Panasonic BL-C140A Outdoor MPEG-4 Network Camera (Silver)
This review is going to be somewhat technical and I'll mention some other choices. I've installed more than 10 Panasonic network cameras across the product line; so how does this one compare? The whole series is rock solid reliable. As far as the practical use as an outdoor cam, the BL-C140A is a middle of the road compromise. As other reviewers have discovered, the night time image quality is not very good. The BL-C140A has a 1/4" CMOS sensor which produces a little bit better daytime image than the 1/6" CMOS on the popular BL-C111A and BL-C131A models. If you're looking for a cam to mount in an outdoor location that is protected from direct moisture (like hanging under a sheltered roof eave) then I'd recommend the Panasonic BB-HCM511A instead. The BB-HCM511A uses a CCD sensor (vs. CMOS) that produces a richer dynamic range of colors during the day, and has much better low light sensitivity. It can still show the scene under moonlight, whereas the BL-C140A would show a pitch black view. If you truly need an "outdoor" camera because it's going to be exposed to the rain, then the BB-HCM531A is an excellent outdoor model. The only difference between the BB-HCM511A and BB-HCM531A is that the BB-HCM531A comes with an extra plastic cover for the connectors in the back. Panasonic charges more than $200 for this piece of plastic, so it you're crafty you can make your own weatherproof cover for the BB-HCM511A cable connectors and save some money (hint: silicone sealant works). Note that if you don't already have a POE enabled switch, the BB-HCM series doesn't come with a POE injector so you need to order that separately. Coming back to this BL-C140A model, the other thing I didn't like is that the POE (Power Over Ethernet) is proprietary instead of using the industry 802.3af standard. So if you have a POE switch then it won't be able to use all the neat power management features. The BB-HCM series however does support the 802.3af POE standard. If your budget is just enough for this cam, the BL-C140A still a wonderful unit. If you can afford to pay just a little bit more then check out the other models I mentioned and you'll get a superior night time view. Here's another tip, if you want to have the camera view on your desktop all the time in Vista or Windows 7, go to the Microsoft Windows Live Gallery and search for Panasonic to download the CoconutView Sidebar Gadget. Then you won't even need to open the browser windows to get a peek at what the camera is seeing.
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