Camera recommendations

[cwilson1996]

I'm new to the IP camera world. Id like to know what the best high quality outdoor cameras I can get for around $200 a camera. No NVR needed as I'll be using BI. Id really like the housing to be metal as I live in a very hard weather state. PTZ is not necessary. I'd prefer dome cameras. And quality during both day and night is important. I'd like to hear what you guys have to say.

 

[wittaj]

Domes can be problematic, See recent threads below. If you prefer the smaller form factor, go with the turret model.

The best cameras right now is the 5442 series by Dahua and the Dahua OEM model sold by @EMPIRETECANDY here and on his Amazon Store. The are on the ideal MP/sensor ratio and and metal construction.

Downward pointed Dome vs rain?

Need to install a camera next to the Gate to identify people outside. The issue is bullet aren't secure and can be moved using a stick. I personally don't like the design of turret, plus it also gives away the direction of the camera. So thinking of installing Hikvision dome facing downward...

ipcamtalk.com

Downward pointed Dome vs rain?

Need to install a camera next to the Gate to identify people outside. The issue is bullet aren't secure and can be moved using a stick. I personally don't like the design of turret, plus it also gives away the direction of the camera. So thinking of installing Hikvision dome facing downward...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[cwilson1996]

Domes can be problematic, See recent threads below. If you prefer the smaller form factor, go with the turret model.

The best cameras right now is the 5442 series by Dahua and the Dahua OEM model sold by @EMPIRETECANDY here and on his Amazon Store. The are on the ideal MP/sensor ratio and and metal construction.

Downward pointed Dome vs rain?

Need to install a camera next to the Gate to identify people outside. The issue is bullet aren't secure and can be moved using a stick. I personally don't like the design of turret, plus it also gives away the direction of the camera. So thinking of installing Hikvision dome facing downward...

ipcamtalk.com

Downward pointed Dome vs rain?

Need to install a camera next to the Gate to identify people outside. The issue is bullet aren't secure and can be moved using a stick. I personally don't like the design of turret, plus it also gives away the direction of the camera. So thinking of installing Hikvision dome facing downward...

ipcamtalk.com

What exactly makes it the best available dome camera? I recently purchased the Lorex LNE9292BW-4PK. But now I'm having doubts that these are good for the money.

 

[sebastiantombs]

The reason the 5442 series is so good is that it has a 1/1.8" sensor for a 4MP resolution.

Quick guide -

The smaller the lux number the better the low light performance. 0.002 is better than 0.02
The smaller the "F" of the lens the better the low light performance. F1.4 is better than F1.8
The larger the sensor the better the low light performance. 1/1.8" is better (bigger) than 1/2.7"
The higher the megapixels for the same size sensor the worse the low light performance. A 4MP camera with a 1/1.8" sensor will perform better than a 8MP camera with that same 1/1.8" sensor. Since the 8MP sensor has double the number of pixels only half the amount of light reaches each pixel when compared to a 4MP on the same size sensor.

1/3" = .333" fine at 720P
1/2.8" = .357" (think a .38 caliber bullet) Fine at 2MP
1/1.8" = .555" (bigger than a .50 caliber bullet or ball) Fine at 4MP
1/1.2" = .833" (bigger than a 20mm chain gun round) Fine at 8MP

 

[wittaj]

Well the Lorex cameras you have are not domes, they are turrets. They are 8MP on the 1/2.8" sensor. The 2MP on the same 1/2.8" sensor will kick it's butt all night long. That 8MP will need 4 times the light than the 2MP at night. You would be surprised how much light these little sensors need.

The 5442 series camera is on a much larger 1/1.8" sensor and is 4MP. Or you go to the king of 8MP that is on the 1/1.2" sensor. But it will cost more.

8MP on the 1/2.8" sensor is made and sold to appeal to the unknowing consumer chasing MP over quality. As such, the sensor is poor, the CPU is poor, probably plastic casing, probably not AI, etc.

These cameras are not on the ideal MP/sensor ratio...

It is simple LOL do not chase MP - do not buy a 4MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/1.8" sensor. Do not buy a 2MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/2.8" sensor. Do not buy a 4K (8MP) camera on anything smaller than a 1/1.2" sensor. Unfortunately, most 4k cams are on the same sensor as a 2MP and thus the 2MP will kick its butt all night long as the 4k will need 4 times the light than the 2MP... 4k will do very poor at night unless you have stadium quality lighting (well a lot of lighting LOL). Starlight, ColorVu, Full Color, etc. are simply marketing terms, so don't be sold on those names.

My neighbor was bragging to me how he only needed his four 4k cams (Lorex on the 1/2.8" sensor like yours) to see his entire property and the street and his whole backyard. His car was sitting in the driveway practically touching the garage door and his video quality was useless to ID the perp not even 10 feet away. Meanwhile my 2MP varifocal optically zoomed in to the public sidewalk provided the money shot to the police to get my neighbors all their stuff back. Nobody else had video that could provide anything useful, other than what time this motion blur ghost was at their car.

