PTZ Webcams Live
How PTZ webcams work
PTZ stands for pan, tilt and zoom: these cameras turn left and right, tilt up and down and zoom in on details. Instead of one fixed frame, a single PTZ camera can show a whole panorama, a close-up of a landmark and a view down the street in turn.
Most of them run a preset tour, moving from one position to the next every few seconds or minutes. That is why the picture swings away just as something interesting appears, and why it is worth waiting: on its next round the camera usually returns to the same spot. Some operators steer the camera by hand during events, following a ship, a parade or an approaching storm.
Movement has a price. The image may blur for a moment while the camera turns, and zoomed-in shots are more sensitive to wind and vibration. At night a PTZ camera often parks on its brightest view or narrows the tour to a few well-lit positions.
