Review of the Hikvision OEM model IPC-T2347G-LU 'ColorVu' IP CCTV camera.

[alastairstevenson]

This is a user review of the Hikvision OEM model IPC-T2347G-LU 'ColorVu' IP CCTV camera.

The IPC-T2347G-LU is one of a new-generation of large sensor, high-definition, ultra-low light IP cameras from Hikvision.
One of it's main claims is the ability to operate in colour in near dark conditions, assisted as needed by white light LEDs instead of the familiar IR LEDs.

DS-2CD2347G1-L(U)

Hikvision DS-2CD2347G1-L(U) 4 MP ColorVu Fixed Turret Network Camera

www.hikvision.com

Disclosure : The sample under review has been provided free of charge by @EMPIRETECANDY Andy for the purpose of creating an unbiased and fair review which should be of interest to IPCamTalk readers.
Andy is a familiar and supportive member of the IPCamTalk community, with an IPCT vendor entry here :

EmpireTech Andy

Dahua products

ipcamtalk.com

Andy has on-line stores :
AliExpress : Buy Products Online from China Wholesalers at Aliexpress.com
Amazon : EmpireTech-Andy @ Amazon.com:
**Edit** US stock for this model is here : Amazon.com : Loryta IPC-T2347G-LU 4MP ColorVu Fixed Turret Network Camera Full Time Color English Version (4MM) ... : Camera & Photo
Email: kingsecurity2014 (at) 163 (dot) com


In summary :
As a long-time IP camera user, from the early days of cheap Chinese 720p domes and bullets, through Hikvision's R0/R6 series and then their early attempts at ultra-low-light 3MP models to counter Dahua's technical and market lead, and various Chinese and DIY cameras using Sony's 'Starlight' sensors - I'm not quite blown away with this new ColorVu model, but I do think that overall it's very good and definitely worth some attention.

The plus :
The low-light performance in colour is the best I've seen so far, by a fair margin.
And it's a revelation to have multiple browser support under both Windows and Linux that includes Live View without resorting to plugins, using the browser 'Websocket' protocol. Except for IE11, which still requires an updated 'Webcomponents' plugin. I tested using Firefox, Chrome and IE11 in Linux Mint and Win7.
The apparently optional Windows LocalServiceComponents program provides CPU-efficient decoding for video rendering in the browser.
The white supplemental illumination LEDs are bright, and capable of illuminating a dark scene quite well.
It's mechanically very solid, with a cast metal base.

The minus :
Whilst understanding that Hikvision have pitched this model at a specific use case - always-on colour in low light scenes, with supplemental white light LEDs, I do think they have missed a trick or two that unnecessarily narrows the use case.
There is no event 'Linkage action' to activate the supplemental white-light LEDs, unlike Dahua's motion-triggered spotlight models. Perhaps a firmware update beyond the 5.6.2 will change that.
This precludes using the camera for scenes where always-on visible lighting is not wanted, where there is enough light available to trigger motion events and then turn on the supplemental illumination to improve scene capture, as is done with a PIR-triggered floodlight.
And, oddly, unless it's just me that thinks this, there is no auto IR-cut, just a permanent IR filter, so in night mode supplemental IR from other sources can't be used to help illuminate the scene.

The multiple browser support is (at last) a big step forward, enabling good access to Live View and the web GUI under Linux as well as Windows, but for Linux users there are a few web GUI quirks that could be usefully fixed up.
The very CPU-efficient 'LocalServiceComponents' video decoding/rendering program is Windows-specific, so in Linux the camera Live View is pretty CPU-intensive. And 'LocalServiceComponents' annoyingly always triggers the Windows UAC 'Allow this program ...' on Windows startup.


