Dome Camera—when to use…?

[MacFun]

So, when a certain company announced new dome cameras, it got me thinking about the typical use case. So far I’ve only deployed the Dahua 5231. I like the way these cams look on my 1-story house, great form factor.

So, when is it a no-brainer for you to deploy a dome camera? I can see them under a patio at the entryway. I suppose they are more subdued in their appearance and that its unclear, to the potential perpetrator, which direction the camera is directed.

Would you have a dome cam outside in direct sunlight…. I have a two story house (house-2) that’s like big box and cams on the corner of the eves would be nondescript but you would say they are too high at 17-19 feet. So, maybe a dome on the side wall 8 feet high…. At this point, I’m not asking for specifics really I just wanna understand what use cases you have found to mount a dome camera.

What’s the general dome rule.

 

[wittaj]

The 5231 is a turret camera and is much different than a dome camera.

The turret is a smaller form factor than a bullet camera, but doesn't suffer from the same issues as a dome camera.

Basically you use a turret if your goals are IDENTIFY within 15-20 feet of the camera and it is installed no higher than 8 feet or use as OBSERVE if higher than 8 feet.



Dome camera is a dome of "glass" around the entire sensor.





Domes are not recommended outside unless they are covered above.

The big issue is that the domes will hold onto water droplets much longer than other cameras and thus any dirt on it can then become problematic. And during a rain event with IR, the camera is basically blind...but even without rain, the reflections of lights even outside the field of view can throw weird reflections into the dome.



The domes attract lots of dust. Then rain. Then dirty rain spots. Glare from all angles of the sun. Then over time the sun will "fog" the dome like a car headlight.

We have more people coming here posting a problem picture at night thinking there is a problem with their dome camera when in reality it is the IR bounce from some object that the dome is then capturing and magnifying.

 

[MacFun]

It seems like the turret is better in every way. For example under a carport or in a garage or under an outdoor patio… it seems like the turret will offer better optics. So why is dome used so much. I suppose it blends in more.

 

[wittaj]

Some domes benefit from not being able to tell which way the camera is pointing.

Good for indoors in stores so a thief has to assume the camera is looking at them because for a turret or bullet camera, it is easy to tell if it is pointing there way.

And many people just buy domes because that is what they see and don't research or know any better.