There is a installer in town that puts turret cameras (like the DS-2CD2332-I) up when bullet is not required. He even puts them on exterioirs. Is there a benefit of the turret of a dome (such as the DS-2CD2132F)? The price are about the same and the dome is vandal resistant.
Thanks
Genetically speaking a turret has a bullet camera for a father and a dome camera for its mother.
So if you want the easier adjustability of a bullet and yet still be defend against the irksome tree branch attack, like a dome, it could make sense.
It's somewhere between both parents when it comes to visibility for deterrence.
Son of a bullet.
Interesting question.
I recently changed my Vandal Domes to Turrets as well. So did a large dealer friend at his offices. Why? Better image all around, glass faceplate that doesn't yellow.
Can you see what it is aimed? Yes. Will it take a baseball bat attack? Not likely.
I prefer a better image and the ability to mount at any angle without additional hardware.
They used to be associated with discount products as did bullets. Professionals uses Vandal Domes and Box Camera housings. Not so much anymore.
Especially when you can get remote zoom/focus and such in a Turret and Bullet, sealed and back-focused.
IMHO
General question: is dome yellowing caused by the material, environment, or both?
It's not a common/popular form factor outside of the Chinese/Taiwanese/Korean brands. Aside from the fixed lens they are fairly easy to install, don't look horrible, are easy to position, and are about as waterproof as a camera can get. There are even some odd looking models in the turret form factor that have a varifocal lens.
Because they're easier to point and aim, that's why. Not every dome allows you to roll, pitch, and yaw, but every turret does.
Like UD1 says, a turret camera has a bullet for a father and a dome for a mother.
Do multiple internal reflections degrade performance whenever illuminator and sensor are behind the same transparent surface? It would seem that the turret solves this problem.
Theoretical answer: sometimes. Practical answer: rarely, because the IR elements are usually spread out enough and far enough away from the dome to cause problems.
We use them over domes because the IR is better and you don't have any IR reflection issues from dirty domes.
flat glass > dome
The turrets with the single high output LED are brilliant nightime performers - largely because of the lack of reflection from a dome. Their small form factor makes them vitually disappear when used under the eaves in our style of construction. I much prefer them over domes for exterior use.
We use them as our go to camera:
1. Roll, pitch , yaw - true multi-axis mounting
2. Weather proofing. Our environment eats electronics - 1 year is the standard in some spots. These seem to be lasting longer - crossed fingers.
We use them based on many different factors. We use Hikvision equipment.
For starters, we can get a strobe light, microphone, AND speaker in a turret in the PCI series. None of those available in a dome.
Secondly, turrets tend to handle rain better. We have an installation with a mix of domes and turrets, both in fixed AND PTZ variants. The flat surfaces of the turret style cameras seem to pull water off more easily, whereas we are finding the dome-style PTZs will retain water drops more readily and obscure the image. We plan to experiment with spraying them with some RainX to see if it helps alleviate the issue.
Another benefit, in addition to what everyone has said about aiming them being easier, you cannot under any circumstance aim a dome camera's lens higher than 90 degrees unless you mount it on the wall, and generally they will top out at less than that like 75-80 degrees. A turret generally allows you to exceed 90 degrees if necessary while still being mounted in a vertical orientation. Overall its freedom of movement is generally better.
And speaking of which, turrets are MUCH more suited to wall mounting versus domes due to water intrusion as well as streaks and water drops that tend to collect on domes mounted this way. We prefer to use wall mount brackets for vertical orientation even with turrets, as they generally give a more professional appearance and allow for MUCH better upgradability. However there are times when directly wall-mounting the camera makes more sense.
One instance where we DON'T like using turrets is where the prevailing winds will expose the lens to blowing snow and frozen rain. Due to the aerodynamics of a dome it allows these sorts of weather conditions to bypass it and will not collect snow or ice, however the flat face of a turret (or bullet, for that matter) will most definitely do so. In some cases we've had turret-style PTZs get so badly iced up that they will no longer move and require a service call with a heat gun to rectify. Where cameras may face these conditions, which here is generally facing northwest, a dome style is much preferred.
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