Dahua Ultra Starlight Varifocal Bullet (IPC-HFW8232E-Z)

[nayr]

going to paint this white and install it soon, coulda bought one already white but that of cost more.



going to install it over the big bay window to detect activity in front yard and controll PTZ and lights.. the camera alarm output is wired to z-wave dry contact switch I had so this motion sensor and the IVS line cross will turn on the security lights and I can remove the shitty built in motion lights that go off every time a car drives by.

 

[nayr]

Ive had this camera and used it enough that my verdict has been rendered; the first post has been updated with my judgement..

Permanently installed it today; think I damaged the cable as im getting 17% packet loss now.. so if new ends dont fix it then gonna have to yank a new cable through; oh the joy.. see even the pro's fuck it up.. I wouldn't had though if I had an assistant in the basement feeding cable too; so next time I recruit the boy so I can keep it from kinking on me

 

[tangent]

so next time I recruit the boy so I can keep it from kinking on me

Glad to here he's graduated from "little bastard" (so named in another thread) to "boy"

 

[nayr]

its variable; im sure he'll reclaim the title..

 

[bug99]

It seems like the Ultra Starlight is a good camera. Whether it is worth the 2x cost over the more elegant but a bit less capable 5231 probably comes down to a person choice of budget & value and perhaps the number of cameras. @nayr thanks for the review. it will help me quite a bit.

 

[nayr]

yeah its not a great all around camera given the cost and form factor; not like the turret I previously reviewed; that thing is a steal for the price and this kinda shows why.

Its hard to get people to shell out money like this w/out seeing what they are capable of; and I think most people interested in such a camera are needing Ultra grade performance to accomplish what nothing else can.

here's what the 4MP Dahua @ 12mm looked like in this location with its own IR:

all those extra pixels, and a much tighter FOV didnt get me ID capabilities..

now I have a much better view, tons more detail, almost no noise and I can identify not only humans, but vehicle makes/models very clearly..

Earlier this year I had a drive-by-shooting fired from this location, before any camera was up here.. I gathered very little actionable evidence at a rather poor quality because I had focused my efforts on my property and regarded everything past my side of the road as not important.. This camera is worth it for me personally knowing that if such a thing happens again I'll have alot more information and now I can keep an eye on the house that got shot at.

I'm interested in one of these for my trailer for the same reasons, so I can maintain both ID capabilities on my property.. but to also clearly monitor activities that take place as far as it can see.. that and my trailer is very valuable to me.

 

[cam235]

In the above video only the Ultra has its IR on; so its not a combined IR setup.

Thanks for doing these reviews, I know this stuff takes a lot of time.
By the way, notice the appearance of the moving legs from 0:11 to 0:16 in this video. This is what I noticed on my "Eco-Starlight" also; small dark moving objects are affected by the noise reduction. The bigger-sensor camera has more signal to work with and it does better in the super-dim areas.

 

[bug99]

I hear you on the looking out. In fact I am a a believer in looking out for others, with cameras. I feel that most of the best views of my house are from my neighbors houses vantage points. I tell them this. I tell them that I plan to watch their houses and ask them to watch mine. I literally believe in neighborhood watch. That is where a good fraction of my cameras will soon be focused (i have been dragging my decisions for a long time). One neighbor is already ahead of me and has three cameras giving me good coverage on one side and the road vs focusing more on his yards etc. I figure it is a really cleaver person that breaks in without getting there via one the adjoining roads, so one of us better have the shot of the perp, with clear plate and model, or everything is going to be a bad remembrance of what happened (lookie there that guy just took my tv and disappeared into that white vehicle...Like i didn't already know that) vs catching them with actionable evidence.

My first 2 cameras were to cover package thiefs and other door issues, which resulted in a doorbell (Ring Pro) + a Hickvision 4MP dome. Neither ideal. My next one will likely be the Ultra aimed at my neighbor who watches me. The remaining ones will likely be the turrets to cover my side neighbors and back yard. I have not decided yet.

If only that picture were clearer i could tell how many (and which) fingers your were holding up .

