LPR camera addition

T

TheGooginator

Getting the hang of it
Jun 26, 2020
92
71
California
Yesterday I installed my recently received IPC-B5442E-Z4E from Andy and installed it on the front of my house just above my garage. I am intending to use this as an overview to my current IPC-HFW5241E-Z12E which I am still working on tweaking the position but haven't played with that camera in awhile. See the videos below for my LPR and my overview with the Z4E and please give me any critiques. My overview settings have not been changed at all and I would like to keep it in color at night.

Overview LPR


LPR
 
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Overview camera looks fairly good - can generally make out a vehicle color and type.

Looks like LPR needs to be raised up a bit and I would aim it toward the choke point "smallest part" of the cul-de-sac. Ideally I would like to see it zoomed in to just a vehicle, but someone could be leaving or entering that cul-de-sac over two lanes, so it will be a balance of zooming in tight enough to get the plate versus being able to get the vehicle from whichever angle they come or go. What are your parameters - do you have HLC on?

I would try zooming in to this first:

1596813252458.png

And then maybe try to the right and zoomed in a little tighter - the Z12 has shown you can still read a plate at a less than ideal angle. Would you rather get every plate at a less than ideal angle, or have a straight on shot but the zoom isn't enough that you have to guess on more plates than not?

1596813499438.png
 
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Thanks for the comments @wittaj

Here is a snapshot in the daytime of my LPR camera location if I understand you correctly I should move it to the right a little bit and done and then zoom in to get the right side of the choke point for a better license plate read?

Or are you speaking about my overview cam the Z4E zooming in on that camera to the pictures you are referencing?

FLPR.20200807_095441645.jpg
 
@TheGooginator - yes for the LPR I would suggest slide to the right a little, and zoom in to about the area I cropped to and then test it driving in/out and different angles. You may have to zoom back out a bit, but the preference is to get the plate as large as possible. In your case, it will be a balance of getting the every plate zoomed in tight versus being able to get them all. I would suggest zooming in tight and then backing out wide until you find that balance. But I think you will still get them zoomed in tight.
 
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wittaj said:
@TheGooginator - yes for the LPR I would suggest slide to the right a little, and zoom in to about the area I cropped to and then test it driving in/out and different angles. You may have to zoom back out a bit, but the preference is to get the plate as large as possible. In your case, it will be a balance of getting the every plate zoomed in tight versus being able to get them all. I would suggest zooming in tight and then backing out wide until you find that balance. But I think you will still get them zoomed in tight.
Click to expand...

Thanks @wittaj I will mess with my LPR camera some more tomorrow hopefully. Any comments on my overview camera do you think I could improve the shots if I move to manual settings for night time but still be able to keep it in color mode?
 
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@TheGooginator - send some screenshots of your settings for the overview cam. With the street lights you have a lot of potential to improve the image more, but you get too crazy with it and then you will need another camera for overview LOL.

With the lens and sensor of the IPC-B5442E-Z4E, you have the ability to zoom in tighter and speed up shutter to get great shots of the driver and maybe occupants of the vehicle. But the more you focus on that aspect, the less of an overview cam you get. At which point you would want to add a 3.6mm or 2.8mm lens overview cam LOL.

Personally, I think you are underutilizing that cam as an overview! Most will use a 2.8 or 3.6mm as an overview. If I had that cam I would zoom in to about here to try to get the vehicle occupants and then add a cheaper fixed 2.8 or 3.6 for the overview.

1596901466149.png

Or if you don't want to add another camera, then maybe try a zoom of this that may get a pic of the driver and still provide some overview:

1596901525365.png
 
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Thanks @wittaj this is definitely not going to be my last camera :lol: so I will probably take your advice and zoom in a little bit more and I will post the settings here but I first want to work on my LPR today. Below are screen shots of my overview cam I didn't change anything yet on it.

Annotation 2020-08-08 090431.1.jpgAnnotation 2020-08-08 090431.jpg
 
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Yeah, if you are running it right out of the box, you will def want to adjust settings. You can probably get by with the default day, but that camera is too good to not dial it in on the night settings.
 
@TheGooginator When you are talking about an 'overview cam', what exactly are you trying to achieve with that cam?

From previous posts of yours, I am guessing that you are trying to do the same as I have with that cam, which is get make, model, color, and anything else such as damage that your LPR cam cannot pick up, especially after dark. In that case, I doubt that even a 6mm fixed will not get what you want but your current cam will if you just set the focal length to something that gets you a close enough shot of the cars but not too close that you do not get enough of it in view long enough to see it. You will have to work the night settings also.

The video that you posted in post #1 could be zoomed in more.
 
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I have not seen any input from @TheGooginator that says how far away he is (at least I do not remember any). But if he is in the same distance as @bigredfish then following that recommendation should work just fine.
 
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samplenhold said:
@TheGooginator When you are talking about an 'overview cam', what exactly are you trying to achieve with that cam?

From previous posts of yours, I am guessing that you are trying to do the same as I have with that cam, which is get make, model, color, and anything else such as damage that your LPR cam cannot pick up, especially after dark. In that case, I doubt that even a 6mm fixed will not get what you want but your current cam will if you just set the focal length to something that gets you a close enough shot of the cars but not too close that you do not get enough of it in view long enough to see it. You will have to work the night settings also.

The video that you posted in post #1 could be zoomed in more.
Click to expand...

Yes I am looking for my Z4E to be the camera that gets make/model/color etc of the vehicle like you are trying to do. If after I get it all setup and the zoom doesn't need to go any further I will most likely switch it out for a fixed like 6 or even 3.6 like @bigredfish has shown. I don't think I am as close to the cul de sac as he is big it could still work.

My LPR shot is approximately 120-125 ft away so a little farther than @bigredfish but I still think it is definitely manageable so I will try and reposition it a little and zoom in some more.
 
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Just angled my Z12E down a bit and zoomed in a bit more lets see how the captures come tonight.

FLPR.20200809_104919207.jpg
 
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Can't wait to see - you may not get all the front plates, but probably most of the back or vice versa depending how they decide to enter/exit.
 
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wittaj said:
Can't wait to see - you may not get all the front plates, but probably most of the back or vice versa depending how they decide to enter/exit.
Click to expand...

Ya people drive the right way I should be getting back plates which will be much easier to recognize it is only this one person who drives in the early morning that drives on the other side of the road. Something I realized is it might be a morning paper delivery as he comes every morning around the same time but in any case I will have him recorded just in case :)
 
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Here is a mockup in IPVM that has my Z12E and Z4E as well as potentially a 3.6 mm if I were to replace it for my overview.
 

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Here is a couple of images of my LPR at night now viewing front plates I still get a large washout from the lights but leaving it seems to be pretty stop on.

FLPR.20200811_023916873_1.jpgFLPR.20200811_034211953_1.jpg
 
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