Hi Guys:
Well, believe me when I say that no one was more disappointed than me. I had hopes (though admittedly not high) that the camera would do what I needed and although it preformed admirably (much better than expected) in daylight and even with moderate light, the low light preformance was non-existant.
Naturally I've investigated quite a few of the PTZ netcam options and am left with the disappointing conclusion that as everyone knows, saving money is not condusive to finding a solution. The Axis 213 and the same product branded by Canon, the model number eludes me at the moment, can in reality do what is needed, but then, the reality is I'm looking at a 350% higher expendature as well.
Never the less, that's what's gonna end up happening. I have a friend who has 3 of the 213s which he uses in exactly the same application, (picture attached) and he is delighted with them.
For those looking for a PTZ webcam without the need for night vision, I really believe this product to be a true bargain. I'm quite sure that the focus problem I was having was camera specific and not model related, and that it would have been easily and quickly remedied by the company. Unlike some others, I got through to X10 customer support quite expeditiously. The product has some short comings as one might well expect at this price point. The PZT funcitons are very slowwwwwwww and the range of motion is somewhat limited, and the camera adjustments are anything but intuitive. However, all of these are minor issues and I really have no problem endorsing the product I was provided with the previous "no star-light mode" exclusion. Incidently, I was able to figure out the camera adjustments and am quite confident I took the equipment through every possible setting, but in the end, it needed quite a bit of light to be functional.
Hope you guys find this helpful.
(http://s09.picshome.com/75e/frances_and_envy_2-2-07a.jpg)