A surveillance camera assembly with external adjusting ring has a camera and a cover. The camera comprises a lens assembly, two adjusting rings, and a mounting ring. The lens assembly has a lens and two adjusting rod extending out of the lens and being capable of rotating around to adjust the lens. The mounting ring has two annular surfaces formed and extending from opposite ends. The two adjusting rings are rotatably mounted on a respective annular surface and have a clip formed on an inner surface to correspond and receive a free end of the adjusting rod of the lens such that rotation of the external adjusting rings will rotate the adjusting rod of the lens assembly to do adjustment.