Buyers’ Guide: PTZ Cameras
By Jennifer P
A PTZ camera is a video camera that can be controlled by a remote controller. Pan, Tilt, and Zoom (PTZ) are the three primary movement functions that a camera operator would traditionally perform on a tripod-mounted video camera to control the horizontal field, vertical field, and focal length. Because PTZ cameras support remote or robotic control and operation, the operator does not need to stand behind the video camera to manually operate it. By removing the camera operator, the camera position requires less of a footprint—in fact, if the PTZ camera is mounted to a wall or column, it may require no actual footprint at all.