Hello, everyone!
@EMPIRETECANDY reached out to me a few months ago, wanting to send me one of the new 4MP Starlight+ cameras to test and review, and I happily agreed. Thanks, Andy!
I asked for a wide angle IR turret, so this review features the 2.8mm lens version of the camera.
IPC-HDW5442TM-AS
4MP WDR IR Eyeball AI Network Camera
Links
Dahua Product Link: IPC-HDW5442TM-AS
Amazon USA Link (2.8mm): Amazon USA Link (3.6mm): Aliexpress Link: US $158.31 6% OFF|2019 New Arriving IP Camera IPC T5442TM AS 4MP Starlight+ WDR IR Eyeball AI Network Camera , free DHL shipping-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
@looney2ns review of the 3.6mm version: Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+
^^ Definitely check that out too, because @looney2ns is far more thorough than I am.
Review
This will be a bit of an unconventional review, because I'm an unconventional user and certainly not a professional reviewer. I will be focusing on low-light and night performance. Later, there will be a direct side-by-side comparison with the IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (2MP Full Color Starlight) to see which one comes out on top.
Test Setup
In preparation for capturing these clips, I turned off the IR on all other nearby cameras.
You should know, I configured the camera's encoding parameters like this:
Lets get straight to the video samples.
I see two obvious flaws here.
1) Close subjects are washed out
As noticed in @looney2ns earlier review, when left on automatic exposure settings, the camera struggles with washing out close subjects. This is partly because the firmware is lacking the common Smart IR feature (tested on firmware V2.680.0000000.5.R, Build Date: 2019-04-04).
Seeing this, I made a point of testing Smart IR on one of my older 2MP Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-Z cameras. See the difference for yourself:
2) Moving subjects in low light are blurred and low quality
This is a 100% crop from the no-IR clip where I was walking. I am quite sure the image artifacts come from 3D Noise Reduction (3D NR), which works by blending multiple frames together so that random noise cancels itself out. Unfortunately, in low-contrast situations like this, the noise reduction algorithm has trouble telling what is noise and what is real, so you end up with that mess.
In an effort to improve the situation, I tried reducing the 3D NR setting from its default value of 50.
Even taking it down just one notch to 49, annoying artifacts appear at random, scattered across the video. This really isn't a great option. Great low light performance is as much a result of strong noise reduction as it is the result of a large, advanced sensor.
For giggles, these snapshots were taken with 3D NR disabled entirely. I won't be showing a video of this because YouTube's re-encoding process would only make it look worse. Check these out at their native resolution. shudder
As a Weather Camera
I ran this as a weather camera for a couple of weeks, side-by-side with an IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (2MP Full Color Starlight), both configured to allow maximum exposure time (1/3 second) and gain to achieve brighter night images. Here are timelapse videos from each.
tip: use < and > keys to skip frame-by-frame
Conclusions
I decided this camera should be my new backyard overview. It is leaps and bounds better than the piece of junk ACTi E77 dome which used to occupy this spot.
ACTi E77:
Dahua IPC-HDW5442TM-AS
Overall, this is a pretty good camera, but I do not plan to buy any myself. At the time of this review, its price is $158.31-$175.59, and I remind you, that is for a fixed lens. The lack of Smart IR is also a negative mark against it.
If I am looking for the best low light performance, I'll buy a 2MP IPC-HDW2231R-ZS or IPC-HDW5231R-ZE instead, and probably save some money. If I am looking for higher resolution, I'll buy an 8MP IPC-HFW1831E, again saving money. And if I want the best weather cam for a dark area, I'll choose the 2MP IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (still saving $$). If Dahua manages to add Smart IR in a firmware update, then I think this camera will start to make more sense to me. Until then, I do not believe the difference between 2 MP and 4 MP is enough to justify the increased price and lack of Smart IR.
@EMPIRETECANDY reached out to me a few months ago, wanting to send me one of the new 4MP Starlight+ cameras to test and review, and I happily agreed. Thanks, Andy!
I asked for a wide angle IR turret, so this review features the 2.8mm lens version of the camera.
IPC-HDW5442TM-AS
4MP WDR IR Eyeball AI Network Camera
Links
Dahua Product Link: IPC-HDW5442TM-AS
Amazon USA Link (2.8mm): Amazon USA Link (3.6mm): Aliexpress Link: US $158.31 6% OFF|2019 New Arriving IP Camera IPC T5442TM AS 4MP Starlight+ WDR IR Eyeball AI Network Camera , free DHL shipping-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
@looney2ns review of the 3.6mm version: Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+
^^ Definitely check that out too, because @looney2ns is far more thorough than I am.
Review
This will be a bit of an unconventional review, because I'm an unconventional user and certainly not a professional reviewer. I will be focusing on low-light and night performance. Later, there will be a direct side-by-side comparison with the IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (2MP Full Color Starlight) to see which one comes out on top.
Test Setup
In preparation for capturing these clips, I turned off the IR on all other nearby cameras.
You should know, I configured the camera's encoding parameters like this:
Lets get straight to the video samples.
I see two obvious flaws here.
1) Close subjects are washed out
As noticed in @looney2ns earlier review, when left on automatic exposure settings, the camera struggles with washing out close subjects. This is partly because the firmware is lacking the common Smart IR feature (tested on firmware V2.680.0000000.5.R, Build Date: 2019-04-04).
Seeing this, I made a point of testing Smart IR on one of my older 2MP Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-Z cameras. See the difference for yourself:
2) Moving subjects in low light are blurred and low quality
This is a 100% crop from the no-IR clip where I was walking. I am quite sure the image artifacts come from 3D Noise Reduction (3D NR), which works by blending multiple frames together so that random noise cancels itself out. Unfortunately, in low-contrast situations like this, the noise reduction algorithm has trouble telling what is noise and what is real, so you end up with that mess.
In an effort to improve the situation, I tried reducing the 3D NR setting from its default value of 50.
Even taking it down just one notch to 49, annoying artifacts appear at random, scattered across the video. This really isn't a great option. Great low light performance is as much a result of strong noise reduction as it is the result of a large, advanced sensor.
For giggles, these snapshots were taken with 3D NR disabled entirely. I won't be showing a video of this because YouTube's re-encoding process would only make it look worse. Check these out at their native resolution. shudder
As a Weather Camera
I ran this as a weather camera for a couple of weeks, side-by-side with an IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (2MP Full Color Starlight), both configured to allow maximum exposure time (1/3 second) and gain to achieve brighter night images. Here are timelapse videos from each.
tip: use < and > keys to skip frame-by-frame
Conclusions
I decided this camera should be my new backyard overview. It is leaps and bounds better than the piece of junk ACTi E77 dome which used to occupy this spot.
ACTi E77:
Dahua IPC-HDW5442TM-AS
Overall, this is a pretty good camera, but I do not plan to buy any myself. At the time of this review, its price is $158.31-$175.59, and I remind you, that is for a fixed lens. The lack of Smart IR is also a negative mark against it.
If I am looking for the best low light performance, I'll buy a 2MP IPC-HDW2231R-ZS or IPC-HDW5231R-ZE instead, and probably save some money. If I am looking for higher resolution, I'll buy an 8MP IPC-HFW1831E, again saving money. And if I want the best weather cam for a dark area, I'll choose the 2MP IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (still saving $$). If Dahua manages to add Smart IR in a firmware update, then I think this camera will start to make more sense to me. Until then, I do not believe the difference between 2 MP and 4 MP is enough to justify the increased price and lack of Smart IR.
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