There is enough interest in ColorVu models that there already exist some threads and reviews, for example :

EmpireTech's got Hikvision Cameras?! (IPC-T2347G-LU)

First I thought I was going mad. Spotted a few Hikvision Cameras on Andy's Aliexpress store. Empiretech only sells Dahua Cams right? ...... I shot Andy off a message to find out what was going on. He showed me some color low light footage of this new IPC-T2347G-LU . Mind blown! Ordered one on...

ipcamtalk.com

New ColorVu cameras

Does anyone have some hands on experience with the new ColorVu cams? Any thoughts or experiences your willing to share? I'm trying to see if I can be persuaded to pull the trigger on a new purchase. ColorVuSearch

ipcamtalk.com

It's practically a given these days that almost every IP CCTV camera whatever the brand gives very good daytime imagery.
Of particular interest therefore will be the low-light performance, so I'll do some comparison with other Hikvision low-light models.
And expand a bit on any quirks I come across.

 

[alastairstevenson]

I thought it would be useful to do a same-scene comparison with a couple of other Hikvision ultra-low-light models.
Whichever way this is done ends up as a bit subjective, after discounting the likely accuracy of any given specifications.
For the record, these images were taken using :

DS-2CD2335FWD-I
3MP 1/2.8" Progressive Scan CMOS
Color: 0.008 lux @(F1.6, AGC ON), 0 lux with IR

DS-2CD3386FWDV2-IS
8MP 1/2" Progressive Scan CMOS
0.002 Lux @ (F1.2. AGC ON), 0 Lux with IR

ITC-2347G-LU
4MP 1/1.8" Progressive Scan CMOS
0.0014 @ (F1.0, AGC ON), 0 Lux with Light

The method I've used for the low-light colour comparison is to reduce each camera's slowest exposure time until the image quality is degraded.
I've picked 1/250 as that common boundary value.
The difference between that value, and the slowest value that could realistically be used to reduce motion blur gives an indication of the exposure 'headroom' available for that scene, in other words how well motion blur is able to be reduced.

It's interesting that on the ITC-2347G-LU there very little difference in the image quality between the 1/25s and the 1/250s samples, unlike the other models.
And the 1/1000s image is still marginally usable, which is amazing for what is a fairly dark scene.

Comparison images using the baseline 1/25s exposure



Comparison images using the 1/250s exposure


Other images at exposure 1/250



And the ColorVu at 1/1000

 

[alastairstevenson]

Here are some quirky things, or maybe bugs, or just observations.
Comments and questions welcome!


- In Firefox / Chrome under Linux there is no 'Local Settings' menu under Configuration in the web GUI.
None under Firefox under Windows until the LocalServiceComponents has been installed.

- In Firefox / Chrome under Linux, there is no 'Playback' or 'Picture' tab in the web GUI.
Presumably because there is no Linux version of the needed LocalServiceComponents helper program.

- In Firefox under Windows, there is no 'Playback' or 'Picture' tab in the web GUI if LocalServiceComponents has not been installed.
It only gets prompted for if the CPU(s) can't cope with the Live View heavy decoding load that occurs without it.

- Interesting to see the 'HTTP Listening' facility under Advanced Network settings. It may provide an open-ended trigger facility.

- There is no 'Auto' in Display Settings | Day/Night switch. That means you are stuck with either Day or Night or a fixed schedule switch. That does seem an odd and unwelcome omission.

- There is no 'Linkage Method' on any events to trigger the 'Supplemental illumination'. This means you either have to leave the white LEDs always active, or not use them at all. Not ideal for those who don't want always-on night-time white light illumination but would appreciate the improved video capture that turning on the white LEDs on an event would provide.

- In Firefox / Chrome under Linux, Firefox under Windows, setting up the Max/Min/Detection area settings for Intrusion detection / Line Crossing Detection seems a bit bugged, mostly not working, though better if starting with Min.

- It will be interesting to find out what enabling 'Metadata Settings is about.
Is it just new terminology for the ISAPI interface?
Or a new way to interface with other smart processing or management systems?
From the Help text :

Metadata Settings
Metadata is the raw data the camera collects before algorithm processing. Metadata of intrusion detection, line crossing detection, region entrance detection, region exiting detection, unattended baggage detection, object removal, queue management and face capture are supported. If enabled, the metadata of the corresponding event are available for users to explore the possibility of various data usage.
The metadata of the smart event includes the target ID, target coordinate and time information.
The metadata of queue management includes the rule information, region ID, target ID, target coordinate and time information. The camera detects the whole image by default. If the region is configured in the queue management settings, the camera detects the configured region.
The metadata of face capture includes the rule information, target ID, target coordinate, face grading and time information. The camera detects the whole image by default. If the region is configured in the face capture settings, the camera detects the configured region.

