Dahua IPC-HFW1831E (2018 low light 4K) vs IPC-HDW4421C (Chinese 4MP)

[bp2008]

At last, I have upgraded my two Chinese-region 4 megapixel cameras to the new IPC-HFW1831E which is Dahua's new 1/1.8" 8 megapixel camera, and I have some comparison snapshots to show off.

I would not draw too many conclusions from the difference in color saturation, as these cameras were never mounted side-by-side and I never attempted to tweak the image settings to make one look like the other. With that in mind, I believe my results speak for themselves.

Day Screenshots

4MP

8MP

4MP

8MP

Night Screenshots

4MP

8MP

4MP

8MP

 

[bigredfish]

Wow big difference, great snaps. You dont happen to be running WDR on that 4MP cam do you? looks washed out a bit and I notice that on mine where I need WDR...

 

[bp2008]

I think I had WDR enabled on those 4MPs. They aren't connected now so can't be sure.

 

[bp2008]

Night images are up. The difference there is remarkable. Keep in mind I have several cameras with overlapping FOVs here in addition to a large IR illuminator for the driveway, so there's a lot more light here than a single camera would provide.

 

[bug99]

Big difference, at least for still shots. Good FOV and zoom. I am assuming the clock is off on one of them or that tree trimmer guy in red doesn't move very much Funny, i zoomed in after posting that and in the 4MP, it looks like a person, and in the 8Mp it is clearly not.

note: You can probably afford to kick the rotation clockwise a few degrees to eliminate the wall to the left on the second camera to gain a few more pixels on the right and reduce IR bounce off the wall.

 

[bp2008]

I am assuming the clock is off on one of them

Yeah the driveway cam didn't take my time zone properly the first time so after posting the night pics I went in and changed it, changed it back, and then all was fine.

that tree trimmer guy in red doesn't move very much Funny, i zoomed in after posting that and in the 4MP, it looks like a person, and in the 8Mp it is clearly not.

The fire hydrant? LOL

note: You can probably afford to kick the rotation clockwise a few degrees to eliminate the wall to the left on the second camera to gain a few more pixels on the right and reduce IR bounce off the wall.

Probably, but I don't think there is an IR bounce problem here and I don't really need to see further to the right because this 2mp starlight mounted further back is good for an overview.

 

[bp2008]

Yeah the driveway cam didn't take my time zone properly the first time so after posting the night pics I went in and changed it, changed it back, and then all was fine.

Turns out, I think, this is a quirk of how the cameras try to handle daylight savings. I think sometimes I need to tell it I'm at UTC -6, and sometimes UTC -7, depending on the time of year. The cameras do auto-adjust it correctly as needed but only if you set it up correctly at first. lol

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

@bp2008 use the 6mm lens. The pics are crazy good. Thank you for the sharing.

 

[bp2008]

I did forget to mention that! Thanks Andy. 6mm lenses are in both the new cameras and the old ones these replaced. Everyone likes wide angle lenses but narrower ones like these are much better for details at a distance.

 

[NoloC]

Really nice upgrade @bp2008 . Now that I see 6mm is available, going to have to get one!

You guys cost me money!

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

IPC-HFW1831E new firmware Bulit Date 20190109

IPC-HFW1831E, This model has some big update, better to update it asap.

 

[Mike]

That's a huge difference, thanks for sharing

 

[bp2008]

Here are more pics under snowy conditions, a year apart.

4MP

8MP

4MP

8MP

 

[awsum140]

And few feet of snow part as well!

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

4K starlight Series Firmware Update 20190404

This model has a huge update now. Just released hours ago, i posted them here.

 

[MikeyTech8]

@bp2008 I know this thread is a little old but man these are gorgeous photos. May I ask for the night photos, how much light did you had in your surroundings? Is it okay to have just slightly a little bit of light to see good details during night (like your night photos)?

 

[bp2008]

There is quite a lot of IR in that area @MikeyTech8. While these cameras do a decent job in less light, my pics are close to a best-case-scenario for IR lighting. For darker examples, look at these reviews:

(8MP) IPC-HFW1831E Review

Dahua HFW-1831E in-depth review

 

[pov2]

@bp2008, do you have spider problems with bullet cameras that many warn about? I wonder how bad it is in real life.

 

[bp2008]

Yeah, I have spider problems all the time. Especially the one in my crawlspace where there is never any rain or wind or birds to destroy the webs.

It isn't only bullet cameras, but bugs of all kinds do tend to like them most in my experience.