CCTV Camera Guide

Brief Guide on CCTV Camera Systems

Choosing the right camera for each application is not as simple as some people think. There are many factors that affect the operation and imgage quality of the CCTV system. This CCTV guide explains the most important factors when choosing a CCTV camera.

Light levels for CCTV cameras

Choosing the correct camera to operate in the ambient light conditions is possibly the most important although most tricky specification to understand. Light levels are usually measured in Lux. This is a measure of the light energy arriving on an area 1 meter square of a surface per second.

Typical light levels are:

Full Summer Sunlight: 50,000 Lux
Dull Daylight: 10,000 Lux
Shop/Office environment: 500 Lux
Dawn/Dusk: 1 - 10 Lux
Main Street Lighting: 30 Lux
Side Street Lighting: 0.5 - 3 Lux

Typical Lux for CCTV Cameras:

Cheap cameras: 1-2 Lux
Standard cameras: 0.1-1 Lux
Low light cameras: 0.01-0.1 Lux
Super low light cameras: 0.0001-0.01 Lux

The golden rule when deciding which CCTV camera to use for a given lighting condition is not to choose one that will only just give a picture. Try to give the camera approximately 5 to 10 times its quoted minimum scene illumination. Most cameras will be able to cope with excess light. The major problem is when they do not have enough light to produce a picture.