Customer wants a PTZ on his house so he can check the weather, etc. from out of the country. I haven't used PTZ's before but currently looking for one here and probably two for another job.
It's pretty "exteme" as far as being pelted by ocean air with good winds sometimes. I'm not sure if I go with a ok/ decent one and explaining that it's "expendable" versus say Pelco or? for big bucks and it may not take the weather much better.
One of my suppliers has told me he has a dealer with some Pelcos at the beach and they didn't seem to last much longer than others for the price difference.
Need some "unbiased" real world opinions from guys in the "trenches".

I have a similar beach project that requires fixed, analog "extreme" cams, any advice is appreciated.

Salt air is rough on everything.  Unless you like service calls on a regular basis, you should avoid cameras with mechanical PTZ, consider instead using "virtual zoom".  Meaning a megapixel camera that has no moving parts - digital zoom only.

[Link: mobotix.com]

That could possibly work. Currently there is a Digital Watchdog analog system with a DVR. The client doesn't want to record the "PTZ". I could probably just put in an ip camera he could access it directly. Could this work? I have NO ip camera experience, but ready to learn before I get "behind" in technology.
Thanks for the input!!

Use an outdoor dome mount that has a heater and fan in it. Then you can put whatever dome PTZ you want in it. I have a about 10 of those dome setups with analog cameras right on the Atlantic Ocean. Just expect to replace the plastic dome once every couple years because the wind acts like sandpaper right on the beach.

It's much less expensive to replace the dome glass/acrylic over time.

Make sure the PTZ is IP67 minimum, (ingress protection). This level of protection would protect the interior components at a submersion depth of 1m, for short periods of time, which would be fine for the "weather" you will experience on the beach.

The domes themselves however, as noted, will become quickly "fogged", which is not actually fog, but a micro-abrasion that appears as a thin film on the glass. This cannot be repaired, and will only get worse when "rubbed" in while trying to clean it.

Order spare domes and you will be fine for quite some years. I've lived on the beach most of my life and have installed numerous PTZ and dome cameras along the Atlantic coastline in NY.

Maintenance contracts are mandatory for these jobs.

I installed some Pelco's dome PTZs on 7 Mile Beach on Grand Cayman before the hurricane in 2004 and they are still going strong. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.

I believe Axis do an extreme condition PTZ range.

Is this going to be a continuous motion PTZ (a preprogrammed tour), or just an occasional movement by homeowner?

As others have said, dome will need to be considered consumable part, no matter who you go with.

Most likely no tour, just the homeowner playing with it.

Good to know.
Where about is the installation, or better yet, what kind of temp min/max are you expecting.
Most PTZs will work just fine without heaters/blowers if the climate is average.
I have my ICRealtime PTZ mounted here in NM for the last 4+ years.
Temps are -20F to +112F
Winds are a bitch and with all the high desert, stuff gets sandblasted quite a bit.
Camera works fine, but I will have to cal Michele and ask her about dome replacement soon.