Varifocal or fixed lens Preference

[boria]

I have been looking into an IP camera setup for my property and cabinet shop. Deciding between varifocal or fixed lens cameras has been my biggest hang up. I will be putting cameras inside my shop which I doubt would need varifocal lens. Then I will be watching basically a parking lot around the buildings. My property is 17 acres out in the country and has a 1/2 mile long driveway. I will be pointing one camera from my office down the driveway just to see who comes in and out of the property. Three other cameras on the outside of the office will be pointing towards the front of the shop, towards my fathers house, and out to the front of the house. These cameras will point in directions that will cover most of the property. Would a varifocal lens be beneficial in any way to cover the area I a covering? I am not really zoomed in on anything. Just want to see what kind of movement goes on when I am not there.

Any Suggestions or comments?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fenderman]

Most varifocal is manual and will allow you to adjust the lens from generally 2.8mm (wide angle) to 12mm (narrow). The benefit is that you can adjust it to your needs. The downside is that it can be a pain to adjust perfectly. If you want a good field of view then look for 2.8mm or 4mm fixed lenses (which is what most use for outdoor general views). This should give you a good idea http://www.cctvcamerapros.com/Security-Camera-Lens-Comparison-s/90.htm

 

[Shockwave199]

Varifocal is excellent for some flexibility. However unlike analog cameras, with IP cameras you pay dearly for that function- much higher price. I notice a lot of times varifocals come in the form of IR domes as well, another drawback as IR in bubble domes more often than not has a bad picture at night. It's usually best to get the right lens for the area you want to cover. That's a nice comparison Fenderman posted. It can also be problematic finding an IP camera with anything more than a 6mm lens, 3.6 being the most common.

 

[icerabbit]

You may want to consider one camera with a tele lens for the one that looks down the driveway. If you are primarily looking for a general overview starting at close range, and don't have many obstacles you need to shoot around, then wide angle fixed focus bullets are easier and faster to setup. Indeed no worries about infrared bleed or reflections. The manual zoom vari focal domes are more vandal resistant but take a bit longer to install and setup, due to needing to dial in the horizontal angle, zoom, focus and vertical angle. In a dome, the zoom and focus can be a bit hard to get to and the adjustment is quite sensitive, where a mm more or less is important. Using a mobile device while at the top of the ladder for viewing helps, but as I found, seeing it full screen on the computer was determining factor whether the focus was just right. After testing a couple bullets, settled on domes with zoom & vari focal as I wanted the protection and versatility of getting the field of view angles and zoom just right, and not be ordering one or more cameras in 2.8 4 6 12 mm. Then finding out one was too narrow or too wide for the intended purpose. It helps me zoom in the angle and cover a bit more distance, while eliminating some stuff I don't want to record. They can all do the same functions or be swapped in place should an important front facing one fail. (knock on wood that won't happen) Twice the cost, but direct import isn't bad ... especially not considering what the costs of these things is from the most well renowned companies.