Product SKU: P3268-LV
Product Overview
For surveillance projects where on-camera analytics and 4K image detail must coexist in a single ceiling-mounted unit, the AXIS P3268-LV delivers 3840 x 2160 resolution alongside edge-based deep learning processing on the ARTPEC-8 chip, without relying on a dedicated analytics server. Featuring a remote varifocal 4.3-8.6mm lens, installers can adjust zoom and focus through the camera web interface or VMS after the dome is fixed to the ceiling, removing the need to revisit the mount point when room layouts or fixture arrangements change. Equipped with Forensic WDR for scenes combining bright facades with shadowed interior zones, and Lightfinder 2.0 for colour imaging in near-darkness, the P3268-LV maintains consistent output across the mixed lighting conditions common in large commercial interiors. Built-in OptimizedIR covers up to 40 metres in complete darkness. The IK10 dome housing suits publicly accessible spaces, and Axis Edge Vault with secure boot supports cybersecurity verification requirements in enterprise and government deployments.
Key Capabilities
8MP 4K Resolution with Remote Varifocal Lens
The 3840 x 2160 sensor resolves individuals and activity across broad indoor spans at ceiling height. The 4.3-8.6mm varifocal lens, covering roughly 100 degrees wide down to 53 degrees at telephoto, supports remote zoom and remote focus so framing can be corrected from ground level through the interface after mounting, reducing revisit costs on multi-camera commercial fit-outs.
Forensic WDR for Mixed-Light Interiors
Forensic WDR preserves accurate colour and usable detail in both bright and dark regions of a frame at the same time, rather than producing an averaged exposure. This is directly relevant for lobbies with large glass facades, concourses lit by overhead skylights, and retail spaces where strong spot lighting creates sharp contrast against darker aisles.
Lightfinder 2.0 Colour Low-Light Imaging
Lightfinder 2.0 produces colour imagery in ambient light levels that would render a standard sensor unusable, covering overnight corridors, dimly lit storage areas, and reduced-lighting clinical environments. When ambient light is absent entirely, the camera transitions to IR-supported monochrome and restores colour automatically as light returns.
OptimizedIR Adaptive Illumination to 40 Metres
Built-in IR illumination reaches up to 40 metres in complete darkness. OptimizedIR adjusts beam intensity and spread in response to scene content and lens zoom position, reducing the overexposure hotspot that occurs when a subject moves close to the camera, producing more consistent image quality across the full IR range.
ARTPEC-8 Edge Deep Learning Analytics
AXIS Object Analytics runs on the onboard ARTPEC-8 processor, classifying people and vehicles in real time without server-side processing. Scene metadata output connects to VMS platforms and third-party systems. ACAP v4 support allows additional custom or third-party analytics applications to be installed and run directly on the device.
Axis Edge Vault Hardware Cybersecurity
Axis Edge Vault provides a hardware-based security environment that protects the camera’s cryptographic identity and prevents unauthorised firmware modification. Combined with a signed operating system and secure boot, it allows IT and security teams to verify device integrity on networked installations, supporting compliance requirements in government, healthcare, and enterprise environments.
Best For
- Large Indoor Areas Needing Post-Installation Framing Control: The remote varifocal lens at 4.3-8.6mm allows framing and focus to be set or corrected through the interface after the dome is mounted, making the P3268-LV practical for large retail floors, open-plan offices, and transit concourses where the optimal ceiling position does not always align directly with the intended coverage zone.
- High-Contrast Interior Environments: Forensic WDR and Lightfinder 2.0 together address spaces where natural light entering through glazing contrasts sharply with darker interior zones, including hospital waiting areas, airport terminals, corporate lobbies, and museum galleries.
- Multi-Camera Sites Requiring On-Camera Analytics: AXIS Object Analytics on the ARTPEC-8 edge processor delivers people and vehicle classification with metadata output to VMS platforms, reducing the processing load on back-end infrastructure across large institutional or commercial deployments.
- Compliance-Driven Deployments with Cybersecurity Audit Requirements: Axis Edge Vault, signed OS, and secure boot allow device integrity to be verified at the camera level, making the P3268-LV relevant for financial institutions, healthcare networks, and public sector facilities where camera-level cybersecurity is an auditable procurement requirement.
