Lorex CVC-6990 B/W Submersible Camera

by Lorex

Product Details

Lorex Support Contact Information [356kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 10.5 x 2.8 inches ; 4.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006JPPW
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,522 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 28, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Review

The Lorex CVC-6990 B/W Submersible Camera is a high-quality and reliable camera designed for use in virtually any environment. Ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications, this unit is constructed with a completely waterproof aluminum housing that has an IP68 protection rating. With a high-sensitivity to light and a high resolution, the Lorex CVC-6990 is perfect for security surveillance, or any other situation requiring 24-hour monitoring, in areas that are openly exposed to extremely inclement weather or at times are even under water.

This camera utilizes a 0.33-inch black-and-white Sony CCD (charge-coupled device) image sensor, with up to 512 by 492 effective pixels. Built with a 3.6-millimeter fixed lens, the CVC-6990 has a high resolution of 420 horizontal TVL (TV lines), and is extremely light sensitive with a minimum illumination of 0.01. The IP68 (Ingress Protection) rating means this unit has a protection level of six against solid-body ingress, and a protection level of eight against the ingress of water. Six is the top protection level against solid bodies, meaning the CVC-6990 is certified dust proof. Eight is the top protection level against water, meaning this unit will protect your camera for long periods of immersion under pressure. The CVC-6990 features a built-in electronic auto-iris for automatic light compensation, and has a shutter speed ranging from 1/60 to 1/100,000 of a second. This unit runs on 12-volt DC power, and has an operating temperature of five- to 131-degrees Fahrenheit.

Technical Features:

• Sensitivity: minimum illumination of 0.01 Lux
• Effective pixels: up to 512 x 492
• Protection rating: IP68
• Horizontal resolution: 420 TVL
• Dimensions: approximately 1-inch diameter x 4.75-inch depth

Designed for use under trying circumstances, the Lorex CVC-6990 camera deserves serious consideration as a great addition to any surveillance system subjected to extreme environmental conditions. Quick and easy to install with a standard BNC (Bayonet Neill-Concelman, RF-type) to RCA video output connector, this Lorex camera comes completely assembled and ready to use and is dependable even in low-light conditions. User's should note that the CCD sensor may become permanently damaged if exposed to long hours of direct sunlight or halogen light, so the camera should not be mounted or pointed directly at the sun or other bright-light sources. Also, while IP68 certified, this camera was not intended for use in salt water or water with chemicals, such as the ocean or a swimming pool.

About Surveillance Camera Technical Features
Lux rating is the measurement used to indicate how sensitive a camera is to light, and stands for the level of light reflected off a piece of paper by a candle from one meter away. Thus a sensitivity of three Lux would mean a camera could generate an acceptable picture of a piece-of-paper-sized object that was illuminated by the equivalent of three candles from one meter away. The lower the Lux level, the better the camera's ability to work in low-light conditions. The camera's resolution should be greater than or equal to the resolution supported by the system's recorder or monitor. The S/N, or signal to noise ratio, is an important measure of a camera's quality. A poor camera, low-light conditions or poor wiring causes "noise" which consumes processing power and disk space. A camera with a wide dynamic range is ideal, especially for recording areas in which both indoor and outdoor light are present. CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors provide high-quality images that are less susceptible to noise. CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors offer less image quality, but are usually more cost-effective and energy efficient.

About Surveillance Camera Housings
Most video surveillance systems can be deployed for outside use when a proper camera housing is used. Key features for housings are a blower/fan to keep the camera cool in the summer, and a heater for the cold-weather months and to keep the glass from fogging up. Most housings can accept many types of security cameras. An outdoor dome housing is used for external mounting when tamper resistance or pan/tilt functionality is desired.

What's in the Box
CVC-6990 camera, power supply, 100-foot extension cable, mounting bracket, and RCA/BNC connector.

Product Description

10-22-2007 - Brand New Item. Description - LOREX PRO CVC6990 1/3" CCD Submersible Camera (B&W)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ultra-Low Light Operation but Hot Pixels and Poor QC for Sensors Used, May 6, 2007

By 

Michael Morgan (The Last Hometown) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lorex CVC-6990 B/W Submersible Camera (Electronics)

I bought two of these in March 2006 for a simple home security system. Both provide exceptional low-light amplification with very little noise. You can almost see in the dark with no need for IR or other illuminators. Both units appear to be very well made and come with power supply, video cable adaptors and a rugged adjustable mounting bracket and aluminum sunshade. They appear to be very high quality on the exterior.

However, one of the units has a very bright dot (actually a tight group of hot pixels) near the top center and a less bright group of pixels just left of center. The other unit has no hot pixels. Hot pixels would be unacceptable to me in a camera used to record precious memories. But for a security system, it is not a show stopper. Getting clear images in all light levels is what's most needed.

I just recently purchased a third unit and found that it too has a couple of hot pixels in the image. Much worse, this third camera also has a very grainy unusable image under even moderately low-light. Poor low-light performance is unacceptable. So, it is on the way back to Amazon for an exchange.

In summary, I've received one perfect sample out of three thus far. Two samples have hot pixels, which may or may not be a big issue, and one sample had much worse low-light image quality. It appears that Lorex has poor QC in checking image quality for these cameras.