Camera recommendations

B

bluebat

n3wb
Nov 13, 2022
19
11
USA
hi folks! I've been reading the forums and learning a LOT about cameras, Blue Iris and setting them up. I am getting ready to design my camera system. I was looking for recommendations for cameras. Ideally, I would love to target the performance & value sweet spot but I don't want to be cheap. In the past I spent $800 on a Arlo Pro 2 system and I hated it. I would like to get good cameras which are around ~$150-250 each. I can go beyond $250 if there is a compelling reason. I have a single story home and its layout is fairly straightforward. I likely need 7 cameras to monitor various locations. Here are the locations & number of cameras I am looking to install -

1. Drive Way - 1
2. Front Entrance - 1
3. Side Entrances - 2
4. Patio door - 1
5. Backyard - 2

For the Drive Way and Backyard, I am interested in acquiring a wide FoV camera. I am concerned about someone jumping the fence and making their way into the home from the backyard. Other cameras will face doors & windows.
 
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Without knowing more specifics, the 5442 series cameras by Dahua and sold by our trusted vendor @EMPIRETECANDY here and on his Amazon store are great selections. It comes down to what distance do you want to IDENTIFY and then selecting the appropriate focal length for the job.

Another key is to chase sensor size and focal length and not MP.

Keep in mind that the wider the camera view, the closer the object needs to be in order to IDENTIFY. So a 2.8mm great camera will not be able to IDENTIFY someone jumping a fence at 45 feet away as an example.

Here is a thread that discusses that in more detail.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...
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And Andy is having a Black Friday sale:

2022 EmpireTech Chirstmas Sales

Hey Guys After the 2022 thanksgiving day and the black Friday sales, we are very pleased to do the sales and the lottery for fun and win some cameras. Cameras for security and fun bring us together here, make the ipcamtalk community more and more popular. So before Christmas, we will do a...
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bluebat said:
hi folks! I've been reading the forums and learning a LOT about cameras, Blue Iris and setting them up. I am getting ready to design my camera system. I was looking for recommendations for cameras. Ideally, I would love to target the performance & value sweet spot but I don't want to be cheap. In the past I spent $800 on a Arlo Pro 2 system and I hated it. I would like to get good cameras which are around ~$150-250 each. I can go beyond $250 if there is a compelling reason. I have a single story home and its layout is fairly straightforward. I likely need 7 cameras to monitor various locations. Here are the locations & number of cameras I am looking to install -

1. Drive Way - 1
2. Front Entrance - 1
3. Side Entrances - 2
4. Patio door - 1
5. Backyard - 2

For the Drive Way and Backyard, I am interested in acquiring a wide FoV camera. I am concerned about someone jumping the fence and making their way into the home from the backyard. Other cameras will face doors & windows.
Click to expand...

Welcome @bluebat

I also started with Arlo before coming here .. needed to setup something quickly .. turned out not to be good enough, so here I am ..


Many of our members really like the Dahua OEM 4MP 1/1.8" sensor models - so if you have to jump in and buy without testing they should be good choices ..

For me I like a 2.8mm lens face level by the front door .. mini-dome wedge .. and also another camera to watch the package drop area ..

most of My other cameras are 3.6mm or varifocal ..

in general I like 2 cameras covering the driveway, one on each side of the garage door ..
 
The current "goto" crop of cameras -

8MP Review

Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera

Intro I’m excited to be doing another Worlds First Review. this time as I mentioned in the full color thread, I’ve been testing the new Dahua full color 4K camera. This was provided courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY for a fair, honest, no holds barred, unbiased review. I’ll attempt to answer any and...
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Worlds First Review - Dahua DH-IPC-HDW5849H-ASE-LED / IPC-Color4K-T - 2.8mm Turret

Ok, who's ready for not only a review BUT another World's First Review ? You heard it here first, new camera in hands and almost ready to review. Thanks as always goes to Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) for providing this camera in exchange for a fair, honest, non biased, no holds barred review. I’ve...
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2021 Full Color 2.0 Has a Fantastic New Dual Lens Camera

Hey guys The full color 2.0 has been released. Most cams I already posted here. Like: IPC-Color4K-X Bullet 4MP Motorized Full color. Today I bring a secret model, 1st release for the Dual-Lens Full color model in the world. Dual-lens Camera( Sample at Early Sep ) Ø Dual light fusion...
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Worlds First Review - Dahua DH-IPC-PFW5849-A180-E2 - Dual Lens 180 Degree Full Color 4K (8MP Stitched) Camera

