Cantonk 4MP Camera

[Abbell]

CanTonk Camera Review
Background

First, let me offer some perspective.
I am not a techie to the extreme as many here are. I am a jack of all trades for better or worse. I do not have limitless resources to play with my toys. I am the sole provider in my house and my disposable income is usually disposed of before I get to do much with it. I often work two jobs when the opportunity arises and that is where my “technical” background began a very long time ago.
Over the years I have installed 30 or more camera systems all low end and efficient (read cheap) to clients that did not have budgets to support more.
My personal camera system has been working flawlessly for over 4 years with limited upgrades. This year I have decided to upgrade. In my case an upgrade means to make my analog system do other things while a new digital system will start taking over the heavy lifting for surveillance. I found a way to integrate my old system into my new. Most of my older cameras are 960H with a random assortment of cameras and stacks of extra cameras that are leftovers.
My new system now included 2 Dahua Mini Black face cameras which Nayr reviewed and he is the reason I started with those. I will try to do reviews when I can to offer what little insights I can. Maybe it will help people in the future.

The journey

I started with a simple goal. I wanted some additional, inexpensive cameras to add to my system. Did I want the best of the best? Of course, but I deal with efficient over cost because that is how I have to be.
I was going to go with 2MP cameras as they run about $50 each on various vendors. I can swap out my own lenses as I have done that in the past. After reading some of the posts by others on this forum, I tried to contact Longse, Cantonk and a few lesser known Chinese vendors/manufacturers. I did contact direct sales people as well as the inquiry email contacts. I buy from China often enough and figured this would not be as painful as it was. The only vendor to respond was Cantonk. It took a few days to get a response.
I emailed info@Cantonk.com and got no response, but when I contacted a third party I was put in touch with Seven@Cantonk.com. I will give credit to this young lady. While there were some minor gaps in the correspondence, she did an excellent job following through and helping me complete my order. For such a small order she did an excellent job.
After reviewing the price list she sent me, I actually decided to go with a slightly better camera than I had planned. This camera is not IP66 rated, but as you will see, it has very decent protection that I will probably tweak when I install the cameras.
I started contacting Seven on 3/30 and had made my choice, had my invoice paid and completed on 3/31. I decided on a 4MP camera that was grey with a varifocal lens. The varifocal gives me the ability to tweak how I want the cameras placed as these are mainly to increase coverage zones around my house. I know many will take issue with my not choosing a 5MP camera. I may next time, but the additional cost was hard for me to justify for a company I had no experience with.
The prices were on par with other manufacturers and much less expensive than all third party vendors. This is my price at the time of purchase only. It may change over time. Seven did an excellent job of arranging a very fair shipping price.
The only complaint I have is I got the cameras much sooner than expected and did not get DHL tracking in time. I know this sounds like an odd complaint, but I am not always home. I got lucky and caught the shipment. I got the cameras on 4/14. So the two weeks for production to delivery was very good. I normally expect 3-4 weeks.


The Camera

I chose the KIP-400SHT30A
Camera
Image Sensor: OV4689
Main processor:S2L
Resolution: 4MP
Effective Pixels: 2688(H)*1520(V)
TV System: PAL/NTSC
Electronic Shutter Time: Auto: PAL 1/1-1/10000Sec; NTSC 1/1-1/10000Sec
S/N Ratio: ≥52dB
Scanning System: Progressive
Video Output: Network
Lens
Focus Length: 2.8-12mm Manual Zoom Lens
Focus Control: Varifocal
Lens Type: Varifocal
Pixels: 5M Pixels
Night Vision
Infrared LED: 14μ x 24PCS/￠5 (12μ)
Infrared Distance: 30M
IR Status: CDS Auto Control
Network
Ethernet: RJ-45 (10/100Base-T)
Protocol: IPv4, HTTP, TCP/IP, FTP, NTP, RTSP, UDP, SMTP, DNS, DDNS
ONVIF: Support ONVIF 2.4
P2P: YES, Support QR Code
POE: Support IEEE 802.3af ------------ Only if you tell them to add it and it cost $6.00 per camera ( I found out the hard way)
Main Stream
2560*1440@20fps;23
04*1296 &
1920*1080@25fps

Sub Stream
720*480&640*360@2
5fps@30fps

Camera Features
Day/Night: Color/ B&W (IR-CUT )
Compression: H.264/JPEG,Support record AVI format.
Image Config: Saturation/Brightness/Contrast /Sharpness, Mirror, 3D NR , White Balance, BLC, FLK(Flicker Control)
Motion Detection: Support
Privacy Masking: 3 Rectangular Zone
WDR: YES
Recording Mode: NVR/NAS/CMS/Web

View attachment KIP-SHT30.pdf

The Unboxing

The package arrived in good shape with barely a dent


All three cameras were packed in and there was no wasted space which is a plus to me


Camera




The entire ring is rubber. Compared to some cameras with just three rubber stoppers. When this thing is locked, it locks tightish --- better than some, but can still force it.


