Pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) cameras are a great option for monitoring large spaces because they allow you to remotely adjust their position and zoom in and out on objects of interest. This flexibility, along with the convenience of pre-set tours - where the camera alternates its field-of-view between two or more areas of interest - make PTZ camera systems a popular choice for many live monitoring and commercial industrial applications.

If you're in the market for some PTZ cameras, what follows will hopefully help you make a more informed choice. IP camera technology is constantly evolving and there are some exciting PTZ camera features you can take advantage of for better quality surveillance video.

High-powered IR LEDs

If you need to capture video at night, consider a PTZ camera with high-powered IR LEDs, which can illuminate objects in total darkness from a considerable distance away.

Auto tracking

Auto tracking in PTZ cameras is nothing new, but in recent years, the technology has improved, making it much more effective at tracking objects of interest. Today, you can configure your camera's auto tracking for objects of different sizes - small, medium and large, for example. You can also set the camera's tracking zone, and the amount of zoom you want, all of which helps with tracking accuracy.

Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)

PTZ cameras are often mounted high on top of buildings or poles to capture a wide area of interest. If you're going to use your PTZ camera in this way, you should look for a camera that has Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). This feature can stabilize the camera, reducing visible vibration and blurring, especially in windy areas.

Just be aware that EIS does slightly crop your field of view in order to give the camera a zone to focus on, so be prepared for that.

Additional redundancy

Pan, tilt and zoom movements require a little extra power, so most PTZ cameras come equipped with a 24 Volt AC power input. With some camera manufacturers, there's an additional benefit for PTZ cameras supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE).  If you run a 24 Volt AC cable with your camera's PoE cable, you can ensure additional power redundancy. If the power goes out on one cable and you have a battery backup on the other cable, the camera will automatically switch over to the secondary input.

High Dynamic Range

Capturing surveillance video in areas with both bright sunlight and dark shadows is challenging. If this sounds like your field of view, then I suggest looking for a PTZ camera that uses High Dynamic Range (HDR).

HDR extends the dynamic range of the camera by taking two separate frames - one with a short exposure and one with a long exposure - and combining them in real-time into one image with the best balance of lighting possible. Essentially, HDR merges the highest-quality parts of two exposures into one image.

There are many different options for PTZ cameras, and this blog article touches on only a few camera features. If you have questions about any of these features, contact us now!