The bench test 1: 24 Hour Protection

What our experts say

Panasonic probably won't thank us for this but it has to be said. The WV-CS950 dome camera has a strangely familiar shape but we couldn't quite put our finger on what it reminded us of until one of the team pointed out the camera's uncanny resemblance to a giant roll-on anti-perspirant.

Now we've got that off our chest we can get up close and personal with this highly distinctive camera, and we'll begin with a run through of the key video features.

Heading the list is Panasonic's Super Dynamic III image processing. It's basically an intelligent backlight control system that promises improved picture quality when viewing scenes containing excessively light and dark areas, which logic dictates dome cameras are likely to encounter on a fairly regular basis.

The CS950 camera module is a fully featured day/night design based around a 1/4-inch Interline CCD with 752 x 582 effective pixels. This gives claimed resolutions of 540 and 570 lines (colour and black and white modes respectively) and a low light sensitivity of 0.5 lux (colour) and 0.04 lux (B&W). The optics comprise a 3.8 -114mm (F1.4-22) lens with 30x zoom and this can be augmented by a 10x digital zoom giving an impressive (but questionably useful) 300x magnification.

Still with the video features, the CS950 has an electronic image stabiliser that cancels out small amounts of movement, and there's an auto-flip function, to track a moving subject as it passes beneath the dome. The cameras has provision to overlay up to eight variable sized privacy zone masks anywhere on the camera's field of view and a switchable 'image hold' function freezes the picture as the camera moves between preset positions.

Cleaning mode

Alarm facilities include 4 programmable inputs (track to position 1, auto pan, patrol or autotrack) and a 2-mode motion detection system configurable for each preset position. There's also a good assortment of camera controls including auto/manual white balance, iris, shutter and sensitivity, switchable noise reduction and resolution plus chroma gain, pedestal and aperture gain settings.

One interesting and rather unusual feature is a 'cleaning mode' that once a week automatically cleans the slip-ring contacts that carry power, data and video signals between the rotating PTZ platform and the camera body.

Moving on to the mechanics, the camera can pan endless though 360-degrees (or move between preset limits) and the tilt range is from -5 to 185 degrees. Pan and tilt speeds are the same at up to 400 deg/sec when the camera is moving between presets, and between 0.065 and 120 deg/sec under manual control, dependent on zoom setting. Up to 256 preset positions can be stored along with a 'Scene File' containing up to 10 configuration settings with the option to display a title or ID, switch between auto or manual focus and level control, and set a dwell time. In addition to camera and preset IDs there is also an on-screen display showing pan and tilt angles and zoom setting. The unusual shape is definitely going to get the CS950 noticed if it is mounted in full view, though if space permits it is perfectly amenable to a concealed ceiling installation.

Overall the standard of construction is outstanding, and well up to Panasonic's usual very high standards. It has a really solid feel to it and the mechanical components look as though they are built to last.

Setup and operation

We tested our sample using a Panasonic WV-CU161C System Controller, which provides full access to all of the camera's main functions. The camera can be controller via the video coax feed or RS485 twisted pair; we opted for a coax connection, which greatly simplifies installation.

The main setup menu has seven options: Camera, Pan/Tilt, Alarm, Special, Scene Select, Language and Quick Setup. The Camera sub menu covers setting the camera ID, exposure control (ALC, shutter, sensitivity, sync, white balance) plus settings for noise reduction, resolution, B&W mode, autofocus mode, zoom preset and image stabiliser. The latter slightly magnifies the image, allowing the central image area to 'float' in response to detected movement, and there is a small but largely negligible reduction in resolution.

Super Dynamic II setup is on the ALC sub menu; the default setting is on and it should be able to cope with most lighting situations. However there is a manual override, which involves masking areas of the image where there are bright lights; the exposure system will then ignore the masked areas.

On the Pan/Tilt menu there are sub menus for configuring position presets, setting the Home position, autopan and patrol mode (up to four can be programmed), setting up the Privacy Masks and switches for Image Hold, image flip, proportional pan/tilt, 'area' title, tilt angle and the Cleaning option.

The Alarm sub menu covers motion detection configuration and alarm actions. Mode 1 motion detection relies on a grid of 48 targets with variable sensitivity and dwell time. Mode 2 motion detection reacts if the lens is obscured, by covering or spray-painting the dome. In both cases, if triggered an alarm buzzer on the controller sounds and one of the two alarm outputs are activated.

On the Special menu there are level settings for chroma and aperture gain and Pedestal plus a 'dead' pixel mask that lets the installer cancel out one or more defective pixels, though we're pleased to report none were evident on our sample. This menu also contains a reset facility to return the camera to its default settings.

The Scene Select menu provides access to exposure and white balance settings for straightforward lighting situations. There are four choices, Indoor L & H and Outdoor L & H, which prioritise picture quality or low-light sensitivity according to the prevailing conditions and the end-user's requirements.

