Why mess with lower resolution IP or even non-IP cams any more?

[nbstl68]

Assuming a reasonable budget is not the primary concern, it looks like 2,3,4 + MP IP cameras are getting cheaper every day.
So what merit is there n even considering IP cameras that are just 1080 res (I tat like1.2MP?)or 720 or lower any more?

I sea lot of cheap 720 non-IP setups out there(Sam's\Costco, etc.) but also vey reasonably priced setups with much higher resolution.

You can get more cameras for the money of course with lower res setups, but since the image is so much inferior why bother?

I have seen articles talking about how you don' really "need" such higher resolutions for home security but I tend to disagree. Heck, I just returned a 3MP setup because it did not have a good enough image, (esp. at night), so I cannot imagine anything lower res would be of any use to me.


Assuming a reasonably affordable price point, When would opting for a higher resolution ever be considered overkill?
I there a place for lower res non-IP cameras again, assuming you can get higher res IP for not a lot more within your budget?

So I was just interested in people's thoughts on tis topic overall.

 

[spixel]

Assuming a reasonable budget is not the primary concern, it looks like 2,3,4 + MP IP cameras are getting cheaper every day.
So what merit is there n even considering IP cameras that are just 1080 res (I tat like1.2MP?)or 720 or lower any more?

I sea lot of cheap 720 non-IP setups out there(Sam's\Costco, etc.) but also vey reasonably priced setups with much higher resolution.

You can get more cameras for the money of course with lower res setups, but since the image is so much inferior why bother?

I have seen articles talking about how you don' really "need" such higher resolutions for home security but I tend to disagree. Heck, I just returned a 3MP setup because it did not have a good enough image, (esp. at night), so I cannot imagine anything lower res would be of any use to me.


Assuming a reasonably affordable price point, When would opting for a higher resolution ever be considered overkill?
I there a place for lower res non-IP cameras again, assuming you can get higher res IP for not a lot more within your budget?

So I was just interested in people's thoughts on tis topic overall.

You would be surprised how much different image quality between camera sensors can be, especially at night. Don't assume that image quality is based soley on how many pixels it is. Each sensor can have its own advantages and disadvantages.

 

[klasipca]

Resolution doesn't matter much it's lens/sensor used. You could get a superior image out of 2MP with large sensor and good optics while 10MP would give awful results with a tiny sensor.

 

[fenderman]

As others are stating, generally you will get better night image with a 1mp camera than a 3mp camera if the sensor size is the same.

 

[nbstl68]

Interesting...so basically is the whole higher MP thing more of a gimmick then, (except maybe for high X zoom cameras)?

I know a lot of cameras say 1/3, 1/.8, 1/1.8 etc. for sensor size but often do not tell you much if any specifics about the sensor mfg. or specs are hard to find.
Is it safe to assume a general rule of bigger sensor = better image then?

And not sure I have seen ay information on a camera's actual lens mfg. or spec for comparison...

 

[fenderman]

It's not a gimmick , it just needs more light.

 

[klasipca]

That's where a lot of customers are getting screwed. Thinking that why pay more for a cam with less megapixels... Same deal is with digital photo cameras...

 

[Del Boy]

What everyone else has said... although fenderman's light observation is a universal truth. Your iPhone is great when there is lots of light but otherwise is pretty rubbish for example.

Decent 2MP > Crap 4MP all day and night long.

 

[klasipca]

oh and I would take really good 2MP camera over 4k camera for home use as it's mostly overkill unless you have panoramic view that you want cover.

 

[nbstl68]

Great...Sooo how do I identify the difference between a crap, good and decent 2MP or higher camera then when looking at specs?
Should I just assume the larger the sensor the better the image or is that also oversimplifying things?

1/2 (50%)better than a 1/3 33%)...1/1.8 (55%?) better tan a 1/2?
I'm not getting how the fractional sensor measurement thing works but I'm assuming larger is always better, correct? (No "that's what she said" comments please!)

Is there some formula or something that would suggest what size sensor would produce the best quality image for a certain MP size?

 

[Fragmaster]

Should I just assume the larger the sensor the better the image or is that also oversimplifying things?

1/2 (50%)better than a 1/3 33%)...1/1.8 (55%?) better tan a 1/2?
I'm not getting how the fractional sensor measurement thing works but I'm assuming larger is always better, correct? (No "that's what she said" comments please!)

Is there some formula or something that would suggest what size sensor would produce the best result........

I would like to know as well.

 

[klasipca]

I can tell you that sensor size is the first thing I look at then the less MP count the better for low light, lens in those fixed cams don't really matter much.