I found the desiccant material inside the camera an odd choice. The gasket is pretty decent considering it is not IP66 rated. Even the wire has sealant on it.



I found the circuit board very interesting. If I had to guess, I would imagine the open header is for stepper motor control or audio. I may do some more research on this in the future. As you can see the manual gears are only plastic with a metal drive shaft so adding a stepper motor to this model may not be a brilliant idea

The instruction sheet is nothing to brag about. It has the basic information and is just a quick setup guide

 

[Abbell]

Installation and setup

The default IP is 192.168.1.168. Obviously I need to change this.
I already have this computer setup to allow me to install Active X components for IE from the LAN so the ActiveX was not a real issue. Although the component did register as a failed certificate and I had to install from the folder. That is not well planned out, but since I rarely use the software after initial setup it does not bother me. I usually uninstall ActiveX components when I don’t use them.
The Active X control is IPCOCX_PX. Once installed refresh the browser. The web interface is a bit more graphically “ Happy” then the few IP cameras I have dealt with and no where near as evil as the Bosch camera I have.

We do not discuss the disastrous area we call a garage….shh

I do prefer if the Admin password required immediate change. I also found the “flaw” that others have mentioned. That if I goto 192.168.1.168/snap.jpg I can get a snapshot of the camera. This can be changed according to the manufacturer. But, it has to be requested. I actually don’t mind as my cameras will not be exposed directly to the web and I can use internal calls to pull the snapshots directly. As a default setting some should seriously consider having it disabled.


The network settings will be changed to mt network preferences. I set all cameras statically and then lock them in on the router as well. I also disable P2P and set NTP date and time to my own internal server.
Changing the Admin password and account seemed easy enough. The text was offset a bit so I had to stare at it for a minute to figure out what went where. Set up in Blue Iris went perfect.
I set my new IP and had BI do the rest. Sure enough Blue Iris pulled PTZ commands from the ONIVF settings… this may be a fun project in the future.


Default zoom and default settings. Fluorescent lighting.
Snapshot

10 sec video




10 sec video no lights

The camera claims a 2.8-12mm Manual Zoom Lens. I found the settings to be no more touchy than any other camera at max zoom. I think the focus could have another 1/8 turn where zoom maxed out at. Is this a true 12mm zoom? Feels pretty close without having the focal measurements. Someone may be able to compare. I have several analog cameras that a varifical and this feels about the same for zoom in. I just wish the last partial turn was there for the focus.

Zoom out Full snapshot (my focus was a bit off I noticed) Looks like the default was around 3.6mm as I did not gain much POV adjusting it out.


Zoom in full snapshot

The paper shown in the picture is 8.5X11 with 48pt font @ 28' from the camera. This is max zoom and focus.


No lights snapshot at max zoom and focus



First camera installed. Setting the focus and zoom at night is a nightmare task. I will correct the settings during the day. I will also add some motion tests.

And if someone knows a inexpensive driveway repair artist let me know. :sad2:

Morning shot, still need to tweak the camera focus and orientation a bit


Motion video, There is a nasty tearing effect I will need to figure out and correct.


Ok, the focus has been fixed and I also corrected the error with the motion capture. Here are the recent examples. The camera is mounted under a second story overhang so it is a fair distance up.



The video is good enough that I can see my son went to get the mail in his socks... OI!

Here is where this camera is located


Night time motion. There is a fair amount of ambient light in the area.




.

 

[klasipca]

So, why didn't you order that 5MP cam?

Kidding, looking forward to your review.

 

[Abbell]

So, why didn't you order that 5MP cam?

Kidding, looking forward to your review.

Hey Klasipca!... Evil, just evil.
Thanks

 

[Abbell]

I will add some outside pictures tomorrow. I seem to have run out of Cat6 cable and I will show the installations next week when I get another 500' delivered.

Going to add some views of the web interface here. I prefer to use Onif Device manager.



Here you get the option to:
Reboot system
Restore factory Settings
Set a scheduled reboot
Shows firmware version : Current is S2L55M_OV4689_X_6.1.8.5
Software version : Current is 6.1.4.4
Root file System... this is where you would upgrade the firmware. The translation is poor. Should say "Update Firmware" and "Choose File" instead of Scan. Otherwise straight forward enough.

The system log stored in the camera. I do not know if it stores motion events but it does show video and startup events.


Here you can:
Enable Alarm
Motion detection
Upload via FTP (JPG or AVI)
Upload Via SMTP (JPG, AVI, Message)
Upload Cloud services (Jpg)

Date and time options:
Set Manually
Sync with PC that is connected
Sync with NTP server. You can actually type in your own which is great for me.

This is the motion trigger screen. This is easily one of the weakest motion detection setups I have seen in a while. I will definitely be using Blue Iris for this.
Here is why:

The grid cells are massive for what is considered to be a high res camera. The lack of contrast means all shows will set off the motion detection. It is a very basic motion detection system.


The privacy masking is pretty good. You can mark off three rectangular zones of any size. While amorphous would be better this works out pretty good.


