2 mp vs 5mp display and ir question

RonL

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Hello, very , very new to doing a security system right. I currently have a 2 mp camera system that I display on a 1080p tv. I would like to upgrade for better picture quality and better night vision.. (I hate the spotlight effect I currently have.) So, if I upgrade to a 5mp camera system. I'm assuming that if I display it on the same 1080p tv. It's going to downgrade it to the same as my 2mp so the quality will be the same. And the only way to get better quality is to upgrade both camera and tv. Or will the 5mp picture actually be better than the 2mp on the same tv ?
And now night vision... I've seen adds for something called exir .. and that suppose to stop that spotlight effect.. I was thinking I might need to turn off the camera ir and buy an ir floodlight of some kind..
Can someone help clarify this for me?
 

sebastiantombs

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Some excerpts from my standard welcome blurb -

Don't chase megapixels unless you have a really BIG budget. Chase sensor size and bigger is better. To confuse you more sensor sizes are listed in fractions so do the basic math to be sure, 1/2.8 is bigger than 1/2.7 or 1/3. General rule of thumb is that a 4MP camera will easily outperform an 8MP camera when they both have the same sensor size. Reason being that there are twice as many pixels in the 8MP versus the 4MP. This results in only half the available light getting to each pixel in an 8MP that a pixel in the 4MP "sees".


The smaller the lux number the better the low light performance. 0.002 is better than 0.02
The smaller the "F" of the lens the better the low light performance. F1.4 is better than F1.8
The larger the sensor the better the low light performance. 1/1.8" is better (bigger) than 1/2.7"
The higher the megapixels for the same size sensor the worse the low light performance. A 4MP camera with a 1/1.8" sensor will perform better than a 8MP camera with that same 1/1.8" sensor.

Don't believe all the marketing hype no matter who makes the camera. Don't believe those nice night time captures they all use. Look for videos, with motion, to determine low light performance. Any camera can be made to "see" color at night if the exposure time is long enough, as in half a second or longer. Rule of thumb, the shutter speed needs to be at 1/60 or higher to get night video without blurring.

Read the reviews here, most include both still shots and video.

Avoid Reolink, Foscam, SV3C, Nest, and all the other consumer grade cameras. They all struggle mightily at night and never get anything useful on video. Here's a link to a whole thread debunking Reolink in particular.

Compiled by mat200 -

Avoid WiFi cameras, even doorbell cameras. WiFi is not designed for the constant, 24/7, load of video that a surveillance camera produces. At best, with two cameras on WiFi, they will still experience dropouts multiple times daily. Murphy's Law says that will happen at the worst possible moment.
 

RonL

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Some excerpts from my standard welcome blurb -

Don't chase megapixels unless you have a really BIG budget. Chase sensor size and bigger is better. To confuse you more sensor sizes are listed in fractions so do the basic math to be sure, 1/2.8 is bigger than 1/2.7 or 1/3. General rule of thumb is that a 4MP camera will easily outperform an 8MP camera when they both have the same sensor size. Reason being that there are twice as many pixels in the 8MP versus the 4MP. This results in only half the available light getting to each pixel in an 8MP that a pixel in the 4MP "sees".


The smaller the lux number the better the low light performance. 0.002 is better than 0.02
The smaller the "F" of the lens the better the low light performance. F1.4 is better than F1.8
The larger the sensor the better the low light performance. 1/1.8" is better (bigger) than 1/2.7"
The higher the megapixels for the same size sensor the worse the low light performance. A 4MP camera with a 1/1.8" sensor will perform better than a 8MP camera with that same 1/1.8" sensor.

Don't believe all the marketing hype no matter who makes the camera. Don't believe those nice night time captures they all use. Look for videos, with motion, to determine low light performance. Any camera can be made to "see" color at night if the exposure time is long enough, as in half a second or longer. Rule of thumb, the shutter speed needs to be at 1/60 or higher to get night video without blurring.

Read the reviews here, most include both still shots and video.

Avoid Reolink, Foscam, SV3C, Nest, and all the other consumer grade cameras. They all struggle mightily at night and never get anything useful on video. Here's a link to a whole thread debunking Reolink in particular.

Compiled by mat200 -

Avoid WiFi cameras, even doorbell cameras. WiFi is not designed for the constant, 24/7, load of video that a surveillance camera produces. At best, with two cameras on WiFi, they will still experience dropouts multiple times daily. Murphy's Law says that will happen at the worst possible moment.
Thanks, I'll try to start reviewing this, I never have liked wireless, for just the reasons you stated. My system now is bnc. I would hate to have to rewire...
 

sebastiantombs

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The physics of sensors and lenses apply to analogue and digital cameras equally, even to conventional fix format photography cameras.

You can get converters to be able to use IP cameras over existing coax. They can get pricey though.

You could also contact Andy, from EmpireTech. He sells Dahua and Hikvision and they both still make CVI systems plus he can help with IP/coax converters.

Andy Wang kingsecurity2014@163.com
 

sebastiantombs

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Another thought is to use some additional IR illuminators. I use them with just about all of my cameras to extend their night vision substantially and to add more illumination to the closer in areas as well. They aren't particularly expensive and can be very effective at improving things at night, plus if they're located a little distance away from the camera they keep the bugs away from the cameras.

Blaster

Smaller IR
 
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wittaj

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In most instances, the 5MP cams are placed on the same sensor as the 2MP equivalents, so quality will be worse at night and when do we need good images...at night!

+1 on the adaptors - they work very well if you cannot run new cable.

The spotlight/hotspot effect is almost always an issue with running cameras on default. Once you run a faster shutter and adjust other parameters, in a lot of cameras, the hotpsot effect is gone or knocked down enough that it isn't an issue.
 

RonL

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I'm afraid my current consumer level cameras / system has no way to adjust anything ... other than brightness, contrast, 2d and 3d noise. And color intensity. (Another reason to upgrade)
 

RonL

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However, looking at the bnc to poe converters. Tell me if I'm wrong here, it looks like you add a converter on each end of the bnc cable and use a short ethernet cable to attach to the camera and dvr. So this eliminates the wall adapters that currently supply power to the cameras I have now.
Or am I misunderstanding ?
 

wittaj

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That is correct, but it would be replaced with either a POE injector (wall adapter) or a POE switch.
 
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