20 Seconds for OEM IPC-HFW4431R-Z to adjust for light?

TheWaterbug

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I finally have my bee hive comb-building time-lapse setup running. The first couple days' footage was uninspiring, and then I remembered that I never actually focused the camera after I moved the rig from my house to the bee shed. :facepalm:. The camera is now properly focused.

But then I also noticed, via some accidental experimentation, that I wasn't waiting nearly long enough for the camera to optimize after I turned on the light. I don't want to disturb the bees' normal behavior, so I have a bank of LEDs that I keep turned off, and then every 10 minutes I turn it on, wait a few seconds, take my photo, and then turn it off. I had had the pre-shot pause set for 4 seconds after the LEDs turn on, thinking that would be enough time for the camera (OEM IPC-HFW4431R-Z) to adjust to the new light level. But it's not. I ran a quick experiment, taking 1 frame approximately every second, for 30 seconds after turning on the LED. Pause it, then use your . and , to step through frame-by-frame. It starts with the LEDs off, then turns them on on the 2nd frame:


There's a significant improvement in contrast on every frame until about frame 20 (e.g. 20 seconds after turn-on), and then I can't see any improvement after that. Look particularly in the patch of nectar at the top of the frame. Anyone know why it takes so long for it to adjust?
 

TechieTech

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Can you figure out what manual exposure settings work in your specific lighting conditions and narrow in on (or close to) those settings so the camera isn't trying to adjust for so long?
 

TheWaterbug

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I'll have to see if those controls are exposed in the web UI. And that will have to wait until I get home, because I denied access to the cameras from the outside world :facepalm:
 

Mike A.

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Which cam is that? Looks Dahua-ish. Not under Setup? What do you have listed under that tab? Maybe try another browser?
 

wittaj

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Yep it should be under setup. Try Explorer as some browsers do not show all the features.
 
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