Testing Axis's Q1755 HD Surveillance Camera v. 2

This report shares extensive test results, video clips and training screencasts on the Axis Q1755 HD camera. The goal is to educate on how the camera works and what issues to consider when selecting or deploying this camera.

The Q1755 is a High Definition, 2MP, 30 fps camera with built in 10x optical zoom from Axis. For background information, see the Q1755 datasheet.

Updated Testing - January 2010

This version provides 2 major updates from the original April 2009 test:

• Testing at multiple exposure settings (the default 1/30s and 1/8s) for analyzing low light performance. While we were originally critical of the Q1755's low light performance, further tests of competitors revealed that many used much lower maximum exposure settings than Axis providing an unrealistic and unfair comparison. Q1755 tests with 1/8 second maximum exposure show dramatic improvements for noise reduction and visible detail. For background, see our critique and analysis of how exposure setting 'tricks' can impact low light performance.
• Providing test sample videos consistent with the 9 other megapixel camera tests we have done (review in our surveillance test directory).

Key Observations from the Test

In the report, I will explain a number of details, both in the written review and the series of screencasts below. Here are the observations that I found most interesting or surprising:

• The setup was easy - no focusing, no tuning of image settings - delivered high quality immediately
• H.264 bit rate varied between 1 and 6 Mbps and between 50% to 95% lower than MJPEG
• H.264 consumed less CPU than MJPEG on my system
• The visible image quality/resolution seemed to be about the same for 1080i and 720p