You are going about it all wrong.
Axis is a great brand, but like any of these cameras, one camera cannot be the be all/see all.
A tiny 2.4mm fixed lens of your current camera to IDENTIFY at 9 meters isn't going to work regardless of MP.
A 2MP varifocal OPTICALLY zoomed to 9 meters will beat a 2.8mm DIGITALLY zoomed 8MP all day and all night long.
Either one of the varifocals you have proposed would have a better chance, but keep in mind you would have to OPTICALLY zoom to a tighter/smaller field of view - it will not be able to serve as an OVERVIEW and IDENTIFY at 9 meters.
And there are cheaper options. Even if you want to stay with Axis, the concepts in the threads below would be a good review to understand the capabilities and limitations of these types of cameras.
This thread is used as the go to for the new person here outlining the
commonly recommended cameras (along with Amazon links) based on
distance to
IDENTIFY that represent the overall best value/best bang for the buck in terms of price and performance day and night. It might be a 2MP camera in some instances. Many here feel 4MP is the current sweet spot for these cameras.
The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection
And coupled with that thread is this great thread which will show why all of the same 2.8 or 3.6mm cameras is the wrong choice (these are the common focal lengths consumer brands sell):
i-want-2-8mm-cameras-everywhere-to-see-everything-this-is-why-you-need-specific-fovs-with-purposeful-focal-lengths.70053/
We would encourage you to look at those threads in detail.
It will probably raise more questions than answers LOL.
