Which camera to "Observe" someone 40m away?

[gregip]

I have eight HDW3641 2.8mm cameras surrounding my house which seem to do a good job of detecting people (I use IVS "intrusion" settings) any closer than 20m to the house.
Now I'd like to install a camera on my house which can observe a person snooping around my shed which is 40m away from the house. The only lighting available will be the IR from the camera although I guess I could install permanent IR lighting on the shed.
A 6mm HDW5442TM turret seems to have good specs but does real performance match the on paper specs?
Suggestions re shed IR lighting or a more suitable Dahua camera welcomed.

 

[wittaj]

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. These cameras meet all your requirements.

• 5442 fixed lens 2.8mm - anything within 10 feet of camera OR as an overview camera
• 5442 ZE - varifocal - distances up to 40-50 feet (personally I wouldn't go past the 30 foot range but I like things closer)
• 5442 Z4E - anything up to 80-100 feet (personally I wouldn't go past 60 feet but I like things closer)
• 5241-Z12E - 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 auto-track 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.

You need to get the correct camera for the area trying to be covered. A wide angle 2.8mm to IDENTIFY someone 40 feet away is the wrong camera regardless of how good the camera is. A 2.8mm camera to IDENTIFY someone within 10 feet is a good choice OR it is an overview camera to see something happened but not be able to identify who.

One camera cannot be the be all, see all. Each one is selected for covering a specific area. Most of us here have different brands and types, from fixed cams, to varifocals, to PTZs, each one selected for it's primary purpose and to utilize the strength of that particular camera.

 

[sebastiantombs]

You won't want any auxiliary IR lights on the shed unless they are pointed AWAY from the camera. If the point toward they camera they will create a very significant bight spot and wash out the rest of the frame.

I second what wittaj says about 2.8mm. They produce really nice, broad, sweeping, views but are useless for identification unless the subject is within 10 feet or so and are mounted low enough to get a "head on" shot.

At 140 feet I'd say a 24mm varifocal would be your best bet.