What does a Pan Tilt Zoom PTZ camera mean?
With a PTZ camera (also called a speed dome), setting the viewing direction during installation does not matter. PTZ stands for Pan, Tilt and Zoom. With a PTZ camera, the lens can rotate (horizontally), tilt (vertically) and zoom in and out with motorization. Often the lens can be rotated 360 degrees. By tilting the viewing direction can be adjusted downwards. Some PTZ cameras can (also) be pointed upwards: so-called positioning cameras.
The viewing direction and degree of zoom can be determined manually or automatically via a special keyboard with joystick, software or a mobile app. A large area can be monitored with a PTZ camera. Most PTZ can take a preset tour. Some PTZ have Auto Tracking, which can automatically track a moving object or person. PTZ cameras can often also pan and zoom to a preset position based on an alarm signal input. The disadvantage of a movable camera is that (standard) motion detection based on a change in image is not practical because the camera itself moves and thus provides motion detection. Some movable cameras do not have zoom and are therefore referred to as PT cameras. Professional PTZ cameras (speed domes) with a large zoom and infrared range have a large(er) size.
Sometimes an IP camera has ePTZ. Cameras with a wide angle of view, such as fisheye cameras, often have ePTZ. ePTZ allows digital zoom, pan and tilt. The camera does not physically move, but the software moves over the wide-angle image.