At this junction, it is important to understand a little bit of the realities of how manufacturers construct surveillance cameras.

Virtually all CCTV camera manufacturers are “assembly” companies. The critical components, such as optics and sensors, are purchased from suppliers. The housing and non-critical components are fabricated and then all put together and assembled. There are only a handful of suppliers in the world that manufacture the pickup sensors. The main ones being: Sony, Panasonic and Sharp. This is similar in nature to the television industry, where for decades manufacturers, have either bought a Trinitron tube from Sony, or a Blackstripe tube. So it didn't matter the dozens of names on the outside of the TV it was either one or the tube inside. The same is in the camera business.

There are hundreds of manufacturers, but they all use the same primary components. There are though, phenomenal quality differences, from factory to factory. In our experience, you will find some products with a defect rate of near zero and others as high as 25%. This is an issue of Quality Control.

In the CCTV business, the Sony components are considered the premium products. It is more expensive, but the difference is apparent. Again, if we showed you a camera with a Panasonic pickup element and asked you to look at it, then showed you one with a Sony pickup, could you tell the difference, maybe? But if you put them side by side, you absolutely could. The colors are more vibrant and crisper in the Sony.