IPC-HFW5241E-Z12E Focus Blues

[rfj]

I have a IPC-HFW5241E-Z12E as an LPR. It works really well EXCEPT for focus. Sometimes it works but sometimes the focus is quite a lot off. I followed the BlueIris way to switch between night and day.

Dahua day/night switch utility - DahuaSunriseSunset

What happens is that the focus is off, not every day but at least a couple of times a week. When I go to the camera's web portal I see focus values that I am almost 100% certain I didn't set (I have notes). When I set it back to my notes then everything is fine. The way I set focus is

1) Go to the Conditions tab (under Camera -> Conditions).
2) Select the Profile, e.g. Night
3) Switch to the Zoom and Focus tab.
4) Adjust the focus
5) Switch back to the Conditions tab
6) Hit Save

Then repeat for the other profile, e.g. Day. Initially I struggled that the setting would stick. Then they seemed to stick but every other day or so I get some random focus, neither what I set for day or night. I played with this so much I am out of ideas how to get this to work. What is strange is that both the Conditions tab and the Profile Management tabs (see attachment) have a selection for the Profile and a Save button. However, the Zoom and Focus tab does not. It appears to me that there is only one setting for Zoom and Focus (independent of the profile). But then why do I get those random numbers for focus every so often?

In case it matters, system version is V2.820.15HM000.0.R, Build Date: 2020-11-14

 

[wittaj]

Is the focus set to manual in the camera GUI?

Some here have experienced floating focus and one fix is to use Task Schedule and use the focus API to periodically send the focus command to the camera.

 

[rfj]

According to the screenshot it is set to manual. Do you happen to have any links to the "focus API" solution? And how do I send the focus API periodically? Is it a camera problem, a camera configuration issue, or something else?

 

[Flintstone61]

I could not reliably catch as many plates trying to have it both ways. I used the Day/night utility, and being somewhat new, and having security as a small part of my job....I di not get the time to Learn how to tweak the camera GUI for the switch, because I was off site 16 hours of the day.
So i got my best results leaving it in B&W. I get almost all the plates all the time,,, and let some other cameras see the colors.
The crime happens mostly in the wee hours. and in some instance it would catch the camera in transition in th e morning with a switch to color mode, and not enough light to read the plates.
whereas the IR just does not fail me.

 

[wittaj]

Try this script:
http://IPADRESS/cgi-bin/devVideoInput.cgi?action=adjustFocus&focus=0.718960&zoom=0.713841

Where the focus and zoom number come from the utility

Dahua Starlight Varifocal Bullet Z12 5.3-64mm (IPC-HFW5231E-Z12)

Can anyone publish some demo-video of this cam at the daytime and different focusing distances? Thanks.

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