One day, I had dinner and chat with a friend who was doing catering. He asked a question. A surveillance camera with a few hundred yuan is purely for monitoring functions. Why is the picture captured by the video not as clear as the video shot by a mobile phone with a few hundred yuan? Take a look at the technical information and sort it out, so that I can fool you in detail next time!
When we see the picture of the surveillance camera compared with the picture of the video taken by the mobile phone, we often feel that the clarity of the former is not as good as that of the latter. Why is this? In fact, this phenomenon involves the comprehensive consideration of multiple factors. The following is a technical blog that deeply analyzes the difference in video quality between surveillance cameras and mobile phones.
1. Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of horizontal and vertical pixels visible in an image. It determines the sharpness and details of the image, usually expressed in pixels. Higher resolution images show more detail and are more capable of subtle changes, so they appear sharper.
In general, the resolution of mobile phones is higher than that of most surveillance cameras. Currently, the screen resolution of smartphones has reached 4K, while the resolution of most surveillance cameras is less than 2K. Therefore, on the screen of the same size, the picture of the mobile phone will be clearer.
2. Pixel density
Pixel density refers to the number of pixels per inch. It is directly related to resolution, but is also affected by screen size. In the same screen area, if the pixel density is higher, the image will be clearer.
In general, the screen size of a mobile phone is relatively small, so the pixel density is usually relatively high. Surveillance cameras generally require a larger field of view, so the screen size is relatively large, but the pixel density is relatively low. This is also one of the reasons why the clarity of mobile phone screens is better than that of surveillance cameras.
3. Pixel quality
In addition to resolution and pixel density, pixel quality also directly affects image clarity. Pixel quality refers to the amount of information stored in each pixel, including color, brightness, contrast, and more. If the pixel quality is low, the image will lose a lot of detail and the colors will be dull.
Since surveillance cameras are designed for security surveillance and motion capture, they are relatively unfocused on pixel quality. Therefore, surveillance cameras usually use compression technology to reduce the amount of data and reduce the picture quality to an acceptable range. When shooting video with a mobile phone, users usually want to capture more details, so the pixel quality of the mobile phone is much higher than that of the surveillance camera.
4. Camera lens
Camera lenses also have a big impact on image quality. If a lens is poorly designed, of poor material quality, or is severely aged, it will result in poor image quality, and significant distortion, color shift, and other issues may occur.
There are also clear differences in camera lenses between surveillance cameras and mobile phones. Generally speaking, the lens design of a surveillance camera is designed to capture the largest field of view, and durability and price are important considerations, while the lens of a mobile phone camera focuses on quality and resolution to meet the high-definition needs of users.
5. Light conditions
Lighting conditions also have a big impact on image quality. Good lighting conditions can provide a bright and detailed picture, while under low light or backlighting conditions, the image will appear dim and lose a lot of detail.
There are also noticeable differences in lighting conditions between surveillance cameras and mobile phones. Smartphones typically use a variety of techniques to optimize image quality, including automatic white balance, automatic exposure, and more. Surveillance cameras may use infrared technology to enhance image quality in low-light conditions, but this technology also reduces resolution and picture detail.
Summarize
To sum up, surveillance cameras and mobile phones have different design goals and usage scenarios for video shooting, so there may be differences in picture clarity. Compared with surveillance cameras, our mobile phones are usually used for important occasions such as taking pictures or shooting videos, so higher picture resolution is required to ensure picture effects and details. In addition, factors such as resolution, pixel density, pixel quality, camera lens and lighting conditions will also affect the clarity of the image. However, it should be noted that these factors are not absolute advantages and disadvantages, but need to be selected and applied according to specific usage scenarios.