Customer Reviews

VideoSecu CCTV Mini Dome Home Surveillance Security Camera 1/3" Sony CCD 420TVL 3.6mm Wide View Angle Lens with Security Warning DeCal CBV

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I use this camera in my store to monitor employees and what they do when I'm not around. Two of the four I own died so I got two of these to replace them and I couldn't be happier. The video feed is clearer than the cameras I had previously and they have the ability to switch into this sort of "night-vision" mode for when it sense there is less light. The only complaint I have is that these cameras did not come with power adapters. I had to go to Radioshack and pick up the 12v 500mA DC adapters necessary to get these cameras going. I wouldn't mind this too much if it had said somewhere in the product description that it did not include the adapter...but the fact is that it did not.

This camera is a good camera for indoor usage and it's decently priced.
I have compared this camera with other cams that have supposedly higher "TV Lines" specification (which are really for advertising purposes and should be taken with a grain of salt) and this one has better color reproduction. (The trade-off is that the resolution does seems to be a bit low).
With some cameras reds can appear pinkish (i.e. washed out) and some blacks can appear bluish (or even reddish), but this camera does a good job with accurate color reproduction. If you have multiple Fluorescent lights illuminating the area then you may get some "color roll" which is where the camera's brightness and color may change somewhat due to multiple light sources (Fluorescent lights actually flicker rapidly and do not emit constant light and as a result can be more challenging for cameras than incandescent or other lighting).
The camera dome body is 3-1/2 inches in diameter and made of plastic. It is NOT sealed and thus not weatherproof and should not be used outdoors. It's made of plastic and is not vandalproof (you can twist the clear dome off and access the camera internals without removing any type of tamperproof screw) but for most situations this isn't important.
The clear plastic dome cover does look like it will scratch easily so be gentle around it. I have also noticed some glare spots from light reflecting from the dome cover but these can depend on the camera's positioning and lighting conditions and can occur with other cameras.
The cable length from body to connectors is approx 10 inches long (but I would like a longer cable, sometimes it's more convenient depending on how you are mounting).
An interesting thing is this normally "Color" cam has a Black & White "Night" mode, which it will switch to when light levels are low. Note that it does not have any Infrared LEDs to illuminate the scene so if you need a camera that will see in absolute darkness or without any additional lighting this camera isn't suitable. I think what it's doing in "Night" mode is simply removing the Chrominance (color) part of the video signal to remove low-light color noise (i.e. it doesn't get more sensitive in B&W mode). More expensive "Day/Night" cameras actually remove the Infrared Filter from the lens path when switching to B&W mode to improve low light sensitivity. But I guess you can't have everything at this price.
The lens is a 3.6mm lens, which is supposed to give approx 80-90 degree field of view coverage, however I think the actual field of view is slightly narrower compared to other 3.6mm cameras that I've tested.
Even though it's not a high resolution camera it is OK for general monitoring and observation (unless the scene has high contrast like a glass storefront entrance, for this you really want a wide dynamic range camera to show details both inside & outside the store).

Nothing but positive things to say so far. It took about 30 minutes to setup. Everything was VERY easy, and it was working right away. Picture quality is great. This is a high quality professional setup for home and business. Plus it's affordable.
This product really is great, I fully recommend buying this.

Received the product and had it installed and up and running in one hour--not bad for someone who is not too handy. The video quality is very good as well. All in all, I am totally happy with this purchase and would highly recommend it to anyone as a camera security system that is well designed and solidly built. Five Stars!

I've installed this camera about a week ago. The set up was very painless and easy. The video image is fantastic and the wide range of the lens is great. I give the camera an A+ for performance and price.

This camera is a great addition to your security system for the price. Very small and inconspicuous packed with great functionality. The set-up was surprisingly easy and video quality was great. You get so much value out of these cameras. I'm very happy to have this home friendly, easy set-up professional security camera.

This is a decent camera at a good price, especially compared to other brands. Camera works better than expected once installed. The camera is of very good quality. The picture quality is great, and the field of view is very wide. I'm also pleased with their excellent customer service.