 

[nayr]

I wasent happy with the camera so you can take a good guess what finger I was giving it

here's the video of the drive-by, unfortunately I dont want to watch the house that got shot at for there good.. but for the rest of the neighbors good; bunch of gangbangers renting that house and the owners live next door and are sympathetic to the poor single mother, despite the trouble her kids attract.



I slept through this event and had no idea; a neighbor sent me a message saying he heard gunshots and his cameras caught someone speeding away from my area.. asked if I picked up anything.. unfortunately they never passed by my LPR camera or I'd of nailed the punks.

I'm seriously considering an Ultra Starlight PTZ to replace my black face; fuck they are expensive.. perhaps @EMPIRETECANDY will take sympathy and hook me up at a price that wont get me murdered by my wife .. nobody here has showed off such a camera, so maybe I'll find the money.

 

[bug99]

yep. looks good, but not nearly good enough. at 1:34 you could have caught the face of the driver with the Ultra if slightly zoomed in and a bit up tilt and probably gotten a partial on the plate, maybe with some side IR like you like. Those other three cars are well covered however. Not to be funny, but it appears that the shots sprung a water leak in your yard, but closer examination shows that it was actually already going on for the entire shot.

 

[Dave Lonsdale]

Sure, let me check and send you firmware, you just try it, if can't work, then i will ask dahua guy to send me the right one.

Very many thanks to EMPIRETECANDY!
New firmware for my starlight bullets bought from others but received safely from Andy over Skype. Cameras updated giving the control I needed. Really appreciated! Don't you ever need down time and sleep?
Kind regards
Dave

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Very many thanks to EMPIRETECANDY!
New firmware for my starlight bullets bought from others but received safely from Andy over Skype. Cameras updated giving the control I needed. Really appreciated! Don't you ever need down time and sleep?
Kind regards
Dave

We are 12hours different, yours night our daytime, that is it. So now time back home for dinner~

 

[hmjgriffon]

I wasent happy with the camera so you can take a good guess what finger I was giving it

here's the video of the drive-by, unfortunately I dont want to watch the house that got shot at for there good.. but for the rest of the neighbors good; bunch of gangbangers renting that house and the owners live next door and are sympathetic to the poor single mother, despite the trouble her kids attract.



I slept through this event and had no idea; a neighbor sent me a message saying he heard gunshots and his cameras caught someone speeding away from my area.. asked if I picked up anything.. unfortunately they never passed by my LPR camera or I'd of nailed the punks.

I'm seriously considering an Ultra Starlight PTZ to replace my black face; fuck they are expensive.. perhaps @EMPIRETECANDY will take sympathy and hook me up at a price that wont get me murdered by my wife .. nobody here has showed off such a camera, so maybe I'll find the money.

How much are they?

 

[phydeaux]

going to paint this white and install it soon, coulda bought one already white but that of cost more.

View attachment 13942

going to install it over the big bay window to detect activity in front yard and controll PTZ and lights.. the camera alarm output is wired to z-wave dry contact switch I had so this motion sensor and the IVS line cross will turn on the security lights and I can remove the shitty built in motion lights that go off every time a car drives by.

Best Paint I've used for painting plastic (ABS, Fiberglass etc.) is Krylon Fusion. I painted My Exterior Mirror housing on My RV Sun turned original factory finish yellow. One coat of fusion is all it took. White as snow now. Use Steel wool to rough the intended surface a little. Fusion for Plastic® - | Krylon

 

[ldasilva]

@hmjgriffon
they have a few models i wonder which one @nayr was talking about

 

[hmjgriffon]

@hmjgriffon
they have a few models i wonder which one @nayr was talking about

Go all out, 40x lol.

 

[ldasilva]

i do need a replacement for my axis ptz camera

 

[hmjgriffon]

i do need a replacement for my axis ptz camera

I'm gonna guess they are in the neighborhood starting around 750-800 and up.

 

[nayr]

the Ultra PTZ's start at $1200

 

[hmjgriffon]

the Ultra PTZ's start at $1200

yeeaaahhhhh, I don't know that I will be getting one of those anytime soon, LOL. We will wait and see how addicted I become to the starlight one I unboxed last night.