Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

cryptelli said:
Does help when things are actually in focus :).
Click to expand...

I know right? and honestly that's a pretty serious issue for a security camera, I'm glad they got right on it, hell I disabled my script that was switching profiles and set the cam back to normal profile because I don't need to run separate settings anymore lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cryptelli
hmjgriffon said:
I know right? and honestly that's a pretty serious issue for a security camera, I'm glad they got right on it, hell I disabled my script that was switching profiles and set the cam back to normal profile because I don't need to run separate settings anymore lol.
Click to expand...

Yeah. You want to be able to ID people, no use if you have the best cameras in the world if they are let down by a simple focus problem during the time when crime is likely to occur. I still have my profile set to force B&W w/ IR at a certain time for all cameras because some had the propensity to be female and flick back and forth, much like you experienced with your PTZ indoors.
 
cryptelli said:
Yeah. You want to be able to ID people, no use if you have the best cameras in the world if they are let down by a simple focus problem during the time when crime is likely to occur. I still have my profile set to force B&W w/ IR at a certain time for all cameras because some had the propensity to be female and flick back and forth, much like you experienced with your PTZ indoors.
Click to expand...

haha, I've thought about forcing color and black and white but honestly, my outdoor cams don't seem to have any issues with that at all, they kick into night vision mode and seem to stay there until morning. I was gonna lock them into doing it at sunrise and sunset but I kinda feel like the on board LUX sensor probably changes it at the best time. and yeah, I think there is a bug in the PTZs firmware but I have not seen an updated version, perhaps I will tag that dahua dude that comes in here if I can remember his handle lol. It seems like the sensitivity works in reverse though.
 
hmjgriffon said:
haha, I've thought about forcing color and black and white but honestly, my outdoor cams don't seem to have any issues with that at all, they kick into night vision mode and seem to stay there until morning.
Click to expand...

I might give it another shot without the profiles as I believe they don't adjust with DST? Not that I would mind adjusting it once a year.

hmjgriffon said:
and yeah, I think there is a bug in the PTZs firmware but I have not seen an updated version, perhaps I will tag that dahua dude that comes in here if I can remember his handle lol. It seems like the sensitivity works in reverse though.
Click to expand...

You've forgotten already :)? @Korgoth. Would be handy to have a chat to him about that and the focus as-well because if I don't adjust the PTZ during the night it's out of focus. Even this damn NVR rebooting problem (which hasn't been an issue for two days now).
 
cryptelli said:
I might give it another shot without the profiles as I believe they don't adjust with DST? Not that I would mind adjusting it once a year.



You've forgotten already :)? @Korgoth. Would be handy to have a chat to him about that and the focus as-well because if I don't adjust the PTZ during the night it's out of focus. Even this damn NVR rebooting problem (which hasn't been an issue for two days now).
Click to expand...

damnitt, so more dahua cams have that issue? They need to get on that, shit on the backdoor issues, we need cameras that focus like they are suppose to lol I don't really wanna have to have a script send a command to trigger auto focus, and not even sure if there is one to do that.
 
hmjgriffon said:
I don't really wanna have to have a script send a command to trigger auto focus, and not even sure if there is one to do that.
Click to expand...

Neither. @nayr posted the below, so it's possible but why should you?

nayr said:
If your really obsessed with achieving perfect focus w/an auto-iris camera; well then fire off a script to adjust the focus twice a day when changing the profiles from day/night.. its all doable via Dahua HTTP API and its pretty much required for reading license plates.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: NoloC and hmjgriffon
So would this be an issue with the fixed lens version?

EDIT: found the thread :
Dahua IPC-HDBW4431R-ZS - Buy Log / Review

and read discussion there. @cryptelli , do you believe the new firmware solves the issue now?

Thanks for pointing this out!
 
Last edited:
nayr said:
uh, you guys are doing it wrong.. it locks in at a angle and then hinges closed, dont require any force at all.. does make mounting it in a tight corner kinda of a bitch.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. I mustn't be trying it on a big enough angle (I have been engaging the rear first and then lowering the front- where the set screw is- to engage it.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: nayr
Could be wrong but I believe the issue relates to the different wavelength of light traveling through the lens and where the focal plane ends up as a result.
 
could be that the fixed zoom lens is focused at infinity, which works close in ( a few meters somehow), but the IR is a longer wavelength so it is also focused at infinity, but off slightly. I am just throwing it out there, i don't know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NoloC
And as long as we're throwing - The lens needs to be ir corrected and the varifocal might not be as good at that. I have also seen some discussion of aspherical vs spherical lens. Guess it doesn't matter if the firmware now tells it to re-focus at ir on/off.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cryptelli and hmjgriffon
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom