Bullet, dome, PTZ, fisheye and multi-sensor: choosing the right camera.

Buying cameras by price alone produces a site with many cameras and poor evidence. Start with the job each camera must do.

Bullet cameras

Long, visible and weather-ready. Good for fixed views such as perimeters, car parks and building faces. Their visible presence also acts as a deterrent.

Dome cameras

Compact and harder to tamper with. Often vandal-resistant. Suited to corridors, lobbies, lifts and ceilings, where the camera should be discreet and the lens direction should not be obvious.

PTZ cameras

Pan, tilt and zoom, controlled manually or automatically. They cover large open areas and can follow an event, but they only see one place at a time. Many sites use fixed cameras for coverage and a PTZ for detail.

Fisheye and panoramic cameras

One camera that sees a whole room or junction. The image is dewarped in software. Useful in open halls, retail floors and meeting spaces, with less detail at distance.

Multi-sensor cameras

Several lenses in one housing, stitched into a wide scene or aimed independently. They reduce cabling and mounting points on large outdoor areas.

Other types worth knowing

• Thermal cameras detect heat, ideal for perimeters in darkness or smoke.
• ANPR cameras are tuned to read number plates at a gate.
• Low-light and colour-at-night cameras keep detail when lighting is poor.
• Explosion-proof cameras are for hazardous areas.

The deciding questions

What must be recognised: a face, a plate, a person’s presence? How far away? In what light? Mounted how high? The answers choose the camera, not the catalogue.