Rainbow lenses for rainbow nation

Vari-focal lenses from California-based Rainbow CCTV are being installed at petrol filling stations throughout South Africa.

The units employed are the 3-8mm and the 5-50mm models, the larger lens being used predominantly on entrance and exit lanes.  They are functioning from Security Evidence cameras employing a Sony Super HAD chip and working at 480 TV lines.

The lenses have been implemented by Johannesburg-based Spidereye, an installer covering high end industrial, leisure and infrastructure projects.  The equipment has been supplied by Durban-based Inhep Electronics, a distributor of Rainbow units in South Africa.  Inhep offers analogue and digital CCTV solutions, control centre hardware and alarm equipment together with its own proprietary products.

Mr Johan Uys of Spidereye said: “The Rainbow offering is extremely competitive and the lenses give me the kind of robust functionality I need in harsh environments where fumes and ingress of dust are important factors.”

Engen has a network of over 1,250 service stations and 450 convenience shops in South Africa.  It also owns and manages a crude oil refinery producing 150,000 barrels per day.  The company has recently signed a lubricants alliance with ExxonMobil.

About the lenses

Rainbow’s 3-8mm varifocal lenses are notable in that they correct the focus shift that occurs when using IR lighting.

These CS-mount lenses are compatible with 1/3 and 1/4” cameras. Maximum relative aperture is 1:1.4 and the minimum object distance is 0.3m.  The angular field of view on a 1/3” camera is 92.9°~35.7° horizontal.  Zoom and focus are adjusted manually. The lens is available in manual or auto-iris.

The lenses feature all-glass optics. They are colour corrected and compatible with all leading camera brands.  All Rainbow lenses are covered by a four-year warranty.