Wide dynamic range

Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) is a term used in the surveillance camera industry to refer to high-dynamic-range imaging.[1]

Implies that the camera can handle bright and dark conditions and improve quality of freeze frame. In recent years, even cheap models have been supplied with the “WDR” function such as CarCam Tiny, Prestige DVR-390, and DVR-478.[2]

On an overcast day with little sun and few shadows, there will be a fairly low dynamic range, i.e. there will be no areas of deep black and no extreme bright spots. On a sunny day, however, in a scene with distinct shadows, there will be a greater difference between the brightest and darkest areas, and this is what we call a wide dynamic range or WDR (also known as High Dynamic Range, or HDR). There are also dynamic ranges that extend further than the camera or the human eye can perceive. One example is when you take a photo of a person in front of a bright window. The camera will either expose the person properly, rendering the scene through the window “washed out”, or it might give priority to the scene through the window, thus leaving the person underexposed and hard to see. In this case, the dynamic range of the scene is wider than the camera can handle. [3]