MEGAPIXEL CAMERAS

Megapixel Cameras

 The improved clarity provided by megapixel cameras was first applied to broadcast applications when television stations started migrating from NTSC to HD (high definition). Poorly constructed sets and props such as fake bookcases with painted-in books didn’t cut it when shot with high-resolution HD cameras. In the video surveillance arena, the clarity and precision of images from megapixel cameras can provide indisputable details that were previously unavailable with conventional CCD cameras. Needless to say, this is of particular importance for live surveillance as well as with recorded footage in forensics applications.

Why megapixel Camera:

 Another advantage of using megapixel cameras for surveillance applications is that a single megapixel camera with a wide-angle lens can often replace several conventional cameras and, depending on your application, possibly result in a lower overall system cost and increased image quality. For instance, positioned in the corner of a room, a 3.0 megapixel security camera using a 90o lens can provide a clear range of vision over the entire room, thus eliminating the need to employ cross-coverage cameras. The camera can be powered over the Ethernet (PoE), thereby reducing cabling costs as well as a reduced cost for multiple brackets, housings, lenses, etc. Any part of the raw image can be zoomed in upon, providing in most cases, the same or better quality image then if you had multiple high-resolution CCD cameras placed over the same subject.

 In the Megapixel Ratings Race One would naturally think the more pixels, the better the quality of the image, but this is not always the case. While some have mastered this process and produced results better than others, the fact remains that CCDs are becoming progressively smaller. Trying to fit an increased number of pixels on shrinking real estate can result in the pixel size becoming smaller than the resolving power of the optics.

The consequence is a poor quality image containing blurring or chromatic aberrations.

 However, megapixel cameras are designed for the security market trend not to suffer as seriously in the megapixel ratings race. Many of these newer cameras that have hit the market utilize ½-inch optical formats on CMOS image sensors instead of CCD technology.

While cameras are available with 10 or more megapixel ratings, these areintended for use in critical security or specialized applications such asmilitary applications. Generally, a three or five megapixel camera is ideal for mainstream video surveillance applications on a network, which is limited by the amount of traffic it can carry.