Ceiling camera for packing desk (2.5m): realistic with normal CCTV cam under €500?

[Kallomatik]

Hi all,

Quick question for a packing-desk camera setup (ceiling-mounted, pointing straight down):

First: Is it even realistic to get usable results with a typical CCTV/IP camera in this scenario (without extreme fisheye)?

• Distance to table: 2.5 m
• Target views:
  • Overview: ~1.5 m width
  • Details: ~0.5 m width (labels/serial numbers)

One issue I’m running into: most “motorized varifocal” IP cams seem to top out around 12 mm, but for ~0.5 m width at 2.5 m distance I think I’d need closer to ~20–25 mm (depending on sensor size). So I may need a camera with more optical zoom than the usual 2.8–12 mm range, or a box cam with a longer lens.

Constraints:

• Prefer IP (RTSP/ONVIF) for automated recording from a PC
• Budget: < €500
• Ideal: motorized zoom + focus (presets). If not, I’ll set it once manually (maybe ~0.8 m compromise width).

Follow-ups:

1. Bullet vs dome/turret for this top-down setup?
2. Any reliable models under €500 that can realistically cover both overview + detail (via zoom/presets)? Happy for recommendations!
3. If not: is box cam + C/CS-mount lens (e.g., 20–25 mm) the better path?

Thanks!
Johannes