CCTV LUX Light Ratings & How They Relate to your Surveillance Cameras 5

 

I occasionally get the phone call inquiring about CCTV lux and how it relates to video surveillance cameras.  My personal favorite goes something like the following:

Yeah, I’m on your website looking at cameras and am looking for a camera with around 0.3 lux.  Can you help me?

My inside voice asks: .3 lux?  Could you explain to me in laymen’s terms exactly what that means?  Better yet, could you send me the mathematical formula that you used to determine that exact rating for your particular application?!

Fortunately, my outside voice usually jumps in and says: I would be happy to help you with that! (dumb outside voice :)).  For time’s sake (nerds and engineers please conduct online search of illuminance, luminous emittance, or photometry, etc),  LUX rating is nothing more than a measure of the total amount of visible light present.  The lower a camera’s lux, the lower the amount of light needed to get a good picture.  For instance:

–  1.0 lux will suffice for an application where a sufficient amount of light is available.

–  0.00001 lux is perfect for extremely low light applications (like the back of a cave or under a bucket).

Here is a CCTV lux rating chart to demonstrate the lux required in a surveillance camera for a particular outdoor lighting condition.

The above chart is for outdoor lighting conditions (see our outdoor surveillance cameras), but can easily be used to determine the lux needed for indoor use.  For instance, 10.75 lux is ideal for inside your home (see our selection of home security cameras) and 107.53 lux would be used in office lighting.

Note: Don’t be confused with the foot candles in the chart, it’s a unit used more in the lighting industry (museum, gallery fields, etc.) than the surveillance industry.  But in case you are a fan of math, one footcandle = 10.764 lux

If you’re in a bright light situation, find out how to neutralize shadows with wide dynamic range.

ZERO LIGHT SITUATIONS

Rule of thumb, if an application includes an area with very little or no light source, select a camera with IR leds.  These will allow you to view in even the darkest of situations as the camera supplies its own infrared (IR) light and has a cctv lux rating of 0.000 (no light required).

If all else fails give me call and describe your cctv application to me. I promise to use only my outside voice while helping to design the very best solution for your needs, enabling you to capture the images you desire in any and all lighting situations.

877-926-2288 x 6053 – Jason Duling – Sales

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