Ok, guys I did briefly compare the Lorex 4K models 8974BW and the 8950ABW to some 5231, 2231, 1831E cameras that I recently obtained from Andy. A shout out to Andy for the prompt and professional service!
All of the items were well priced, well packaged and delivered promptly within 5-7 days. Thanks Andy!
Long story short, I have returned the Lorex kit and purchased all my hardware from Andy (3x 5231's. 2x 2231's and one 1831E + NVR and mounting accessories)
Here is my take on the cameras:
The Lorex 8974 is a decent 4K camera and is much better than the 8950, but does not even come close to the 5231 and 2231 for low light. The 1831 is a great 4K camera and much better than the 8974, but still not as good at the 2MP starlights.
I also purchased the Dahua NVR from Andy (
NVR5216-16P-4KS2E) which had much more recent firmware and GUI along with all the IVS features Lorex removes.
I also noticed that the autofocus on the 8974 was horribly slow when zooming sometimes taking 30-60 seconds to dial in the focus. This could have been a firmware issue but Lorex did not have any updates. Comparatively, the 5231 had excellent autofocus.
*** Here is my advice to the newbies on this forum: ***
Listen to what the senior members say and don't get caught up in the megapixel marketing hype. I am just repeating everything they have already said.
The 4K cameras only work well where there is good lighting, predominantly daytime. The packaged offerings from the branded resellers may seem like a better deal with things like free returns, 2 year warranty, customer support etc. It was my experience that you can get more current hardware and firmware purchasing directly though Andy. The customer support although friendly did not provide much from a technical point of view as the Dahaua equipment I purchased from Andy was essentially plug and play. The software offering for the mobile Apps from Lorex were perhaps slightly more polished but lacking the features you get with Dahua offerings. It is all rebranded Dahua anyway.
The dahua
wiki documents and how-to's show you everything you need to know.
As mentioned before: If you need more resolution, just install more cameras and zoom in on the areas of interest with multiple starlights.
Cheers,