Subscriber Discussion

Help Me Choose A Camera For A Store

I'm looking at buying a fix camera for IP surveillance and I'm having a hard time deciding what to go for. I read the various articles available but still can't get a clear answer. Here are the things I need to take into account:

  • Fix camera.
  • Camera will cover a store front about 30' wide.
  • Camera will be between 150' and 250' from the scene.
  • Camera should be able to take pictures for identification purposes.
  • Moderate movements in the zone.
  • Should display good performances in low lighting conditions.
  • Bandwidth/Storage is a concern.
  • Budget is not a major concern.

I don't want to take too much of your time so there's no need to justify your recommendation in great details, but your suggestions would be appreciated.


There are a number of products that may work. I just bought a Honeywell 4 channel recorder for covert video. Look for a camera that has Wide Dynamic Range to account for the changes in lighting.

Doing a quick calculation at ~200' with the Theia Lens Calculator, you are going to need a 1080p low light box-style camera with an aftermarket 15-50mm varifocal lens to get the 60ppf for identification as requested. A suggestion would be the Bosch NBN-932V that we reviewed in January with a Fujinon or similar 3MP 15-50mm lens. I was going to suggest the Axis P13 series, but they do not offer the low-light Lightfinder option in any higher resolution than 720p.