What is a CCD Security Camera?

There are a number of aspects to look at when it comes to picking and choosing from among various security cameras and their systems for operating them.

Whether the camera is high-definition capable or whether its cameras are able to "see" in low light conditions all matter.

In this regard, knowing what LUX has to do when it comes to a security camera's ability to capture an image in low-light conditions is important.

LUX is a way of expressing the measure of any camera's sensitivity to light. 

It's a standardized measure and it's (LUX, that is) meant to stand for one-tenth of a foot-candle of light. A foot candle is normally how light intensity is measured. One might say that a spotlight has 10,000 foot candles of intensity, meaning that it would be very bright.

When it comes to a security camera and its LUX, it's always better to go with one that that has as low a number as possible when it's important that a camera be able to pick up movement or activity in very dim conditions.

For example a camera that's rated at 1 LUX will usually have no problem “seeing” during the early evening hours or just before dusk. It won't be able to see in the dark, of course, which will require it to be fitted with infrared (IR) capability in order to pull that off.

There are cameras that can go much lower than just 1 LUX.

A camera that's able to go down to .1 will be able to pick out movement or an image from a nicely-lit parking lot.

One that can work at .05 LUX will be capable of displaying pictures from dimly-lit areas at night.

A LUX of .05 can even see better than the human eye at night.

So keep in mind when it comes to security cameras that low LUX ratings are better than high LUX, because a security camera should be able to capture images in a low light environment for obvious security reasons.

Most security professionals – when discussing cameras – believe that exterior or outdoor cameras should have low LUX ratings.

Don't forget that low-LUX cameras aren't able to see in conditions of complete darkness.

At least, they won't be able to make out much more than lumps and unclear movement. For that, the cameras will need to be paired with an infrared (IR) unit.

As IR requires no light (it "sees" on a different light wavelength spectrum), it isn't rated in terms of LUX, because that measure is reserved for measurement of visible light intensity.

Any good security camera system is composed of several components but the cameras are the most crucial element because they're the "eyes" of the system.

If they're not versatile enough to see well, there's no hope that the system will perform to its fullest.

Having cameras that are of sufficient quality and equipped with the ability to see at night (meaning, having infrared capabilities) is of utmost importance.