Zoom/Focus Problems on Day/Night Switch

[firepong]

So for context, I have a EmpireTech IPC-B52IR-Z12E S2 (Which by my understanding, is a Dahua rebrand for the US market) that I have been getting setup and dialed in over the last couple days.

What I am having a problem with is that for both Day and Night, I have to set different Focus levels for each. Right now, I have my Zoom/Focus set at manual on a Day/Night schedule so that I can use B/W for night and color for day. I want to leave the zoom at what it is currently, which is 925, but change the focus to where everything is good for both. For Day setting, the focus is best at 1600 and for Night, its 1570-1572. Now, if it's easier to change Zoom over focus, I would be fine with leaving focus as is and just automate the Zoom to match that given focus number for Day/Night scheduling.

Now I saw DahuaSunriseSunset, but it has not been upgraded in almost 4 years, so didn't want to chance that the firmware that is on my camera might cause issues with the software. But if it works, I will give it a go and download that to test.

Now, if there is a way to get all of this setup to where it does it automatically through Home Assistant (Or Frigate as well since I currently use that over BI), that would be preferable as I do shutdown my PC's in the house and do not have them powered on over night (I do have my main rack server powered on over night since it does all my automation stuff throughout the night, which is why I mentioned HA/Frigate).

I know the above has probably been talked about a ton, I just don't know the best way to search for a solution without finding a ton of threads about the specific camera itself.

Below is some example snapshots of the cameras reading license plates themselves, which for me, is a really nice picture for both Day/Night modes that I just want to get automated so that I don't have to go in every morning and evening to mess with Zoom/Focus.

EDIT* I know the angle is not optimal, but my neighbors driveway will not let me shoot the camera further down the street to get a more straight-on angle to the back of the vehicle (This is also why the camera itself is about 10FT of the ground instead of closer to where it should probably be.

 

[bigredfish]

I use a Schedule profile, on the new GUI they call it Customized Scene.
Separate Day and Night profiles. Have to for exposure anyway

This way, using Manaul focus, you can set day and night to different values which it remembers.

 

[firepong]

I use a Schedule profile, on the new GUI they call it Customized Scene.
Separate Day and Night profiles. Have to for exposure anyway

This way, using Manaul focus, you can set day and night to different values which it remembers.


View attachment 222084

So the schedules remember the zoom/focus settings? From what I can tell, mine do not change when the day/night schedule auto changes, even with the time plan settings at specific times in manual mode. Its about a 20 point difference on focus for night vs day mode. I will go back into again tonight and see if it does actually change. Maybe the change just isn't needed, but it does seem to be more clear on night mode with a -20 focus compared to what it is on day mode, as seen in the pictures above. I also sturdy-ed up the camera as well because I noticed last night when the wind was blowing really hard that it was moving just a little, in which I added a bracket on the camera mount this morning that made it solid.

P.S. This is my first Dahua camera, in which all of my previous ones are Reolink. Just that from reading on here before I joined as well as searching google that for the price, you could not beat this camera in LPR performance, which I have noticed after getting it setup (First time doing a LPR camera).

 

[bigredfish]

Yes, day and night require different zoom/focus.

By using MANUAL and using 1 step increments (not the default 20) it holds different focus for night /day

You need to use Customized Scene, not Day/Night

 

[firepong]

Yes, day and night require different zoom/focus.

By using MANUAL and using 1 step increments (not the default 20) it holds different focus for night /day

You need to use Customized Scene, not Day/Night

That makes sense. I was already using the Customized Scene option, but didn't know about the problems with using anything other than the 1 step increment until this morning when I was searching for how to make the problem above automatic. Ill do that tonight and see how it works out for me in the morning and probably report back here on if it worked.

EDIT* Do I need to go into the camera settings and hit apply or does the focus/zoom settings automagically save to the given day/night cycle?

 

[bigredfish]

I go back and hit apply always.

Over the years with Dahua I’ve got into a habit of APPLY APPLY APPLY REFRESH for just about any setting change. But then I’m a big believer in overkill

 

[bigredfish]

I forgot to mention, even though I set manual focus for both day and night (IR shift is what it’s called I believe) , I still make the switch while there’s plenty of light. So I switch profiles about 45 min before sunset. The camera still wants something to focus on.
Same with morning transition, I wait 45 min after sunrise

 

[firepong]

I forgot to mention, even though I set manual focus for both day and night (IR shift is what it’s called I believe) , I still make the switch while there’s plenty of light. So I switch profiles about 45 min before sunset. The camera still wants something to focus on.
Same with morning transition, I wait 45 min after sunrise

I have my afternoons set for 20min right now and 15 for my mornings because of the sun rising straight into my camera. I'll probably be fine tuning it in the coming days to make sure that it is reading fine.

Also, for the Day/Night settings, do you use B/W for night and Color for days or? Trying to see which one I should use. Right now its on Auto and I think this might be a problem on why I might be loosing focus of plates while on manual zoom/focus.

 

[bigredfish]

Oh yeah definitely. B&W Night Color Day. Never Auto