One camera style has a camera body, to which different lenses may be attached. Features such as BLC (Back Light Compensation), Auto Iris Drive and AES (Auto Electronic Shutter) on/off are provided. Because of their configuration flexibility, body or box cameras are widely used in most commercial video surveillance systems.

The other style is a fixed lens mounted on a camera circuit board. These cameras may be packaged in a small case (Mini Cameras) or dome (Mini Dome) or tube (Bullet, Lipstick or Tube). Lenses in these cameras are either a normal industry aperture type or a "pinhole" lens of very small aperture. Pinhole lens cameras are often called "spy" cameras and may be mounted in a concealed way for covert surveillance purposes. Since the lenses are pre-mounted, have a fixed iris and are usually of a short focal length (wide angle), their usefulness is limited. However, this type of camera can provide a low cost solution in the right situation, particularly in a home or retail environment.

The Make of the CCD Chip in the Camera.
The Type and Quality of the Imaging Chip in the Camera.
The Type of DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Chip in the Camera.
Number of TV Lines.
Light Sensitivity.
Signal to Noise (S/N) Ratio.
Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras.