"Overview" camera for a garage that is ~150 feet away

mad-maks

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Looking for ideas / suggestions on a camera that would be an "overview" for a standalone garage and area around it. A bit challenged what to pick, mostly because I don't want to "over invest". I have other cameras covering critical points, so this one doesn't need to be able to provide "face recognition" type of functionality. Im also torn between PTZ option or something fixed.

Any ideas and leads are appreciated

Thanks, guys!
 

wittaj

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If you are just wanting true overview, like be able to possible DETECT something is going on, then any of the fixed cams would be ok.

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But at 150 feet out you will see a lot of area that you may or may not be concerned about, at which point you would want to get a varifocal where you could tighten up the amount of area seen.

Here are my general distance recommendations, but switch out the Dahua 5442 series camera to the equivalent 2MP on the 1/2.8" sensor or equivalent Hikvision works as well.
  • 5442 fixed lens 2.8mm - IDENTIFY anything within 10 feet of camera OR as an overview camera
  • 5442 ZE - varifocal - IDENTIFY distances up to 40-50 feet (personally I wouldn't go past the 30 foot range but I like things closer)
  • 5442 Z4E - IDENTIFY anything up to 80-100 feet (personally I wouldn't go past 60 feet but I like things closer)
  • 5241-Z12E - IDENTIFY anything from 80 feet to almost 200 feet (personally I wouldn't go past 150 feet because I like things closer)
  • 5241-Z12E - for a license plate cam that you would angle up the street to get plates up to about 175 feet away, or up to 220 with additional IR.
  • 49225 PTZ - great PTZ and in conjunction with an NVR or Blue Iris and the cameras above that you can use as spotter cams to point the PTZ to the correct location to compliment the fixed cams.
 

mad-maks

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@wittaj thank you for the summary! I was actually considering Z4E or Z12E. But wasn't sure if that is a good way to go. I'll check out 49225 PTZ
 

wittaj

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The Z4E, Z12E, and 49225 are all great cameras.

For a fixed cam and the ability to zoom in to have just the garage and a little bit of the surrounding area in the frame, I would go with the Z12E or the 49225 PTZ.

The great thing about the 49225 PTZ if you purchase from @EMPIRETECANDY here or on his Amazon shop is that it comes with autotracking (nobody else sells it with autotracking), so it could then follow a person or vehicle out at that distance until they get into frame of some of your other cams. PLUS, you could potentially use your other cams as spotter cams to point the PTZ to a certain location as well if they detect motion.
 
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wittaj

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Yes, it has motion detection and the one I referenced does autotracking of people and vehicles.
 

Flintstone61

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150 feet might still be a bit narrow of a view with the z12e. But it really depends on your actual scenario.
A 5442 ze will be a wider shot at that distance.
I just popped up a 6mm 5442 on a telephone pole, and was thinking it would be my overview cam. it's 10 feet off the ground. and is too narrow of a view at 100-150 feet. I will probably now add a 2.8 mm camera, and use the 6mm as the license plate reader since it is actually catching plates.
 
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