The mistake shows up too late
Whether a recording is good enough usually becomes clear after an incident. By then the system is mounted and paid for. cctvfinder moves that check to the start, while lens, height and position can still be changed.
Loading the 3D viewSee what the camera delivers. Before it goes up.
Distance, mounting height, protection goal: that is all cctvfinder needs. It shows the spot in 3D, calculates the pixel density at the target to DIN EN IEC 62676-4 and names the cameras that are good enough there. Whoever makes them.
Why plan
Cameras rarely fail on resolution. Usually on distance.
From more than a hundred systems we have assessed: four out of five cameras did not do the job they were bought for. Not because the sensor held too few pixels, but because those pixels were spread across too much ground at the target. That can be worked out beforehand.
The optics, not the data sheet
The same 4K camera gives a different image at the gate than ten metres further back. Resolution, field of view and distance come together in a single figure: the pixel density at the target. That is what cctvfinder calculates, for your spot.
The figures of DIN EN IEC 62676-4
The standard says how many pixels per metre a task needs: 20 to get an overview of a site, 125 to perceive people, 1,500 to assess an identity. Every result here rests on those figures and can be checked, for a tender as much as for an expert report.
How you use it
Three figures. One answer.
Measure distance and mounting height on site or take them from the plan. Pick the protection goal from the standard. cctvfinder does the rest.
Distance, height & protection goal.
Done.
cctvfinder takes care of the optics behind it.
The right camera in seconds.
Models with the pixel density they actually reach at your target.
Calculated to DIN EN IEC 62676-4.
Built by engineers who plan and assess these systems themselves.
The right camera in a few clicks.
Instead of an afternoon spent comparing data sheets by hand.
3D view
See the system before it exists.
Pick the setting: a yard, a warehouse aisle, a shop entrance or a petrol station. Set distance, height and field of view, and turn the scene around. The camera image you see holds exactly as many pixels as your sensor delivers at that spot.
Move the mounting height by one metre and the figure beside it moves with you. That is where you see the line between a silhouette and a face you could put a name to.
Quality levels of the standardpx/m
- Overview20 px/m
- Outline40 px/m
- Discern80 px/m
- Perceive125 px/m
- Characterise250 px/m
- Validate500 px/m
- Scrutinise1,500 px/m
Seven levels: from 20 px/m to get an overview of a site to 1,500 px/m to assess a person’s identity with a high degree of certainty.
New: cctvfinder now calculates against DIN EN IEC 62676-4:2026-10. What has changed
Free first assessment
Larger project? Write to us.
Several buildings, a wide site, or one spot where it really matters: tell us about the project. We look at the geometry and tell you which quality level it calls for and what follows from that for the cameras.
- An answer from us. The reply comes from someone who plans and assesses these systems.
- To DIN EN IEC 62676-4. Every recommendation rests on the standard, and every figure in it can be checked.
- Nothing to sell you. We do not trade hardware and take no commission from any manufacturer.
Out of assessment work.
Behind cctvfinder are years of planning and assessing video systems: figures taken from the manufacturers’ data sheets, the standard as it is written, and arithmetic you can follow with a pen.
DIN EN IEC 62676-4The basis of every calculation
3DA check before mounting
px/mThe figure that decides
7Quality levels in the standard
Step by step
Three steps to a camera.
- Describe the spot. Distance to the target, mounting height and the task, that is the quality level from “Overview” to “Scrutinise”. Measured on site or taken from the plan.
- Look at the result. The scene builds in 3D, with the camera field of view and the image it delivers at the target. Beside it: the pixel density in px/m and the level reached.
- Pick the model. The catalogue calculates every model against that exact spot and sorts them by what arrives there. Using the figures from the manufacturers’ data sheets.
An answer in seconds.
Position and lens settled before anyone climbs a ladder.
Knowledge
The groundwork.
What DIN EN IEC 62676-4 asks for, why pixel density decides, and what the megapixel figure does not tell you. All of it worked through on real data sheets.
Questions
Frequently asked.
If your question is not here, write to us. The reply comes from someone who plans these systems.
What does cctvfinder do?
cctvfinder works out what a camera delivers at a particular spot. You enter distance, mounting height and protection goal; the tool shows the spot in 3D and the pixel density at the target beside it. The catalogue then calculates every camera model against that same spot. The basis is DIN EN IEC 62676-4.
Which quality level do I need?
That depends on the task. The standard knows seven levels from 20 to 1,500 px/m. The lower three (LPDO, low pixel density) belong to wide-area surveillance: 20 px/m shows whether something is moving, 40 px/m the outline and direction of movement, 80 px/m lets you tell people, vehicles and animals apart. The upper four (HPDO, high pixel density) need more detail: 125 px/m to perceive people, 250 px/m to assess a person’s type, gait and behaviour, 500 px/m to verify known persons or capture a number plate, 1,500 px/m to assess an identity with a high degree of certainty. Pick the lowest level that does your task.
Do I need specialist knowledge?
No. Three figures are enough: distance to the target, mounting height and protection goal. The tool does the optics. If you are unsure which level is the right one, the tool page has a table that gives an application for every level.
How many positions can I calculate?
As many as you like. Every camera position has its own geometry and is calculated on its own, whether that is a gate, a warehouse aisle, a till or a yard. There is no limit and no sign-up.
What does pixel density in px/m tell me?
It says how many pixels fall on one metre at the target. Resolution, field of view and distance are all in that one figure, which is why a recording can be measured against it: from 20 px/m to get an overview of a site to 1,500 px/m to assess an identity. A large sensor does not help if the lens spreads its pixels across half the yard.
Why do megapixels say so little?
Megapixels count the pixels, not how they are spread. Two 4K cameras at 18 metres: with a 126 degree field of view about 53 px/m arrive at the target, with 42 degrees about 274 px/m. Same resolution. At 53 px/m that is enough to outline: you see the shape and direction of movement. At 274 px/m you can assess a person’s type, gait and behaviour.
A project in hand?
Describe the spot that matters. We will tell you which quality level it calls for and what follows from that for the cameras. Whoever makes them.