Security CCTV Camera Lens; High Resolution Vari-Focal Lenses

Mega-Pixel CCTV Goes Mainstream—With Tamron Lenses!

The new breed of high-resolution security cameras with mega-pixel image sensors can supercharge your system’s performance and efficiency, but you’ve got to use the best lenses to get the full benefits. Once again it’s Tamron to the rescue!

Mega-pixel CCTV cameras have been around for about a decade, but until recently their use has been restricted to ultra-high-end applications where resolution and performance are far more important than cost efficiency.

However, things are changing fast, both in the surveillance/security market and the technology that supports it. With the rapid progress in image capture technologies and the advent of advanced new image compression and digital transmission technologies, the number of new high performance mega-pixel CCTV cameras is expanding exponentially. And as system integrators, installers, suppliers, and end-users begin to appreciate the multiplicity of real world advantages that mega-pixel cameras provide, the entire market is starting to move in that direction, and the trend is gaining momentum.

Lenses make the difference: An expert tells you why.

But the CCTV camera alone is only one link in the imaging chain, albeit an important one. The crucial element in actually achieving 100% of the imaging potential built into the latest mega-pixel cameras is, of course, using lenses that can deliver it. That’s where Tamron comes in, with an exciting new series of high-resolution Vari-Focal lenses in 1/3-inch format, all specifically designed to provide optimum performance from cameras with mega-pixel sensors. To give you a better understanding of exactly what these lenses can do, why they are superior to competitive lenses, why they make economic sense, and where they fit into the dynamic new surveillance and security market, we interviewed Steve Beaulieu, National Sales Manager of the Industrial Optics Division of Tamron USA.

“The number of mega-pixel CCTV cameras in place right now represents a relatively small percentage of the total surveillance/security market,” observes Beaulieu, “and that’s because many end-users perceive that their present system is ‘good enough.’ However, the emerging market in mega-pixel CCTV systems is starting to pick up steam as system integrators, installers, and end-users all begin to realize that mega-pixel cameras have significant economic as well as technical advantages. Superior image quality has its own rewards because the level of security a given system can provide is often directly proportional to the amount of information it can capture. However, with mega-pixel cameras, you can often use one or two cameras with wider-angle lenses in an installation that formerly required two to four standard resolution (VGA) cameras. So even though the latest slew of mega-pixel cameras (such as Panasonic’s 1/3-inch format 1.3MP models, and competitive models from companies like Arecont Vision and IQInvision) are more expensive, camera, lens, and installation costs can nearly be cut in half, so there’s a substantial net savings, not to mention lower maintenance costs. Also, when you digitally zoom in to see important details, the image captured by a mega-pixel DVR camera doesn’t become pixilated and degraded as it does with conventional cameras, and that means you can also zoom to higher magnifications and still see what you need to.”

“When you put it all together, the overall imaging and operational advantages of mega-pixel cameras are awesome,” notes Beaulieu, “but we’ve got to get beyond the old ‘that’s good enough’ philosophy that pervades the security industry. This will entail education on the part of manufacturers, distributors, system integrators, and installers, but I’m confident that end-users will get the message. Indeed, many of them already have. I’m pleased to say Tamron is doing its part, and the new line of Tamron 1/3-inch format mega-pixel-compatible Vari-Focal lenses represent a significant breakthrough, extracting the maximum performance from surveillance cameras equipped with mega-pixel count image sensors.”

Tamron’s dynamic new optical duo.

“The first in what is informally known as the MP (mega-pixel-compatible) series is the Tamron 2.4-6mm F/1.2 and 3.0-8mm F/1.0 Vari-Focal lenses, each available in both manual and DC Auto Iris models,” explains Beaulieu. “Both feature advanced optical designs employing aspheric elements and LD (low dispersion) glass to minimize aberrations and deliver superb image quality, with uniformly high resolution and contrast from the center to the edges of the image field. In order to achieve results of this caliber, all the optical components of Tamron MP lenses are manufactured and assembled to extraordinarily tight tolerances. According to our own laboratory measurements in Japan, resolution in the corners of the image field is almost twice as high as that of conventional lenses—a spectacular achievement that is crucial at the ultra-wide-angle settings often used in surveillance systems. In order to enhance contrast and freedom from ghosting and flare even under adverse lighting conditions, both these lenses have state-of-the-art multi-coating applied to all glass surfaces.”

“In addition to delivering the goods in terms of sheer optical excellence, these Tamron Mega-Pixel Vari-Focal lenses have many unique practical and operational advantages,” explains Beaulieu. ‘Both are remarkably compact, enhancing ease of installation in tight spaces The extra light-gathering capability of the super-speed F/1.0 aperture on the 3.0-8mm supports even mega-pixel sensors with low sensitivity, allowing them to be used in dimly lit environments. The ultra-wide focal length range on the 2.4-6mm, which provides an amazing 111° angle of view at the widest-angle (2.4mm) setting, allows surveillance of an entire room when positioned in a corner. Finally, the mechanical construction of the series is of the highest caliber, with rugged, durable, high-quality components throughout, and precision helicals that turn about 200 degrees over the entire 0.3m-to-infinity focusing range (rather than 40-50 degrees as on competitive lenses). This last feature makes it much easier to make precise focusing adjustments, which are especially critical in achieving optimum imaging performance with mega-pixel cameras.”

“What this all boils down to is value,” concludes Beaulieu. “These new Tamron Vari-Focal lenses for mega-pixel CCTV take this emerging imaging category to a whole new level. And amazingly they’re moderately priced, fitting into the middle range of competitive offerings. We know from the feedback we get from the field that Tamron CCTV lenses are universally acclaimed for their reliability, durability, value, and consistently high performance. You can rest assured that these two lenses will uphold and enhance that reputation. Plus, but we’ve got some equally exciting new Tamron MP Vari-Focal lenses in the works that will round out the line, and extend the range of what’s possible in this vibrant emerging sector of the surveillance/security market.”

Mini-Dome Camera with 12X Tamron Tele Zoom