Why Choose the AXIS P3268-LV
A standard 4K fixed dome records image data and passes all processing downstream. The AXIS P3268-LV brings deep learning classification to the camera itself through the ARTPEC-8 chip, handling people and vehicle detection without a dedicated analytics server, which matters across multi-camera institutional sites where server capacity is a constraint. The remote varifocal 4.3-8.6mm lens addresses a practical commissioning problem: framing corrections after installation no longer require physical access to the lens head, reducing time and cost on commercial fit-outs with difficult ceiling access. Forensic WDR handles mixed-light interiors that a basic WDR implementation averages poorly, and OptimizedIR to 40 metres with adaptive beam control avoids the overexposure artefacts common in less considered IR dome designs. Hardware-backed Axis Edge Vault cybersecurity, an IK10 dome housing, and Zipstream H.265 compression complete a specification built for demanding indoor deployments. The P3268-LV is available at Security Wholesalers for integrators working on enterprise, institutional, or compliance-sensitive indoor surveillance projects.
Buyer Decision Tips
PoE Class and Network Capacity for 4K Multi-Camera Deployments: The P3268-LV draws PoE Class 3, up to 15.4W per port. Confirm that every port on the PoE switch assigned to this camera supports Class 3 output, and check the switch’s total PoE power budget if multiple 4K cameras are drawing from the same unit simultaneously. Also verify that network uplinks and NVR throughput can sustain the aggregate bitrate across all active cameras. Axis Zipstream with H.265 reduces storage consumption considerably in low-activity scenes, but high-traffic areas such as concourses and retail floors will generate higher peak bitrates that must be factored into storage and bandwidth planning.
IP52 Rating Restricts This Camera to Strictly Indoor Locations: The P3268-LV carries an IP52 rating, which provides limited protection against dust ingress and light splash but is not suitable for outdoor or semi-outdoor positions exposed to rain, condensation, or temperatures outside the 0-50 degrees C operating range. If the mounting position is under an eave, in an open car park structure, or anywhere with regular exposure to outdoor air movement or moisture, this camera is not appropriate for that location. A camera with a minimum IP66 rating is required for those conditions.
Key Features & Technical Specifications
| Model |
AXIS P3268-LV |
| Part Number |
02331-001 |
| Resolution |
8MP, 3840 x 2160 (4K) |
| Lens Type |
Varifocal, 4.3-8.6mm, remote zoom and remote focus |
| Field of View |
Approximately 100 degrees (wide) to 53 degrees (narrow) |
| IR Illumination |
Built-in OptimizedIR, up to 40 metres |
| Low Light Technology |
Lightfinder 2.0 |
| WDR |
Forensic WDR |
| Video Compression |
H.264, H.265, Axis Zipstream |
| Processor |
ARTPEC-8 system-on-chip |
| Analytics |
AXIS Object Analytics (people and vehicle detection and classification), scene metadata output, ACAP v4 support |
| Audio |
Audio input (microphone support) |
| I/O |
I/O connectors for alarm inputs and external sensors |
| Local Storage |
microSD card slot |
| Power |
PoE Class 3 |
| Ingress Protection |
IP52 |
| Vandal Resistance |
IK10 |
| Operating Temperature |
0 to 50 degrees C |
| Cybersecurity |
Axis Edge Vault, signed OS, secure boot, secure keystore |
| Housing |
Fixed indoor dome, ceiling mount |
Ideal Use Cases
Large Retail Floors and Supermarkets
The varifocal lens at up to 100 degrees wide allows a single P3268-LV to monitor broad aisle spans from ceiling height. AXIS Object Analytics classifies people and vehicles with metadata output for loss prevention workflows and foot traffic monitoring, without requiring a separate analytics processing server on site.
Corporate and Institutional Lobbies
Forensic WDR handles the contrast between bright glazed entry points and darker interior surfaces that is typical of commercial lobby and reception environments. The IK10 dome maintains a clean ceiling profile while resisting tampering or accidental impact in publicly accessible building entry zones.
Hospital Corridors and Clinical Areas
Lightfinder 2.0 sustains colour imaging in reduced overnight lighting used across hospital corridors and patient care areas. OptimizedIR provides coverage to 40 metres if full lighting is unavailable, supporting continuous situational awareness without requiring additional lighting infrastructure in sensitive clinical environments.
Government and Financial Institution Interiors
Axis Edge Vault hardware security, signed OS, and secure boot allow device integrity to be verified on the network, directly addressing camera-level cybersecurity audit requirements in government facilities, court buildings, and financial institution interiors where procurement policies specify device-level security controls.
Educational Campus Common Areas
Lecture theatres, library floors, and corridor intersections benefit from 4K resolution for identifying individuals at distance. On-camera deep learning analytics reduce the processing load on centralised systems across large multi-camera school or university campus deployments where server capacity is distributed across many sites.
