PTZ Camera/Pan-Tilt-Zoom Camera
PTZ cameras can be a great addition to a video surveillance system. Especially if the application involves covering a large area. These cameras are great for covering parking lots, warehouses, construction sites and more.
Benefits of a Pan-Tilt-Zoom Camera
Cover Large Areas
A PTZ camera can rotate 360 degrees, move up/down and zoom in/out. This allows you to cover a very large area with fewer cameras. This can help reduce overall project cost.
Auto Tour
PTZ cameras can be setup to automatically follow a predetermined path setup by the user. For example, you could have the camera look at a gate while zoomed in then zoom out for a general overview of the parking lot. This is a great feature because it allows the camera to capture multiple angles without the need of a human operator.
Manual Control
Not only can these cameras be setup to automatically pan-tilt-zoom, they can be controlled by a user manually. This can also be done remotely while offsite through mobile devices as well. This allows you to be able to zero in on a specific area of interest at anytime.
The following video shows a Dahua PTZ camera in action.
The Major Disadvantage of PTZ Cameras
Despite the many advantages to PTZ cameras there is also a major disadvantage to consider. PTZ cameras can only see and record what they are specifically looking at. This means that if the camera is zoomed in on a specific area and something happens somewhere else the camera has no ability to see or record that incident. PTZ cameras are not always the right choice for every situation. Often it takes a combination of PTZ cameras and fixed cameras to provide a complete surveillance solution.
