what's the best option for RTI integration, panasonic or axis? I need them to be full weather proof outdoor cameras, and i'm not sure whether to use an axis video server (has anyone used these?if so what r the pros and cons) with analog cameras, or axis ip cams, or panasonic ip cams..i need them to have very good night vision capacity as well as weather proof..

please share your experiences..

tks

If you need night vision you need Axis and whatever your cam of choice is.

Panasonic is great but not good for low light.

Axis is a big step higher in quality than Panasonic. Panasonic is not bad, Axis is just better, but you definitly pay for it. They do have a big selection of outdoor cameras whether you need PTZ or fixed. Either will work good with RTI. Analog cameras can be made to work well also but IP is far easier to integrate into RTI since you don't have to get switchers or a matrix just for the cameras to go to multiple touchpanels. And you never run into ground loops with IP like you can with analog.

We have used the axis video server software on two jobs and it works well but takes a lot of bandwidth to view offsite. On the LAN it is awesome though. The software isn't cheap and you still need to build/buy a PC for it to run on.

Most day/night cameras have the capability but the key is to get good IR illumination. Rainbow makes awesome illuminators that will shine for hundreds of feet but they are pricey in the $500-$1500 range. Speco makes some that are not quite as bright and good for 50' but in the $50-$200.

I didn't know you could add an IR illuminator to a cam. That's cool, I have integrated several Panasonic IP cams and they do not do well in low light situations. Do you have a model number for the speco illuminator?

ir-300 speco is the part number

Erik, does the axis IP cams have IR? I didn't find any, or you're referring to the Axis video server (241 series?) w/ analog cameras?

I have not used any Axis cameras that had IR illuminators built in but most are day/night. The 225FD is great for a fixed weatherproof dome, or the 215PTZ mated with a T95A housing is great for a weatherproof PTZ. We used external IR units from Rainbow and Speco which are brighter than what most cameras can fit in their own housing along with camera electronics. We lit up a backyard that was about 100' square with one Rainbow IR illuminator, but for focused applications like gates and entry doors the speco units work great. The server software we used was the Axis Camera Station. You could use any analog camera if you have a preference for a particular brand and use the 241 encoder to convert to IP. We have done this when using covert cameras in a door call box. Axis makes a covert camera with IP encoder (P/N M7001) but it would not fit our application so we used a pinhole camera from channelvision and used an Axis 241S.

Pretty sure he's talking about using a day/night analog cam with an IP server.  I have yet to find an IP cam with good night vision - even the ones that have AMAZING image clarity during the day.