Intro I’m pleased to announce we have another worlds first review to kick off, this time on the new Dahua DH-IPC-PFW5849-A180-E2. What’s this camera all about ? Well in a nutshell, take 2 x 5442T’s, squeeze them together, apply splicing algorithms and end up with a stitched 8MP (4096 x 1800...
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Dual Lens

Worlds First Review - Dahua DH-IPC-HFW5449T1-ASE+D2 - Dual Lens Full Color 2.0

Intro I’m pleased to announce we have another worlds first review to kick off, this time on the new HFW5449T1. So whats better than 1 camera (lens), well 2 of course. This camera makes some bold claims of Full Color regardless of low light environments utilizing 2 lenses. Lets jump into it but...
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Review: Dahua DH-IPC-MFW7442K1-Z4-T40 - Dual Sensor (4MP + 4MP) Bullet Camera

Hope all of you are doing well ! Intro Its time to do another review and this time (as you may have seen in my Coming Soon video), we have 2 of them. Both of these cams are from the same MFW-7x42K1 family and feature dual sensors. I have the 7442 (4MP) and 7842 (8MP) versions of these cams...
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180 Degree FOV 4K

New Dahua 180 Degree Bullet Camera (IPC-Color4K-180)

The new Dahua 180 degree bullet camera (IPC-Color4K-180) should be available soon from Andy along with its data sheet. Looks like a most interesting camera for many applications.
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5442 Reviews

Review-OEM Loryta IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal 4mp camera (Dahua)

IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal from @EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret Varifocal Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk store: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price Approximately US $200.00...
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Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

All, thanks to Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY ) we have a new 4MP AI camera for testing. This camera has been provided by Andy in exchange for a fair and honest review. This camera is using the OEM model number of IPC-B5442-ZE which is the equivalent of the Dahua IPC-HFW5442-ZE for reference. The IPC-B...
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Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+

Dahua OEM IPC-T5442TM-AS from EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk store: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price Approximately US $160 Link to camera...
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Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)

Dahua OEM IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED from EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Andy's Email: kingsecurity2014...
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Review: IPC-HDBW5442R-ASE-NI - Dahua Technology Pro AI Dome Network Camera

Hey, this is a wonderful forum, and since I’ve recently purchased a new set of Dahua cameras, I thought I’d share my thoughts and opinions. This camera is the IPC-HDBW5442R-ASE-NI, and it’s actually the fourth camera from Dahua that I’ve purchased for my house over the years. Prior to this, I...
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3241T-ZAS Review

Review-OEM IPC-T3241-ZAS 2mp AI Lite series Varifocal

IPC-T3241-ZAS from EMPIRETECANDY 2MP WDR Turret Varifocal AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Purchase in the IPCT Store Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price...
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2231 Reviews

Review-OEM IPC-T2231T-ZS Ver 2, 2mp Varifocal Starlight Camera

Updated 12/11/19. Edited for clarity. Dahua OEM IPC-T2231T-ZS from EMPIRETECANDY 2MP WDR Turret Varifocal Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon...
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Dahua 4MP cube camera

Dahua Doorbell (Villa) Kit

Review-IP Villa Outdoor Doorbell Station & Indoor Monitor Kit

IP Villa Outdoor Station, POE Switch & Indoor Monitor KTP01 Surface from @EMPIRETECANDY Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Andy's Email...
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Dahua PoE Doorbell

Review- VTO2301R-P 2mp Door Station/Doorbell Dahua/Empiretech

Courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY we have another cam to checkout in return for a fair and honest review. Thanks again to Andy! He does such a great job of supporting everyone here. We have the: VTO2301R-P PC and ABS material make it ideal for indoor and outdoor use. 1/2.8" 2-MP HD CMOS camera...
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Review-IP Villa Outdoor Doorbell Station & Indoor Monitor Kit

IP Villa Outdoor Station, POE Switch & Indoor Monitor KTP01 Surface from @EMPIRETECANDY Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Andy's Email...
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Boobie camera

