BirdDog 3x O4 PTZ Cameras and KBD Controller Combo (Gray)

The BirdDog 3x O4 PTZ Cameras and KBD Controller Combo (Gray) is a purpose-built outdoor PTZ designed for permanent installs where the camera is expected to live outside, stay outside, and still behave like production gear. This is not “weather-resistant.” It is built for real exposure: IP66 sealing, an operating range of -40°C to +60°C, and a built-in heater to reduce fogging and condensation events that kill image clarity.

On the imaging side, O4 uses a Sony 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor and shoots 4K up to 60p with HDR support and REC.2020 color space. The practical value is a cleaner picture with better highlight control and more usable color than typical outdoor PTZ cameras. If you are mixing this with indoor production cameras, O4 is built to look like it belongs in the program feed, not like a security cutaway.

For coverage, the camera carries a 30× optical zoom (up to 60× in HD) plus additional digital zoom. That gives you a real wide-to-tight range from a fixed mounting position, which is usually the whole reason outdoor PTZ exists. At night, O4 leans on a long-range IR laser emitter rated up to 500 m and smart IR cut behavior that switches the camera into a clean monochrome night mode when light levels drop. The goal is legibility and stability, not a noisy “color at all costs” picture.

Mechanically, BirdDog made smart choices for maintenance. Instead of relying on a wiper, the front glass uses an aerospace-grade hydrophobic coating that sheds rain, dust, and grime. That matters because outdoor PTZ failures are often not electronic. There are visibility problems. Dirty glass is the silent killer that makes a good camera look bad.

Highlights

• Outdoor-rated build: IP66 weather sealing, -40°C to +60°C tolerance, and a built-in heater for fog and condensation control
• 4K60 HDR imaging: Sony 1/1.8-inch sensor with HDR support and REC.2020 color space for broadcast-clean outdoor video
• Long-range coverage: 30× optical zoom (60× in HD) plus digital zoom for wide area coverage and tight identification shots
• Night operation that holds up: 500 m IR laser emitter with smart IR cut switching for clean monochrome night mode
• Works in mixed infrastructures: 12G-SDI, SFP+ fiber, PoE++, Full NDI, NDI HX2/HX3, plus SRT, RTMP, RTSP streaming

Quick Specs & Practical Uses

• Sensor and imaging: Sony 1/1.8-inch CMOS, 4K up to 60p, HDR, REC.2020 color space
• Zoom: 30× optical (up to 60× in HD) plus digital zoom
• Night vision: IR laser emitter rated up to 500 m, automatic IR cut filter behavior
• Weather rating: IP66, -40°C to +60°C, built-in heater
• Front glass: hydrophobic coating to shed rain, dust, and grime
• Connectivity: 12G-SDI, SFP+ fiber, PoE++ Ethernet, IP streaming
• IP protocols: Full NDI, NDI HX2/HX3, plus simultaneous SRT, RTMP, RTSP options
• Motion range: ±170° pan, -30° to +90° tilt
• Motion speed: 0.05°/sec to 90°/sec
• Presets: up to 255 preset positions
• Typical deployments: stadiums, arenas, intersections, worship campuses, transport hubs, perimeter security, smart city coverage

Image Quality Notes

Outdoor PTZ cameras usually win on survivability and lose on picture. O4 is built to avoid that trade. The Sony 1/1.8-inch sensor and 4K60 capture deliver a cleaner, more controlled image than smaller-sensor outdoor units, especially when scenes have hard highlights, LED signage, or mixed lighting.

HDR support helps keep bright areas from blowing out as quickly, and REC.2020 support is useful when your pipeline is color-managed, and you actually care about maintaining a consistent look across cameras.

Zoom and Night Coverage Notes

The 30× optical zoom is what makes this camera useful in the field. It lets you park the camera where it needs to live and still cover multiple framing requirements without physically relocating anything. In HD mode, the zoom range extends to 60×, which is often the difference between “we can see it” and “we can identify it.”

For night work, the IR system is designed for reach. The 500 m IR laser emitter and smart IR cut switching push the camera into a clean monochrome mode when conditions drop. That gives you more consistent results than trying to hold color in low light and ending up with noise and smear.

All-Weather Deployment Notes

IP66 sealing and the -40°C to +60°C range are not just survival specs. They are uptime specs. Outdoor deployments fail when water gets in, when condensation forms, or when a camera slowly drifts out of usability because the environment beats it up.

The built-in heater helps reduce fogging and condensation events. The hydrophobic glass coating helps keep the front element usable without constant cleaning. Less maintenance means fewer truck rolls, and fewer truck rolls is where outdoor PTZ systems actually save money.

Connectivity & Workflow

• 12G-SDI: baseband output for broadcast switchers, routers, and recorders when you want a direct, reliable path
• SFP+ fiber: long-distance runs where copper becomes fragile, expensive, or impossible to route cleanly
• PoE++ Ethernet: cleaner installs with fewer external power drops and less hardware at the camera end
• Full NDI and NDI HX2/HX3: IP-based production and routing for hybrid systems and software switching workflows
• SRT, RTMP, RTSP: secondary protocol options for remote contribution, streaming, and backhaul feeds
• Dante AV-H (when enabled): audio-over-IP capability for facilities standardized on Dante workflows
• FreeD: integration path for AR, VR, and virtual production systems that need camera tracking data

Motion and AI Tracking Notes

Outdoor PTZ gets judged fast on motion. If the movement looks robotic or overshoots, everyone notices. O4 supports a wide pan and tilt range with speeds that go from slow and deliberate to fast enough for live sports coverage. Pan is ±170° and tilt is -30° to +90°, with speeds from 0.05°/sec up to 90°/sec.

Preset support is built for real operation with up to 255 presets. The AI tracking engine can adjust behavior based on the use case: faster response for sports, calmer movement for events, and tighter behavior for surveillance-style coverage. Like every tracking system, it performs best with stable mounting and predictable lighting.

Installation Notes

This is not a lightweight camera. It weighs about 7.6 kg and measures roughly 200 × 330 × 226 mm. Plan your mounting properly and treat it like a permanent piece of infrastructure, not a temporary PTZ on a tripod.

An optional mounting system is available that hides cabling for a cleaner install. That matters for weather exposure, serviceability, and not leaving a bundle of connectors as the weakest point in the chain.

Why It Helps

Outdoor coverage usually fails in predictable ways: water intrusion, fogging, dirty glass, unstable mounting, and signal runs that were fine on paper but unreliable in the field. O4 is built to reduce those issues with IP66 sealing, a wide temperature operating range, heater support, long-range IR, and connectivity options that work in both broadcast and IP pipelines.

The real win is fewer compromises after installation and fewer maintenance surprises months down the road.

What’s In The Box

Package contents vary by configuration. Refer to the What’s Included section for the exact items supplied with this model.

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