Recommendation for scoreboard camera?

Hello,

I've been researching web cameras and not making much headway. I would
like to see if the ng can recommend something for me.

I'm interested in a camera for installation at a small cricket ground
that will give good resolution of the score board (with the size of
letters and digits about 40 cm tall) from ~150 metres away.

A secondary requirement would be to wireless enable the camera so I
would not have to duplicate existing internet connectivity.
Rather, I could use an existing network (located also ~150
metres in a direct line of sight from the proposed camera location).

I suspect the camera would be mounted indoors looking out a window at
this time.

Would someone be so kind as to recommend something suitable for this
purpose?

TIA,
Jim.

"Jim Duff" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I've been researching web cameras and not making much headway. I would
like to see if the ng can recommend something for me.

I'm interested in a camera for installation at a small cricket ground
that will give good resolution of the score board (with the size of
letters and digits about 40 cm tall) from ~150 metres away.

A secondary requirement would be to wireless enable the camera so I
would not have to duplicate existing internet connectivity.
Rather, I could use an existing network (located also ~150
metres in a direct line of sight from the proposed camera location).

I suspect the camera would be mounted indoors looking out a window at
this time.

Would someone be so kind as to recommend something suitable for this
purpose?

TIA,
Jim.


If you're looking for a ready-built solution, how about combining something
like http://www.axis.com/products/cam_211/index.htm with a suitable CS-mount
lens and a wireless ethernet bridge?

Alternatively, you could take a DIY approach like that described at
http://www.sgurr.co.uk/lundycam/diy_toucam.html
Using a 135mm lens from a 35mm camera attached to the 640x480 image sensor
from an Axis 205 camera, I estimate that I can resolve a 3 metre object at
40 kilometers in clear weather, and the field of view is about 1km wide, see
examples at http://www.sgurr.co.uk/lundycam/gallery.html.
If you want a resolve 40cm digits, I guess you might need 4cm-wide pixels to
do this reliably. This suggests that you would need a lens with a focal
length of about 30mm. If going down this route, it might be worthwhile to
buy a second-hand zoom lens from a 35mm camera, so you can experiment to see
which focal length works best.

In either case, I think getting 150m range with wireless ethernet might need
a directional antenna. If the camera location and the network location share
a common power supply, it might be worth trying a Homeplug
ethernet-over-power arrangement.