I thought I would give an update after playing with this for several weeks.
While we still have some quirky firmware issues to resolve, we do have some work-around solutions in the meantime. But after we initially set it up and dial it in to our field of view, we are rarely ever in it again, so I was never overly concerned about the quirks.
I find the image to be one of the better ones out there. This and the 4K/X bullet are the first cameras that I feel comfortable going with a little bit of digital zoom. Now of course many will digital zoom other cameras and they feel the images are ok, but I prefer the optical zoom. You can't get carried away with it LOL, but I feel it does a decent job.
The 4K/X and 4K/T are the first cameras I have had that I don't have to be pushing the limits of the camera parameters to get color at night in order to get a good image. We don't have street lights and most neighbors do not turn their outside lights on, so I am dealing with some challenging light conditions.
I will explain below, but for many of my other cameras that I have in color, I am running high gain, gamma, etc. and in some cases at around 70 just to be able to get color, but that does introduce artifacts and other issues. With the 4K/X and 4K/T I can run faster shutters and keep the parameters under 50, which helps tremendously.
Now with this being a 4K full-time color camera, it draws a different buyer to this prosumer market that we play in. These people are not aware of focal lengths and the value of varifocal and believe that the wide angle view allows them to make people and cars near and far. These people are chasing MP and full color. In short, they think these cameras are magic and can be the be all, see all, and that just doesn't exist. We have many posts within this thread and in other posts trying to educate the NOOB on the nuances. A great camera put in the wrong field of view or trying to do too much with one camera will result in poor performance, and we have seen that already with posts about the 4K/X or 4K/T. Like every camera, you need to select the correct camera for your needs and field of view.
So to build upon the thread regarding
chasing focal length over MP, I wanted to take a moment to show some comparisons of the camera at a distance compared to their 4MP and 2MP equivalents, so I re-positioned several cameras to capture the same target at various distances.
To help guide the eye to the target (white car), I have blacked out all but the car moving at 25MPH out at a distance.
First up is the 4231 2.8mm 2MP Boobie cam. The white car is 100 feet away from the camera. So well beyond IDENTIFY distance.
I use this as an overview to "see the whole neighborhood" and not for IDENTIFY. I have to run a 1/30 shutter and high gain and gamma to keep it in color, but since it is for OBSERVATION and not IDENTIFY, it works and surprisingly with not a lot of blur/ghost. We can tell it is a white car and someone that knows cars may be able to identify it, but one shouldn't count on it. A lot of headlight bloom due to the high gain and brightness.
Next up is the 5421-Z12E varifocal camera set up at around 50mm. The white car is at 60 feet away at this location. We start to get to IDENTIFY at that combination of distance and focal length if the camera parameters are set-up correctly (shutter and other parameters).
Similar to above, I have to run the camera at 1/50 shutter and at much higher gain and gamma and brightness in order to make anything out in color. As such there will be some blur for a moving car.
Next up is the 5442-ZE varifocal camera set up at 3.6mm focal length. The white car is 55 feet away at this location, so about double the IDENTIFY distance of 26 feet.
Similar to the other cameras so far, I have to run the camera at 1/60 shutter and at much higher gain and gamma and brightness in order to make anything out in color, so it does introduce some blur with a car in motion.
Next up is the 4K/T camera with a 3.6mm focal length. The white car is at 110 feet away at this location, so well beyond the IDENTIFY distance of 24 feet.
I am able to run this at a much faster 1/120 shutter speed and with all the parameters below 50. And the image is much better than the 2MP above at comparable distance.
Now unfortunately, this camera is double the distance away from the other camera samples, so obviously the car is going to be smaller. Now you may not be able to tell here, but on my system, you can tell that even though this is more in the OBSERVE range, it captures a lot of detail. It has the least amount of blur (due to the larger sensor and faster shutter) and less headlight bloom due to not having to force the camera in color and running parameters like gain and gamma too hot. I am sure if the camera was closer at about the 40-50 foot range then the results would be even better.
Based on my experiences, for anyone with any light available (street lights or outside lights on) and is looking for a great OVERVIEW color camera that could be placed on a 2nd story to OBSERVE what is going on, I think the additional $70 to go up from the 5442 to the 4K/T is worth it.
I also think it is worth it if you have a location that is around the 6-7 feet high and you want to IDENTIFY at 15-20 feet out and have some light, then the 4K-T is a great camera that the increased resolution can provide more detail for a digital zoom in certain situations. I know some have expressed a concern about near and far distance focus, but I do not see that with my camera, especially once I dialed in the settings.
And then of course, if you do not have ambient light and do not want to use the built-in white LED, then you are better off with a camera with infrared capabilities.
Now I would be remiss LOL if I don't show what one should use if they wanted to IDENTIFY a car at the street from a distance (hint it isn't a 2.8 or 3.6mm fixed cam beyond 25 feet).
So this is the 5442-Z4E varifocal camera set to around 28mm to capture the car at 75 feet. Similar to the other cams, I have to run a 1/90 shutter and much higher gain and gamma and brightness, etc. than we typically like to see, but I spent a lot of time tweaking it to get the best picture possible. Like literally if I up the gain one number, it will be a ghost mess. The slower shutter results in some blur, but I am willing to accept it to get color.