be out of our price range...

However, NO need for any lighting as these seem to be TRUE thermal imagers. If it's alive, you can see it in ANY lighting condition (as there is no light involved, just thermal energy).

--Dan

[Kyham]

One note though

Since they are thermal imagers, they need about a 5-10 degree difference from the ambient temp or they will be invisible. Might not work outside in the summer.

[drozwood90]

No, I think they did something else to get around that, so it probably makes it closer to 50-100mK difference to see anything in the area.

--Dan

[drozwood90]

http://www.criticalimaging.net/docs/...20rev%20jk.pdf

There's a datasheet, page 2, under Specifications - System
0.1deg C.

--Dan

[Gogs]

I use CCTV cameras that have been removed from security systems and replaced with newer units. Mine are JVC TK-S240 and take C or CS lenses. They can be powered by either 12VDC or 24VAC and supply a composite video output to a BNC connector. You can use RG6 to feed into any VCR or video card input directly.

COLOR cameras normally do not work with IR since most have a builtin IR filter that blocks the IR so that the color is better. There are some that work Color during daylght and B&W and IR at night. I haven't tried them so can't say how they work.......................

I am about to install cameras, and had decided to go down the road from the beginning on CCTV cameras.

The one I plan on using is colour by day and B&W when in infrared mode (darkness).

My question is what and how are you using to interface into HS, apart from a video input card?

[GregKing]

To help this stay on Rupp's original post, I think we (or at least me) are asking for actual user experience.

Personally, I've got a gazillion options/sources for cameras, including Supercircuits, various online CCTV places, etc., so I'm not looking for more pointers to sources. I'm looking for some actual feedback from a real owner that can say FOR SURE, that they love their camera and can say how well it performs in low light, etc.

BTW, I recently ran across a decent forum for cameras,DVRs, etc.

gk

[drozwood90]

I use crappy X10s.

The Color one sucks for low light. It requires a LOT of light. We are talking at least 1 100Watt (1700-2000lumens) Halogen bulb to light the area where you are trying to film. This is the Xcam anywhere from X10. Which MAY be why it needs so much light (it's the cheapest color from x10, so the video driver op-amps may SUCK...as they are useless to me right now, maybe I'll take one aparet and see if I cna juice it up a bit more...increase the voltage on the CCD, then change the video driver op-amp).

The B&W is great for low light. It's Auto brightness works well. I have the area lite by a single 40W bulb and the camera can make out all sorts of details about the person. This is the Nightwatch2 from www.x10.com

I have it setup such that someone walks up to the front door and the camera turns on. I use http://www.supervisioncam.com/ software.

It lets me (through command line wget) turn on processing of my different cameras. However, after buying a new machine (faster then the old P2-266 I was running everything on) I just leave it processing ALL cameras at once. With the camera's power off it has a blue screen. The software looks for motion, when there are enough changes (as per how I specified) it will begin capture. When there is no motion, or the camera turns off, it stops capturing. The software also sends me e-mail alerts, and a few of the cpatured images. I will eventually use this to setoff an event (as it can run VB script, through command prompt, meaning that I can interface with homeseer through cscript and a Vb program), which will load up skype and have it get ready to call me. When the person hits the doorbell, it will call me and I should be able to talk to the person at the door, as well as see them in real time (as it also serves a webpage with the images).

I have a 4 camera sercurity card (I think I bought from www.tigerdirect.com (I know...I know but they were the only place that had it at a reasonable price)). So I have 4 areas, around back with a Ninja, hacked so I can control it WITHOUT a remote, as well as a non-unidirectional antenna (this to be done soon). This one has multiple sensors, and the ninja turns to look at that area. The other areas are my back door, front door, garage/driveway.

The back door and garage/driveway is a flood cam. They are color and work great in an area where you can actually have 2 flood lamps (as they produce enough light to see with the color cam).

I think I want to get a sentinal for the front door, but don't want to pony up $600 for a camera.

I haven't quite figured it out, but the video recording software COULD record the microphones on these cameras. IF you had enough microphone ports. SO I'm going to wire into the mic. port on these: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HE-280B&cpc=SCH

I have a bunch of them for my whole house audio (I should post that in another thread...it's a tweak of the article that is on cocoontech.com). I just need to figure out how to get the software to recognize the various mic. ports to read from the right one when the camera kicks on.

Those are my experiences.

--Dan

[devin07]

When I built a few years back, the only reasonably priced cameras that I could find were wired. It was easy and ideal, at the time, to bury the harnesses in the wall. I found both colour and b&w on ebay that were of the same mfg. The b&w has built-in infrared led's that illuminated some. I have since added an illuminator (also off ebay) for the 'baby cam' one and it helped greatly. The room is abt 14' sq. & I have the illuminator on the dresser, 'bouncing' its light off the ceiling. The b&w I have at the front door doesn't need additional illumination so I used it as is. It's about a 10'sq. area and gets some light from the street.
The wiring harnesses come to a central wiring closet where the wall warts are plugged in for power. The video/audio cabling then go through a sequencer (ebay) that switches through each of the cameras. The output signal of the sequencer is then modulated and combined onto one of the home cable channels.
The only difficulty I had was with the harnesses. Both the colour and b&w harnesses are similar in appearance, but wired differently. I had used a colour harness for a b&w location and had to splice in a camera plug end for a b&w to work.
I haven't used any of the colour cameras yet & don't have experience with any of the x10 or usb cameras. It seems that nowadays wireless is the way to go.
I think I still have boxes from the cameras, maybe an address too (since I had to replace the b&w when I connected it to the colour harness...), if anyones interested.
Devin

[drozwood90]

Maybe I do not know how to setup wireless cameras, but they do not look good either. That's why I use wired. They look good, do not need special power cables, etc.

Just plug in everything where you are going to bring the video in (as in at my server where the video is recorded). Then when the motion detectors sense something, the camera is turned on, and then the software is enabled to "look" for something. If there is a trigger (see my above post) stuff happens.

I tried the wireless and did not like them. I still have one that goes to the ninja setup, however, it doesn't look high quality. I wonder if one can modify the antenna to make it more non-uni-directional.

--Dan

[sjcato]

a Ninja, hacked so I can control it WITHOUT a remote

Sounds interesting! Are you controlling this from your PC - how did you do this? Thanks

[Gogs]

Sounds interesting! Are you controlling this from your PC - how did you do this? Thanks

You need a FireCracker (CM19U), and a bit of patience setting it up.

[BraveSirRobbin]

You need a FireCracker (CM19U), and a bit of patience setting it up.

I believe from drozwood90's post, that he is doing this via some type of hardwire as he says he can control it without a remote (i.e. hardwire vs. wireless).

If this is the case I would also very much be interested in knowing how this was accomplished.

Also, drozwood90, if you are a "hardware hacker" person please pay a visit over CocoonTech.com, we love your type!

Thanks,

BSR