When you select a lens, you are first trying to determine the area you wish to cover; the width of the shot, and where the central focal point will be. The unfortunate problem is; your needs for a shot in a particular camera view might fall into two categories. Let's take, for example, you have a retail shop, and the camera is set up to cover a large area, you may be able to see an incident occur, but not be able to distinguish the facial features because of where it occurred. So, you have one of a few choices – make sure you select a high resolution lens so you have better detail of the image, or select a higher mm lens to cover a smaller area, backed up with an additional camera to cover the balance of the target area.

There are also some other tricks you can use to minimize costs. You may not have to use a whole slew of cameras, if you know you are going to get a close-up view of a subject elsewhere. For example, if you had a camera at the front entrance to the store, that the subject has to pass through, then you have a good look at them and what they are wearing. So, even if they move about the location elsewhere, you can associate the face you saw at the front door, with the clothing they are wearing seen from a distance. To make the selection process easier our website has a lens guide, which you can reach by clicking the following link.

Although there are a myriad of lens sizes, there are a small group that comprise 95% of the market. Typically, they are 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, or a 4mm-8mm varifocal. The varifocal gives you the ability to select anything within the range. So, when you install the camera, you would make adjustments to it until it covers that area you desire. Varifocal lenses cost significantly more money then the fixed 4, 6, and 8mm lens but the quality is substantially better. There is a very measurable difference. So much so, that we would tell you, that if you purchase a high resolution camera, you would be wasting your money if you bought a fixed lens. Again, match quality with quality.

Selecting a lens, as well as the number of cameras, at times can be a difficult task because you have a balancing act of trying to keep cost down, at the same time as accomplishing your goal. So, do you go with better quality cameras, but fewer of them, or lesser quality cameras but more of them? Although, when you start to add more cameras, the cost of the DVR increases, as you require more ports. So it is all dependent on your budget. We like to try to back into a solution predicated on the budget. This way you have a matching system of quality all the way through, and one that allows for change and growth plans.

When a lens is fixed, understand the image will not get any better than the original. Can the software increase the size of an image? Absolutely, but when it does so, it pixelates, meaning it gets the fuzzies. Don't believe claims that say they can read a license plate on a speeding car at 100 feet away with a standard 4-8mm lens. It's not happening.