Canon USA has introduced the new Network camera PTZ (Pan / Tilt / Zoom), the VB-C60. It is designed for tracking assets and facilities, surveillance in hospitals and schools, web conferencing and board rooms.


"The ever-expanding role of network cameras cannot be underestimated," affirmed Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "Immediate, interactive access to high-quality moving images has become the norm in the age of the Internet. Canon has now advanced PTZ performance and versatility to new heights with the VB-C60 PTZ Network Camera."

The VB-C60 PTZ Network Camera's wide panning range (± 170) which, combined with the 56-degree wide angle lens, provides coverage for a full 360-degree horizontal field-of-view. When viewing moving objects, images remain clear thanks to a high-sensitivity progressive-scan CCD and advanced auto focus system. The camera also features Panorama Image Creation in which the entire viewing range is stitched together into one image. This allows the user to quickly move the camera to any specific portion within the cameras viewing range. Additionally, the user can utilize the Pre-set Tour function, allowing for up to 20 camera positions to be pre-set and viewed at specified intervals.

The VB-C60 features several image enhancement functions, including:

  • Image Stabilizer – which effectively works to compensate for image blur caused by exterior vibrations
  • Smart Shade Control – which automatically adjusts the contrast between bright and dark areas of an image for optimum detail display
  • Auto Day/Night Capability – where the camera automatically switches to night mode depending upon lighting conditions


The VB-C60 PTZ Network Camera uses the proprietary Canon DIGIC NET Processor, a powerful hardware-based engine that performs all image processing and encoding. This results in the camera being able to handle simultaneous encoding of Motion-JPEG and MPEG-4 video in high-quality VGA (640 x 480) at a full 30 frames per second. The high image quality of Motion-JPEG is suited for live monitoring; the compression scheme of MPEG-4 is ideal for recording due to its smaller file size and lighter network load. The VB-C60 PTZ Network Camera offers support for up to 30 simultaneous "clients" (users accessing and viewing video images at the same time).

The VB-C60 PTZ Network Camera can be mounted in an upright position or on a ceiling with a simple setting change. The optional indoor recessed dome housing and ceiling mount cover are available for ceiling-mounted installations. The recessed dome housing is available in "clear" and "smoked" finishes and the ceiling mount cover is available in black.

The VK-64 Version 2.0 Network Video Monitoring and Recording Software has a suggested list price of $2,499; and the VK-16 Version 2.0 Network Video Monitoring and Recording Software has a suggested list price of $999.

The Canon VB-C60 PTZ Network Camera has a suggested list price of $1,699