Megapixels are not the whole story
A camera's resolution is spread across everything in its field of view. The wider the view and the farther away the subject, the fewer pixels cover a face or a license plate.
The DORI levels
The security industry (IEC 62676-4) describes four levels of detail:
- Detect — about 25 pixels per meter (≈8 px/ft): you can tell something is there.
- Observe — about 62 px/m (≈19 px/ft): general actions and clothing.
- Recognize — about 125 px/m (≈38 px/ft): recognize someone you know.
- Identify — about 250 px/m (≈76 px/ft): identify a stranger beyond reasonable doubt.
How we use it
When we design a camera system we draw each camera's field of view on your site plan and calculate the pixel density at the distances that matter — the entrance door, the register, the gate. You see in advance which areas get identification-quality images and which only get detection, and we choose lenses and mounting positions to match.