C-mount Specifications

Learn About C-mount Specifications

If you are in the market for a set of c-mount security cameras and you are just confused by the jargon that most websites list as specs on their websites, then you want to read this section. We go into detail on all these specifications, so that you have a better perspective on what they mean and stand for. If you have any questions about how they work in a more technical fashion contact our partner store Security Camera Warehouse or call their hot-line: 1-888-274-3688

Learning More About Cmount Specifications

C-mount cameras have a lot of performance in many areas of imagery and video analytics. They were initially designed with the only goal being quality. Chinese and German engineers started to implement c-mount cameras that had resolution video up to 600 TV lines. Just to give you an idea just how powerful this resolution is, bullet cameras today are made with chip-sets that only render 420 TV lines. Now there is nothing wrong with 420 TV line video, but by the standards of the old days, c-mount cameras were just ahead of their time. Their style of shell, allowed for bigger circuitry and they have many options that allow you to optimize your video to adapt to any irregularities of environmental conditions or light. Some of the most common specifications are a 1/3" Sony or 1/2" Sony chip-set, blc (back light compensation), wdr (wide dynamic range), auto iris control, and many more. Each of these options can be controlled from the back of the camera. All these options have dip switches that are set an on or off position to enable the function for video. After each option has been enabled, put the c-mount camera on auto-pilot. There are many specs that will excite you, use remember these type of cameras do better in indoor CCTV applications.

C-mount Auto Iris Specification

So what is auto-iris functionality? Auto iris is a feature that can be enabled by enabling the video surveillance camera's dip switch. There are two positions, on or off. If the switch for auto-iris is on, then you can expect to be able to adapt to any sudden changes in light at any time. In some applications, c-mount cameras are shocked into very direct line of sunlight. This will cause a washout of video momentarily. With the auto-iris feature, it will automatically adjust the "rods and cones" of the camera and adjust camera's lens settings to make for more optimal video during the brightest indoor or outdoor lighting conditions.

C-mount Wide Dynamic Range Specification

Wide-dynamic-range is a feature brought to c-mount style cameras and other various dome security cameras as a functionality that improves the depth lighting of any video. The biggest compromise here is the camera's inability to handle direct lighting exposure and the indoor objects that affect how the camera renders video. Wide- yanmic-range in any c-mount camera helps balance when a room is too dark or too bright. The conditions outside can change the amount light that enters a camera at any time. Instead of adjusting to every lighting problem, WDR, filters the intense back light surrounding objects and thus enhances the ability to distinguish features and shapes on a subject. You can find that this feature will be in demand, where light enters a premise from various angles such as a room with multi-windows. These feature will be very common for applications like restaurants, retail stores, small doctor offices, or even residential homes with huge windows from multiple directions.

C-mount Starlight & Lux Rating Specification

This specification is a great one! Lux ratings is a spec that measures a c-mount camera's ability to handle rendering video in the lowest lighting conditions possible. c-mount cameras are very popular indoor cameras and for that reason the owners usually want color video 24/7, instead of a camera with infrared light potential. Color is way better and any black and white video. The term lux is (lx symbol) is a SI unit of illuminance and luminous emmitance. This is what makes for a great c-mount camera is the camera's ability to see in color in very low conditions. These type cameras has the starlight slow-shutter speed, which slows down the shutter speed and allows the camera a better chance to take in more light. This is crucial, because a CCD chip-set captures photon charges from the light and when it is dark it becomes harder for the camera to do this. So if you are looking for a camera that can see in the dark without the assitance of infrared technology, then you are going to need to look for the c-mount with the "star-light" specification.

C-mount Back Light Compensation Specification

Back lighting compensation is another wonderful feature for c-mount cameras. It works to keep keep consistent exposure. In the event that the object a camera is made to look at has strong backlight behind it's self, the camera will naturally adjust to not render a darker image of the target. The function is an algorithm programmed into the camera's internal circuitry, thus why c-mount cameras are great, they have many features like blc that make sure optimal video is rendered. The process divides an image into 7 blocks or 6 zones, next, each zone is weighted while the camera calculates the exposure level, when pared with a digital signal processor divides the image into micro-zones and it scans over each zone searching for the main object and the over exposure pixel. The over exposure pixel is thus removed. The DSP and BLC surprisingly can handle this process with such ease.