Nubian Kin
Well a friend of mine owns a bar, and there has been a quite of few car burlgaries in his lot. I am thinking of letting him borrow a few grand to help him get a few security cameras. We have been on the internet and there are so many choices. He is not looking to go all military or nothing just a normal setup. We are looking at some dome camera, and some bullet cameras. All of the images we have seen online have been pretty good but it is hard to tell at what distances the images are from. Basically, how good is the average camera at a distance of 20-50ft in a dark area. (limited light) These cameras will not be monitored so no one will be zooming in on activity or anything like that. Are cameras even able to get a good image, like facial features at night from an average distance. I know lighting will be a factor, but what is the average capability of a security camera at night. Even the images on tv you see are rarly good enough to see who the person actually is. You can see the activity but I have yet to see to many that you can look at the image and say yea that is the guy. Any people with expierence in this your comments are appreciated. Remeber these cameras we are looking at do not have zoom capabilities they are just the ones you mount on top of a building or on a pole in the lot.
Answer
Your friend needs to look for a high megapixel security camera system. They have excellent limited light capabilities and at least you can zoom in on the image and distinguish actual facial features.
Take a look here for example:
http://www.iqeye.com/IQadvantages.html
The video you typically see on the news is absolutely useless. It's a blob for a face, and unless the criminal is so stupid that they wear some kind of logo clothing or has very obvious features, you will never be able to identify them.
The company at that link has some awesome demonstration videos showing actual crimes recorded by their cameras. And you can zoom in on the perp's faces and it's as clear as a line-up. They also have good examples of night vison superiority.
Higher megapixel security systems are a little more expensive, but they actually perform the job for which they were intended. If you have a low-res image, sure, you can see the action... but it is completely useless for actually identifying and apprehending the criminal.
High megapixel security has even worked to pick up the license plates on vehicles fleeing the scene! And you do not need zoom in capability on the camera because the image resolution is so sharp you can easily zoom in on the existing image.
Definitely check it out.
Your friend needs to look for a high megapixel security camera system. They have excellent limited light capabilities and at least you can zoom in on the image and distinguish actual facial features.
Take a look here for example:
http://www.iqeye.com/IQadvantages.html
The video you typically see on the news is absolutely useless. It's a blob for a face, and unless the criminal is so stupid that they wear some kind of logo clothing or has very obvious features, you will never be able to identify them.
The company at that link has some awesome demonstration videos showing actual crimes recorded by their cameras. And you can zoom in on the perp's faces and it's as clear as a line-up. They also have good examples of night vison superiority.
Higher megapixel security systems are a little more expensive, but they actually perform the job for which they were intended. If you have a low-res image, sure, you can see the action... but it is completely useless for actually identifying and apprehending the criminal.
High megapixel security has even worked to pick up the license plates on vehicles fleeing the scene! And you do not need zoom in capability on the camera because the image resolution is so sharp you can easily zoom in on the existing image.
Definitely check it out.
Which digital camera would you recommend for use in posting merchandise on eBay?
Maria Gall
I would like to start selling merchandise on eBay, and would like to know what's the best digital camera I should purchase to showcase my wares on the site. Thank you in advance as I greatly appreciate your suggestions.
Answer
I would disagree with the idea of getting any old web cam, as the better your pictures are, the better your sales will be.
Look for ANY camera with macro capabilities. Even if you are not planning on selling anything small, you wil find it is helpful to show detail on certain items - even clothing at times.
A 2 or 3 megapixel camera is quite adequate for eBay, but you may as well get 4 or more, since they are so cheap these days and then you could use it for something other than eBay if the mood strikes you. I have been using various cameras, but most of my eBay photos are taken with a Nikon Coolpix 5400. This camera is out dated, but it's a 5 MP camera. I have dome some with my Coolpix 4600, which is only a 4 MP camera and it's just fine. I think it's obsolete also...
It's true that the large size on eBay is 800 pixels by 800 pixels and you could theoretically get that with less than 1 MP, but starting out with a good sharp image made by a camera with a decent quality lens is important.
Shop eBay for a 3 or 4 MP camera. Check to be sure that it has a macro mode. You'd like to get within a couple inches of some items or detail on some items. Stick to any of the brands that people are sure to recommend here. Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony, Pentax, and Kodak are all well-known brand names with a good reputation.
I happen to have some photos from old auctions on an FTP site. I think that these were all taken with a 3 MP Nikon Coolpix 885, but I hope they convince you not to buy a dinky webcam.
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/carvina.jpg
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/konkontu.jpg
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/skullfront.jpg
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/spotmatic1.jpg
I would disagree with the idea of getting any old web cam, as the better your pictures are, the better your sales will be.
Look for ANY camera with macro capabilities. Even if you are not planning on selling anything small, you wil find it is helpful to show detail on certain items - even clothing at times.
A 2 or 3 megapixel camera is quite adequate for eBay, but you may as well get 4 or more, since they are so cheap these days and then you could use it for something other than eBay if the mood strikes you. I have been using various cameras, but most of my eBay photos are taken with a Nikon Coolpix 5400. This camera is out dated, but it's a 5 MP camera. I have dome some with my Coolpix 4600, which is only a 4 MP camera and it's just fine. I think it's obsolete also...
It's true that the large size on eBay is 800 pixels by 800 pixels and you could theoretically get that with less than 1 MP, but starting out with a good sharp image made by a camera with a decent quality lens is important.
Shop eBay for a 3 or 4 MP camera. Check to be sure that it has a macro mode. You'd like to get within a couple inches of some items or detail on some items. Stick to any of the brands that people are sure to recommend here. Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony, Pentax, and Kodak are all well-known brand names with a good reputation.
I happen to have some photos from old auctions on an FTP site. I think that these were all taken with a 3 MP Nikon Coolpix 885, but I hope they convince you not to buy a dinky webcam.
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/carvina.jpg
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/konkontu.jpg
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/skullfront.jpg
http://members.aol.com/swf08302/spotmatic1.jpg
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