Panasonic's WV-CS950 Super Dynamic III colour camera breathes new life into dome camera design

Finally, the Quick Set menu takes the installer directly to key menu items such as camera ID, Scene Select, Preset Position and Language options. Using the controller's keypad to navigate the on-screen menu displays isn't especially difficult; the instructions imply that the joystick can also be used to make and change selections though this didn't appear to work on our setup. By the way, the instruction manual is a bit of a nightmare. It's a case of too much information and finding a particular topic or the solution to a problem takes far too long. Simpler language, better indexing and a more spacious layout would all help to make it easier to use.

Fortunately most of the setup operations are reasonably straightforward and the manual shouldn't be needed very often. It also helps that the menu displays are well laid out. They are crisp and easy to read and do not obscure the image to any great extent, so the effects of any changes to exposure or colour balance settings, say, can be easily monitored.

Performance

Starting with the camera, it's almost all good news. This is a high-quality item that delivers a clean, sharp image across a very wide range of lighting conditions. Resolution is at or very close to the manufacturer's specs. The Super Dynamic III system works well and coped admirably with large variations in scene brightness, responding quickly to sudden changes.

We dabbled briefly with the manual ALC options but the auto systems were more than capable of dealing with all but the most extreme conditions. Colour accuracy tended to be a bit variable and manual intervention may well be needed if the scene is lit by both natural and artificial light, or a mixture of both. Colours look a little washed out when the scene is very brightly illuminated and although it's possible to compensate for this using the monitor picture controls it would have been better to have some provision to fine-tune contrast, brightness and saturation on the camera's setup menu.

Low light performance is fine; comparable with other mid-range and high-end day/night cameras we've seen recently. The switching is fairly abrupt (and quite noisy) and it takes a moment or two for the picture to settle down, but thereafter the black and white image remains usable down to the limits of its operation thanks to the highly effective noise reduction systems.

The camera's secondary functions all work well. The image stabiliser is quite effective and would come into its own if the camera were pole or pendant mounted, however, since the CS950 isn't rated for outdoor operation (there's no mention of a weatherproof housing on the Panasonic web site) it probably won't get much use.

The 300x zoom is really only of academic interest as at that level of magnification the image descends into a jittery, noisy mush. That's not to say the electronic zoom isn't without its uses and up to around 150x the image remains useable, and it's possible to preset an upper limit (in x30 increments).

The privacy mask is a little unusual and instead of the usual opaque or blanked out areas it pixellates the selected part of the image, and removes the colour so that it is still possible to make out vague shapes and movement behind the mask, which could be useful in some situations.

Pan and tilt motion is super smooth and very precise, even at the higher zoom settings. It's fast too but there's no overshoot or judder when the camera stops moving. Any misgivings we might have had about worm gear drive mechanisms have been effectively laid to rest and we wouldn't be at all surprised to see them making an appearance in other dome cameras in the not too distant future.

The case does get quite warm, there's no fans or provision for assisted cooling, so it is wise to heed the advice in the manual and make sure there's plenty of room for air to circulate around the camera, especially if it is mounted inside a cavity or suspended ceiling.

What the manufacturer says ...

The WV-CS950 Colour Dome Camera is equipped with Panasonic's unprecedented Super Dynamic III technology; uniting innovation and intelligence to provide top-level performance.

The sleek and stylish WV-CS950 Colour Dome Camera is specially designed to capture top quality images even when up against harsh, highly contrasting lighting conditions. In areas such as receptions or cash machine foyers, when sunlight and indoor light sources often overlap, the WV-CS950 never fails to deliver top quality images. In addition, the unique pixel-based 160x dynamic range technology optimises high contrast images by using a newly developed Digital Signal Processor (DSP). Natural contrast correction is also featured, guaranteeing a genuine image reproduction, regardless of the area, position, shape or size of the object.

SDIII's intelligent processing drives many unique DSP features within the WV-CS950 camera, including Automatic Back Focus (ABF), which automatically adjusts camera focus when switching between colour and monochrome operation. The ABF technology ensures continuous delivery of clear, sharp and perfectly focused images, day or night. A One-Push Focus feature is also included, dramatically reducing the time required to focus the camera during installation.

Natural colour reproduction is a further benefit of the WV-CS950, enabling the camera to pick up minute detail. The combination of optimised optical filtering and wide band digital signal processing delivers colour images with 540 lines of horizontal resolution and 570 lines for monochrome images. Clear images can be captured in lighting as low as 0.5 lux for colour and 0.06 lux for monochrome. Images are further enhanced with the aid of the Adaptive Digital Noise Reduction tool, which acts to eliminate streaking in darker images.

The WV-CS950 dome also boasts an Autoback Image Stabiliser, engineered to prevent blurring of images caused when cameras fall prey to wind or vibration. A further feature of the camera is Scene Change Detection which provides warnings of attempted interference or sabotage of the unit.

The sleek and advanced WV-CS950 is ideally suited to a wide number of applications and offers users 24 hour surveillance, with imaging that delivers unprecedented, true-to-life realism.