I need to have eyes on the interior (and maybe exterior) of a shop/garage on the farm. Interwebs access is a negatory, so no streaming wi-fi stuff will be viable.

I'm thinking game camera or similar, even though it would only be useful after an event, so I'm turning to the hive mind for the best option.

Ideally, I'll be able to identify faces in low light from 20-30 feet. Max battery life is also a primary consideration. Auto-looping on the memory card is mandatory (assuming game cameras have such features). I'll mount it high and out of the way, but "stealth mode" and a quality lock box would be good, too.

What do we like for this? Or is there a better option?

Thanks.

-Rob

Why not a big visible camera so they just go elsewhere?

You won't find a game camera that will "identify faces in low light from 20-30" without a visible flash that will give away the location of the camera. Do you have decent cell service at the location? I have 4 Covert brand cellular game cameras running at my hunting property that transmit pictures when they are taken. The cameras are pretty spendy but the service is only $7 per month.

I see a lot of challenges.
*Power to the unit if no cable can be run.
*If the camera has edge storage aka SD card then mounting high might make it hard to retrieve.
*Low light and high detail can be difficult.

Example from typical IP cam 1080P 2.8mm fixed bullet



It gets a little better when you are closer or have a not so wide lens.


So you really have to determine the required quality of picture in advance and base it on several factors.
Facial recognition is generally around 50 ppf (pixels per foot).


Not that most all can't be achieved because they can but to do it right might get expensive and complicated.
Sounds to me like a simple battery operated trail cam might be the best option to start with.
Then re-evaluate if something isn't acceptable.

IR is going to have a visible red light flash. You need to look for a camera with a "black flash" as they call it. A few companies make them.

Your also going to want a camera with a quick trigger speed. Most of the cameras under $100 will get you a picture of a deers ass.

We set up a generic game camera with IR a couple of years ago to try and figure out what was going on with our fuel tanks.
When we showed the pictures to the sheriff he said..."Oh yeah that's Timmy _____" so the pictures taken at 3 am were good enough for facial recognition...

I have an inexpensive Cabela's branded game camera I mounted in my back yard
had varmints in the garden, and just for giggles wanted to see if anyone was poking around when we were not there,

only caught the varmint, critters, and deer,
and got good pics of the wife and I cutting grass, raking etc,

we were both easily identifiable in daylight at 30+yrds,

camera has 'night vision' that is basically those white strobe looking lights under the camera,
it does not project visible light when taking pics, but does project a large area , maybe not 30', at night ,
easy to recognize the same deer or raccoon by marks in the fur,


as a side,
I also have a cheap 9 camera setup in my shop,
4 cameras outside, 5 inside various rooms,
these are the cameras that have the white or clear 'lights' that surround the lens,

daytime is excellent,
lit room is excellent,
dark room and you get the same lit area and black and white pic as the game camera,
no visible light ,

I went outside with a cheap IR type hunting scope and could see well by the 'light' coming from the exterior cameras thru the scope, but could not see the light myself

This is somewhat opinion as there seems to be a great brand divide amongst game camera users along of the lines of a Chevy / Ford, or Beretta / Sig debate.

I did a bunch of research before I bought my last two as they have come a long ways since I bought my first a decade ago.

I settled on the Browning brand, and I got their black ops line which has a supposedly invisible flash.

I got two of these: Link

Battery life is long, they take up to a 32 GB SD card which will take a lot of short videos or an immense amount of pictures (months worth even with daily pictures or videos) and the picture quality is very good.

As another suggested if you have cell service there you might want to get a cellular one, or even better one of the cellular video security cams like the arlo go.

If you need to go the camera route, hang it above a person's line of sight, camouflage it, and if possible secure it. For camouflage people have good results with liquid nails. If you search for it you'll find a lot of DIY examples. Also set it to video mode instead of pictures so you have a better chance of a face shot and not the back of a head.

I have a Reconyx game camera with the covert IR. Works good, but kinda spendy. I think mine was around $600, but worth it, imho. I use the AA lithium batteries and they will last almost a year with 15-20k activations.

I use a Ring stick up cam. $135 at Walmart. Ties into my HS wireless and has both IR and voice capabilities. $3 monthly fee to catalog your captured video. I just check it daily...

Have to agree with smschulz

There is a difference between "recognizing" little Timmy and "Identifying" an intruder.

One measurement of cameras is the DORI method
Detect
Observe
Recognize
Identify

Two types of IR:
850nm - Visible red
IR 940nm- not visible.

940 IR throws less distance and generally requires more power to approach 850 distances

Clear crisp ID at 20-30ft isnt easy, especially at night. Not going to get there with a RING camera

Set up a "birdhouse" on a tall pole with your camera in it. And install some security lights around the building. If you don't have power there, I bought some "Mr. Beams" D Cell powered LED motion detecting lights off Amazon a couple years ago and have been surprised by how well they have worked.

We use a number of different setups in our PI business. If you can combine quality cameras with hardwired power and good exterior lighting you will get the best results. I recommend you look at Brickhouse Security.com and talk the folks there. They have a knowledgeable staff.