A typical zoom camera system involves a camera installed on a mast that can be lowered into a manhole to be aligned with the axis of the sewer pipes connecting to that manhole. Once the camera is positioned so that it can look down the adjacent sewer, the high-resolution, high-zoom camera system allows the operator to rapidly inspect over 60 m down the sewer line. In addition to hand-held options, zoom cameras can be a part of truck-mounted systems where the mast and camera are directly lowered into the manhole from the truck.
The key advantage of a zoom camera based system is to be able to complete a rapid preliminary evaluation of a sewer system and identify those areas that need action or that should be slated for more detailed inspection.