CCTV Security Camera Provides Valuable Evidence

Using a CCTV security camera in various places within a business has made protecting the company's assets much easier and provides the evidence usually needed for successful prosecution.

Depending on the type of business and its size will determine how many cameras will be needed as well as the types of cameras in use, and installation should be supervised by someone knowledgeable in closed circuit television systems.

Most businesses will want a video of customers and others as they enter the business and a CCTV security camera with an automatic aperture will be needed if the business hopes to have a usable image. Manual aperture settings might provide a good image at night, if the aperture is open wide enough but during the day when the sun comes out, the image will be washed out and useless. Resetting the manual lens for a good shot during the day will result in a shot that is too dark at night making the individual unrecognizable.

Anywhere a CCTV security camera is placed by a door or window there the available light is likely to change significantly should be equipped with an automatic lens. All of the CCTV security cameras should also be fitted with auto-focus lenses so that no matter how far the subject is from the camera, they will remain in constant focus.

Choose CCTV Recording Device Wisely

A CCTV security camera system is only as good as the quality of the recording devices to which it is connected. For many years companies relied on videocassette time-lapse recorders to provide 24-hour recordings.

While this works fine for only one camera, possible four running through a four-camera multiplexer, as the number of CCTV security cameras increase, the quality of the playback diminishes. Using digital recorders it is possible to have up to 16 cameras connected to one recorder and have good quality images available for playback.

The recorders should also allow for quick reviewing of the image to make finding specific instances easy to find. The purpose of a CCTV security camera is to use as evidence and the quicker they can be found the quicker law enforcement can proceed with doing their job.

There are different sizes available for a CCTV security camera, from a standard size about four-inches long to pinhole cameras that are mounted on a board that is about a half-inch square and no more than a quarter-inch thick. The lens can be aimed at a small hole in a wall or ceiling, hence the name pinhole and used for covert surveillance.