Buying a camera

[olli]

Can you recommend any better than this if SD slot is a must?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wifi-Wireless-Camemr-V5-2-5-DS-2CD2032F-IW-Upgrade-Version-of-DS-2CD2032-I-with/32505499377.html

The camera will be wall mounted outdoors.

 

[Schmark]

It says English firmware but is it a chinese camera (with a chinese serial number)?

If it is, you may have problems the next time you upgrade the FW, and may need to perform the MTD hack to ensure the camera is recognized by the NVR after the upgrade.

Or it may have a Western Region serial number in which case this is a great deal and you'll never have issues after upgrading...

-S

 

[olli]

Thanks for reply. Forgot to mention that I don't want to update the firmware (because the issues it may generate) - I'm just looking for a great price. This camera is going to be used without NVR, recording just to the SD card.

 

[Schmark]

Then I think it's a great deal (and seller has excellent feedback). Go for it.

-S

 

[bp2008]

2032 is a solid camera, but a 4MP would be higher image quality for similar price.

This dome is the only comparably priced one I know of with card support, without dipping into brands of unknown quality: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Dahua-4Mp-IPC-HDBW4421R-AS-IP-camera-network-camera-DH-IPC-HDBW4421R-AS-Support-POE-Micro/1282343_32409416351.html

As it is a dome with only one small IR LED, expect perhaps weaker infrared and you have to be careful putting the dome cover on to make sure the black ring sits cleanly against the dome to prevent IR bleeding.

 

[olli]

bp2008, so do you think I should prefer 4MP over the better IR in 2032?

And what about Hikvision dome with 4MP & SD
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIKVISION-DS-2CD3145F-I-4MP-POE-Micro-SD-TF-Slot-Tri-Axis-H-265-Dome-IP-Camera-/262185137360
or
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIKVISION-DS-2CD2145F-IS-4MP-IR-POE-H-265-Audio-Alarm-SD-TF-Slot-Dome-Camera-/272207449373

 

[bp2008]

Ah, nice find. I don't know how the IR on the cameras compares, but I would suspect the Hikvision dome will have stronger IR.

This is a snapshot from my Dahua 4MP dome with no effort made to reduce the noise in low light:



But it is inside a 12 foot by 12 foot metal building so IR reflects everywhere.

I'd definitely get a 4MP over a 3MP though. 3MP cams are actually kind of like 2MP cams except they have extra vertical view which you usually don't need. So the difference between a 4MP and 3MP security camera is a lot like the difference between 4MP and 2MP in terms of how well the camera sees.

 

[bp2008]

Here is another of those Dahua 4MP domes in a much larger metal building (it may as well be outdoors, as far as the IR effectiveness is concerned).



(yeah I know the timestamp is way off)

 

[olli]

Nice comparison pictures, thank you a lot! Does Dahua have official iOS app for that camera? And can I play the recordings from SD card with the app? And one more- does the web UI require some browser extensions or can it be used on a Mac with Safari for example?

 

[RBW]

I'd definitely get a 4MP over a 3MP though. 3MP cams are actually kind of like 2MP cams except they have extra vertical view which you usually don't need. So the difference between a 4MP and 3MP security camera is a lot like the difference between 4MP and 2MP in terms of how well the camera sees.

But your monitor will likely be 1080p which is the equivalent of 2MP?

So the only real benefit of a 4MP camera over a 2MP camera is if you zoom the image. This correct?






Still trying to get my head around this ip megapixel stuff. My head hurts.

 

[bp2008]

Nice comparison pictures, thank you a lot! Does Dahua have official iOS app for that camera? And can I play the recordings from SD card with the app? And one more- does the web UI require some browser extensions or can it be used on a Mac with Safari for example?

I am not 100% on iOS and Mac supporting everything fully, but Dahua does have apps for each:

iOS: http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/idss--gdss-1122.html

Mac: http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/smart-pss-742.html

The web UI does require browser plugins for video viewing, live or recorded. I am not sure if there are plugins for Mac OS.

 

[bp2008]

But your monitor will likely be 1080p which is the equivalent of 2MP?

So the only real benefit of a 4MP camera over a 2MP camera is if you zoom the image. This correct?






Still trying to get my head around this ip megapixel stuff. My head hurts.

Some 2MP cameras may actually perform better in low light due to having larger pixels, however it mostly depends on the physical size of the CMOS sensor. It is true you won't visually see much difference between 4MP and 2MP on a 2MP display until you zoom in, but if you ever need video evidence, you will be zooming in and wishing your camera was 1000 MP.

 

[olli]

Hi again. Now I'd need a camera with Wi-Fi & SD & 4MP(if possible). Yeah, I know Wi-Fi is sometimes unreliable, but in this place the power outlet has been already installed to the camera position.
What do you think of this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIKVISION-DS-2CD2145F-IWS-4MP-POE-WIFI-AUDIO-Micro-SD-TF-Tri-Axis-IP-Camera-Dome-/291695146077
/Does Hikvision/dahua have better/cheaper options?

 

[bp2008]

I doubt you will find better for less or even equal money.

Domes are fine as long as you take care to avoid infrared bleeding. This is where infrared leaks past the black ring around the lens and reflects off the dome glass back into the lens to cause the video to look foggy (sometimes you even see a reflection of the lens in the camera view). If this happens, the solution is to take off the dome cover and put it back on taking special care to get a good seal between the glass and the black ring. Note also that a similar foggy video effect can happen if infrared bounces off a nearby obstruction, like a wall or an eave or a flagpole or anything really within a few feet of the camera -- even things outside the camera's view can be hit by strong infrared that reflects back into the lens. If this is your problem, you'll notice the foggy video even with the glass dome cover removed from the camera.

 

[olli]

Thanks again! What would be a better one then?

I'd definitely want to have a turret but does there exist a similar turret option with those requirements?