Ceiling mount video camera

August 3, 2009 6:29 AM

Can anybody suggest an inexpensive video camera that can be mounted to the ceiling of a Jazz Club, in order to give the patrons in another room, a view of the stage via Television monitor.

I've already tried a few security style cameras, but in the low light of the club, the resolution is very poor.

posted by JamesMCS to Technology (1 answer total)

Almost any camera will work, and you will repeatedly run into the same issues with lighting. Images are captured based on reflected light, and in low light situations you will either have poor resolution or you will need to have a camera that goes into the green nightvision mode, which may not be for your tastes as well.

The only way to compensate for lack of light is to open the aperture of the camera way up, but (1) any camera that would classify as "inexpensive" would not provide the type of aperture that you are needing in this situation, (2) the more open the aperture the lower the depth of field, meaning that some or most of your stage may be out of focus and (3) Even some of the largest aperture settings still won't work very well in total low light situations.

I'd suggest getting an off the shelf Sony or some such. You can run the cables out for a 'live feed' on a TV, and then deciding if what you're getting is worth it, or if it's possible to turn up the lights a bit on the stage.
posted by arniec at 7:21 AM on August 3, 2009