Buying and using a fisheye without IR

[Euly]

Hi readers,
I've been looking to buy a hemispheric Dahua, such as the IPC-EB5531, to use on my front patio. The problem (at least, I think it's a problem) is that the EB5531 doesn't have IR and the sensor is not a Starlight. I've been looking around online to find reviews or videos of what the picture looks like at night time, but I haven't found anything substantial. It seems that the EB5531 was designed for indoor use, so maybe Dahua assumes the user intends to provide additional lighting. I realize that IR mounted on the camera is not ideal, but it's better than a nearly black picture.
I live in an urban environment, so there are sources of light nearby, but I'm wondering if the EB5531 will work adequately without an IR source at night or will it look like my current HDW4421's with the IR off (a very dark picture).

 

[adamg]

I don't have any concrete info or experiments to point to. But in general with digital cameras, higher resolution imagers suffer in low light conditions - conversely, low resolution images have larger pixels and 'see better' in low light. A fisheye camera does have the advantage in low light of being very wide and so collecting the more intense nearby light, but their high resolution probably overcomes that.

Dahua does make atleast one fisheye with built-in IR. Or you could add stand-alone IR emitters to the area.

 

[Euly]

Thank you for your help adamg. I'm trying to avoid additionally powering stand-alone IR, so I'll probably wind up looking into one of the more expensive fisheye cameras. It's frustrating that Dahua's fisheye cameras with IR are more than double the price of the EB5531.

 

[tangent]

I think you may be better off with a non-fisheye camera. Perhaps the SD12203T-GN mini PTZ without IR or the SD1A203T-GN with IR, both are starlights and as long as you keep your porch light on should do pretty well.

 

[Euly]

Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[dyno]

I tried fisheye at front door. It sucked.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

I get one IPC-EB5531 for @looney2ns , he will help make a review for the fisheye, this kind of cam i think better use for indoors, like shops~