Dahua 2MP 25x Starlight IR PTZ Network Camera (SD49225T-HN)

[MR2]

Any one else having weird issues with the stream when adding the Dahua SD series as ONVIF to Milestone?

 

[wxman]

I know the save directory for images/recordings keeps resorting back to default each time I log in. I set it to save to "my pictures" for example, but then the next day when I log back in, it's saving back in the default directory.

Still struggling with perfecting the white balance. Not a biggie if used for security, but using as a weather/nature cam, I don't want my red birds looking brown like they just flew into a pile of cow shit. I think the primary issue I'm having there is not having enough pure white in the scenery for the algorithm to base it's adjustment off of. A few days ago when we had puffy white clouds in the sky, the auto white balance worked great. The past 2 days when there were no white clouds to adjust to, it's confusing the algorithm and making it lean too heavy on the red color channel. This is causing the sky to look more purple than blue and the landscape to be brown.

I could just leave it in manual wb during the day, which should work fine as long as it's sunny...but that is probably going to look bad on cloudy days due to the way light frequencies spread...If I remember correctly, shade gives a higher color temp than direct sunlight, thus you'll need to boost the warmer reds more to balance out the correct color on a cloudy day...Thus the WB setting that looks normal in sun will probably look too blue during a cloudy day (Think I've got that correct, it's been quite a few years since I've hit the physics books!)..It's also not going to look good at sunrise/sunset when the shorter wavelength blue light has been scattered out by lower sun angle/increased atmospheric distance of traveled light and only the longer wavelength reds are reaching you. Here you want to see heavy reds to replicate the natural appearance.

I could probably create some scripts for ideal white balance under different times of day and types of weather. Could set them to auto activate at specific times depending on the weather forecast and/or sunrise/sunset times, etc...Although without Telnet, I don't see any way of storing and time activating these scripts inside the camera's internal drive...So would need a computer to run the scripts at set times...

Kind of disappointing having a cam with as much potential as this has, yet having to go to so much trouble all because of a crappy auto white balance algorithm that only seems to work properly during shade or when there's clouds in the sky.

 

[nayr]

what about putting up a calibration object within scene to help it w/color? like a white birdhouse on a pole or somethn

 

[wxman]

what about putting up a calibration object within scene to help it w/color? like a white birdhouse on a pole or somethn

I do have some white flower pots out in the yard, although they're apparently not big enough to do the job...If I zoom in on one of the flower pots where it covers a good quarter of the screen, then the colors look a bit better (still too red/brown, but not unrealistically so), but as soon as I start zooming out and getting more grass and trees in the scene, the red channel starts cranking way up again to unrealistic levels.

It's not as noticeable if I turn the saturation way down, but that doesn't really "correct" the color, just makes it less vibrant...If the color was accurate, you should be able to turn saturation all the way up and still have an accurate color (just unusually strong and bleeding onto nearby objects)...When I manually calibrate the WB, I can do this.

Interestingly, the auto white balance also works fine in the shaded areas of the ground even when there's no white in the scene. It's something about where the sun shines on the grass/trees that really throws it off.

 

[hmjgriffon]

I do have some white flower pots out in the yard, although they're apparently not big enough to do the job...If I zoom in on one of the flower pots where it covers a good quarter of the screen, then the colors look a bit better (still too red/brown, but not unrealistically so), but as soon as I start zooming out and getting more grass and trees in the scene, the red channel starts cranking way up again to unrealistic levels.

It's not as noticeable if I turn the saturation way down, but that doesn't really "correct" the color, just makes it less vibrant...If the color was accurate, you should be able to turn saturation all the way up and still have an accurate color (just unusually strong and bleeding onto nearby objects)...When I manually calibrate the WB, I can do this.

Interestingly, the auto white balance also works fine in the shaded areas of the ground even when there's no white in the scene. It's something about where the sun shines on the grass/trees that really throws it off.

Perfect location for a big white mini air ship lol

 

[Tinman]

@ wxman

Maybe, I got a good one...but mine out performs all of my other cams as far as color looking great in all kinds of weather. And, I have tried many brands through the years....Hikvision-Axis-ECS-Foscam-Zmodo-Dlink-Linksys-Sony-Ycam and probably a few I have forgotten. But I left everything at default and I am happy with that. Maybe you just got a bad sensor ??

 

[GFM]

How has this camera been working in the outdoors, exposed to rain/snow/cold etc?
I have been having intermittent trouble with one of my Foscam units (few years old) and thinking a PTZ type camera like this SD49925T-HN might be a suitable replacement. Problem is the camera would be 100% exposed to really ugly weather at times; -40C to +40C, rain, sleet, snow and everything in between... Needs to be VERY weather proof!
This unit is almost priced within my budgetary restraints...
Some of the video posted above is awesome!

 

[blitz]

Hey guys, thanks for this informative thread. You guys really convinced me to buy one. Does anyone know when Andy will be having the SD49225T-HN in stock?

 

[mpbcam]

How has this camera been working in the outdoors, exposed to rain/snow/cold etc?
I have been having intermittent trouble with one of my Foscam units (few years old) and thinking a PTZ type camera like this SD49925T-HN might be a suitable replacement. Problem is the camera would be 100% exposed to really ugly weather at times; -40C to +40C, rain, sleet, snow and everything in between... Needs to be VERY weather proof!
This unit is almost priced within my budgetary restraints...
Some of the video posted above is awesome!

