Guest DRW Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Hi, Would any of you guys be kind enough to advise on the following query? For years we've had problems with a warped neighbour scratching our cars on the street outside the house. We even witnessed her in action, and the police refused to take statements. Two days ago we borrowed my girlfriend's dad's car and, sure enough, it's already been keyed. Something has to be done. So I'd like to buy a nightview CCTV camera that feeds to a TV & VCR. I've already tried a normal cheapy DIY b&w camera, but it was no use in the dark. I don't want to go for a professional installation because it's not for keeps. Can you suggest an ideal piece of equipment or set-up? Primarily it needs to be covert. But should I buy a time-lapse recorder? How about a date and time generator? I'm reluctant to spend more than a few hundred quid, but I desperately want to catch the old cow in action. Any advice will be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Service Engineer Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Have a look here: www.iviewcameras.co.uk All fairy good camera`s and suitable for your intended use. You will need at least a time & date generator if this is gonna be used as evidence. Also read the data protection act ( http://www.thesecurityinstaller.co.uk/dpa.shtml ) and be sure you abide by the rules etc, otherwise your evidence wont mean anything. ........................................................ Dave Partridge (Romec Service Engineer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 For a £200 you will be hard pushed to get a Time lapse VCR. You could try your local security company and see if they would rent you the equipment you wanted, id say about £200 for a month or 2 tops. Alternatively check out ebay for 2nd hand stuff, Time lapse vcr's usually have a time and date generator built in. To illuminate the area you will need either a infra red flood light or spot, there are some LED versions out nowdays but it all depends on the distance from the area and width. For the camera, stick to monochrome for night time and the resolution will generally be higher than colour. If you find cameras that say around 500 TVL they are hi res, but a low end Time lapse vcr will only give you about 350 tvl on a 3hour recording, so dont try and get a hi-res camera and connect it to a low res vcr. Alternatively you could get a PCI card for a pc and use that as a video recorder, and just get yourself a camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 dont even bother with the cameras you get from B&Q etc, I fitted one of them today for a disabled guy, He brought the camera himself, and I have never seen anything so bad. £70 he paid for the colour camera. and only 30% of the screen ( a bit in the middle) is in focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DRW Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Thanks for such quick advice, chaps. I'm now going to read and digest the data protection stuff. In the meantime, a couple more questions: do infra red cameras give any visible signs that they're working? (I want to be completely covert). The other thing is, will one of these, plus a date and time generator, work on a standard VCR using a long-play tape? Just a thought, so please excuse my ignorance. Don't think I can do the PC route 'cos I'm a Mac user... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Thanks for such quick advice, chaps. I'm now going to read and digest the data protection stuff.In the meantime, a couple more questions: do infra red cameras give any visible signs that they're working? (I want to be completely covert). The other thing is, will one of these, plus a date and time generator, work on a standard VCR using a long-play tape? Just a thought, so please excuse my ignorance. Don't think I can do the PC route 'cos I'm a Mac user... 42399[/snapback] The led type IR lamps give of an ever so slight glow, but you would be hard pushed to notice it, a standard vcr will be ok as long as you use the composite video in, either video in phono or scart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterR Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 The led type IR lamps give of an ever so slight glow, but you would be hard pushed to notice it, a standard vcr will be ok as long as you use the composite video in, either video in phono or scart. 42402[/snapback] Try Time Lapse Video for the video, probably the cheapest branded time lapse around, for the IR camera if you can pay a little extra and go for something with a varifocal lens, as this will let you adjust the width of view you get and allow you to decide the perfect balance between viewing angle and detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doktor Jon Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 DRW, Just a quick post as I'm a bit stretched for time at the moment. Don't worry about the Data Protection Act, it doesn't apply to domestic use of CCTV. Yes, you should look to having the correct Time and Date information on whatever recordings you produce as evidence, and apart from the fact that I'm a fellow Mac user, I would personally suggest you avoid recording on a computer with this type of problem. You could certainly consider hiring equipment as Peter J suggested, or if you are intent on buying, go for the best quality / sensitivity monochrome camera you can afford (ideally 560 - 580 lines fitted with Electronic Iris, not 600 as they are generally far less Infra red sensitive) and a reputable manual iris lens as you are aiming to produce the best quality possible at night. Lens Focal length will depend on distance to target, but I've recently had a friend with a similar 'issue' and her vehicle was left parked within thirty feet of an o.k. ish street light, with very good results - mind you that was recorded onto S-VHS with a multiplexer. If you need more detailed advice on this, check out a likely place to park your vehicle, work out the distance from a suitable window to the vehicle itself, and then post back with the details. Be aware though that if the vehicle is 'keyed' on the blind side, even if you can identify the person from the recording, if the act of sabotage is not clearly visible it's unlikely that the police will be able to act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Service Engineer Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Don't worry about the Data Protection Act, it doesn't apply to domestic use of CCTV??????? Are you for real.As soon as you connect a camera to any recorder, then the Data protection act applies unless you are covering no more than your own premises. As soon as you start peering over your own premises perimeter you need to consider the DPA. ........................................................ Dave Partridge (Romec Service Engineer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DRW Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Hmm, well I'd certainly need to be peering onto public property to record the car being vandalised. And the aim of my game is to get something useable as evidence. So, as far as the Data Protection Act is concerned, what do I do? Put a discreet notice inside the car saying it's being filmed and tell the police I'm doing it? I remember a few years ago seeing one of those neighbours from hell-type programmes, which filmed a car (think it was an old XR2, or something) being attacked on a street. Do you think they sidestepped the regulations? I'll now be working away for the weekend, but I'll be back for advice on Monday. Till then... : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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