[iomatic]

1) preferably wireless, small, but large enough aperture to get clear imagery under sodium vapor lights; I think slight telephoto would be ideal (equiv. 85mm on 35mm). It can plug in and sit in a window. (two/three would be ok). I have a license of Evocam already which I'll need to upgrade (takes snapshots, and starts video on movement, IIRC). Obviously Mac-compatible-ish, simple, effective, preferably cheap too, etc. Have server(s).

Sick of my car getting vandalized, and I'm gonna catch these m'fn tweakers/mouth-breathers.

2) BTW, what is the law for using force on someone attempting to damage property or attempted theft. I'm trained in martial arts; can that be considered use of deadly weapon? What if I don't use any known techniques (brawl-style fighting) while the camera is rolling? Yes, I'm pissed.

[ghporter]

I can answer #2 for you: it depends on where you are. Here is the section of the Texas penal code that applies:

§ 9.42. DEADLY FORCE TO PROTECT PROPERTY. A person is
justified in using deadly force against another to protect land or
tangible, movable property:
(1) if he would be justified in using force against the
other under Section 9.41; and
(2) when and to the degree he reasonably believes the
deadly force is immediately necessary:
(A) to prevent the other's imminent commission of
arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the
nighttime, or criminal mischief during the nighttime; or
(B) to prevent the other who is fleeing
immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated
robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the
property; and
(3) he reasonably believes that:
(A) the land or property cannot be protected or
recovered by any other means; or
(B) the use of force other than deadly force to
protect or recover the land or property would expose the actor or
another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.

Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974.
Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, § 1.01, eff. Sept. 1,
1994.

Your own jurisdiction will have specific standards for when and whether you are lawfully allowed to use force to protect property. I would personally NOT try that if I had not exhausted calling the police every single time something happens outside your window.

[dedalus]

Originally Posted by iomatic 

BTW, what is the law for using force on someone attempting to damage property or attempted theft. I'm trained in martial arts; can that be considered use of deadly weapon? What if I don't use any known techniques (brawl-style fighting) while the camera is rolling? Yes, I'm pissed.

It will be considered excessive force if the prosecution can demonstrate that you are a trained martial artist (anything above a blue belt will brand you as a deadly weapon). It won’t matter how you beat them up, your qualifications will **** you up regardless.

I suggest getting a garage for your car somewhere.

[iomatic]

Bleh. What about the wireless camera idea

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by dedalus 

It will be considered excessive force if the prosecution can demonstrate that you are a trained martial artist (anything above a blue belt will brand you as a deadly weapon). It won’t matter how you beat them up, your qualifications will **** you up regardless.

I suggest getting a garage for your car somewhere.

Source?

I've been looking at this software for quite a while: Security Spy

[dedalus]

It’s what my sensei told me.

A quick search brought up the following links:
Martial Arts and The Law - MartialArtCentral.com
Self Defense Law - Your Right to Self Defense

Both agree that martial artists are held to higher standards when it comes to self‑defence. What exactly those standards are probably varies by jurisdiction and whom you’re dealing with.

What Iomatic asked about is not self‑defence, it’s car‑defence.

[ghporter]

dedalus is right: prosecutors look for ways to make the use of self-defense techniques look like aggression. Which is why everyone who learns some form of self defense needs to understand how the law applies to them and what they can and can't do within the law.

Finding a reasonably decent, reasonably priced webcam with Mac-based motion-triggered software shouldn't be too difficult. Use that, have it set off an alarm when it senses something happening, and call the police immediately. You will be able to get modestly good descriptions from the video through your monitor, and you'll be "following procedure." That makes you much less likely to have someone try to press charges against YOU. "Taking the law into your own hands" is something that is highly frowned upon, even if it is justified by both justice and equity.

Sorry I can't point you to the kind of webcam you're looking for, but your description sounds like what you need to ask Google to find for you.

[iomatic]

Yeah, I'm not going to bust out any MA. I know better. Always only for self-defense, and only as a last resort.

Anyway, I looked around, and Evocam has a list of cameras they support (does anyone have any experience with these?) I should've probably specified that night vision is probably good, right? Sodium vapor lights I can't imagine are very good for 'regular' cameras. The baseline for those cameras (Sharx is the only one I could find) are around $300. There's a cheap one (AirLink 500) but it got bad reviews. Sigh.

[ghporter]

How close is the sodium vapor lamp to where the car will be? SV lamps are BRIGHT, which is very good if the car is close and illuminated by the lamp. Most digital video pickups have decent/easy white balance controls (often very automatic) so simply having very yellow light won't be a problem. Same for mercury vapor (blue); just use whatever white balance controls you have and you'll be fine.

[iomatic]

It's on the opposite corner. Not worried about wb so much as getting a face/license plate, etc. So I could save cash and use a non-NV version? Also has anyone found anything about modding the lens for a slight telephoto (by my calculations, a wide angle will not give the kind of clarity I'd want)? Glue a decent glass 2x TC? How do you calculate this on these myriad models, diameters, etc.?