The image settings are decent. I still need to tweak mine a bit to see if I can improve it.
Here is what it looks like:



This is where you can setup (in my case disable) SMTP, DDNS and cloud services.
The DDNS is limited to Oray, NoIP and DYN
The Cloud is limited to google and dropbox



I still wonder if there is a way to add a mic... one day I will play with it a bit. Otherwise dead button. This should not have been included, but I understand why it is here.


This shows who is logged in and the User icon lets you add users.
User accounts include Admin, Operator and Viewer. I see 12 slots, but I have not tested the limitations.



I image once you have this setup it is supposed to offload, but I was unable to get screen capture or record to work and I am not using this camera as its own recording device. FYI, if you are looking for an all-in-one solution that can stand alone this is not the camera for you. So far it works great with a NVR. Blue Iris is working great for me.



Network settings are very basic. You can set your IP or use DHCP. This does not support IPV6.
There are also QR codes for apps. IOS and Android as well as FREEIP (not sure what that is)



Here you can control the two streams.
The system only encodes in .264 and has resolution ranges from 720*480 to 2560*1440

 

[Kawboy12R]

Thanks for the review and pics. The videos show as private and I can't view them though.

 

[Abbell]

Thanks for the review and pics. The videos show as private and I can't view them though.

That should fix the video issue. I discovered another annoyance with these cameras today. The option for POE has to be requested for an additional $6.00. That does not make me happy. I will add more to the review as it comes along though.

 

[Kawboy12R]

Much better. Now just get Kate Upton to walk/run through your garage for a motion blur test subject and we're all set.

 

[stoney7713]

Thanks for posting. Can't wait to see more on IQ.

 

[Abbell]

I was able to fix the motion tearing and correct the focus. Naturally the clouds came out.. can't have it all I guess. I will capture more now that I have the settings corrected.

 

[klasipca]

Excellent detailed review! You really put a lot of time and effort into this. I think you would do a much more detailed review of Huisun mini PTZ then I did if you have one.

Btw your driveway isn't as bad as mine.

 

[bob2701]

That should fix the video issue. I discovered another annoyance with these cameras today. The option for POE has to be requested for an additional $6.00. That does not make me happy. I will add more to the review as it comes along though.

+1 on the detailed review.

The $6 option gets you a inline POE. They just change out the input cord with one with the POE module built into the cord.

 

[klasipca]

I don't like that inline POE at all and they told me that there is not enough space on the inside. From what I can tell s500 has plenty of space inside the camera to mount POE, heck even small Hikvision 2432 cam could fit wifi and poe module on the inside.

 

[bob2701]

I just received a KIP-500DR20H from Alex at Cantonk and it had the inline. I don't like that either. Won't have time today to do anything with the camera but maybe tomorrow.

 

[Abbell]

Thanks for the support. I just got more Cat6 cable in and will add the other two cameras.

In general there are pros and cons to these cameras, but from a value perspective they really are excellent. $47 before shipping for a varifocal 4MP camera is a very solid price. I bought POE adapters for $3.00
Could they be better, of course, hopefully the company will continue to improve some of the refinements.
I may consider testing a PTZ in the future or a 5MP, we will see. Right now they have a sale that is basically 10% off when you buy 10 cameras and as tempting as that is I will keep my old analog cameras for now and replace a few pieces at a time.

This weekend project will be to add the remaining two cameras and build a remote mailbox alarm.

 

[mauzer]

I just received a KIP-500DR20H from Alex at Cantonk and it had the inline. I don't like that either. Won't have time today to do anything with the camera but maybe tomorrow.

Is this inline POE outdoor? Could you make a picture of it, please?

 

[klasipca]

Is this inline POE outdoor? Could you make a picture of it, please?

Here is in the first post

https://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/6964-5-MegaGixel-1-1-8-quot-low-light-destroyer-for-90

 

[rmw85]

I found the circuit board very interesting. If I had to guess, I would imagine the open header is for stepper motor control or audio. I may do some more research on this in the future. As you can see the manual gears are only plastic with a metal drive shaft so adding a stepper motor to this model may not be a brilliant idea

I talked with a Cantonk representative quite a bit about their product. Most of their options can have Audio added to them so that is at least one of the things its good for. There is a few updates or changes you can do with the cameras to custom them to how you want from Audio, Lens (even if their catalog doesn't show a lens you can request) and i think different IR configs.

Price for performance minus how well these will last in Iowa's harsh weather these are some nice cameras.

 

[klasipca]

I have Longse (aka Cantonk) A300 3MP cam with audio, the mic is built in. For the price I think it's a great cam.

 

[Abbell]

I talked with a Cantonk representative quite a bit about their product. Most of their options can have Audio added to them so that is at least one of the things its good for. There is a few updates or changes you can do with the cameras to custom them to how you want from Audio, Lens (even if their catalog doesn't show a lens you can request) and i think different IR configs.

Price for performance minus how well these will last in Iowa's harsh weather these are some nice cameras.

That is great news, I will have to remember that. The build seems pretty solid overall. I have an idea about how to fill the turrets once set to keep wasps out as well.