Hello!
I am considering to purchase my first PoE ONVIF IP camera for outdoor surveillance. I plan to cover only my front yard with the camera, and preferrably observe when and which kind of traffic there is next to the yard. There is practically only one good spot for the camera, and the front yard is within 15 meters (50 feet) from that spot (the road would be then at a distance of approximately 18 meters or 60 feet). Accoring to the IPVM calculator, a focal length of 2.8mm would be definitely too small to "recognize" any person or vehicke at the road with 4MP resolution. Even a 4mm focal length camera with 4MP resolution would be capable to just "observe" at that distance. An 8MP camera with 4mm focal length might be a viable option for the front yard what comes to recongition distances, but everything beyond that would likely too far for anything else. The front yard is also rather wide, so the camera cannot have too large focal length either. Fortunately, the front yard is never completely dark, although it can be extremely weakly illuminated during a clear moonless night when the lights of a nearby town don't reflect from clouds.
I have studied this forum for recommendations. Now I know the image sensor size should be at least 1/1.8" for a 4MP camera and 1/1.2" for an 8MP camera. Unfortunately, the more I read the more confused I am. Some people say a varifocal camera would be a good option for a beginner, since it allows to adjust the focal length optimally. On the other hand, varifocal cameras have somewhat worse dark imaging properties due to their smaller aperatures. During daytime, such a feature can be actually beneficial due to increased depth of field. How is the focal length actually adjusted, via screws or software?
For instance, IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED 8MP camera is a equipped with a fixed focal length 8MP 1/1.2" sensor and lens: Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera
As seen through the comparisons, its "sweet spot focus" makes the background a bit blurry, at least compared to a similar Hikvision camera. Can the focus be adjusted or is it always "fixed"?
Here (Worlds First Review - Dahua DH-IPC-HFW5449T1-ZE-LED / IPC-Color4M - 4MP Full Color At Night Vari-Focal Bullet Cam), a IPC-HFW5449T1-ZE-LED 4MP camera is shown to perform worse at dark than the camera above, but has a better DOF thanks to being a varifocal camera. What I know, both of these Dahua cameras have excellent Quality-Price-Ratio. Which of the cameras would you recommend in general, or can you suggest alternative models (Dahua or Hikvision)? I am clueless how to do the selection, but aware that purchasing only one camera means compromises.
Another question is the form of the camera. I plan to camouflage the camera and not to use any visible LEDs it might have for covert usage (vandalism is not a problem here, I just do not want people to see immediately at night that I have a camera). Can any turret camera be mounted on walls and shelter roofs while having the image correctly tilted? Would you recommend a turret or a bullet camera for my scenario?
As I live in EU, I would prefer a supplier that has competitive prices in the EU region. Likewise, if the camera happens to break, a supplier from EU could be nice to deal with the warranty matters. Can you recommend an European supplier? Have other EU customers purchased directly from Andy? How do warranty things work with him or Chinese suppliers?
I am considering to purchase my first PoE ONVIF IP camera for outdoor surveillance. I plan to cover only my front yard with the camera, and preferrably observe when and which kind of traffic there is next to the yard. There is practically only one good spot for the camera, and the front yard is within 15 meters (50 feet) from that spot (the road would be then at a distance of approximately 18 meters or 60 feet). Accoring to the IPVM calculator, a focal length of 2.8mm would be definitely too small to "recognize" any person or vehicke at the road with 4MP resolution. Even a 4mm focal length camera with 4MP resolution would be capable to just "observe" at that distance. An 8MP camera with 4mm focal length might be a viable option for the front yard what comes to recongition distances, but everything beyond that would likely too far for anything else. The front yard is also rather wide, so the camera cannot have too large focal length either. Fortunately, the front yard is never completely dark, although it can be extremely weakly illuminated during a clear moonless night when the lights of a nearby town don't reflect from clouds.
I have studied this forum for recommendations. Now I know the image sensor size should be at least 1/1.8" for a 4MP camera and 1/1.2" for an 8MP camera. Unfortunately, the more I read the more confused I am. Some people say a varifocal camera would be a good option for a beginner, since it allows to adjust the focal length optimally. On the other hand, varifocal cameras have somewhat worse dark imaging properties due to their smaller aperatures. During daytime, such a feature can be actually beneficial due to increased depth of field. How is the focal length actually adjusted, via screws or software?
For instance, IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED 8MP camera is a equipped with a fixed focal length 8MP 1/1.2" sensor and lens: Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera
As seen through the comparisons, its "sweet spot focus" makes the background a bit blurry, at least compared to a similar Hikvision camera. Can the focus be adjusted or is it always "fixed"?
Here (Worlds First Review - Dahua DH-IPC-HFW5449T1-ZE-LED / IPC-Color4M - 4MP Full Color At Night Vari-Focal Bullet Cam), a IPC-HFW5449T1-ZE-LED 4MP camera is shown to perform worse at dark than the camera above, but has a better DOF thanks to being a varifocal camera. What I know, both of these Dahua cameras have excellent Quality-Price-Ratio. Which of the cameras would you recommend in general, or can you suggest alternative models (Dahua or Hikvision)? I am clueless how to do the selection, but aware that purchasing only one camera means compromises.
Another question is the form of the camera. I plan to camouflage the camera and not to use any visible LEDs it might have for covert usage (vandalism is not a problem here, I just do not want people to see immediately at night that I have a camera). Can any turret camera be mounted on walls and shelter roofs while having the image correctly tilted? Would you recommend a turret or a bullet camera for my scenario?
As I live in EU, I would prefer a supplier that has competitive prices in the EU region. Likewise, if the camera happens to break, a supplier from EU could be nice to deal with the warranty matters. Can you recommend an European supplier? Have other EU customers purchased directly from Andy? How do warranty things work with him or Chinese suppliers?