My neighbor ended up replacing several of his Lorex 4K cameras with the 2MP cameras I have since he saw how much better they performed.

 

[cwilson1996]

What do you guys personally use for your outdoor camera setup?

 

[sebastiantombs]

I have a mix of older 2MP/2.8" and 5442 cameras. I am replacing the 2MP cameras on a "when budgeting allows" basis. Look at my signature line.

 

[wittaj]

Primarily the 5231 (2MP) and 5442 (4MP) and 49225 PTZ series cameras, along with cheapo overview cameras and some other cameras for specific situations (active deterrence, etc), and the new 4K camera on the 1/1.2" sensor.

 

[cwilson1996]

Ah okay. Do you recommend sticking with the Duhua brand? Looks like pretty good quality.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Using BI it doesn't much matter what brand of cameras are used. The members here tend to use a lot of Dahua cameras because we get excellent pricing and service from Andy at EmpireTech. He works with some of the real experts who are members here and gets firmware fine tuned by Dahua. The he gets that firmware to us long before it gets published on the Dahua site and sometimes it doesn't even get published on the Dahua site. As an example, he supplies the 49225 PTZ with auto tracking firmware. Dahua has stripped auto tracking out of that camera to force you to buy a more expensive model if you want auto tracking. On top of that he stand behind what he sells.

Keep in mind that Amcrest is dumbed down Dahua, features removed and may not be the same in the quality department. Dahua is manufactured for the professional market. As such there is not "support net" as there is with consumer end cameras like Amcrest. That really isn't much of a problem since the support here, and from Andy, is so good. Be aware that there may be a learning curve because you can adjust everything to suit that possibly effects the video. Leaving everything on "auto", as it comes out of the box, is a plan guaranteed to fail.

 

[cwilson1996]

Using BI it doesn't much matter what brand of cameras are used. The members here tend to use a lot of Dahua cameras because we get excellent pricing and service from Andy at EmpireTech. He works with some of the real experts who are members here and gets firmware fine tuned by Dahua. The he gets that firmware to us long before it gets published on the Dahua site and sometimes it doesn't even get published on the Dahua site. As an example, he supplies the 49225 PTZ with auto tracking firmware. Dahua has stripped auto tracking out of that camera to force you to buy a more expensive model if you want auto tracking. On top of that he stand behind what he sells.

Keep in mind that Amcrest is dumbed down Dahua, features removed and may not be the same in the quality department. Dahua is manufactured for the professional market. As such there is not "support net" as there is with consumer end cameras like Amcrest. That really isn't much of a problem since the support here, and from Andy, is so good. Be aware that there may be a learning curve because you can adjust everything to suit that possibly effects the video. Leaving everything on "auto", as it comes out of the box, is a plan guaranteed to fail.

Thanks for that.

 

[mat200]

What exactly makes it the best available dome camera? I recently purchased the Lorex LNE9292BW-4PK. But now I'm having doubts that these are good for the money.

FYI -

Lorex calls Turret cameras "Dome" cameras. This is a misnomer ( mislabeling )

fwiw - this particular model has a smaller sensor for a 8MP ( "4K" ) camera than we prefer here. Thus most of the member would prefer to skip models like these.

 

[mat200]

Ah okay. Do you recommend sticking with the Duhua brand? Looks like pretty good quality.

Hi @cwilson1996

Lorex is now owned by Dahua, and the camera model you posted is a Dahua OEM model.

If you paid close to list price for those and can return them, I would inquire with Andy ( EmpireTech ) or Amcrest ( both vendors with relationships here ) about getting models with larger sensors if you have the time to do so.
( Amcrest, some models are better than others.. so you do have to check the specs .. same applies to the Amcrest NVRs .. likewise Dahua OEM cameras come in a range of tiers .. )

If you're short on time and have the cash, naturally you may want not to take the time to return cameras.

For those looking here for ideas:
Try to get larger sensor model cameras. Lorex typically imho charges too much for their camera(s) when sold separately. During Black Friday / Cyber Monday Lorex used to have deals on kits prior to the pandemic. Hopefully we'll see some deals this BF 2021 .. tho we may not as many are stating the supply chain will not recover until 1-2 more years.

 

[Teken]

If you’re more comfortable using Amazon a long time member and seller can be purchased here. I’ve just grabbed random cameras from the site to show the different price range and the OEM branding which is both Dahua / Hikvision.

https://amzn.to/3nG66s2

https://amzn.to/3hC1mQk

https://amzn.to/3lzMItO

https://amzn.to/3EmFx0J

https://amzn.to/39jVSEZ

https://amzn.to/2Xlo5ss

 

[sebastiantombs]

@cwilson1996 Have a look at the material in the WiKi, in the blue bar at the top of the page. Read that on a real computer, not a phone or tablet. There's is a wealth of information there regarding every aspect of surveillance camera systems. It is lot to absorb, so take some time. From there you'll have a better idea of what works and what doesn't and be able to ask for advice that will actually help you. Jumping in with both feet without a basic understanding is like jumping into the pool only to find out the water temperature is 40 degrees.