Specialized Cameras — PTZ, Fisheye, Thermal and ANPR

About 80% of CCTV cameras on the ground are fixed-lens domes or bullets, but the remaining 20% — PTZ, fisheye, thermal, ANPR — carry the high-value parts of most projects. This section breaks down what each one does, when it earns its place, and where the spec mistakes happen.

PTZ — pan, tilt, zoom

The lessons cover speed-dome versus mini-PTZ, the optical zoom range you really need (24x, 32x, 40x), preset and tour configuration, and how PTZ cameras are integrated with VMS for operator hand-off and event-driven movement.

Fisheye, thermal and ANPR

Fisheye 360-degree cameras (5 MP, 8 MP, 12 MP) replace four traditional cameras in retail and hospitality — the lessons cover de-warping, stitching, and the storage implications. Thermal imaging cameras for perimeter detection, environmental monitoring and people-counting are introduced with the temperature-versus-radiometric distinction. ANPR (LPR) cameras, with their own lensing, IR, and integration story, finish the section. Specialised camera selection sits towards the back of the broader CCTV Course on bhcourses.ie, after the standard form-factors are covered. Each camera type maps to a worked example in the Specialized Cameras module on bhcourses.com.

Specification pitfalls

Under-spec’d PTZ home position settings, fisheye cameras mounted off-centre, thermal cameras specified for perimeter when a security application actually needed people-counting, and ANPR with the wrong focal length for the lane width — each is shown with the symptoms it produces in service.