How 1 Illuminator Can Replace Multiple Illuminators
The increased use of multi-sensor cameras also creates a demand for more powerful illumination. With multi-sensor cameras, huge areas can be monitored by stitching together multiple images, so that the end user can deploy fewer cameras to save on installation costs. A multi-sensor MP camera can cover the whole scene effectively and its digital zoom enables investigation of areas of interest.
The challenge from a lighting perspective is that huge areas need to be illuminated from a single location – close to the camera. When you are replacing multiple cameras with 1 camera and 1 camera location, then multiple illuminators also need to be replaced by 1 illuminator – not only to cover the whole scene but also to make good financial sense!
So in this instance, the lighting needs to be both powerful and span an incredibly wide area, covering the entire width and depth of the scene. But crucially, it needs to deliver a consistently high level of light throughout the whole area, so that the images are of the best quality wherever they are captured in the scene – near or far.
The solution is high power 180° lighting designed to cover the entire camera view. As an example, the latest Raytec Panoramic Ultra products illuminate up to 150m at an angle of 180° from a single illuminator so that multi-sensor cameras never miss an event at night.
The best solutions should use a highly elliptical beam which shapes the light to match the needs of the camera system. At Raytec we typically recommend a 180° horizontal x 10° vertical beam for wide angle applications to make sure the full scene is illuminated to its maximum distance without wasting any light – either into the sky as light spill, or onto the foreground as overexposure.
