Difference between Bullet, Domes or Turrets for CCTV?

There are a massive selection of camera designs out there to choose from. As a home or business owner looking to start a DIY surveillance system project, the three basic designs you will likely be looking at are bullets, domes, and turrets. So what are they exactly, and what differentiates them?

Firstly they all all have same / similar internal components, so the difference is basically physical.

BULLET CAMERAS

Bullet cameras look more like a guns than they do bullets. Bullet cameras stick out / stand out. This is the camera to choose if you want something that is easy to install and stands out. The downsides for this camera is that it looks less aesthetically pleasing something important in residential homes. Also, if the camera is reachable, it can be hit and the camera could be facing a wall.

Thus this type of camera is commonly installed in

• hard to reach places
• locations where you want it to stand out
• can be installed on walls or eaves

DOME CAMERAS

Dome cameras are the most aesthetically pleasing of all camera types. Some key points to note about domes:

• harder to install vs a bullet due to moving parts inside
• is pleasing to look at, less obvious
• not able to easily discern direction as to which it is facing
• has a cover so harder to damage – commonly used in areas which are reachable
• can be installed on walls as well as eaves
• One main negative about the dome is if the dome cover is dirty, it can cause blurry images at night (due to the IR reflecting off the cover)

TURRET CAMERAS

Similar to dome cameras, but don’t have a cover on them. They are probably one of the most popular camera choices as they are seen as an inbetweener of the dome and the bullet. You may not be able to tell, but its basically a ball in a socket, so it has a full range of motion. It is thus slightly easier to install than a dome.

• used in all sorts of installs
• can be installed on walls, eaves easily
• people will be able to see what direction they are looking at
• less susceptible to dirt stains than dome.
• more obvious camera vs the dome, less obvious than the bullet