Types of Surveillance/Security Cameras

Quality Difference between 600TVL / 700TVL & 1.3MP IP CCTV Camera

Useful info from AliExpress:

I bought Swann SW-PROCAM2 cameras based on the technical characteristics advertised by Swann company. The day time range was reasonable for the money (700 TVL). Nevertheless I was disappointed with the night view range, because the real maximum night view range is about 25 feet, not 65 feet as promised. The night vision capability is critical for me. As such, in an effort to obtain better results, I bought the new Swann PRO-642 cameras. Unfortunately, I was disappointed again with the night view range, because the real maximum night view range is about 40 feet, not 82 feet as promised. The night vision visibility worsens when you monitor open space areas: only the contour of a given object is visible, which is insufficient to trigger motion alerts. Here you can see daytime footage and here you can see night vision footage of the same area.

Unfortunately, this problem is not limited to Swann's products in the price bracket of up to $50. In fact, I still have not found cameras with a good night view range. In my opinion it's a Past, go to the Future and buy a HD over coax cable System. They are very affordable now.

I also tested three cameras with DSP (digital signal processor) and OSD (On Screen Display):

- Ansice SONY138 CMOS 1200TVL With IR-CUT 3.6mm Wide Angle Lens 48 Infrared LEDs

- Ansice CCD 800 TVL/48 IR LEDs camera with SONY Effio-A (CXD4151GG) chip

- Long Angle lens 8mm SONY138 CMOS 1200TVL CCTV Camera With OSD 48 L

You can see some video footage here.

The following link (see Product Description Section) demonstrates how some reputable companies describe more specifically the expected night vision range for a surveillance camera: "Night Vision Distance: 130 feet in ambient lighting, 82 feet in total darkness"

- If you need to hide your cameras (make cameras invisible at night) - you can try to find starlight family cameras without IR LEDs.

"Depending on the camera model, starlight technology enables capturing of highly detailed color images in scenes with minimum ambient light, even down to 0.00825 lx. When light levels even drop to 0.00275 lx the starlight cameras provide highly detailed 1080p monochrome images, where others typically fail to deliver an image at all." Bosch USA

I tested GW-820 camera, BoaVision camera and Gawker G825E camera (with WDR (wide dynamic range) and DNR (Digital Noise Reduction)). Unfortunately, in almost all cases ambient light like moonlight or starlight is not enough and you have to provide additional illumination to see objects in the dark. To resolve this problem I recommend to install Sunforce 60 LED Solar Motion Light. See image below: