Infrared bullet cameras are just one of the varieties of camera that can include high quality infrared technology video images. Bullet cameras are made for use indoors or outdoors which makes them a fairly versatile component of a digital video security system.
There are three basic types of digital video cameras based on shape, and so named because of their shape. They are the box camera, the bullet camera, and the dome camera.
The box camera is basically a rectangular shaped body with no lens, no weatherproofing, or mounting hardware. At first, this may seem as a disadvantage for box cameras however they are made this way on purpose. The lens, housing, and other add-ons give the box camera its versatility because by adding these things you can customize the box camera to meet your particular situation.
The dome camera is not a new idea, however the technological advancements in computers and other electronics have allowed the camera to be placed inside a relatively small dome; and that is new. Dome cameras come in indoor types or indoor/outdoor types. They too can use infrared illumination for creating highly detailed images in total darkness.
Infrared bullet cameras are so named because their shape appears like a large bullet. Bullet cameras are normally indoor/outdoor by design and are usually set up for infrared video capture as well. Bullet cameras are normally used in low vandalism areas as the cameras are easy to reposition and are not vandal proof.
bullet cameras are normally encased in a weatherproof fashion so no extra weatherproof housing is required. Infrared bullet cameras normally have plenty of room between the lens and the camera casing for placing infrared Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs. The infrared light produced by these LEDs works like a flood light lighting up an entire area. However, humans cannot see this part of the electromagnetic spectrum so it doesn’t appear to us as anything at all.
Generally these LEDs are placed around the lens inside the bullet casing but there are some models that come with a sidebar of IR LEDs or are attached to illuminators that look just like the bullet camera. However, there is no camera in the illuminators at all but rather a great amount of LEDs for night time applications.
This brings us to an important side note. Every infrared camera has a range in total darkness. The range is normally based on the amount of infrared light IR LEDs can shed in an area and how far they will reach. Almost every infrared camera including infrared bullet cameras usually list an infrared range in their specifications. Make sure you check the IR range on a camera before purchasing it to save you a lot of grief. You don’t want to purchase and infrared bullet camera with a range of 30 feet when the subject you are capturing is at 50 feet.
Security Camera King has several different models of infrared bullet cameras for you to choose from.
Product# OB-LX420IR50
This is a 420 TVL resolution camera with and IR distance maximum of about 65 feet. It utilizes 23 infrared LEDs and is encased in aluminum. It comes with its own board lens which is 3.6mmat F2.0.
Product# OB-LX550IR120
This is a high resolution, 550 TVL weatherproof infrared bullet camera that has a maximum IR distance of about 120 feet. This camera is about the middle of the road for resolution.
Product# TPB-70IR48
This is top of the line as good as it gets for resolution. This camera is rated at an astounding 650 TVL during daylight hours and 700 TVL at night and has and IR range of approximately 120 feet.
Product# OB-LX550IR150L922
This is another middle of the road resolution cameras touting 550 TVL and an IR distance of 200feet. One of the major differences on this camera is its built in varifocal lens. At 9 – 22 mm the varifocal lens allows you to get a very tight shot.
Product# SVB-60IRC28L3516D
This camera has a 550 TVL color (daytime) resolution and a 600 TVL black and white (infrared nighttime) resolution. It also comes with a wealth of features such as Wide Dynamic Range, On Screen Display, and backlight compensation.
Product# TPS-QLBAZ1
This is another top of the line camera. It features 650 TVL, auto zoom, and true day/night color at night video. This camera does not fall into the strict definition of infrared bullet cameras as it uses available light to create its video images.
