Leading Swedish imaging and network video company Axis Communications has introduced two new multisensor panoramic cameras, which provide a high-definition, uninhibited view of large areas that would usually require a large number of separate devices.
The new Axis P3707-PE and Q3708-PVE cameras are designed for large-scale video surveillance in city environments such as public squares, major traffic intersections and roundabouts, bridge and tunnel approaches, and parking facilities, as well as airport terminals and transit centers, negating the need for multiple camera installations. Through Axis’s Zipstream technology, the cameras specialize in assessing details of interest, making them ideal for perimeter security in critical infrastructure and industrial sites, university campuses and schools, shopping centers and parking facilities, both indoors and outdoors.
With multiple sensors in a single housing, the network cameras perform the same role as several separate devices, allowing an uninhibited view of large areas in high definition while remaining an easily installed, cost-effective alternative to larger-scale installations. The two cameras also use Axis’s Zipstream technology to reduce bandwidth requirements, as well as Power over Ethernet (PoE), enabling their deployment in hard-to-reach locations, such as lampposts and the tops of buildings.
To address the issue of maximum 360° surveillance from a single point, the Axis P3707-PE unit (pictured, left) comprises four camera heads that can be repositioned along a circular track to point in the desired viewing direction. Each camera head can be individually tilted and adjusted to provide a 108° to 54° horizontal field of view for either wide or zoomed-in views. The camera heads can also be rotated to support Axis’s Corridor Format for optimal coverage of vertically oriented scenes, with a specially designed clear cover that gives undistorted views in all directions. The P3707-PE supports individually configurable video streams for each camera head, as well as quad-view streaming, enabling 1080p resolution videos at 12.5/15 frames per second and 720p videos at full frame rate.
The Axis Q3708-PVE 180° unit (pictured, right) offers easy and cost-efficient installation, and the camera’s three lenses being factory focused, so no focusing is required on site. It has Wide Dynamic Range Forensic Capture technology and low light capabilities for excellent image quality in all lighting conditions. The Q3708-PVE model provides 11-megapixel resolution (3x QuadHD) at 30 frames per second, or 15-megapixel resolution (3x 5MP) at 20 frames per second.
“The new cameras address the market need for fixed, high-resolution panoramic cameras for superb wide area surveillance. With several cameras in one, they reduce the number of units that need to be mounted, making them a cost-effective solution,” explained Daren Lang, regional director of business development at Axis Northern Europe. “Our P3707-PE provides a 360° overview or a combination of overviews and close-ups in different directions ideal for use in wide areas, at intersections of roads, or from the corners of buildings. With our Q3708-PVE you have a high-resolution 180° camera with excellent low light and wide dynamic range capabilities.”
