Camera suggestion for filming text on table

[Phillis]

Howdy,

We have a Q-see NVR with "4K" cameras that works decently.

We use 1 camera to film the table where we process orders.

The table measures 96x48inches. The camera is a QCN8090B 4k camera ( Video Resolution: 3840 x 2160 Maximum Focal Length: 4 mm) and is located 60inches above the table.

I attached a picture of the current view and the camera.

We need to be able to read text of font size 14-16. The current setup allows us to identify what is written by zooming in, but you need to know what you are looking for to be able to discern it. If you did not know what you were looking at, you would most probably not be able to read the text.

I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a better camera to use for this use case? Price is not really a concern if it can allow us to properly read the text.

Thanks

Phil

 

[bp2008]

First of all, your snapshot is not even native resolution. Are you viewing with software that can properly display the image in its native resolution and preferably zoomed in significantly beyond native resolution?

Make sure you've maxed out the bit rate from the camera and are using CBR encoding because VBR will artificially limit the quality.

I'd also reduce any sharpening setting the camera has, it may add fringing around the tiny text that actually makes it harder to read (results may vary).

Since "4K" 3840x2160 is about as high res as cheap IP cameras come, you might need to get a different cam with a longer lens, e.g. a 6mm lens, and you might need to take it apart and manually adjust the focus for the distance you need it to be effective at. This will be more zoomed than you wanted, so the reality is you will probably need two cameras, one for close-up detail and the other to be just an overview.

Otherwise if budget is no obstacle, you can probably find a good 12 or 16 megapixel box camera and install whatever lens you need to get the field of view you want. 16mp IP camera - Google Search

 

[Phillis]

First of all, your snapshot is not even native resolution. Are you viewing with software that can properly display the image in its native resolution and preferably zoomed in significantly beyond native resolution?

Make sure you've maxed out the bit rate from the camera and are using CBR encoding because VBR will artificially limit the quality.

I'd also reduce any sharpening setting the camera has, it may add fringing around the tiny text that actually makes it harder to read (results may vary).

Since "4K" 3840x2160 is about as high res as cheap IP cameras come, you might need to get a different cam with a longer lens, e.g. a 6mm lens, and you might need to take it apart and manually adjust the focus for the distance you need it to be effective at. This will be more zoomed than you wanted, so the reality is you will probably need two cameras, one for close-up detail and the other to be just an overview.

Otherwise if budget is no obstacle, you can probably find a good 12 or 16 megapixel box camera and install whatever lens you need to get the field of view you want. 16mp IP camera - Google Search

Thanks for the reply!

You are correct. The picture is a screenshot I took from the Q-see software. I took a look and it would seem I had already configured the camera for CBR @ 4096kbps. Resolution is set to QFHD.

I will try setting a custom bitrate higher than 4096 and check.

Would you have any recommendation for a camera with a longer lens?

I will have to look into using a DSLR/mirrorless for this. Intrigued by what is used to convert it to an RSTP stream for the NVR to fetch it.

Thanks

 

[bp2008]

Would you have any recommendation for a camera with a longer lens?

Perhaps

http://amzn.com/dp/B087BVQDK3

I will have to look into using a DSLR/mirrorless for this. Intrigued by what is used to convert it to an RSTP stream for the NVR to fetch it.

I wouldn't recommend it. Such devices aren't designed for continuous unattended operation. But if you have one with an HDMI output, devices do exist to take the video feed and encode it into an RTSP stream:

http://amzn.com/dp/B07PHSVTVF