"Affordable" PTZ Starlight Cam?

Dramus

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I'm wondering if Dahua makes a relatively capable PTZ camera that would give me capabilities similar to, say, a SD5A445XA-HN, that's more affordable?

We have a large shed (or very small barn, depending upon one's perspective) about 100 ft. back of the SW corner of the house. The front of the shed faces east. My thinking is I could mount it under the soffit near the NE corner of the front of the shed, aim it north and catch the SW corner of the house and the west side (the latter of which is currently uncovered) when we're away, for security purposes, and pan it around when I want to catch other parts of the yard, for the wildlife, the rest of the time. (That side of the house is very low-threat. Only three windows: One glass block and the other two about six feet off the ground. All w/in view of the next door neighbor.)

I don't need 45x zoom. 4MP would probably be fine. Auto-tracking might be neat, but is not a requirement. WAF will probably necessitate keeping it under $250 or so.

I'm probably asking too much, but you never know unless you try :)
 

wittaj

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This one is rock solid and one of the best under $800! Autotracking as well! A little more than you want to spend, but worth it!

Unless you have a lot of light, go with 2MP. Or spend more money for a 4MP on the 1/1.8" sensor.

Reach out to @EMPIRETECANDY to purchase direct and might be able to get a little cheaper.

 
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Dramus

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Thanks for the tip, @wittaj! Yeah, that one would certainly fill the bill, but it would be tough to get it by the family CFO :rofl:
 

wittaj

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Mike A.

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The former isn't intended as an outdoor cam but I've had one under a (somewhat) covered location for years now and it's been fine there. It does still get soaked with blowing rain and mist.
 
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Raylo32

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Dealing with some wanna be B&E clowns checking our back doors lately so I am looking to upgrade my HIK back there to something that provides more detail in low light. This looks interesting.. but how does it mount? All the photos show it hanging from what looks like the network cable conduit.

This one is rock solid and one of the best under $800! Autotracking as well! A little more than you want to spend, but worth it!

Unless you have a lot of light, go with 2MP. Or spend more money for a 4MP on the 1/1.8" sensor.

Reach out to @EMPIRETECANDY to purchase direct and might be able to get a little cheaper.

 
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camb989

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This one is rock solid and one of the best under $800! Autotracking as well! A little more than you want to spend, but worth it!

Unless you have a lot of light, go with 2MP. Or spend more money for a 4MP on the 1/1.8" sensor.

Reach out to @EMPIRETECANDY to purchase direct and might be able to get a little cheaper.

@EMPIRETECANDY which 4mp ptz are you referring to? Do you have any that can perform well in low light and in a dome format?
 
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wittaj

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Dealing with some wanna be B&E clowns checking our back doors lately so I am looking to upgrade my HIK back there to something that provides more detail in low light. This looks interesting.. but how does it mount? All the photos show it hanging from what looks like the network cable conduit.
It comes with a wall mount, but you can get a ceiling mount or a corner mount as well.
 

Raylo32

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Do you have a photo of its ceiling mount? I have a dome there now so not sure something like this would work.

It comes with a wall mount, but you can get a ceiling mount or a corner mount as well.
 

wittaj

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So you get a friend with a Windows computer to set up the record time or you ask @EMPIRETECANDY to configure that one setting for you before he sends it...

IE is the preferred browser for most cameras as that is what their firmware was developed around. In recent years, other browsers have been made to work, but for some reason this one function only holds with IE for this PTZ.
 

botics

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My cameras are from 2019 and notice now that there is starlight enhanced and starlight + - what the difference? The explanation on the Dahua site is kind of lacking. And when did Loryta become mentioned so much on this site. I must be behind the times.
 

bigredfish

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IIRC the Starlight + has a built in mic?

The “e” designates extended PoE
 

wittaj

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Starlight is a marketing term...

Anything from EmpireTech or Loryta (same company) are Dahua OEM without the logo (although some do come with a log) and are sold by @EMPIRETECANDY here with excellent customer service. You can purchase from Amazon, AliExpress, or DM Andy directly.
 

FlipNJ

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Dramus

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I have the 49225XA and for the money, it cannot be beat. Didn't know what your setup is but I get the whole CFO business. This camera will require POE+. If you don't already have it then you will be spending on that too. I know couches are never comfortable. Just a heads up.
I knew about the PoE+ requirement. And, while the CFO probably would have at least rolled her eyes at the cost, it wouldn't have put me on the couch :)

Personally, to date, Andy has been great.
Andy is great.

Andy is not at all the issue. The issue, for me, is the reported incompatibility between this particular camera, at least, and the Chrome and Firefox browsers.

I may just snag an IPC-T5442T-ZE off Amazon to play with. That incompatibility was explicitly mentioned in the review thread, acknowledged by Andy, and addressed (I believe?). And if it doesn't work out I can always return it to Amazon.

Then, if it does work well for me, maybe look to upgrading some of my IPC-HDW5231R-ZE's...
 
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