A member wants to capture license plates 500 feet away (just capture, not automatic recognition). I have some theoretical concerns but wanted to see if anyone has field experience with such a project.
You are going to need a very long lens. Assuming you want a tight foot wide FoV (10', 20'?), you will need a 150mm or longer lens. With such a long lens, I am concerned about high F stops (increasing low light problems), image stabilization (with even modest shaking) and limited depth of field.
Moreover, unless there is a light source near and aimed at the car, I am concerned that headlights are going to overwhelm the camera, making it impossible to capture the license plate.
Any thoughts? Any experiences?
[Background reference: Our LPC test results from a short range scenario.]