Choosing Hikvision cameras: Lines and Darkfighter

[LoinKing]

Is there a huge difference between sensor image quality between 1, 2 and 2plus lines? I went to the local Hikvision shop/distributor and asked for a 3MP Dome camera for indoor use (no need for night vision). The cheapest one was 1-line, he said for the same price I can have 1.3MP 2-line, and that the 2-line 1.3MP is as good as the other one. is that a bunch of hogwash? Looking at the specs I don't see any difference between sensors or Lux rating. I got the 1.3MP one, but now thinking of going back and getting the 3MP.

I've been reading up on Darkfighter and its sounds like "stealth" technology in that it really is a combination of various improvements that help camera see better at night and NOT necessarily the Starvis sensor - like Dahua Starlight. Which brings me to Easy IP 3.0 Dome cameras: 5MP, 4MP and 3MP - the later two being listed on hikvision.com as "Powered by Darkfighter".

For my use, which is entrance/lobby area and open garage, should i go with 4MP/3MP ones or is the difference negligible between 5MP and others and I should just go for the higher MP?

I need to get the cameras today, would appreciate advise. Thanks!

 

[Driver]

Darkfighter's have a much larger camera sensor - eg: 1/1.8" vs the usual 1/3" on most 3mp or 4mp cameras. Larger sensor = more light sensitivity for each pixel.

Now it's also very important to note that as Megapixel's increase, your effective pixel size will get smaller & thus will reduce low-light/night sensitivity.

 

[LoinKing]

so even a 3MP Darkfighter is better than 5MP...if night vision is concerned?

A bit more info...I need two cameras facing the front of the house/street and my current 4MP (2043G0) gets grainy at night and its hard to make out faces clearly - tried adjusting settings. so I'm wondering if its better to go with a 3MP dark fighter i.e. lose some pixels but gain clarity?

 

[Driver]

Correct. At night the extra pixels are pretty useless anyway as video compression doesn't help the cause for dark grainy images.

Camera Sensors will vary in image quality between models, but the general rule applies.

I have a 3MP DS-2CD2335FWD-I (1/2.8" sensor) and it's night vision is better than my 8MP DS-2CD2385FWD-I (1/2.5" sensor) - but the 8MP is still better at night than cheaper/older 3MP DS-2CD3332-I (1/3" sensor) cameras.

Also I forgot to mention before, the larger sensor will also give you a wider field of view too. (Much like the general optical rules of full frame vs APS-C SLR cameras) From experiencing of upgrading from 3MP to 8MP - the 8MP 4mm is more like a 3MP 2.8mm lens! whilst on the topic of the 8MP - it's dramatically better during the day over the older 3MP when it comes to reading license plates. It was borderline before (pending lighting conditions/angle of plate/etc) - but much more successful now - until sunset.

Keep in mind that the Darkfighter units are physically a lot bigger too. Probably no problem in a commercial install, but it may really stand out on a small house porch, etc.