Review-Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M Dual Starlight Cam

@fenderman first mentioned this cam back in March here: Seeing double - New Dahua dual Starlight IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M/M12 Courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY we have the, as my wife has dubbed it, the "boobie" cam IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M to checkout. ;) I have received this cam in exchange for a fair and...
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Thank you for the great recommendations. I had my eye on the 5442 and the newer IPC-4K cameras. As I am new to this, I would likely go for varifocal cameras for flexibility. I am terribly confused with various form factors. I like the Turret and Bullet cameras. Cameras that are placed near ingress points - Doors / Windows should be able to identify people at about 10-15 feet distance as they approach in night or day conditions. The cameras monitoring the fence do not need to identify but detect & observe at ~40 feet distance. If the subject jumps the fence and comes to an ingress point, one of the other cameras can identify so I am fine with it. Given these requirements, I am planning on putting maybe two overview cameras in the backyard and two in my front yard. Then add one camera at each door / window. For the overview cameras I was looking at the dual lens cameras. But I can't seem to find them in Andy's Amazon store. For the rest, I was hoping there was a varifocal version of IPC-Color4K-X/T but I don't think there is one.
 
Thanks, I will definitely consider the IPC-T5442-Z4E. I am so confused with all these model numbers. For example, I did look at IPC-B5442E-ZE which has a very close model number as the one you posted. However, there are big differences in the focal length and lux between the two. Is there a cheat sheet for these model numbers?
 
Generally a ZE is a varifocal up to 12mm and a Z4E is up to 32mm. The ZE is a turret style with a microphone and the Z4E is a bullet format.

The more you optically zoom, the larger the focal length gets and the more light that is needed.
 
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The 4K/X is a great camera IF you have enough light or are willing to run with the white LEDs on.

If you do not have enough white ambient light or do not want to use the built-in LEDs, then this isn't the right camera.

Further the 4K/X doesn't see infrared, so you cannot add infrared later.

But if you have enough ambient light or are willing to use it with the built in white LED, then yes for the same distance, it will beat the 5442 of the same fixed lens.
 
It really comes down to your field of view and needs.

The 5442TM--AS-LED is a full color camera that cannot see infrared either, so the 4K/X or 4K/T would be the better choice between the two.

The 5442-ZE is a varifocal designed to get IDENTIFY captures at distances beyond what the fixed lens can do. But there is also a good chance you will need to run it in B/W with infrared.

Realistically, the fixed lens cameras, regardless of MP, are good for IDENTIFY in the 10-20 foot range.

The ZE varifocal extends that range to about 40 feet or so.

But the more you optically zoom, the tighter the field of view gets.

If you truly want OVERVIEW capabilities and recognize that the camera will not IDENTIFY beyond 10 feet or so, then the 4K/X or T is a great choice if you have the light or are ok with running the built-in LEDs. Otherwise a fixed lens 5442 is the better choice.
 
my 5442 2.8mm LED attracts a lot of bugs. I was only able to use the LED's in cold temps.
 
thank you all for your excellent input. Can someone please point me to any documentation that will help me understand the difference between starlight and starlight +?

edit: found this

HOME_NEW

us.dahuasecurity.com us.dahuasecurity.com
 
From what I hear in the forum it's somewhat of a marketing terminology
probably gonna be sensor size somebody will pop in and fill you in hopefully
 
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Starlight is a meaningless marketing phrase. The words Accusense, ColorVu, Dark Fighter, Starlight, etc. are simply marketing hooks and do not represent a specific technology advancement or feature....it is simply a marketing term used to supposedly sell the consumer on the ability to have good night vision. The actual sensors and capabilities of the camera is more important.

But there are so many games that can be played even with the how they report the Lux numbers. They will claim a low lux of 0.0005 for example, but then that is with a wide open iris and a shutter at 1/3 second and an f1.6 - as soon as you have motion in it, it will be crap. You need a shutter of at minimum 1/60 second to reduce a lot of blur from someone walking. So the "specs" don't mean much. It is why you need to look at reviews here where people actually show what the cameras can do with motion. Unlike Amazon reviews that are based on static images. You are already looking at the best in class 4MP and 8MP camera...

To prove how meaningless Starlight is, this is an example from Reolink's marketing videos of their Starlight camera - do you see a person in this picture...yes, there is a person in this picture. This is why you cannot buy a system based on marketing terms like Starlight.... Could this provide anything useful for the police? Would this protect your home? The still picture looks great though except for the person and the blur of the vehicle... Will give you a hint - the person is in between the two columns:

1668832168737.png



Bad Boys
Bad Boys
Watcha gonna do
Watcha gonna do
When the camera can't see you
 
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this makes a lot of sense. So I am leaning towards the 5442 instead of the 4K/X. I am just curious if there are any opinions on turret vs bullet?
 
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