Dahua T5442 Varifocal help

[GFB]

So I have my first camera from Andy - it's on a 2x4 and I am using it to gauge what I might need in various spots (and will stick it to one of those spots). I have Blue Iris setup and can see the camera feed. Couple of n00b questions, I've tried searching and have not figured this stuff out yet.

1. I am logged into the IP address of the camera to control the zoom - is there a way to set this through Blue Iris?

2. Also - how or where can I tell 'how' zoomed in I am so I can better determine what fixed focal cameras I might purchase?

Any other tips and tricks? New to all of this - but did ready the Cliff Notes, the Wiki, etc.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Rule of thumb is to only use the camera GUI to set zoom in a varifocal. I don't have the turret version of the 5442 but do have the bullet version. On the bottom where the zoom slide is there is a numeric representation of the zoom level of the lens. You need the high and low extremes plus the number when you've got the zoom set where you want it. In the WiKi there is a calculator that you can enter those numbers into to get a fairly good equivalent in mm.

 

[gwminor48]

Have you already seen this?

Focal Length Calculator

Calculate the focal point of a camera to help determine the best size lens to order. Save & view your results later.

ipcamtalk.com

 

[aristobrat]

1. I am logged into the IP address of the camera to control the zoom - is there a way to set this through Blue Iris?

In BI if you give it an admin username/password and then click the Find/Inspect button BI should find everything, including the varifocal piece and microphone. You can then use the PTZ GUI in BI to zoom/focus the camera. Personally I ended up disabling this (in BI) after I got everything set because it was too easy for my clumsy self to accidentally change it.