Considering adding a vari-focal camera to my setup - your help appreciated!

[davidelsbury]

Hello all,
I have a 2.8mm IPC-T2431T-AS 4MP Starlight turret I got from Andy that is covering my gate which is doing a great job - for close up such as my garage and car. Night vision isn't too bad either. But, detail such as faces or licence plates of approaching cars is of course too soft.

I have attached a pic of the location of the camera. The turret is mounted about 3m up, and the green section further up the roof is about another metre or so up from there. I am wondering if I were to get another camera, should I get another turret with a tighter field of view, and aim it down the driveway, or should I get a vari-focal camera? I am considering US $240.0 5% OFF|2019 New Arriving cameras IPC B5442E Z4E 4MP WDR IR Bullet AI Network Camera free DHL shipping|Surveillance Cameras| | - AliExpress (IPC-B5442E-Z4E) model.

I know that bullets can be a bit hit and miss as far as recommendations go.

It has AI, which I understand means that it can be programmed to lock onto objects - am I correct that it would generally be programmed to be on a wide shot, unless it detects motion and then it could zoom in until it loses the motion and then would zoom out again? That would mean that I could potentially re-purpose the turret slightly - or maybe not?

Would appreciate your help.

Thank you!
David

 

[samplenhold]

It has AI, which I understand means that it can be programmed to lock onto objects

No, that is not correct. This camera will not zoom or 'lock on' to a moving subject. What you are thinking of is a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera that has auto-tracking ability. Those will cost you a bit more and unless you pay a lot more, they do not perform very well.

See this review of a PTZ for an example. REVIEW - Dahua Ultra AI SD8A840WA-HNF 4K 40x PTZ
The member that posted this review has reviewed other PTZ cameras.

Varifocals are not a zoom camera as such. In general, one selects a varifocal camera (in stead of a fixed focal length) to get the best focal length for their desired view. Once it is set, most people never change the zoom.

Bullets tend to attract spiders and their webs. Turrets, aka eyeball cameras are most people's choice for outdoors.

 

[samplenhold]

PS, you really need to waterproof that camera connection.

 

[davidelsbury]

No, that is not correct. This camera will not zoom or 'lock on' to a moving subject. What you are thinking of is a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera that has auto-tracking ability. Those will cost you a bit more and unless you pay a lot more, they do not perform very well.

See this review of a PTZ for an example. REVIEW - Dahua Ultra AI SD8A840WA-HNF 4K 40x PTZ

Thank you!
I was more interested in spending a few hundred rather than nearer 2k
I see Andy has a 2MP turret IPC-T2231T-ZS - despite my other cameras being 4MP am I correct that the tighter focal length would probably result in a decent picture?

Regarding the connection,,,, point taken! I made the mistake of joining the forum after I purchased everything and I didn't get (or know to get) the proper Dahua mounting boxes at the time. I'll do a tape wrap and put a temporary junction box to keep it out of the weather. Appreciate it!

David

 

[samplenhold]

I'll do a tape wrap

Also use dielectric grease in the RJ45 socket.

The IPC-T2231T-ZS is supposed to be a good low-light camera. It was reviewed here recently. I plan on getting one soon. It does not have audio. If that is important to you, there is the IPC-HDW3241T-ZAS which is similar but has audio.

Make sure you read the WIKI and Cliff Notes. It has great info on what makes a good low-light camera. In general, you want a larger CMOS. But some of the larger ones are in higher MP cameras, so the amount of light per pixel is low.

 

[davidelsbury]

Also use dielectric grease in the RJ45 socket.

The IPC-T2231T-ZS is supposed to be a good low-light camera. It was reviewed here recently. I plan on getting one soon. It does not have audio. If that is important to you, there is the IPC-HDW3241T-ZAS which is similar but has audio.

Make sure you read the WIKI and Cliff Notes. It has great info on what makes a good low-light camera. In general, you want a larger CMOS. But some of the larger ones are in higher MP cameras, so the amount of light per pixel is low.

thanks, I have no way to get out & get dielectric grease for a couple weeks yet (mandatory lockdown here) but I will do so.
Do you think the 2MP camera would be adequate resolution or should I go for the 4MP bullet?

Many thanks

 

[samplenhold]

Do you think the 2MP camera would be adequate resolution or should I go for the 4MP bullet?

Again read the WIKI and Cliff Notes. It discusses resolution. Do not chase pixel count. You have to balance low light performance vs pixel resolution. I can't tell you what to buy. That is a decision you should make based on your research and your specific situation.

 

[aristobrat]

Do you think the 2MP camera would be adequate resolution or should I go for the 4MP bullet?

While you’re stuck inside, play around with the IPVM Camera Calculator V3 tool.

It should let you position a camera on a Google Maos image of your house, then give you simulated images and some stats as you move a digital guy around your house. Look for the PPF value. It’s recommended to have that be 100 or higher for the best chances of ID’ing someone you don’t know.

When you add a varifocal camera to the tool, you’ll see how the PPF increases as the camera zooms in. You’ll also see that the trade off is image width.

One slightly confusing thing is that they don’t always have Andy’s exact camera model numbers loaded in, so you may have to pick a camera based on its “real” Dahua model number. Generally speaking, if you search for a Dahua camera just using its four digit number, it’ll get you started.

 

[bigredfish]

Bullets tend to attract spiders and their webs. Turrets, aka eyeball cameras are most people's choice for outdoors.

Not if you leave them in color at night The 5442's rock. and they do have a varifocal bullet



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