Like many other surveillance cameras, a wide-angle IP or CCTV camera has its flaws and benefits, and it always takes a little effort to fully understand them.
1. Wide-Angle Security Cameras: Pros & Cons
It’s true that having a wide-angle security camera helps cover large areas at once, which not only reduces needs to install multiple cameras at one spot but also cuts down installation, maintenance and troubles.
However, among super wide-angle security cameras (IP or CCTV) especially, fisheye or 360 degrees wide-angle cameras, image distortion is a common problem.
Meanwhile, super wide-angle outdoor cameras could sacrifice some details to get wider viewing angles, which makes it harder to identify faces or other small details.
2. Fixed Lens VS Varifocal Lens Security Cameras
Varifocal lens security cameras can adjust the focal length, the angle of view and level of zoom while fixed lens security cameras instead can’t do those.
Therefore, wide-angle surveillance cameras (CCTV or IP) with varifocal lenses do better to zoom out to cover large areas and zoom in to capture small details, for example, this wide-angle outdoor security camera ZOSI IPC-296.
3. Wide-Angle Security Camera VS Long-Range Security Camera
There is a strong correlation between security cameras’ focal length and viewing range, which is in turn directly linked to the viewing angle of CCTV surveillance cameras.
The longer the camera’s focal lens is, the longer distance it could cover, and vice verse.
Simply put, wide-angle IP cameras are more suitable to monitor objects of shorter distance. For example, IP cameras with 4mm focal length & 1/3″ CMOS sensor (90 degrees viewing angle) like ZOSI 1NC-291 are better to monitor areas within 26 feet radius.
Of course, with optical zooming capability, users could zoom in to see small details without compromising video quality.
4. Viewing Angle & Camera Resolution
Interestingly, there is a parameter called PPF (pixels per foot) that has a huge impact on how well your outdoor IP cameras can clearly identify faces or plate numbers.
It’s calculated by camera’s resolution dividing its field of view. And for proper identification of facial and license plate recognition, the minimum measurement should be no less than 40 PPF.
In such sense, the higher resolution your wide-angle IP/CCTV outdoor cameras get, the better identification you could get.
Read also: Wide-Angle Security Cameras – Ultimate guide