 

[maschio]

Hi, first post here after registering long ago.

Great review with plenty of detail. Not many reviews around for these cameras that i can find so much appreciated.I recently swapped out two of my older HikV cameras with these colorvu versions and added a third to the rear of my house.

Very pleased with the results and think these are a worthy upgrade. The cost of the units was also pleasing considering the upgrade to the image detail, clarity, movement and of course colour at night. None of them are using the supplemental lighting.

The new camera to the rear for example is looking into almost pitch darkness and the detail is, to me, amazing. Currently debating replacing my last original Hik turret at the side.

When i originally installed my cameras around five years ago, once they were up and running i never bothered messing with settings, exposures etc and just left them alone so haven't got a deal of experience setting them but now with these new cameras i have had a play about and seem to keep coming back to mostly out of the box settings which suit my needs.

Overall very happy.

 

[nearyj]

Hi, first post here after registering long ago.

Great review with plenty of detail. Not many reviews around for these cameras that i can find so much appreciated.I recently swapped out two of my older HikV cameras with these colorvu versions and added a third to the rear of my house.

Very pleased with the results and think these are a worthy upgrade. The cost of the units was also pleasing considering the upgrade to the image detail, clarity, movement and of course colour at night. None of them are using the supplemental lighting.

The new camera to the rear for example is looking into almost pitch darkness and the detail is, to me, amazing. Currently debating replacing my last original Hik turret at the side.

When i originally installed my cameras around five years ago, once they were up and running i never bothered messing with settings, exposures etc and just left them alone so haven't got a deal of experience setting them but now with these new cameras i have had a play about and seem to keep coming back to mostly out of the box settings which suit my needs.

Overall very happy.

Comparison of Hikvision Darkfighter vs Powered by Darkfighter vs Colorvu
from 21.45mins

 

[pinko]

Couple of images of the IPC-T2347G-LU 'ColorVu' Camera.
Unboxed earlier in the week, quick setup and returned to box until I get time to install.


Out of the box first impressions of the images @ night were impressive. This camera has very good low light color ability.
Below: Balanced camera on top of fence post and took a screenshot with zero ambient light@factory defaults. Tons of insects causing artifacts, but still getting a very nice image.
I have also included an image of how dark it is in this area with the naked eye . To view the picture simply close your eyes,place one hand over your eyes and look around.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Post #3 updated.

Here are some quirky things, or maybe bugs, or just observations.
Comments and questions welcome!

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Thanks to @alastairstevenson great review! we will bring more and more new things here to play.

 

[Rebelx]

@alastairstevenson, many thanks for your review!

Could I use this one with my Dahua NVR 4108?

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

@alastairstevenson, many thanks for your review!

Could I use this one with my Dahua NVR 4108?

Has some trick. I will post some guide here soon.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Whilst understanding that Hikvision have pitched this model at a specific use case - always-on colour in low light scenes, with supplemental white light LEDs, I do think they have missed a trick or two that unnecessarily narrows the use case.
There is no event 'Linkage action' to activate the supplemental white-light LEDs, unlike Dahua's motion-triggered spotlight models. Perhaps a firmware update beyond the 5.6.2 will change that.

I had a look at the 5.5.83 firmware, and at the 5.6.2 SDK support, to see if there were are pre-existing triggers for turning on supplemental illumination.
I didn't see any - so it looks like this would have to be a feature addition for Hikvision as opposed to just a firmware patch.
A pity.

Spoiler: Trigger capabilities

Nothing in here about turning on whitelight or IRlight.



