"You can't go wrong, if you take a >IP67 rated camera with a varifocal lens."
Thank you very much for your reply. The issue seems to be that I can't get PoE to the camera, so I have to go Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi signal is pretty good where the camera will be. We had a Sharx SCNC3905 until it failed last winter.
"How much is your budget?"
Currently, I would feel uncomfortable spending more than around $325.00 USD. It is not my money. I'm doing this for a friend.
"Does this system run on solar power or from the grid?"
We have A/C power near the camera location.
"Do you want to have sound?"
Yes, but we only care in capturing noises from the nest. We have no interest in audio output from a speaker in the camera.
"How easy it is to setup for the nest?"
We have a ladder set up for access to the camera. No problem.
"Last year we used Dahua's IPC-HDW5231Rs and HDBW5231Rs with external mics."
The Sharx cameras we used in the past produced images and videos on an on-board SD chip of acceptable quality. The problem is that the cameras did not last.
I tried Hikvision DS-2CD2100-IWS in both 4mm and 6mm lens versions, but the image was distorted and of poor quality. Part of the problem is that the camera will be about 5' - 8' from the lens. I may be wrong, but it seems to me the dome cameras tend to "bend" images, at least a fixed dome a short distance from the target.
"I think I need to write a blog post about this on our site, because I have got other queries as well."
I am all in on that!
I am anxious for your feedback. Thanks again!