Best Cameras for under $150

I have installed a few of the starlight cameras. One in a storage facility with zero light at all, you can not even see your hand in front of your face. That starlight camera has the white lights and if installed outside can turn off the white lights and use the sky as a gathering light source.
starlight1.png
starlight2.jpeg
starlight3.jpg
 
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just to be clear, the IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight referenced above does NOT have the white-light LED's.

 
I know I am showing both with and without white light. The storage picture at top is with white light because there is zero light.
The middle and bottom pictures are with no LEDs and no white light, strictly starlight gathering light from the sky
Middle pic is 11:20 pm at night and is dark back there except the light you see to the right
Bottom picture is 2:10 am can see another camera on the garage that the LEDs are glowing.
 
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Unsure the model should be the CV-XIP in image below they are up at a couple places, believe guts from a Hikvision and run around $32.60each and can add $4 for POE and a couple bucks for bracket. Under $60 each though and do quite good. I get them direct from China shipping runs total up to around $55 total for each
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looks like a Dahua un/rebrand to me. Appears to be good image for the $...
Sony IMX 307 is newer/cheaper version of the IMX 291.

But doesn't seem to have white LED's (or any LED's at all) so I'm still a bit
confused about the light source for the first snapshot (indoors - rear east)?

thanx.
 
The top picture has white LEDS on the camera, it is not from the camera pictured, the picture of the camera was for the bottom 2 pictures

Yea there is zero LEDS and zero white light on this model. It gathers only night sky to produce the light in the image.
That is the 2 bottom pictures with out LEDS or white light.
I am not sure if they have the white light ones listed I have 2 of the cameras here with white light and can take a picture later of the camera.
 
Kyle Tenuki Gray said:
Ok, so I've read through the wiki and the cliff notes, and searched for relevant posts on here, but I just can't figure out a good, general purpose camera for a job that I've got.

I'm new to installing these kinds of cameras, though I've got a history in IT and security, including cameras - but I never had a choice, just installed what the company provided. So I'm trying to figure all of this out for the first time, and its exhausting! So many options, not enough information.

I just need a good general purpose camera that I can install in about 9 locations at this house. All of these locations are outdoors, on the side of the house just under the eves or under a large covered patio that wraps around the house.

I've been looking at Dahua (and all the many choices) as well as the IP Cam Talk Cameras. Any suggestions?
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Kyle Tenuki Gray said:
Ok, so I've read through the wiki and the cliff notes, and searched for relevant posts on here, but I just can't figure out a good, general purpose camera for a job that I've got.

I'm new to installing these kinds of cameras, though I've got a history in IT and security, including cameras - but I never had a choice, just installed what the company provided. So I'm trying to figure all of this out for the first time, and its exhausting! So many options, not enough information.

I just need a good general purpose camera that I can install in about 9 locations at this house. All of these locations are outdoors, on the side of the house just under the eves or under a large covered patio that wraps around the house.

I've been looking at Dahua (and all the many choices) as well as the IP Cam Talk Cameras. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Try the WanScam Range of cameras - easy to install without any fuss and I pay $136.00 AU dollars free delivery from China - some models have inbuilt audio with 3 zoom - not bad for price - i have bought 5 (Model HW0054) now and am satisfied.
if you need contact to contact Buy through WanSam Technology in china direct or Through China Vision - cheers Peter
 
inspector said:
Try the WanScam Range of cameras - easy to install without any fuss and I pay $136.00 AU dollars free delivery from China - some models have inbuilt audio with 3 zoom - not bad for price - i have bought 5 (Model HW0054) now and am satisfied.
if you need contact to contact Buy through WanSam Technology in china direct or Through China Vision - cheers Peter
Click to expand...
Wanscam is COMPLETE and utter GARBAGE. Avoid that junk like the plague.
 
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The white light is the same camera as the camera pictured but it has white light added and have to ask for mounting bracket on both cameras. The mounting bracket on the camera without white light is built on to the camera and the bracket for the white light is a separate bracket and bolt the camera to the bracket.
The white lights can be set to desired brightness through the browser up to 100% bright or to 0 white light so it is kind of a plus to have white light in case it is needed but usually if there is sky available without being blocked totally by trees the no white lite is fine.
Below is the cameras I bought recently and his email address
starlight2.jpg
 
pozzello said:
IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS
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Looking at the videos for the IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS the night image is crap compared to the one I posted. It looks like daytime even at 3am when it is dark.
And the cameras can have white light, or without white light and no LEDS and still get a daytime full color view.
 
ron351 said:
Looking at the videos for the IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS the night image is crap compared to the one I posted. It looks like daytime even at 3am when it is dark.
And the cameras can have white light, or without white light and no LEDS and still get a daytime full color view.
Click to expand...
If you see crap images from that camera is because it's not properly installed or mounted... The cameras you posted are low end junk... Every few months there is another camera posted like this that turns out to have a high failure rate or other severe problems avoid at all costs... Your camera does not look like daytime at 3 a.m. outdoors unless you have additional light so basically you bought a camera with a flash light... The photos you posted are oh so meaningless because they don't show movement... I'm willing to bet that you manipulated the exposure rate to produce a false image. I can do that with any camera. Once there's any movement is going to be serious blur.
 
Ok what ever, I guess when weather breaks I will post a video of it to show you falsely say these are junk. They do indeed look like mid afternoon at 3:00 am and nothing is doctored to make them look any different. With zero white light and zero infrared light it shows as daytime as daytime can be at 3am. Will post video one day of this to show you how well this camera does.
 
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