What characterizes a wide dynamic range (WDR) camera?

A wide dynamic range (WDR) camera is specifically designed to handle varying lighting conditions within the same scene. This means it can effectively capture details in both the brightly lit and shadowed areas simultaneously. In real-world scenarios, such as when you have bright sunlight streaming through a window with dark interiors, a standard camera might either overexpose the bright areas or underexpose the darker regions, losing critical visual information.

WDR technology compensates for these lighting discrepancies by adjusting the image capture process, thus providing a more balanced exposure across the entire scene. This capability is crucial in surveillance and monitoring applications, where clear visibility of both highlights and shadows is essential for identifying subjects and assessing situations accurately.