Arecont New Flex Non-Ip Camera: What Do You Think?

JH
John Honovich
Sep 24, 2015
IPVM

Take a look at the specs:

So far it seems the point of this type of camera was that the 'sensor unit' was real small so you could make it covert, which is a niche use case. But this remote focus D/N one is small but clearly not covert.

Are a lot of people using these cameras in a large percentage of cameras deployed?

What do you think of this approach?

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Sep 24, 2015

I bet the cut filter sticks and the image is upside down regardless of what way you mount it.

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MM
Michael Miller
Sep 24, 2015

Remote focus? intresting option for a M12 lens. Cool feature but I would trade it for a reset button!

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Sep 25, 2015

Do they still not put a reset button on their equipment? I haven't looked at their product in years aside from taking over some legacy installs.

U
Undisclosed #4
Sep 25, 2015
IPVMU Certified

If there ever was a camera that could use a reset button...

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #2
Sep 24, 2015
So what is it, then? Is this similar to the AXIS "non-IP" product that we saw a week or so ago on IPVM? Is it standalone? Does it record only to the SD? Is there a link on the website (I looked but didn't see one)?
JH
John Honovich
Sep 24, 2015
IPVM

It's not officially announced from what I can tell but was mentioned on their webinar.

I think it's more like regular Axis F series and I am sure it can simply stream out to 3rd parties.

GC
Greg Cortina
Sep 24, 2015

It's hard to understand without the size, but I could see it in ATM, Kiosk and Transportation.

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JH
John Honovich
Sep 25, 2015
IPVM

Speaking of which: March ATM WDR Camera

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Sep 25, 2015

The only time I have ever seen the Axis equivalent used was in a large retailer and only for very limited covert use. I have never seen this type of unit used any other way in the real world. I am not certain the retailer actually made use of it on anything other than pilot sites.

It is certainly unique. I wonder how large the sensor unit is? The IR option with the M12 lenses makes me think it is larger than the image appears. 1.25" OD?

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MI
Matt Ion
Sep 26, 2015

I used about 20 of the Axis P1214-E models in a large (600 seat) restaurant, covering its large (200 seat) patio from underneath the massive category-2-hurricane-rated umbrellas. They're not "covert" per se, but they're "inconspicuous" (since the client didn't want big noticeable cameras right in guests' faces), in custom housings we made to mount them in the corners of select umbrellas, while the interface box mounted in a large wiring shroud/enclosure around the central pole.

(Ignore the piece of black tape temporarily holding it in place... )

JH
John Honovich
Sep 26, 2015
IPVM

Matt, in size, how does that compare to a mini-bullet / lip stick camera?

MI
Matt Ion
Sep 26, 2015

The sensor module is a lot smaller than pretty much everything in the link, except the Vivoteks - it's only a bit smaller than those :)

The housing is a length of 3/4" aluminum tubing with the "front" end tapered inward a bit to make the look cleaner. The back end is cut on about a 65-degree angle, just long enough to clear the back of the cable gland. There's an elongated slot for a mounting screw, and then we drilled and tapped a hole in the corner of the umbrella support for that to thread into, and added a set screw to adjust the tilt. The sensor module is locked into the tube with another set screw. Sorry I don't have any other pics that show the design better... overall it's probably no more than 2-1/2" to the end of the taper - really, about as small as we could make it to completely enclose the sensor unit.

At the time, it was the only HD camera we could find in the size and form factor we needed... oddly, it was probably less than 6 months after we made these that Axis released the M2014-E... with pretty much the same specs (81-degree FOV, 720p, color-only). Coincidence??

Avatar
Rian Schermerhorn
Sep 25, 2015

Arecont is an opportunity-driven company, which is not a bad thing at all. While I have no firsthand knowledge of this, it would not surprise me if they built this camera specifically for a large customer requirement and will obviously make it available for the rest of the market.

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