Hoping for some advice on some adjustments I can make to my LPR camera

[bigredfish]

It just doesnt look to me like youre getting enough IR on the plate.
Are you positive the camera IR is on? Can you see the red glow of the IR emitters?

Im using a 200ft rated external illuminator in addition to the onboard IR at 100%.

I will say I get a LOT more artifacts and trailing from the 5241 than I did the older 5231. Its very noticeable.

These are at 100+ ft. Same camera


my settings


Capture point

 

[morelup]

It just doesnt look to me like youre getting enough IR on the plate.
Are you positive the camera IR is on? Can you see the red glow of the IR emitters?

Im using a 200ft rated external illuminator in addition to the onboard IR at 100%.

I will say I get a LOT more artifacts and trailing from the 5241 than I did the older 5231. Its very noticeable.

These are at 100+ ft. Same camera
View attachment 146102 View attachment 146103 View attachment 146104 View attachment 146105 View attachment 146107

my settings
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Capture point
View attachment 146119 View attachment 146121 View attachment 146120

I don't disagree it seems like the IR doesn't reach that far on this camera, you'd think a camera's IR would be designed to reach the practical range of the camera >.> how do you power the illuminator?

 

[bigredfish]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0771HSGH4/

Has its own adapter.

This is the newer model, Ive not tried but specs sound awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FQB2K78/

 

[wittaj]

I don't disagree it seems like the IR doesn't reach that far on this camera, you'd think a camera's IR would be designed to reach the practical range of the camera >.> how do you power the illuminator?

Have you enclosed the camera to try to hide it and it is in essence not allowing all of the IR to get to it?

What we have noticed is the spec'd range of IR needs to be cut at least half if not 75%. Those specs are based on an ideal stationary object with a slow shutter speed. The faster the shutter, the shorter the effective range.

But even then, I am getting plates at 175 feet without additional IR and there is zero additional light in this area - no streetlights or neighbors with lights on:

 

[Vettester]

I don't disagree it seems like the IR doesn't reach that far on this camera, you'd think a camera's IR would be designed to reach the practical range of the camera >.> how do you power the illuminator?

Hmmm... I'm getting good results at 100' without using an external IR.

 

[Flintstone61]

Oh yeah wittaj mentions a good point.....When my 5231 was in it's hiding spot....i was getting grainy soft plates. when I pulled the nose of the camera forward and exposed 1 inch of it....I had a completely different experience with the camera and was able to start over and get good reflection of the IR Lights.

 

[Flintstone61]

First attempts were grainy or lacked sharpness and clarity

 

[morelup]

Oh yeah wittaj mentions a good point.....When my 5231 was in it's hiding spot....i was getting grainy soft plates. when I pulled the nose of the camera forward and exposed 1 inch of it....I had a completely different experience with the camera and was able to start over and get good reflection of the IR Lights.

The camera is completely unexposed, just mounted under my houses soffit. And there is even a street light about 120 feet behind the cars.

 

[morelup]

hah, now with my latest adjustments, got the plate of this one, but thing i found funny is it doesn't even see the tail lights which were on when the car passed based on my other camera

Had the sharpness high and contract low which probably caused some of my issues. new settings below.

Also attached photo from ipvm, looks like it is ~115 feet to that grate, and the bottom right circle is a street light.

 

[trapper]

I could be wrong but try bumping up the gain to 60 it will add more light and allow for other adjustments

 

[morelup]

I'll bump that up a bit tonight and see how that goes.

 

[trapper]

this is approx 175 ft away, you are just a few small adjustments away from getting it. I struggled for weeks due to limited night traffic. I changed camera location several times thinking it was bad angles when along it was just tweeking the gain and sharpness sprinkled with a little less brightness.

 

[bigredfish]

I could be wrong but try bumping up the gain to 60 it will add more light and allow for other adjustments

Agree. A little more gain and Mebbe a little more Iris …

 

[Flintstone61]

I think your aiming out past good IR........have you tried turning the camera slightly right to shorten the distance? In that picture, with the white van, could you try and aim the camera 10 feet in front of the VAn, and see if you get more Plate reflectivity? and also benefit from a larger plate image.

 

[Vettester]

I think your aiming out past good IR.

I agree you need to try and focus on an area closer to your house.

For reference here's what's working for me at night.

 

[morelup]

Cranked up gain and iris a bit (a lot a bit with iris) and 1:2 so far. time to tinker more. But that one that did come in looked much more like your all's plates. looks like the lighted was almost too light, so will turn down iris a bit and see how it works

 

[bigredfish]

Getting there!

That’s noise on that lit plate. I’d play with gain and DNR.

How are you capturing those? Are you just randomly grabbing a frame? When a vehicle goes through the capture zone you’ll get multiple frames depending on speed, length of travel, and your fps. That’s why I like 30fps. More chances on snagging a good frame.

The frame that trips the alert (IVS or SMD) isn’t always the best frame…

 

[Vettester]

Yep, raise your DNR and I think you've got it.

 

[morelup]

I lowered iris a little to see how that does, but if it makes it worse i'll bump it back up and try upping the noise reduction a little.

 

[bigredfish]

I got 47 frames of this car with a so-so plate. Maybe not the best example but if you study the full size images and the numbers/letters, you'll see why I like frame #5 best

It may seem like splitting hairs, but when you get that one really bad plate its nice to get a lot of chances

Random frames 5,13,18,20,28,47


Here;s another. Was traveling faster and got 28 frames.