More Reolink recommendations from a professional youtuber.

[Krieger]

So I thought this youtuber had finally been educated on cameras and their features, seeing as he posted a video 2 years ago talking about Reolink cameras and their downfalls after he was called out.

I personally wasted about $300 on Reolink cameras due to his recommendation, and then wondered why they were total shit, so I have a personal interest in this.

Turns out, he's still recommending them. The latest is where he pits it against a Dahua Color4k and a 5442. He says that overall, the Reolink beats out both of these, and the Annke NC800.

No mention of exposure settings, camera settings, or anything else. Pretty much all still pictures, with scant video comparisons. I have seen the performance of a color4k, and I have 5442-s2 and 5442-s3 cameras, and I can tell that he has not changed any settings on these cameras to make them perform better in low-light conditions.

It just chaps my ass that people are not being shown 'the whole picture' when it comes to these cameras.

 

[MTL4]

I think many folks start out on Youtube (yes I was one of those people too back when) and then when you get stuck trying to make it all work you quickly find IPCT and then all that YT knowledge quickly gets flushed down the toilet and the real learning begins.

Hilariously if you watch his actual review of all the camera videos you can clearly see, even straight out of the box, the 5442 smoked all the other ones especially at night yet he still somehow declared Reolink the winner at the end. Oh well, the advice is worth what you pay for it on Youtube.

 

[Krieger]

I think many folks start out on Youtube (yes I was one of those people too back when) and then when you get stuck trying to make it all work you quickly find IPCT and then all that YT knowledge quickly gets flushed down the toilet and the real learning begins.

Hilariously if you watch his actual review of all the camera videos you can clearly see, even straight out of the box, the 5442 smoked all the other ones especially at night yet he still somehow declared Reolink the winner at the end. Oh well, the advice is worth what you pay for it on Youtube.

Yeah, even if you go by his rankings in each section (daytime, moderate light, low light) the reolink is not #1 in any of them, but somehow it is the 'best motion capture' out of all cameras in all conditions. Absolute garbage.

 

[MTL4]

Yeah, even if you go by his rankings in each section (daytime, moderate light, low light) the reolink is not #1 in any of them, but somehow it is the 'best motion capture' out of all cameras in all conditions. Absolute garbage.

With results like that it sure does make you wonder when they tell you it’s a “sponsor free review”.

 

[wittaj]

He makes the same "mistakes" he has made in the past - comparing cameras with different focal lengths and trying to IDENTIFY beyond the reasonable distance one should try to IDENTIFY with a particular focal length.

For those new to the site, here is the post with a similar type analysis he did several years ago with analysis by members here pointing out the issues with the testing.

The HookUp ranks the Empiretech T5842 (Dahua IPC-HDW5842T-ZE) as the best affordable camera if night time performance is the main concern

Hot off the press, The Hookup ranks @EMPIRETECANDY T5842 as the best affordable camera if night time performance is the main concern. I still think he has flaws in his analysis trying to do to much with a camera and trying to get a further distance IDENTIFY out of it than the focal length is...

ipcamtalk.com

And then at the urging of several folks here, this was a post I created that presented the issues with his video at that time. Basically the same sort of issues are present with this video.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Krieger]

He makes the same "mistakes" he has made in the past - comparing cameras with different focal lengths and trying to IDENTIFY beyond the reasonable distance one should try to IDENTIFY with a particular focal length.

For those new to the site, here is the post with a similar type analysis he did several years ago with analysis by members here pointing out the issues with the testing.

The HookUp ranks the Empiretech T5842 (Dahua IPC-HDW5842T-ZE) as the best affordable camera if night time performance is the main concern

Hot off the press, The Hookup ranks @EMPIRETECANDY T5842 as the best affordable camera if night time performance is the main concern. I still think he has flaws in his analysis trying to do to much with a camera and trying to get a further distance IDENTIFY out of it than the focal length is...

ipcamtalk.com

And then at the urging of several folks here, this was a post I created that presented the issues with his video at that time. Basically the same sort of issues are present with this video.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...

ipcamtalk.com

Exactly, but now he can't just explain it away as ignorance, seeing as he created a video talking about focal length, sensor size, etc. Now I truly believe he is on Reolink's payroll.

 

[looney2ns]

I wouldn't trust anything the Hookup says.
He's only concerned about monetizing his channel.

 

[mackmadera]

As a German guy I once knew said. ... "Dey ah bastards. Dey ah aalll bastards!"

 

[TonyR]

He gets money to pick ReoUNlink over any other makes....I guarantee it.

 

[Rob2020]

He promotes what pays is my guess. I am glad I found this site before I bought any sub-par cams.

My Dahua/EmpireTech cams have been rock solid for four years come October 2024, many of them recording 24/7/365 since installed.

 

[mackmadera]

He gets money to pick ReoUNlink over any other makes....I guarantee it.

View attachment 197933

Of my original Reolinks, 8 cameras.. three have died. Weird incompatibility issues. No whey they ever see another cent of my $$. I'm wanting those EmpireTech cams.

 

[hikky_b]

No further tests needed. Court dismissed!

 

[mat200]

No further tests needed. Court dismissed!

View attachment 197934

Great example on why ir at night does really well for better image captures often enough.

This again illustrates why I like both color data and a clean image, and thus often the solution is 2 cameras instead of one.

 

[bigredfish]

Those must all be running "Auto"exposure.

At 1/120-1/250 that color 4K would have blown them all away, as would that Axis. The 5442 would be pretty good at 1/120

 

[mackmadera]

As the king of shitty cameras, I present myself for your service. I've probably bought most every shitty low end no name camera there is. And for the most part, I find all of them serviceable for day video, and very few at night. For the $$, the best low end cam is the 4mp Anpviz, which you can get on Amazon on sale for less than $30. I just bought a few cheapies from AliExpress for around $22. Not terrible, but for $8 more, I'll take the 4 mp Anpviz. I have some 2MP Dahua cameras coming this way, hoping they'll be good at night. We're building a house in about a year and a half, and I'll be loading it up with EmpireTech cameras.

 

[bigredfish]

Yep, $30-50 will get you what you need for daytime, easy.
Its night where you can tell good from junk

 

[mackmadera]

Yep, $30-50 will get you what you need for daytime, easy.
Its night where you can tell good from junk

The only exception is when you have such a high level of light that you can offset that. But it's not easy. I'm experimenting with it now. If you've got people running, it's hard to get much detail without really spending the $$ on cameras. But people aren't just going to run. They're going to have to stop if they're going to make problems like vandalizing or stealing or breaking into your house. You only need ONE damning picture of them. I have cameras at all doors, so if you enter the home, you are giving me a very good picture. The rest of the film is just corroboration. And then there's always the limit of cameras where the criminal covers up or doesn't care if he's filmed or not. I can tell you the prisons are full of people who committed terrible crimes right in front of cameras. They are incredibly stupid people and cameras won't do anything except help the police after the fact.

 

[mackmadera]

About the best I'm going to get from the Anpviz. It's pure dark, she's 25 feet away from the camera at the farthest point. I am legitimately hoping the 2MP cheapies I bought will be better.
View attachment preem.mp4

 

[bigredfish]

That really isn’t bad at all

 

[mackmadera]

For $30. You might not definitively know who it is, but you sure know who it isn't . I'm very excited to see what the 2MP cameras do. One was $50, the other $40. I will post the same video shot with those. My model isn't cheap. She costs me thousands for each video I shoot.