I'm looking for a dome camera better than 4K

[bphillips]

I currently have Amcrest 4K cameras on my house. They are good, but I'm wondering if there is something better. I particularly would like something better for my driveway cameras so I can read license plates more clearly. Here is what they currently look like.





Does anyone know of a camera that would be better than this?

 

[wittaj]

You need OPTICAL zoom not DIGITAL zoom....

You may get away with some digital zoom in daytime, but the less the light, the less the ability to DIGITAL zoom.

Realistically if you want to capture plates consistently at that distance you need a varifocal OPTICALLY zoomed to that area.

This isn't Hollywood and the sensors are too small for a lot of digital zoom.

Now those Amcrest are cheap budget cams that put an 8MP on the same sensor as a 2MP, so it will not perform very well.

You would have better luck with the 5442 series or the 4K/T. But the 4K/T cannot see infrared, so you need to have available light or be willing to use the built-in white LED. But both will have a problem with digital zoom at night at that distance...

A 2MP varifocal optically zoomed to that distance will outperform a 2.8mm 4K camera at that same distance being digitally zoomed.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[looney2ns]

^^^^+1

This falls under the heading of trying to do too much with one camera.
Reading license plates requires a dedicated camera for the job.

Digital zoom only works in the movies, not in realty.

You would need another camera such as the 5442 mentioned above, zoomed in to the area where a license plate would pass within the field of View.

 

[Rob2020]

Take a look at the IPC-B5442E-Z4E, about $250, this will give you good range to read a plate on the driveway picture you posted.

My 5442 3.6 fixed will not read plates at 50', 40' maybe with some characters fuzzy as is that a 5 or S, 30' generally always.

 

[samplenhold]

See the LPR threads. Checkout these also:

New to LPR? Considerations Before You Begin

Thought I would throw together a post on my experiences so far with LPR in an effort to help others that are considering running down that rabbit hole. There are some practical considerations you should know about LPR. I am approaching this from the position of using Blue Iris and Plate...

ipcamtalk.com

LPR Case Study: Scoping, Planning, Proof of Concept, Installation, & Results

Introduction This thread is about my journey into LPR (License Plate Recognition) after having about 18 months of experience with IP cams and having quite a bit of my system finished. I am not an expert on LPR, or IP cameras either. But I have spent a lot of time working with my system and...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Parley]

Here is the problem with your 4K cameras. "CMOS 1/2.7” 8MP progressive CMOS image sensor". The sensor for a 4K camera should be a 1/1.2" or larger. That sensor on your camera would be fine on a 2MP camera.

 

[Flintstone61]

here is a 3241 ZAS 2MP varifocal from Empiretech, just for a frame of reference or example of what @wittaj means. I'm using little or no zoom, and the plate is visible enough to read, but im not zoomed on it. although that is not it's use case scenario in this instance.

also is a 5mp Amcrest 1179ew for your viewing pleasure.
And last but not least is the 4MP 5442 bullet camera zoomed in about 2/3rds of max. easily catching a plate from its mount on the back of the fucking house! to an intersection 120 feet away! and also a night shot.

 

[Flintstone61]

The 5442 varifocal turret is popular for your situation. probably even two of them. for your driveway. Sometimes trying to do too much with one cam compromises it. the result would be similar to my 5442 Bullet at your distances.
they have the better sensor than the Amcrest.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C77TNY9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[mat200]

I currently have Amcrest 4K cameras on my house. They are good, but I'm wondering if there is something better. I particularly would like something better for my driveway cameras so I can read license plates more clearly. Here is what they currently look like.

View attachment 155499

View attachment 155500

Does anyone know of a camera that would be better than this?

Hi @bphillips

As noted by @wittaj @looney2ns @Rob2020 @samplenhold @Parley @Flintstone61 ..


The solution is MORE cameras .. lol as one noted here .. Camera's multiply like rabbits .. since we're talking rabbits ..




That noted, I would try to have a few cameras covering that driveway and garage areas .. remember to check the DORI specs, DORI section of the cliff notes .. and the as well as the IPVM calculator .. ( IPVM Designer / Calculator )



FYI - adding the camera in question mentioned to the thread, .. note, Amcrest does also at times have better models ..

 

[bphillips]

Thanks for the feedback!

I do have a 2nd driveway camera, but it's positioned to only catch license plates as a car enters the driveway, and they aren't great. I use Home Assistant to read license plates in order to open the garage door based on the plate and other rules. I'm looking for a camera that can help that work easier.

I ordered one of the 5442 cameras to try out.

 

[wittaj]

Yeah a 5442 varifocal would be the good choice for that distance.

Ideally, you would like the field of view to basically be not much larger than the vehicle, like the red box below. Sure you could get away with a wider view, but if plates are your primary objective, you need to set it up for that role:




I hope you have some additional rules in order to open that garage door because it is really easy to fake a plate and gain access to the garage!

 

[bphillips]

Yeah a 5442 varifocal would be the good choice for that distance.

Ideally, you would like the field of view to basically be not much larger than the vehicle, like the red box below. Sure you could get away with a wider view, but if plates are your primary objective, you need to set it up for that role:

View attachment 155614


I hope you have some additional rules in order to open that garage door because it is really easy to fake a plate and gain access to the garage!

Yep, right now it just reads my house cleaner's plate. It has a condition to only trigger on the days and times she is scheduled to be there. It also sends me a notification on my phone with a snapshot of the camera so I can confirm it's her. The notification also has an action button I can press to trigger the alarm.

I see your point that a plate can be faked. And if I was a mob boss or in the witness protection program I might be concerned about that.

 

[Flintstone61]

@wittaj dude your so suspicious......you in the W P program? lol Were you the electronics pro from Oceans 11?

 

[wittaj]

@wittaj dude your so suspicious......you in the W P program? lol Were you the electronics pro from Oceans 11?

LOL - automation is good unless it is easy to fool, then it becomes a liability.