Choosing the best Infrared CCTV Camera

A customer recently contacted CCTV Camera Pros with the following questions on how to choose the best infrared CCTV camera:

I have some general questions on cameras

1. Does a camera with more lines of resolution give better details of the image?
2. How do you tell what the fixed focus range is?
3. What is the field of view at 50 feet for a 3.6mm, 4mm, 6mm, 12mm lenses?
4. When you look into the cameras at night do you see any light from the IR LED’s? If yes how bright is it, are there any pictures that show this?
5. Can you furnish photos of IR pictures at various distances for your cameras? Similar to the BIPRO-640 camera image photos.
6. I’m looking for cameras that will show good detail from 10ft to 60 ft at night with a wide field of view about 40-50 feet. This is a security area and therefore I need good detail so I can identify a person. Please list your camera recommendations.
7. When using a variable lenses camera how is the lenses size changed? Can these cameras be rotated left & right? How is this done?

Here is CCTV Camera Pros response:

1. Yes, generally cameras with high lines of resolution product a better quality video image, however, not all cameras are created equal so just because two cameras are both rated at 500 TV lines of resolution does not mean that the overall video quality is going to be the same. Other things like the type of processor, software, and lens quality will effect the overall quality of the camera just as much as the TVL rating.
2. Each camera should either have a fixed or varifocal lens size that defines the size of the lens and what field of view it is capable of seeing. The size of the image sensor also impacts this. For example, a 1/3" sensor has a greater surface area than a 1/4" sensor, therefor the 1/3" lens will have a greater field of view used with the same size lens as a 1/4" would.
3. To calculate the field of view using different lens sizes, please refer to our lens chat here:

   https://www.cctvcamerapros.com/Security-Camera-Lens-s/42.htm#lens-chart

4. One of our best outdoor infrared security cameras, is our BIPRO-S600VF12 which you can find here:

   https://www.cctvcamerapros.com/Outdoor-CCTV-Camera-p/bipro-s600vf12.htm

   You can see some sample video and images in the dark here:

   https://videos.cctvcamerapros.com/wildlife-cameras/videos-pictures-bear-live-wildlife-camera.html

5. The BIPRO-S600VF12 is a great choice for seeing 10-60 feet with a wide angle.
6. The lens angle and focus are adjusted with 2 lever controls in the underside compartment of the BIPRO-S600VF12. This camera is very easy to focus and adjust to the exact field of view / angle that you need. The camera has a tri-axis mounting bracket so that you an move the camera right, left, up, and down during installation. It can not be done mechanically via a joystick or anything like that though.