What camera for this location?

[Sonnie]

I'm going to run a cable out to a switch at the metal barn so we can have WiFi out there and make it a shorter run to the field (to the right of the barn) where our weather camera will be mounted.

I also want to install a camera where the yellow circle is on the corner of the barn looking back at the house. There is 125ft between the house and that corner of the barn, so I'm not sure this would be a good fit for an identity camera for anyone snooping around the house, but perhaps a spotter cam for the PTZ, and a good overview cam. Unless maybe I go with another PTZ to zoom in on anyone snooping around the house. Maybe one of the dual lens would be good to get a broader overall view.

The camera that is parked looking at the barn from this image is a PTZ5A4K-25X. It does not see that corner of the barn at night. I can barely see the Jeep and the left side of the barn (see second pic below for that night shot).

I could put a very bright flood light on the barn that would probably light all that area in front of it, but not sure how that would affect a camera mounted there.

I suppose another option would be to get a camera with good lighting, although if it's pointed back at the house, it would likely be blinding to us, so a flood light where the direction can be controlled to be flooding closer to the buidling might work better. Again... not sure how that would affect the camera.

As always, I appreciate your recommendations.

 

[bigredfish]

You need a couple of these strategically placed to light that place up with IR

Amazon.com

Or some big strong white flood lights

Most cameras arent going to complain about too much light

 

[Sonnie]

I have a DI20B (supposedly better than the BI18B) that I was going to install on the service pole, but no longer need it out there.

Would it be better to mount it on the house and point it at the shop or at the shop and point it towards the ground area out in front of the shop?

If the camera is pointed from the house to the shop, it might cause issues for the camera installed at the shop. If mounted at the shop, would pointing it towards the ground in front of the shop help the house camera see that area any better?

 

[bigredfish]

I haven’t been following all of the details of your camera placements or distances, but if want that jeep and shed lit up 24/7 as well as the front of that shop barn.

You don’t want a strong IR pointed directly at an opposing camera no. Offset it

 

[Sonnie]

I haven’t been following all of the details of your camera placements or distances, but if want that jeep and shed lit up 24/7 as well as the front of that shop barn.

You don’t want a strong IR pointed directly at an opposing camera no. Offset it

Not quite following you with that statement.

What you see in the image above is all the coverage I have for the barn and the Jeep area at the moment. Daylight looks good... not so good at night.

 

[bigredfish]

Right, so use some strong IR emitters as discussed and place them in positions to light that area up at night.

Just don’t aim them directly at a camera that may be directly facing the IR emitters. For area illumination it’s not necessary to place the IR emitters right close by a camera, think of them as you would floodlights, wherever you can place them to light up the area

 

[Sonnie]

Gotcha... that is good to know. I may just go ahead and mount that IR on the barn to see how well it lights up that area in front of the barn.

 

[looney2ns]

As you should do with cameras, you can do with the IR emitters.
Create a movable mount, using 5gal bucket, 8-10' 2x4, plus rocks for ballast, and use that to test proposed positions of the IR lights prior to permanent mounting.

 

[Sonnie]

Any ideas on what camera to go with there on the corner of the barn?

 

[bigredfish]

Lots of tradeoffs with any location. Usually it comes down to trying to do too much with just one camera.

You have a lot of area there, and I dont have the full picture perspective but looks like you need close to 180 degree coverage there. I might do a 5442 VF or even 3.6mm coupled with a good PTZ. One looks one way one the other with some minimal overlap. The 5442 acts as a spotter closer in while the PTZ is zoomed a bit toward the house and ready to track anything getting too close. The 5442 would essentially call it backwards to track close in objects more toward the shop doors

 

[Sonnie]

Is the PTZ5A4K-25X the best PTZ for this at a sub $1K price tag?

 

[wittaj]

Is the PTZ5A4K-25X the best PTZ for this at a sub $1K price tag?

No the 4MP will kick its butt in low light conditions as the 4MP and 4K camera are both on the same size sensor.

https://www.amazon.com/EmpireTech-SD5A425XA-HNR-Starlight-Auto-Tracking-IVSEnglish/dp/B08GKQSK2W

 

[bigredfish]

^^^^^
THIS

 

[samplenhold]

Any ideas on what camera to go with there on the corner of the barn?

What is the purpose of that cam? Remember what @bigredfish said about trying to do too much with one cam.

Are you trying to get good facials along the barn area? Or at the carport? Just an overview cam? Need specifics. That is a lot of area back there.

 

[Sonnie]

Yeah, as mentioned in the first post, it's 125 feet between the house and that corner of the barn, so I'm not sure this would be a good fit for an identity camera for anyone snooping around the house, but perhaps a spotter cam for the PTZ and a good overview cam.

Maybe as suggested, a PTZ could be a good overview cam for the house, and then use a spotter cam looking down the front of the barn doors. I think good facials would be the idea. Otherwise, it would be just to look at, right?

I have one at the end of the carport and one looking back at the barn already installed. I am about to install another camera underneath the carport.

 

[samplenhold]

At 125 feet from the house, if there is a particular choke point, then a 5241 Z12E would give you good facial video at that distance.

 

[Sonnie]

The DI20B certainly makes things brighter around the barn. May need to adjust it down a little more.

 

[Sonnie]

At 125 feet from the house, if there is a particular choke point, then a 5241 Z12E would give you good facial video at that distance.

I'll probably have the PTZ pointing towards the house. What I'll need is something to point back across the barn doors, which will be a spotter and also give us a view behind the storage buildings and down to our pond.

 

[Sonnie]

Any thoughts on something like this camera: SDT4E425-8P-GB-APV1

 

[JDreaming]

Any thoughts on something like this camera: SDT4E425-8P-GB-APV1

This ptz use small image sensor though. The night time image will not be as good as your other bigger sensor ptz you already have. You might feel disappointed with the result unless you don't care about night time image quality. There is also a more expensive and bigger sensor version of the ptz but it might not be worth it to you.

Panorama: 1/2.7" CMOS (8 MP)
Detail: 1/2.8" CMOS ( 4 MP)