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The Case for Cameras
2/28/2006
Price. WolfVision is known as the most expensive brand, with some models above $20,000. But do your homework: Full-size models VZ-8plus and VZ-8light are surprisingly affordable for many applications. Elmo and Samsung Techwin (www.samsungtechwin.com) offer high-performance products with mid-range prices, and several manufacturers (such as Lumens; www.mylumens.com) offer products at the low end of the price spectrum. One caveat when considering document cameras at the budget end of the scale: Features found on more expensive models are often left off, so if you are buying a document camera for $1,500 expecting to find a video output in addition to the XGA output, be sure to check the specification sheet first.
Pan/Tilt/Zoom Cameras
Small, pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras offer a high-performance and low-cost alternative to using security cameras (CCTV) and broadcast-quality camera systems in classroom distance-learning, recording, and streaming applications. While new models have largely replaced the old standbys—Sony (bssc.sel.sony.com) EVI-D30 and Canon (www.canonusa.com) VCC3 have improved incrementally in terms of lens zoom and other specs—the real story is found in control over the cameras.
The new standard PTZ cameras include Sony’s EVI-D70 (18x maximum zoom vs. 12x for the EVI-D30), EVI-D100 (65-degree maximum horizontal field of view vs. 48 degrees for the EVI-D30), and BRC-300 (3-CCD instead of 1-CCD and various options for connectivity including fiber with remote CCU); Canon’s VC-C50i (26x optical zoom); and Elmo’s PTC-100S (22x optical zoom).
Options. Some options for controlling non-IP cameras:
- Sony offers the RM-BR300 joystick controller ($1,500 MSRP), which can control up to seven cameras, each with up to 16 presets available.
- Telemetrics (www.telemetricsinc.com) makes control panels for each of the standard PTZ camera models, including for Sony, Canon, and Elmo. The CP-ITV series ($1,175 MSRP) controls up to four cameras with four recallable presets per camera.
- Vaddio’s ProductionVIEW ($4,995 MSRP) controls up to six cameras with up to 12 presets per camera, but also has a 7x2 switch and built-in LCD preview for doing (cuts-only) production switching. All sources are synced internally to prevent glitches.
Vaddio’s new TrackVIEW system will, at least on paper, track an instructor automatically as he moves around in the front of a room, without relying on him to hit preset buttons or touch switches or sensors built into the environment. TrackVIEW uses a dual camera arrangement: one for watching the front of a classroom, the other for following the instructor. The price for a TrackVIEW package varies depending on the tracking camera; all systems use a Sony EVI-D70 as the reference camera, but packages range from $7,495 MSRP for the Sony EVI-D100 as the tracking camera, to $12,995 MSRP with the Sony BRC-300 camera as the tracking camera. Once I’ve seen it in action, I’ll let you know how well theory has become reality.
Will Craig is a Multimedia Systems Design Consultant for Elert & Associates, a nation-wide multi-disciplinary technology consulting firm based in Stillwater, MN.
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