Mine is only partially protected by an overhang but for the most part it's exposed to the weather. I'm in the Pacific Northwest and although it's only been up for a week it's already been in a snowstorm and then rain every other day.

It's not much of a long term test by any measure, but I haven't had any issues. The top of the dome looked well sealed, and any precipitation on the top should just roll right down...not much opportunity for moisture intrusion. The wall mount has a gasket that will help keep things out on that end (and the gasket goes *inside* of where screws/bolts are so that's good too... no worry about moisture coming in through those holes).

No hot/cold extremes here... even with the snow it was only in the low/mid 30's (Fahrenheit) and daytime highs no more than mid 50's for now. I'll be more interested to see how this does in the summer when it's in full sun all day. The black lower part could heat up, but the white housing up top should help. I guess we'll see. In my neck of the woods it's rare to have temps above 100F or lower than 20F, and even those are rare/extreme.

In other words, if I were in Arizona in August, or Minnesota in January, it would get more of a workout.

 

[ldasilva]

How has this camera been working in the outdoors, exposed to rain/snow/cold etc?
I have been having intermittent trouble with one of my Foscam units (few years old) and thinking a PTZ type camera like this SD49925T-HN might be a suitable replacement. Problem is the camera would be 100% exposed to really ugly weather at times; -40C to +40C, rain, sleet, snow and everything in between... Needs to be VERY weather proof!
This unit is almost priced within my budgetary restraints...
Some of the video posted above is awesome!

64 days of install
ive had some pretty good rain here and it did fine
no snow
coldest it gets here is about 40's F
summer unknown so far

 

[wxman]

@ wxman

Maybe, I got a good one...but mine out performs all of my other cams as far as color looking great in all kinds of weather. And, I have tried many brands through the years....Hikvision-Axis-ECS-Foscam-Zmodo-Dlink-Linksys-Sony-Ycam and probably a few I have forgotten. But I left everything at default and I am happy with that. Maybe you just got a bad sensor ??

Your image there is doable...Granted, I do see a bit of a brown cast to the trees in your pic, it's not unrealistic. Which with a cloudy sky, mine looks kind of similar to that...But the past few sunny days, this is a close cropped example of the issue I'm getting...The left side being the manual white balance adjustment that matches the Hikvision and the left side being the auto white balance with it's red channel bias (making the grass look more brown than green and the sky look more purple than blue)...The is only a mild example when lots of clouds are present..when there's no clouds, it's much worse!

 

[wxman]

Here's a good example from this morning...Zoomed in a pine tree with clear sky in the background..My manual wb setting looks great:



Now, I turn on the auto white balance and here's what I get...:



Beautiful blue sky turns to a pale gray/purple color and the limbs of the tree looks like someone wiped their ass on it after a violent bout of the dysentery.

 

[Tinman]

Yes. I see what you mean looking at those pics. I will try this on my evergreen when the sun comes out.

 

[TheSuperServer]

View attachment 15856 Y

The only thing I had to get extra was the junction box. The mounting arm comes with.

Since the back of the camera mount has its own seal and it fits in the groove of this junction box do you use the seals that come with the box?

 

[JasonS]

I am new to dahua and looking to get 6 starlights for my home.
however I want the bullet version.
can you share the correct model number for the bullets?

thanks and congrats on #2 !!!!!!!

Oh fuck yeah.. thanks for getting one of these.. I was just telling andy to order a bunch of those as the cheap ass bastards on these forums will splooge them selves when they see a $350 Starlight Dahua PTZ..

So long Huisun/Sunba and all the rest of trash, if your a cheap ass and you cant afford a $350 Dahua 25x then you dont need a damn PTZ in the first place.

Cant wait to see some samples and video! Dahua is fucking crushing the competition right now.. Ive named this fine camera the Lite Black Face PTZ.. must be the results of a Black Face PTZ and a White Face PTZ hooking up and making a baby camera

. I want the bullet style and was hoping you can give me the model number I should be looking for.
thanks

Oh fuck yeah.. thanks for getting one of these.. I was just telling andy to order a bunch of those as the cheap ass bastards on these forums will splooge them selves when they see a $350 Starlight Dahua PTZ..

So long Huisun/Sunba and all the rest of trash, if your a cheap ass and you cant afford a $350 Dahua 25x then you dont need a damn PTZ in the first place.

Cant wait to see some samples and video! Dahua is fucking crushing the competition right now.. Ive named this fine camera the Lite Black Face PTZ.. must be the results of a Black Face PTZ and a White Face PTZ hooking up and making a baby camera

 

[nayr]

bullet PTZ? no such thing from dahua.. you can get roof mounts but those are big money.

 

[JasonS]

sorry was following your starlight turret 68 pages thread and got lost in TMI lol.
what is the bullet version of the starlight turret ?

 

[ldasilva]

sorry was following your starlight turret 68 pages thread and got lost in TMI lol.
what is the bullet version of the starlight turret ?

HFW5231E-Z

this one?

 

[hmjgriffon]

bullet PTZ? no such thing from dahua.. you can get roof mounts but those are big money.

What sort of roof mount?

 

[hmjgriffon]

sorry was following your starlight turret 68 pages thread and got lost in TMI lol.
what is the bullet version of the starlight turret ?

Any particular reason you want bullets?