Varifocal Lens Surveillance Cameras
February 2018
Varifocal lens surveillance cameras are suited for a large variety of home and business surveillance setups. Cameras with a motorized varifocal lens are usually referred to as optical zoom surveillance cameras which allow you to easily zoom in and out.
Cameras with a varifocal lens but without optical zoom can also be adjusted, however this can only be done manually. A motorized varifocal lens helps to eliminate focus errors by auto-focusing when adjustments are made to the camera lens focal length.
Unlike a fixed lens camera, a varifocal lens surveillance camera will allow the user to adjust the focal length and zoom level. The varifocal lens allows a user to select the best settings for each unique environment and project. Changing the focal length and zooming in on any area will affect your overall viewing angle. When increasing your focal length, viewing angle will be reduced.
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| Focal length: 2.8mm | Focal length: 8mm | Focal length: 12mm |
For varifocal lens cameras and other surveillance cameras, maximum aperture is also an important feature to consider when selecting your surveillance cameras. A larger aperture number indicates a greater depth of field which can provide better detail in an image captured by focusing on multiple points; a smaller aperture will provide less detail, and be more focused on only a part of the image.
Varifocal Lens Benefits
 | Cost Effective View nearly an entire room with a single camera setup, requiring less cameras to view the same area. |
 | Long Distance Able to provide clearer and more detailed images at further distances. |
 | Greater Flexibility No need to physically reinstall a camera to change the viewing angle. Camera lens is adjustable to change field-of-view to keep up with changing needs and environment. |
Varifocal Lens Example Scenarios
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