<EventTriggersCap version="2.0">
<DiskfullTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</DiskfullTriggerCap>
<DiskerrorTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</DiskerrorTriggerCap>
<NicbrokenTriggerCap> </NicbrokenTriggerCap>
<IpconflictTriggerCap> </IpconflictTriggerCap>
<IllaccesTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</IllaccesTriggerCap>
<FiledDetectTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportRecord>true</isSupportRecord>
<isSupportFTP>true</isSupportFTP>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</FiledDetectTriggerCap>
<LineDetectTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportRecord>true</isSupportRecord>
<isSupportFTP>true</isSupportFTP>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</LineDetectTriggerCap>
<UnattendedBaggageTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportRecord>true</isSupportRecord>
<isSupportFTP>true</isSupportFTP>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</UnattendedBaggageTriggerCap>
<AttendedBaggageTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportRecord>true</isSupportRecord>
<isSupportFTP>true</isSupportFTP>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</AttendedBaggageTriggerCap>
<MotionDetectionTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportRecord>true</isSupportRecord>
<isSupportFTP>true</isSupportFTP>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</MotionDetectionTriggerCap>
<TamperDetectionTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</TamperDetectionTriggerCap>
<FaceDetectionTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportRecord>true</isSupportRecord>
<isSupportFTP>true</isSupportFTP>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</FaceDetectionTriggerCap>
<SceneChangeDetectionTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportRecord>true</isSupportRecord>
<isSupportFTP>true</isSupportFTP>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</SceneChangeDetectionTriggerCap>
<StorageDetectionTriggerCap>
<isSupportCenter>true</isSupportCenter>
<isSupportEmail>true</isSupportEmail>
</StorageDetectionTriggerCap>
</EventTriggersCap>

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

This model will have some stock on Monday, so can pre-sell now on the aliexpress. US $160.64 5% OFF|2019 Latest New 4MP IPC T2347G LU ColorVu Fixed Turret Network Camera Full Time Color,Free DHL shipping on AliExpress - 11.11_Double 11_Singles' Day
Amazon

Amazon.com: Loryta IPC-T2347G-LU 4MP ColorVu Fixed Turret Network Camera Full Time Color English Version (6MM) …

Amazon.com: Loryta IPC-T2347G-LU 4MP ColorVu Fixed Turret Network Camera Full Time Color English Version (6MM) …

www.amazon.com

 

[s3ng]

Would this be more or less the same type of technology in this handheld action cam?

https://www.amazon.com/SiOnyx-Aurora-Sport-Vision-Camera/dp/B07XJ86Q8G?ref_=ast_sto_dp

 

[alastairstevenson]

Would this be more or less the same type of technology in this handheld action cam?

Well, it claims a low-light sensor but even the manufacturer website has no technical detail, except that it is a 720P resolution.

High resolution day only cameras have small pixels and sensor sizes, usually 4 to 5 mm. However, good night vision requires a larger sensor and big pixels. Very high resolution with big pixels require a very big sensor and an equally large lens — goodbye portability — and a budget busting price tag of more than 10x Aurora’s current cost.

 

[s3ng]

I looked at the videos where they show the it being compared with the gopro and it makes me wonder. Shame they don't post specs but I don't see it selling for that price and having some kind of super secret technology.

 

[s3ng]

There is a little info here SiOnyx Aurora Sport Water-Resistant IR Night Vision Camera

 

[s3ng]

The reason I'm asking in here is because a fixed mount camera would be better but I'd like to get the performance of this cam or better. I also found this info on it.
Sensor Ultra Low-Light CMOS
Resolution 1280x720
Pixel 10um
Video 720p
Night vision Near moonless starlight
100 Cummings Center, Suite 135P, Beverly, MA 01915; (978) 922-0684
www.sionyx.com; info@sionyx.com
Aurora Technical Details
Lens focal length 16mm
35mm equivalent focal length 47mm
Horizontal Field of View 41◦
F number 1.4, 2.0, 5.6 selectable

 

[harb]

Overall what is the general consensus on the DS-2CD2347G1-LU, Good / bad? Is the Dahua 5442 LED better?

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Overall what is the general consensus on the DS-2CD2347G1-LU, Good / bad? Is the Dahua 5442 LED better?

From my view, colorvu is better. If you are using with BI, can use hikvision one

 

[bigredfish]

Anyone have night video of the Colorvu with people in motion?