Dahua Chinese Cameras vs International Cameras

[Denny Basham]

Hey folks,

First off, I am a NOOB although I am also pretty technical and learning fast.

My understanding is that there are 2 types of Dahua cameras out there. There are "cheaper" cameras direct from China that has usually been hacked with an English overlay and there are International cameras which are higher quality and more expensive with multiple language options (aka non-hacked) and the firmware can be updated directly with no hacks.

Is there a comparison chart somewhere that provides equivalent models or are the model #s the same and you have to ask the seller? Can you tell based on a firmware # on the camera soft menu? I am definitely on a limited budget with these cameras so if I can still get decent quality with firmware I need to hack to update I am ok with that because I FOUND this forum. However, I still don't 100% understand this.

Also, I apologize in advance if I should have found this somewhere but after reading the forums for a few days I'm not sure what to even search on. For example, I just ordered a test camera (Dahua IPC-HFW4431R-Z) that I got from a US seller on eBay (open box) for $50 that I am going to use to determine focal lengths around my house to determine lens sizes that work for me. Does this model number have an international equivalent or do both Chinese hacked versions and International versions use the same model number and if so how can I tell the difference?

Thanks in advance for your input - love this forum!

 

[SquareEyes]

Chinese hacked versions and International versions use the same model number and if so how can I tell the difference?

Generally the easiest way is to right click on the model number in the listing, right click and search with Google. (Google search the model number anyway you like really).

If the result at the top of the page links to http://www1.dahuasecurity.com/blahblahblahand the results are in English, it is a safe bet it is an International model.

 

[Crazykiller]

I made the same mistake in thinking I could test the focal length with a test model, or a few. The focal length doesn't tell you anything without relation to the sensor size. You might have a totally different fov with same focal length and different sensor sizes. 1/3" is not like 1/2,7" etc. So you'll have to stick to one sensor size to match your testing. Or you might get all your cams varifocal. Or you use a calculator to find best focal length for the cam you have chosen and know the sensor size.

 

[TVT73]

generally speaking, if you are able to live with the cheap plastic base and a missing micro sdcard capability and change the firmware to @cor35vet great working modified international firmware it´s nothing speaking against the chinese ones. Be aware to proof which cams are supported from cor35vet´s releases.
One point of the plastic base, it is really easy moveable, so everyone is able without a tool to manipulate the mounting position of the cam. And the material is mayby after a year or two of sun breaking, if you tries to open it.

 

[Crazykiller]

You could go as well with Dome ones instead of cheap turret. They've got metal housing (except the dome of course) and if you install 'em in a protected place under a roof or maybe planned some for inside, the HDBW4233R-AS is not that bad. If got one for testing with a 6mm lens. It keeps color longer then the other cams and has a brighter image then the 4MP ones I got. I'll compare it to the international Starlight models I ordered from Andy as soon as I'm back from holidays.
The one mentioned above worth a test if you are on a budget. You get it from $60-70 on Aliexpress.

 

[TVT73]

This cam seems to have the oldxer Sony Exmor chip inside.

1/2. 7 ” 2 Megapixel progressive scan CMOS Exmor

Anyway i don´t like dome cams due to ir problems, i also searched for the Chinese eyeball version. Still not finding it.

 

[Denny Basham]

I should get the Dahua IPC-HFW4431R-Z that I ordered today and I just picked up a 2x4 to play with this baby all around the house. My wife is NOT happy with the idea of 100 foot of cable running down the hallway but she'll live PLUS it will be fun for me - ha.... Definitely considering dome cameras without covers as well and mainly the Dahua IPC-HDW4431C-A in either 2.8 or 3.6mm. Always fun to play with this stuff...

ON a side note what do folks think of using a mounting bracket rather than screwing these directly into the wood to make future upgrades easier?

 

[Denny Basham]

FYI - just got the Dahua IPC-HFW4431R-Z from the Postman and this feels like a metal base to me so this appears to be an all-metal camera.

 

[TVT73]

Plastic base have only hdw ones. Hfw is also a nice version without housing problems.
I would like to invites you to a private discussion, due to focus problem. I expect it for your model also. I would be nice to get a feedback, because I think you have the technical basic to understand it.

 

[Crazykiller]

But with the HFW ones you have always the spiderwebs. Need to poison my cams again

 

[Denny Basham]

So do you spray bug killer on your cameras Crazy? Also, TVT - happy to have a private discussion but I have no idea how that works here. Thx.

 

[aristobrat]

Private discussions on here are called 'conversations'. If you click on his username to the left of any of his posts, you should get a pop-up with an option to "Start a Conversation".

 

[giomania]

I made the same mistake in thinking I could test the focal length with a test model, or a few. The focal length doesn't tell you anything without relation to the sensor size. You might have a totally different fov with same focal length and different sensor sizes. 1/3" is not like 1/2,7" etc. So you'll have to stick to one sensor size to match your testing. Or you might get all your cams varifocal. Or you use a calculator to find best focal length for the cam you have chosen and know the sensor size.

Also a noob here. If you have the FOV details from a trusted review or the data sheet, can you put your eye where the camera would be mounted and use a protractor in front of your eye to determine if a given camera would work in a given location?

Thanks.

Mark


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[Denny Basham]

FYI - I am planning to mount my IPC_HFW4431R-Z camera to a 2x4 stud at the appropriate height for my house and then move it around to different spots outside to help figure this kind of stuff out.

 

[giomania]

I saw that; trying to do this without spending ~$200 on a test camera!


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[Denny Basham]

My test camera was $50 on eBay and it is the Dahua IPC-HFW4413R-Z which has a motorized varifocal lens. You should be able to get these for around $70 or so on eBay (these were recently 10% off for most sellers). I just happened to pick up a really good deal on this pristine open-box camera but I think it is worth the $70-80 investment. I plan to use this camera anyway and may end up buying only these if I like how it performs somewhere other than my desk. You do still have to keep sensor sizes in mind but this should give you a decent idea of the focal length that you need at various locations.

 

[JHS12]

Dear Denny,

I am interested in your further experience with the Chinese versions. I am living in China and have a home in Florida which I would like to equip with some cams. Since I seem to get the Chinese versions of turret style cams here for half of the price of the American versions, I am thinking about buying 2-3 cams here to take home.
Is there a list of which Chinese model number compares to which International one?

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Dear Denny,

I am interested in your further experience with the Chinese versions. I am living in China and have a home in Florida which I would like to equip with some cams. Since I seem to get the Chinese versions of turret style cams here for half of the price of the American versions, I am thinking about buying 2-3 cams here to take home.
Is there a list of which Chinese model number compares to which International one?

你是中国人还装什么国际版本呢，直接装中文的不就好啦。