Is HFW5231E-Z5 Bullet possibly better than the HDW5231E-Z turret ?

[jeremylatz]

As far as I can see the 5231E-Z5 is a bullet which goes up to 35mm but has no microphone. 5321E-Z goes to 12mm and has built in microphone.

A friend reckons the Z5 is much cheaper. But what is the downside, and what is the real function of the microphone on the camera? Are folks trying to pick up voices? And is more variation in zoom not better?

*Confused*

 

[mat200]

As far as I can see the 5231E-Z5 is a bullet which goes up to 35mm but has no microphone. 5321E-Z goes to 12mm and has built in microphone.

A friend reckons the Z5 is much cheaper. But what is the downside, and what is the real function of the microphone on the camera? Are folks trying to pick up voices? And is more variation in zoom not better?

*Confused*

Hi Jeremy,

When looking at varifocal cameras you want to find one which meets the "zoom" you desire.
( Also note that there is a bullet version of the 5231E-Z, iirc the price is <= to the Z5 bullet version )

You can test a simulation with:
IPVM Camera Calculator V3

Also bullet form factors allow for more room for a varifocal lens than the turret, thus why the turret models only are available up to a certain magnification, whereas the bullets can be made to handle more "zoom".

For many here they would prefer the turret form factor over the bullet for a number of reasons, the most popular one is issues with spider webs due to the bugs being attracted by the IR lights. ( I have a nice ultra bullet 82xx model and have no issues with spiders as I keep it running in color mode )

 

[aristobrat]

A friend reckons the Z5 is much cheaper.

Bullet costs a little more.

The Z5 is $190.
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The turret is $177.
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As far as I can see the 5231E-Z5 is a bullet which goes up to 35mm but has no microphone. 5321E-Z goes to 12mm and has built in microphone.

Remember that the bullet *starts* at 7mm zoom, which is too narrow for many folks. The 5321E-Z starts at 2.7mm zoom.

what is the real function of the microphone on the camera? Are folks trying to pick up voices?

I pick up voices with my 5231 turrets. The microphone works great (after disabling the "noise suppression" feature in the config).

And is more variation in zoom not better?

The zoom on these cameras is "set and forget". When you install them, you set the zoom for the field-of-view that you're after, and then you're done. These are not designed to act like traditional PTZ cameras, where they're zooming in/out on a regular basis. So in that sense, I don't see "more variation in zoom" as necessarily making either camera better than the other.

You use the IPVM Camera Calculator that @mat200 linked to above to figure out the zoom that you need for the shot you're going after. If both models have the zoom you need, then IMO the edge goes towards the turret because like @mat200 mentioned, their physical shape (and how they do IR) typically attracts fewer spiders, which means less time cleaning off the camera.

One thing to consider with the Z5 is that as you zoom in, the width of the field-of-view decreases. So while it can be used to ID someone 90 feet away from the camera, remember that it's only going to be able see an area that's few feet wide, which means you have got to make sure the person walks through that limited area that the camera sees. That's something that the IPVM Camera Calculator tool will show you that.

 

[bug99]

When looking at these cameras, i find that it is best to look at horizontal field of view (H FOV) vs lens length as it more correctly reflects zoom. In the case of the Z5 here, it starts where the Z ends and zooms in ~3x from there. The Z12 on the other hand, overlaps with 12:1 zoom. I find the Z5 a pain to use due to its lack of wide angle except in a long corridor vertically oriented. The Z12 zooms further and wider for only a couple more dollars, if i cant use the turret in the Z zoom range.

 

[jeremylatz]

@aristobrat that is so helpful - thank you. Gosh there is so much to learn about these things. thanks again.

 

[jeremylatz]

@mat200 I'll check out the calc - excellent! And yes I didn't think of spiders, but we have a lot of them so that's going to be important, thanks again!

 

[jeremylatz]

When looking at these cameras, i find that it is best to look at horizontal field of view (H FOV) vs lens length as it more correctly reflects zoom. In the case of the Z5 here, it starts where the Z ends and zooms in ~3x from there. The Z12 on the other hand, overlaps with 12:1 zoom. I find the Z5 a pain to use due to its lack of wide angle except in a long corridor vertically oriented. The Z12 zooms further and wider for only a couple more dollars, if i cant use the turret in the Z zoom range.

@bug99

Thanks, the Z12 is presumably
IPC-HFW5231E-Z12

Do you use the bullets bug99?

 

[bug99]

Yes. I use bullets, domes and turrets in various locations and for various reasons. In most locations, i prefer the turret. I wish it came in a Z12 range, even if larger form factor, but as on now, it does not. If i am installing indoors or under a covered porch where i do not want it to be obvious what angle the camera is pointed, i prefer the mini-dome, usually in color 24/7.

If you need more zoom than the turret Z range, the Z12 bullet is likely the best next step then one of the many PTZs.

Use the camera calculator web site for help with layout. A good rule of thumb might be that 1920 pixels across 20 ft width (HFOV@distance of interest) is about 100 pixels per foot that is needed for good ID shot with normal-low light.