DTV 567F

Direct CCTV was formed in 1994 with a view to providing high quality CCTV equipment at realistic prices. In 1997 Security Installer favourably reviewed our DTV 552 mono camera package which at the time broke the mould by being the first quality camera package for under the £100 mark. Direct CCTV has moved on from this model and in line with the market's requirements for higher specification equipment we now provide a package which not only gives a lens of greater specification, but a camera which has a resolution of 570 TVL.

The main components in the camera are manufactured by Sony and as well as having a high resolution, it also has a low lux level of 0.1 and is sensitive to 730nm infrared lighting, making it ideal for external use when fitted with the optional auto iris lens. The package consists of the camera, a 12v DC stabilised power supply, metal three-piece internal bracket and 3.5 – 9mm varifocal manual iris lens.

The camera is flexible for internal use insofar as it is fitted with a switchable electronic iris, back light compensation, a switchable video/direct drive output for various auto iris lenses, and comes without any name badge, which has been deliberately omitted in order for installers to apply their own logo.

As a result of our bulk buying, we can now supply the entire high resolution package for £99 net which gives the installer the ability to fit this quality camera/lens package for the price that they could normally pay for the camera alone. If this does not impress readers, then the fact that the whole system is also covered with a three-year guarantee should.

Also, with the awareness that time is money on an installation, should an installer require the optional auto iris lens, Direct CCTV will fit the lens connection plug and test each package at no extra cost, giving confidence as well as time to the installer.

What our experts say ...

The DTV 567F camera package from Direct CCTV looks fairly unremarkable, until you come to the price ticket. The whole kit and caboodle including lens, mains PSU and mounting kit sell for just £99, so what's the catch? The short answer is, there isn't one. The camera is based around a miniature board module sporting a 1/3-inch Sony Super HAD CCD image sensor. Minimum illumination is 0.1 lux (F1.2) with a resolution of 570 lines. It is housed inside a sturdy extruded alloy case measuring just 110 x 43 x 50mm. The supplied varifocal manual iris lens has a range of 3.5 – 9mm and the three-piece metal mounting bracket can cope with almost any kind of installation.

While it would be unrealistic to expect too many bells and whistles at this price the camera is nonetheless well equipped. The unit can be fitted with standard C/CS mount lenses and there are threaded mounting bosses inset into the top and bottom of the case.

The back panel has a BNC socket for the video output, a two-way miniature DIP switch for selecting auto-exposure/auto-iris lens and backlight compensation on/off.

There is a standard square four-pin socket for an auto iris lens, a switch for selecting video or DC drive for the AI lens, a recessed level control preset, a DC (12 volts) power socket and a red power-on LED.

The case is mostly filled with air. The tiny board module is bolted to the front cap and there is a second PCB on the back panel with all of the associated control and power supply regulation components. The two PCBs are connected together by three sets of cables, with plugs at each end. Build quality is very good indeed and the standard of construction suggests it should be well able to withstand the rigours of normal use.

The case is not weatherproof however, so it is only suitable for indoor applications unless it is fitted inside a protective housing. All up weight excluding the lens is a modest 324 grams.

Attach your own logo

Direct CCTV is marketing the camera without any exterior decoration, giving the installation company the opportunity to attach its own logos or name badges.

An adaptor ring, blank AI lens plug and an Allen key are supplied with the camera. The latter is used to lock the mounting ring on the front of the camera following back-focus adjustment. The lens adds around 50mm to the overall length of the camera. The manual iris is set using a ring close to the body of the camera, a collar in the middle adjusts the 'zoom' factor and the collar at the end of the lens sets focus. Both zoom and focus rings have knurled locking screws.

Setup and operation

Installation and set-up instructions are supplied on a fold-out sheet somewhat optimistically referred to as a 'manual', though to be fair it contains all of the information most installers are likely to need.

The only real hitch concerned the back-focus adjustment. The threaded lens collar is locked into place by a tiny grub screw, however the ring on our sample proved to be impossibly tight and simply would not budge.

We decided to play it safe and heed the warnings on the side of the box about not stressing the lens. Fortunately back-focus adjustment was not required but had it been necessary we suspect that freeing up the ring would have involved taking a pair of pliers to it, risking damage to the case or worse, the CCD sensor.

The mounting bracket is a tough 'universal' design, suitable for wall ceiling or surface mounting; it is well built and simple to fit (screws and wall plugs are included).

The protruding video output socket and a cable can easily add a further 40 to 50mm to the overall length, which is worth bearing in mind if the camera is going to be mounted close to a wall or surface. The two tiny DIP switches are very close to the socket and difficult to get at without a small screwdriver.

The DC plug was a fairly loose fit on our test camera and very little tension on the cable was needed to pull it free. When used with an AI lens the plug partially obscures the DC/Video switch and this can be awkward to get at once the plug is in place.

Resolution on our sample came in at a whisker over 550 lines which suggests the claimed 570-lines is within the realms of possibility.

The image is very clean with plenty of fine detail and negligible noise in a well-lit scene. Contrast is adequate though we found the image could look a little washed out in the highlights unless great care was taken with exposure adjustments and alignment.

The auto iris was reasonably responsive and it copes well with gradual changes in lighting level. When there are bright lights within the scene a combination of manual iris and the AI usually produces the best results. Focus and zoom adjust is very sensitive, borderline touchy in fact, but once set and locked it stays put. The camera is mechanically stable and the image didn't flinch when the case was subjected to a sharp tap.