How to Choose the Right PTZ Camera for Your Space

Picking the right PTZ camera for your space is very important, although maybe not for the reasons you think! Picking the most expensive and feature rich option isn’t always the recipe for the best results. The space you’re placing the camera in, your lighting conditions, where you want to place the cameras and the goal of the production all matter. 

What Is a PTZ Camera?

We’ll go ahead and give a quick refresher about what a PTZ camera is. PTZ stands for pan, tilt and zoom. So basically a PTZ is just a camera that has the ability to move the lens horizontally, vertically and be able to zoom remotely. So you don’t need someone at the camera itself to perform those actions. 

Start by Evaluating Your Room Size

Room size will play into the type of camera and zoom level you need.

Small Rooms
For a small room, like a classroom or huddle room, then you’re going to be looking more at something that doesn’t take up a lot of space and also likely is on the lower end of the zoom range. In these spaces having a wider FOV on the lens can be valuable. We like to recommend our BG-BPTZ-XU or our BG-VPTZ-HSU3 in these cases. 

Medium Spaces
For medium space like training rooms, larger classrooms, or small houses of worship then you’re going to likely want something that is either a moderate zoom level or a higher zoom level. In these spaces we recommend our BG-UPTZ or BG-ADAMO-JR cameras. They are a bit higher image quality when compared to the VPTZ cameras and have some extra features that can be useful like auto tracking. 

Large Venues
When we’re talking about large venues like an auditorium, college lecture hall, or large houses of worship then we start looking into the highest zoom range so that you have the ability to capture a clear image from far away. Our BG-ADAMO-4K is best suited to these venues but you can also easily use our BG-ADAMO-JR.

Understanding Optical Zoom (And Why It Matters)

Optical zoom refers to a physical zoom, as opposed to digitally cropping in. This means that the glass in the camera is doing the work producing a much cleaner image that doesn’t sacrifice any resolution/quality when you zoom in. Whereas if you were digitally zooming in you’re enlarging the pixels and reducing the image quality. 

Higher optical zoom is especially important if:

• The camera will be mounted far from the subject
• You plan to capture detailed shots
• The space may expand in the future

Choosing sufficient zoom upfront helps future-proof your installation.

Field of View: Don’t Overlook Wide Shots

Field of view can be an important thing to consider depending on the use case. If you’re in a conference room for example, then having a wide view can be very important to capture everyone inside the room.

However if you’re choosing a camera for its ability to provide a high quality close up shot from far away then you probably don’t care as much about the FOV of the camera. 

Choosing the Right Video Outputs

It’s important to make sure that the PTZ camera you’re choosing will slot into your existing setup. For example if nothing you have to receive the signal has a USB port, don’t pick a camera that only has USB out! 

USB
Ideal for video conferencing and direct connection to computers.

HDMI
Common for monitors, switchers, and straightforward AV setups.

SDI
Preferred in professional production environments due to its reliability over longer cable runs.

IP Streaming
Well suited for scalable systems and AV-over-IP workflows.

If you select a camera that has multiple outputs, you do keep your options open and can make it a bit easier on yourself!

Single Camera vs Multi-Camera Setups

Single PTZ camera setups can work depending on use case (like a classroom) but if you really want to pump up the production value for something like a house of worship then multi camera setups are going to be the way you want to go. This way you have more than one angle to choose from which can help you produce a more complex and visually engaging production. 

Multi-camera setups allow you to capture:

• Wide establishing shots
• Close-ups of speakers
• Audience reactions
• Panel discussions

Ease of Control

Take into account how you want to control your camera. If you want to utilize a joystick controller make sure to pick a PTZ that has support for RS-232 or IP commands. However you might want to look into other options besides hardware control, our PTZ cameras for example have a free downloadable software program and app for smart devices that you can use to control the cameras and create presets! 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Choosing a camera with insufficient zoom
• Ignoring lighting conditions
• Selecting limited connectivity options
• Mounting the camera too close or too far away
• Planning only for current needs instead of future growth

Final Notes

Picking the right PTZ camera can be a bit of a daunting task but it’s not too difficult once you start to lay out your specific needs. Just make sure to match the camera to your needs and consider your ability to grow your setup if needed in the future. 

If you need additional guidance on building a complete video setup, explore related Knowledge Base articles or contact technical support.