Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

Listen, this camera is not the same as a top of the line product from Axis. These guys are intended to compete with the lower priced cameras from chinese companies. I am using this camera in a window to monitor the outside. This is not what these were intended to do, but it works fine. The area is moderately well lit at night, so lack of IR is not an issue for me.

As far as image quality, daytime is pretty good. Its HD in resolution, but not in appearance. Still its pretty good, and I have a nice wide coverage. The camera deals fairly well with differences in contrast.

For night time coverage, it meets my purposes but for legit security, this camera has two issues. One, the noise is very high at night, and two, the exposure causes serious motion blur. If you are going to use these inside at night, I would step up to the model that has the LED illuminator and motion detector.

The software, both onboard and client, are where this machine shines. The embedded software on the camera makes a NVR unnecessary. It can record directly to network storage. The camera also does a fairly good job at motion detection.

It should be noted that the client software is windows only, and the camera works much better with IE than other browsers. I wish Axis would realize that Microsoft / IE are not really platforms to bet the business on anymore. The use of open browser technology and software that could be installed on Mac / Linux would be much appreciated. I am using this with a Mac, but Safari does not work as well as chrome or firefox for anything more than viewing.

When I am in the market for a higher quality camera, I will certainly keep Axis on my short list. I do think the price is still high for what you get here. At the higher end of the market, its probably worth it.

The software that comes with this camera is terrible. Goes in and out of recording and being able to pick up the cameras. Sometimes it work, sometimes it doesnt. Of course you can buy the more expensive software that does work.