Skip to main content
Contact Us
SURVEILLANCE · CAMERAS

What Is a PTZ Camera?

A PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera has motors that turn it left and right, tilt it up and down and zoom its lens, so one camera can cover a wide area and close in on detail. They are widely used in surveillance, security and broadcast, and can track targets automatically when paired with AI.

01

The Short Answer

A fixed camera sees one view. A PTZ camera can be steered to look where it is needed, by an operator or by software, and its optical zoom keeps detail sharp at long range. With an onboard AI computer it can detect a target and follow it without anyone at the controls.

  • //
    Pan Rotates horizontally, often through 360 degrees.
  • //
    Tilt Moves the view up and down.
  • //
    Zoom Optical zoom for detail without losing resolution.
  • //
    Auto-tracking With AI, follows people, vehicles or drones automatically.
02

Why It Matters

Putting the AI inside the camera lets it detect and track without sending video elsewhere first. Our drone detection case study shows an all-in-one PTZ camera running on Jetson AGX Orin with HDMI capture, and our industrial NVRs record and manage camera fleets.