Indoor Transport and Transit Terminals
Airport concourses, train stations, and bus terminals present large coverage spans and mixed overhead and natural lighting. The 4K sensor resolves individuals across wide fields of view, and Zipstream with H.265 manages the storage and bandwidth demands of multi-camera 4K coverage across an entire terminal facility.
Choosing the Right Model
- Choose this model if: You need a ceiling-mounted 4K indoor dome with on-camera deep learning analytics, a remote varifocal lens for post-installation framing adjustments, Forensic WDR for high-contrast interior environments, and hardware-backed Axis Edge Vault cybersecurity for enterprise or compliance-driven deployments.
- Choose a different model if: The mounting location is outdoors or semi-outdoor with any exposure to rain, condensation, or temperatures outside the 0-50 degrees C operating range. The P3268-LV is rated IP52 and is designed strictly for indoor installation. A camera with a minimum IP66 rating is required for exterior or semi-exposed positions.
- Choose a different model if: The installation requires voice communication at the camera point. The P3268-LV has an audio input for an external microphone but does not include a built-in speaker, so real-time voice communication at the camera is not supported. A model with both a built-in microphone and a built-in speaker is required for that capability.
- Choose a different model if: Night-time coverage needs extend beyond 40 metres in complete darkness, or if the installation requires motorised pan and tilt to actively track subjects across a large space. A PTZ or long-range IR camera would be more appropriate for those requirements.
FAQs
- Can the zoom and focus on the P3268-LV be adjusted after the dome is fixed to the ceiling?
Yes. The 4.3-8.6mm varifocal lens supports remote zoom and remote focus, both controlled through the camera web interface or a connected VMS. Framing and sharpness can be corrected from ground level after installation, which eliminates the need to access the physical lens head during commissioning or when room layouts change after the initial fit-out is complete.
- What specifically makes Forensic WDR different from standard WDR on an indoor dome?
Standard WDR typically blends two exposures into an averaged result, which can still produce blown highlights or lost shadow detail in scenes with extreme contrast. Forensic WDR is designed to preserve accurate colour and identifiable detail in both the bright and dark regions of the same frame simultaneously. In a lobby or corridor, this means a face near a shadowed wall remains readable while a bright skylight or window behind the subject does not wash out the surrounding scene.
- What happens in a location that is completely dark at night with no ambient light at all?
In very low ambient light, Lightfinder 2.0 maintains colour imaging. In complete darkness, the P3268-LV switches to monochrome imaging supported by built-in OptimizedIR illumination, which is effective to 40 metres. The adaptive IR beam adjusts intensity and beam spread relative to zoom position and scene content to limit overexposure artefacts. Colour imaging resumes automatically as ambient light returns to detectable levels.
- What analytics does the P3268-LV process directly on the camera without a server?
AXIS Object Analytics runs on the ARTPEC-8 edge processor and classifies people and vehicles, including vehicle type, in real time. The camera outputs structured scene metadata for integration with compatible VMS platforms and third-party systems. ACAP v4 support also allows custom or third-party analytics applications to be installed and run on the device independently of back-end processing infrastructure.
- Does the P3268-LV support two-way audio communication?
No. The camera includes an audio input that supports connection of an external microphone, but it does not have a built-in speaker. Because the camera supports audio capture only in one direction, real-time two-way voice communication at the camera point is not available. If two-way audio is a requirement, a different model with both a confirmed built-in microphone and a confirmed built-in speaker must be selected.
- How does Axis Edge Vault support cybersecurity audit requirements in government or enterprise networks?
Axis Edge Vault is a hardware-based security environment built into the P3268-LV that protects the camera’s cryptographic identity and prevents unauthorised firmware modification. The signed operating system and secure boot process allow IT and security teams to verify the integrity of each device on the network. This confirmed built-in feature is directly relevant for deployments in financial institutions, healthcare networks, and government facilities where camera-level device integrity is subject to audit or procurement policy requirements. The P3268-LV is supplied through Security Wholesalers for integrators working in these environments.
- What PoE class does the P3268-LV require, and what does this mean for switch selection?
The P3268-LV requires PoE Class 3, which draws up to 15.4W per port. Confirm that each port on the PoE switch allocated to this camera is rated for Class 3 output. In deployments with multiple 4K cameras on the same switch, check the total PoE power budget to ensure it can sustain all ports under simultaneous load, and verify that network uplinks and NVR connections have sufficient throughput for the combined 4K stream volume across the installation.
Additional Information
