The object of research is the monitoring system (MS) for lightning, which strikes specific objects or happening nearby. It is based on the use of regular (not high-speed) video cameras. Among drawbacks of some existing MS having video capturing of strike position, one can indicate that in automatic setting modes they are able to record comparatively reliably only discharges including continuous current component. Also, the triggering to start saving of video fragment with lightning into memory and transmission to server is provided usually by optical sensor only. Other sensors are used rarely or their characteristics are not well substantiated. High-speed cameras are also utilized sometime, but this is expensive and usually related to research projects. Two variants of MS conception were worked out during the study – complex and simplified. It is suggested to use additional sensors (electric and magnetic field, acoustic) for reliable triggering of MS and also several video cameras. In both variants of MS, for extraction of only frames containing captured lightning strikes from the whole recorded video row, it is suggested to use software based on computer vision library (Open CV). Characteristics of all sensors are substantiated and recommended, in particular: – video cameras – IP-type, 25…50 fps, 1080р or better; – optical sensor – sensitivity range 0.4…1 μm, time resolution – 1 μs, distance – up to 500 m; – «slow» electric field antenna – electronic type, 0.1…10 Hz; – «fast» electric field antenna – rode or plate type, 1 kHz…5(20) MHz; – magnetic field registration – compact ferrite antenna, 3…30(100) kHz; – thunder recording – capacitor microphones at 0 to 1…2 kHz. Experimental laboratory tests are carried out regarding designed optical sensor performance by using impulse current, which have parameters corresponding to actual lightning.