Best Fisheye Security Cameras

Whenever there’s a need to cover a wide field of view: a fisheye lens security camera is a great option. Ideal for large open spaces like shopping malls or factory floors, fisheye cameras can provide full coverage to an indoor/outdoor location without leaving any potential blindspots. When set up correctly, a single fisheye lens security camera can do the work of multiple fixed focus lens cameras.

In addition to providing a wide-angle panoramic view, it also includes many high-end features such as night vision and smart motion detection.

In our lineup, we have picked out some of the best fisheye security cameras in the market right now. Some brands might be familiar, while the rest are newcomers to the market.

Best Fisheye Security Cameras

The Montavue 5MP 360° Panoramic Fisheye Security Camera can capture footage in wide 360° using a 5MP camera. Based in the US, Montavue are a Dahua OEM. The fisheye camera includes an in-built microphone to record audio and Digital WDR/HDR to improve clarity. For storage, it can be connected to a compatible NVR using PoE. There is the option to add in a backup MicroSD card as well.

This camera can detect humans and objects. It also supports intelligent video surveillance features to detect motion in customized zones. Whenever the camera detects motion inside these pre-configured zones, it will send push notifications to a user device. (Using the MontavueGO app)

The ANNKE Pano360 Pro uses a 6MP camera with a maximum resolution of 3072x2048. It can record footage at 30 fps, even at its highest resolution. The camera system includes digital WDR/HDR to improve clarity. There is also the ability to perform two-way communications. (Although you will need to connect this device to an external speaker.)

The camera has an IP67 rating. Therefore, it is fully waterproof and is ideal for outdoor installations. It can be configured with an NVR or NAS for storage with the optional MicroSD card slot. It supports RTSP and will be compatible with third-party NVRs that support the same protocols.

The Ubiquiti AI 360 Fisheye Security Camera relies on a 5MP camera with a CMOS sensor that can record footage at 1920x1920 resolution. It doesn’t include a MicroSD card slot and needs an NVR to store footage. It is also RTSP compatible.

The camera has digital zoom features and an IP rating of IPX4, which only qualifies it for indoor applications. Multiple smart motion features allow it to detect people and vehicles, count people, and produce a heat map of motion zones. It can also set up customized motion zones and send out push notifications whenever these zones detect motion.

The Amcrest IP5M-F1180EW-V2 Fisheye provides optional cloud support and several storage features such as NVR, NAS, FTP, and MicroSD. It also supports multiple interoperability protocols such as RTSP, CGI, P2P, and Blue Iris.

This device uses a 5MP camera with a maximum resolution of 2592x1944. The lens is a fixed-focus type lens with a 1.4mm focal length. The cameras can record low-light footage using infrared but won’t switch over unless the ambient lighting is less than 0.006lux.

True WDR ensures that the camera records footage with better contrast regardless of the ambient lighting conditions.

The Hikvision DS-2CD63C5G0E-IVS Fisheye camera has a high-end 12MP camera that records footage at a maximum resolution of 4000x3000. It records two simultaneous streams. The primary streams are at 20fps on 4000x300 resolution, while the secondary streams are at 720x720 at 20fps.

The device is also rated at IP67 and includes several intelligent features such as line crossing, abandoned object detection, illegal access, and audio exception detection. (to name a few.)

For storage: the device supports NVR, NAS, FTP, and MicroSD. Also, it works with devices supporting ONVIF (Profiles S/G) and RTSP.

The Dahua IPC-EBW81242N-AS-S2 includes a 9MP camera with a maximum resolution of 3000x3000. It uses a fixed-focus lens and can record color footage until the ambient lighting dips below 0.01lux. (before switching over to infrared.)

For infrared, it uses 3 LEDs and can record footage at distances of up to 32.8 feet in complete darkness. The device includes in-built microphones and speakers for two-way communication and recording audio. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an integrated siren but provides the interface for connecting an external one.

Also, it has multiple intelligent features for detecting humans, vehicles, and objects. There are tripwire, intrusion detection, and an event trigger in the case of conflicting IP addresses.

The Avertx HD119 Fisheye Security Camera uses a 9MP camera with a resolution of 3000x3000. The camera has a fixed-focus type lens with a focal length of 1.29mm. Also, the device has a 180° horizontal FOV with full 360° vertical coverage.

The camera includes an in-built microphone and speaker combo for recording audio. It can also perform two-way communication using these features. Along with that, there’s the option to connect to a separate audio interface if required. Unfortunately, the device does not have an integrated siren or an interface for connecting to one.

The storage and interoperability features are limited to MicroSD, NVR, and RTSP. (respectively)

Decision Factors when choosing a Fisheye Security Camera

IP rating

One of the most important things to look for is the IP rating on a fisheye security camera. It is essential if you hope to install the camera outdoors where it will become subject to dust and rain. We recommend going for IP67 or at least IP6 if installing them outdoors. For most indoor applications, IPX4 is good enough.

Night Vision

Nowadays, almost every security camera in the market includes infrared night vision. It is a fundamental requirement to keep recording footage even in pitch-black environments. When deciding on a fisheye camera, check for the maximum infrared distance and pick out a device that matches your requirement. Most devices can reach a maximum of 30ft and therefore will only record infrared footage that is 30ft away from them.

Intelligent Features

Some high-end fisheye cameras boast computer vision features such as human and vehicle detection, people counting, heat mapping, and many more. They also offer tripwire and intrusion features where an area on the camera’s field of view can be customized as a virtual motion detector. When set up in this way, the camera will send a signal when there’s motion in this specific region. There are some general features and specific ones, so consider your requirements before committing to a device. As a rule of thumb, we recommend going for one that has the basic human/vehicle detection features.

Camera Resolution

A better camera with higher megapixels will be able to capture more details in the environment. With higher megapixels, the maximum resolution of the footage will also be higher. However, high-resolution footage takes up more space in your storage device. (whether it’s in your SD card or NVR.) So, if a 12MP camera with a 4000×3000 resolution seems unnecessary for your situation, you can go for a lower 5MP or 9MP camera.

Audio-Based Features

The audio-based features you want to look for are the integrated siren, two-way communication, and recording audio. Almost all fisheye cameras include a microphone for recording audio to their footage. However, they may not have two-way communication facilities or an integrated siren. These two are optional features but can add to the security and versatility of the device. Also, some products offer audio/siren interfaces instead, and for these, you will have to connect them to a separate speaker/siren.

 

Conclusion

Despite lacking mechanical PTZ functions, a fisheye security camera can cover a wider field of view without multiple cameras. On top of covering 180° and 360° angles, there are many impressive features such as infrared night vision, intelligent object detection, and many more.

We compared several fisheye cameras from various brands. It’s difficult to conclude a clear winner as most of them have very different specifications catering to specific situations. Nonetheless, we hope our review helped you understand more about fisheye security cameras in general.

What was your favorite fisheye security camera? Do you know of any other cameras that could make this list? Let us know in the comments.