You should have a look now :)

If it's about fish in general, or it's a little bit random, then this is the place to post it.
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McEve
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Post by McEve »

:lol: Mindy

No, that would have been my son. Darn it - I've covered it with a blanket for a while, but it gets too hot. Looks like I have to find another solution in order to protect ourselves LOL

Glad you enjoy it though Mindy, I get to see some very interesting behaviour that I would never get to see otherwise, with the webcam. They think nobody can see them :twisted:

If you can see my webcam your computer would cope fine with your own webcam as well - it's only a webpage the computer needs to deal with. The rest is done by the webcam :)
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Post by Mindy »

I'm at work right now, so the big work server is showing me your webcam. My computer at home is very lumpy when I try to look at anything visual like this. Forget video clips - my computer has a coronary and dies. I've still not been able to see that zebra fight video. I can't get the right codec (is that the word?) to see it here and my computer at home WILL load it, but the monitor is dark and it's so lumpy and bad it's not worth the effort of trying to watch it! :roll:

One day... Computers are getting cheaper every day.
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Post by az1 »

Hi Mc Eve

I have had a look around checking prices and the best price for one of these Axis cams in Aus is about the $750AUD mark.

Which particular model do you have and what sort of features does it (auto focus, zoom capabilities) and more to the point what doesn't it do that you wish it would?

The one I actually have found that I thought would be good is a Dlink one which you can move around, in which case I can look at my whole fish room (garage) hehehe.

One of my motivating factors for getting a camara is that my wife and I are shortly traveling and will be away for 8 days. Whilst away the care of my fish is in the hands of my sons who do not share an interest in fish. So I see the camara that can swiffle as a great tool for checking up on their progress.

Which is where my concerns arise as with a camera that can swifle the focus/zoom feature is a must as all the tanks to be observed are at varying distances from the camera. Any retail outlets don't seem to have one of these camera avail so can't really try it out.

Looking for some feed back

Cheers

Andreas
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McEve
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Post by McEve »

Hi Andreas!

Ih have an Axiz 205 here, and an Axis 206M here

I whish it would have swivel, and zoom, but can see the problem with a public camera that has these functions. What if one visitor wants to look at the right side of the tank, while another wants to see the elft side? That would be kinda conflicting interests :D

I also have a D-link DCS-900 on the tank I buildt, the one with the terrasses, but are really not happy with it. The picture quality is really poor, and I can't get the activeX view to work on it, and is therefor left with the Java view, which is really slow.

It's also easy to incorporate the Axis on a web page, http://public.qtopia.no/catfish/Zebcam1.asp, but that's not a concern for you as I understand it. The D-link is cheaper, but the best quality image is on the Axis 206M.

I have my cameras set up quite close to the tank, which is why the depth of field isn't very good, but if I set it up farther away, so that the whole tank shows, then that's not a problem.

Neither of them have autofocus or zoom, which I assume is because they're not meant to be a surveillance camera, but rather a public web cam. I understand some of the cameras with the option of zooming and swiveling only allows one user at a time, is the D-link you found like that? I think I would check it's image quality before buying it though, as my experience with it isn't very good. Still, I'm sure the more expensive models would probably be better :)

Good luck with your choise! If there's anything I haven't mentioned here let me know and I will elaborate :D

Whereabouts in Australia are you BTW? I lived in Mackay in Queensland a few years and really really miss it! :lol:
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Post by McEve »

az1

I recorded a sequence from the D-link DCS-900 to show you the cams quality. It's really lousy, grainy and choppy and poor color quality. This is recorded on the LAN - with wire. You can see the clip here

I'm getting a wireless D-link for testing at the end of the month, model DCS-2100G, I'll let you know if that proves to be any better, but so far I'd say definately spend the extra money on the Axis...
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Post by sparkee »

wow. i could look at them all day, well if it wasnt for work that is!!!!
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Post by az1 »

Hi Mc Eve

Thanks for all the different samples. :)

The camera I was considering was the dlink DCS_5300G model
http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/5863_ ... ternet.asp

This is a model that swifles and also has 4x digital zoom. But I supect that the Zoom will not improve picture quality.

From your samples it appears that the cameras have some problem with the white sand. Maybe its just the fixed focus. :?: and the lack of depth issue.

I will spend some time revisiting the Axis products but have decided that I do need swifle and focus features to allow me to observe more of the room. It also need to be wireless as my fish are in the garage which is about 8 meters from the house with about a 3 metre height difference. ( we live on steeply inclined and rocky block)

Mind you after all the wireless network problems I just experienced :x with our clubs fish auction I never want to see a wireless network again. (says he as he is typing on a pc, linked to the WWW via a wireless network)

I have also placed time constraints on this purchase as I will be leaving by the last week in May so want to have it all in place by then. Stress, why do we do it to ourselves :wink:

How do you manage to get so many different cams to play with? Is it part of your job?

By the way even with the less than desired quality of view, your terraced tank still looks outstanding.

I live in the south of Sydney near a place called Sutherland or a well known beach called Cronulla. A long way from Mackay :lol: What were you doing up there? Apart from getting a tan 8)

Cheers

Andreas
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Post by McEve »

az1 wrote:
From your samples it appears that the cameras have some problem with the white sand. Maybe its just the fixed focus. :?: and the lack of depth issue.
No...I'm afraid that's not the case. The sand is not white. It just has a very poor image quality, the contrast and color saturation just isn't very good. And the pictures are very grainy... The Axis cameras don't have this problem, neither of the ones I have anyway. But when that's said, it might not be very important to get the best possible image, after all - what you need is simply to see that everythings ok, and you don't need a very detailed image to set your mind at rest :)
az1 wrote:
I will spend some time revisiting the Axis products but have decided that I do need swifle and focus features to allow me to observe more of the room. It also need to be wireless as my fish are in the garage which is about 8 meters from the house with about a 3 metre height difference. ( we live on steeply inclined and rocky block)
This one: http://www.axis.com/products/cam_213/index.htm will provide everything you need. Unfortunately it's very very expensive, as it's under the category surveillance, and not "network camera". Remeber that any camera will work on wireless with a wireless accesspoint, they're very cheap, so you don't need that buildt in to the camera.
az1 wrote: How do you manage to get so many different cams to play with? Is it part of your job?

By the way even with the less than desired quality of view, your terraced tank still looks outstanding.
yes, it's through my work I get access to the cameras, and... thanks! I'm glad you like the tank :D It's starting to settle in now, and I'm so far very happy with it. It's a great decoration, which is important when the tank is in the living room :)

az1 wrote:I live in the south of Sydney near a place called Sutherland or a well known beach called Cronulla. A long way from Mackay :lol: What were you doing up there? Apart from getting a tan 8)

Cheers

Andreas
I never did get to go down to Cronulla, I mainly stayed further north than that. I lived in Springfield up in the Blue Mountains for a while. It was wintertime, and I had to giggle a bit about everybody complaining about how terribly cold it was. it was 5C in the morning, and 20C in the middle of the day. COLD! :lol: You're spoilt, you know that, right ;) I loved every minute I spent in Australia, the people, the life style, the weather, the food! Just loved it :D Mind you, I was there when the cyclon Nina swept past Mackay, (at the same time as Andrew swept over Florida. We were the target of a few jokes about that at the time, me and my son :lol: ) and that wasn't quite as much fun, but still an experience a cherish! The next day all the kids were out in the streets with their surfboards :lol:

Hope you find the right camera Andreas! Just let me know if I can be of any more asistance.
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