The proliferation of domes, particularly in retail and commercial installations, speaks volumes for the effectiveness of this type of surveillance …
No need for a swan
Conway Security Products has added to the Titan range by introducing the Titan 250, which allows the Titan 200 unit to be mounted on the top of a column. The 250 removes the need for a swan neck pole which creates blind spots. It will appeal to installers working in locations where a downward facing dome unit is required.

Ricky Oliver of Conway commented: "The new unit will allow installers and end users to upgrade existing column-mounted pan and tilt housing assemblies quickly and easily. Since Conway has a demonstrable philosophy of sharing protocols the upgrade process is likely to be painless."

As with the Titan 200, the 250 features a Sony day/night camera and offers 75 pre-sets, 30 tours and many privacy zones. The flat screen removes the distortion which can be associated with the curved viewing surface of conventional domes.

The Titan 250 is constructed of aluminium and is available with an integrated wiper facility if required.

* When the Titan 200 was Bench Tested in May's Security Installer, we concluded: "It is easy to set up and install, moderately flexible in operation and image quality is good in a wide range of conditions."

Retrofit housing
VCL has launched a tough vandal-resistant housing that can also be retrofitted to any eight-inch external Microsphere. This facility enables existing users to upgrade their systems without having to replace cameras as well as buying the housing along with new equipment.

Demand for attack resistance is growing all the time, said VCL sales and marketing director John Prosser, but up until now installers had little option but to rip out the old cameras and start again from scratch.

"Now they need only add this housing to any eight-inch Microsphere – of any age – and the unit is ready to take on anything."

Its mesh-style construction is based on pressed stainless steel with a chemically-blackened finish to combine high strength with unobtrusive looks, while Trox bolts hold it in place and prevent tampering.

The design also ensures minimal impairment of the camera's view as it can focus through the meshing on the cover.

Pelco tough!
Camclosure fixed-mount camera dome systems are built "Pelco tough" and now they have high-resolution colour LowLight Digital Slow Shutter technology with a varifocal auto iris lens for enhanced functionality.

DSS is a technology that enhances the low light performance of the camera by slowing down the picture frame rate and increasing the camera's sensitivity in low light conditions.

Available in two models, either a surface-mount or in-ceiling dome, Colour LowLight DSS Camclosures are designed with convenience and versatility in mind. These fixed-mount domes will bring together all the necessary elements of a typical fixed indoor/outdoor video security/surveillance installation – camera, lens, enclosure, mounting system – and integrate them into a small, easy-to-install sealed unit that produces good images while offering rugged protection.

"First 520 line dome"
Sanyo claimed to launch the first 520 TV line dome at IFSEC. The VCC-9300P with a built-in auto-focus lens offers discreet and unobtrusive surveillance. The module provides clear and sharp images at 520 lines resolution.

Key features include:

  • x32 electronic sensitivity
  • x22 optical zoom and x16 digital zoom
  • Manual operation Replication Tour Function
  • Preset positions
  • Auto flip function
  • Intelligent digital motion detection.

All-round vision
TeleEye Group has released its first colour pan/tilt dome camera, TeleEye DM326, featuring enhanced performance and full compatibility with TeleEye III+ and TeleEye Pro video transmitters in remote surveillance applications.

The model will be of interest to users looking for cost-effective wide coverage. The TeleEye DM326 supports up to 64 programmable preset positions. Its auto patrol operations together with high-speed pan and tilt functions ensure complete all-round vision. The manufacturer says all these powerful features outweigh the use of numerous conventional fixed mini dome cameras to save the user's cabling and maintenance cost.

It also incorporates up to four patrol sequences, auto pan, auto tracking white balance, high sensitivity with 1.8 lux, 6mm zoom lens and RS485 telemetry interface. The dome is described as easy to control, direct, install and remove.

Quality looker
Ultrak says its UltraDome high-speed range epitomises the true expectations of a professional CCTV product – performance, ease-of-use and cost-effectiveness. The Rugged KD6 is a vandal resistant version of the original KD6 series, suitable for both high-risk indoor and outdoor locations such as car parks, prisons, housing estates and schools.

A heavy-duty cast aluminium housing is combined with a high-impact lower dome and key lock to protect the camera mechanism from unwanted attention. A 24v AC heater/blower is also fitted as standard to maintain an optimum internal operating temperature.

The KD6 was Bench Tested last November. The conclusion was: "It does a lot of things very well indeed. The quality of the design and standard of construction are both high. In short it looks, feels and functions like a quality piece of kit.

"We have no reservations about the rugged housing either. There is every reason to suppose it should be able to withstand the attentions of all but the most determined and well-equipped vandals."

No converters needed
VCL has added two more major technical upgrades to its range of Microsphere cameras at no extra cost to installers. Having recently added the NVT Inside feature to the entire Orbiter Gold and Orbiter Lite camera ranges, the company has now put ExView CCDs into its 18x colour/mono cameras and added a multiple protocol facility to all the Gold models. The ExView CCDs enable the cameras to produce clearer, sharper images in low light.

Philips extends AutoDomes

Philips CSI has released new versions of its popular AutoDome cameras, featuring enhanced performance and full compatibility with Dedicated Micros multiplexers and digital recorders. The latest members of the family feature extended optical zoom to x25, digital image stabilisation for steadier pictures, sector blanking and advanced software privacy masking. These features are said to help make the AutoDome family “the most versatile range of day/night domes in the industry”. One important feature is the optional interface providing full compatibility with Dedicated Micros multiplexers and digital recorders, allowing the cameras to be triggered into any of four pre-set alarm positions using up to four alarm inputs. This added facility uses the existing video coax cable with no extra wiring and is available at no extra cost. The optical zoom of the AutoDome camera has been extended to x25 on the day/night series for indoor and outdoor applications. In combination with the built-in x12 digital zoom, this provides a full x300 zoom capability suitable for seeing greater detail at longer distances for applications in traffic, town centre, car park, stadia and housing estates. To further enhance performance, the new cameras also feature digital image stabilisation to compensate for slight camera movements, ensuring a steady picture even in adverse or windy conditions.