I've recently noted some newly installed cameras at nearby retail stores. They've caught my attention because they apparently are shunning the age-old practice of being mounted high on ceilings and instead are rather low.
Check this one *at a big box discount retailer* that is hung basically at eye-level at the entrance:
And then this one, at a drive-thru hung again at driver/passenger level, no more than 8' off the ground:
This is good placement for these cameras, because they actually are in position to collect good details about people rather than just tops of heads when hung highly. We noted this in our Testing Camera Height vs Image Quality report.
I suppose this is partly a sign of the times: in the old days, it was difficult to justify to a customer they should mount their expensive ($800+) dome within vandal range, but now that HD cameras are routinely less than $200, it isn't so much of a loss if one needs to be replaced.
Are you mounting cameras lower these days than in the past?