What's the best low light camera.

[Stretch88]

Johnny,

We met about the upgrade yesterday and decided to keep the current system in place temporarily. We need to upgrade a couple of the really shitty cameras and then we will supplement the system with a new IP network.

We will probably start with 4 fixed IP cameras and 2 PTZ cameras.

What software are you using?

I've been trying to get my mind around what is out there but haven't had the time to totally digest everything. This platform looks nice. http://www.ivcco.com/demos/ but didn't want to jump into anything until I've had a chance to look at everything that's out there.

[JohnnyC]

I use IVI View Commander NVR http://www.ivimg.com/products/vcnvr.htm
It works for me and has a web interface to allow remote viewing over the web. The web interface does not require the remote viewer to load anything that they don't already have in order to view the camera video. I've been using IVI View Commander for several years now.

There are many software packages available. Just do Google searches. Many, if not all, allow a free demo trial for a limited period of time. Try a few and see what meets your needs.

As for for viewing on my iPad, I use Live Cams HD. There is Live Cams Pro which to me is basically the same thing. I forget what Live Cams HD cost me, but i will guess it was something like $9.99.

For viewing on my Android smartphone, I use IP Cam Viewer Lite for the past year. I'm sure there are others out there now, but IP Cam Viewer works for me. I think the cost was under $10.00.

I hope this helps....

John
New Jersey

[Stretch88]

Johnny,

The IVI software looks nice. Have you ever tried the Demo site? [url] http://www.ivimg.com/demo/[/url]

I was wondering how the image quality compares to your system. I wasn't real impressed with the night vision and when you go into the recorded settings the quality falls way off and is barely viewable.

So far the only camera I've seen that looks decent at night has been the camera in this demo. http://demo.ivcco.com/

I talked to the sales person at IVCCO. and she started rattling off pricing that was off the charts. camera was over 5K....software and accessories was over 5K....at the time I was thinking I could find something comparable for a realistic price but haven't seen anything yet.

[buellwinkle]

If you want good night vision and $5K is too much, consider Mobotix and only use night sensors (1.25MP and B&W). They are awesome in low light and are much less expensive. A single sensor camera runs about a grand and the dual sensor cameras like the D14 which you can specify two separately pointable sensor/lenses is about $1,500. Not too shabby considering it's 2 cameras in one and it has all the DVR software built in (no need for a PC to record) and it has a PIR motion detect and 2 way audio built in.
_________________
For network camera articles and reviews, visit my blog at http://ipcamnetwork.wordpress.com

[JohnnyC]

[buellwinkle]

Mobotix, ACTi, Vivotek come with their own software, either to run on a PC or buit into the camera. This can save you money and time as you have one throat to choke as the saying goes. Some camera companies sell their own like Arecont or Axis.

There's some cool software out there. A good value is Geovision GV/NVR as it has decent analytics built in. For example, you can use analytics to count cars entering/exiting the lot. On the high end is Milestone XProtect, Luxriot, Xceed.
_________________
For network camera articles and reviews, visit my blog at http://ipcamnetwork.wordpress.com

[Stretch88]

Thanks guys.

I received this quote yesterday from IV&C.

MZ-3630-04 MANUAL ZOOM OUTDOOR LOW LIGHT CAMERA - 2
megapixel Manually adjusted zoom (vari-focal lens) Auto Iris.
Direct IP Connection. IR sensitive in low-light mode. In outdoor
enclosure with heater and blower. H.264, MPEG4, MJPEG.
110 VAC
2 $995.00 $1,990.00


IR-2308-01 IR ILLUMINATOR - 850nm wavelength infrared illuminator
with a 40 degree beam and range of 180 meters.
12VDC/24VAC.
2 $250.00 $500.00


PTZ-3330-14-1
-110
PTZ OUTDOOR DOME - Direct IP connection. Day/night
switching camera with 18x optical zoom on a pan-tilt unit.
MJPEG, MPEG4, H.264. Assembled into an outdoor dome
with automatic heater/defogger and blower. 110 VAC.
3 $2,995.00 $8,985.00


RSS-4008 RELAY SERVER SOFTWARE Provides single IP access and
control up to 8 IVC IP addressable cameras. Provides
Snapshots, Video Storage, Preset Views, Panoramas, and
Bandwidth Management. Runs on Windows platform. PC not
included.
1 $2,000.00 $2,000.00


VSS-4008 VIEW STATION SOFTWARE - Software for viewing stations;
allows automatic touring, multiple-view display and alarm
notification and response for up to 8 IP addressable cameras.
Runs on Windows platform. PC not included.
1 $595.00 $595.00
Less 20% discount 1 ($ 2,814.00)

Total $11,256.00

Any comments appreciated or opinions on the pricing or equipment would be appreciated.