There are a massive selection of camera designs out there to choose from. As a home or business owner looking to start a professional surveillance system project, the three basic designs you will likely be looking at are bullets, domes, and turrets. So what are they exactly, and what differentiates them?

Firstly they all all have same / similar internal components, so the difference is basically physical.

Dome cameras are the most aesthetically pleasing of all camera types. Some key points to note about domes:

• harder to install vs a bullet due to moving parts inside
• is pleasing to look at, less obvious
• not able to easily discern direction as to which it is facing
• has a cover so harder to damage – commonly used in areas which are reachable
• can be installed on walls as well as eaves

Similar to dome cameras, but don’t have a cover on them. They are probably one of the most popular camera choices as they are seen as an inbetweener of the dome and the bullet. You may not be able to tell, but its basically a ball in a socket, so it has a full range of motion. It is thus slightly easier to install than a dome.

• used in all sorts of installs
• can be installed on walls, eaves easily
• people will be able to see what direction they are looking at
• less susceptible to dirt stains than dome.
• more obvious camera vs the dome, less obvious than the bullet

BULLET CAMERAS

Bullet cameras look more like a guns than they do bullets. Bullet cameras stick out / stand out. This is the camera to choose if you want something that is easy to install and stands out. The downsides for this camera is that it looks less aesthetically pleasing something important in residential homes. Also, if the camera is reachable, it can be hit and the camera could be facing a wall.

Thus this type of camera is commonly installed in

• hard to reach places
• locations where you want it to stand out
• can be installed on walls or eaves

PTZ cameras allow you to remotely move the camera and zoom in or out. The cameras can be controlled via your DVR / NVR recorder and you can also move the cameras when accessing your CCTV system remotely using a PC, Mac, phone or tablet.