DS-2CD2335FWD-I or DS-2CD2385FWD-I for backgarden with no light?

[Nick N]

First foray into CCTV and there is so much information its getting a bit confusing. I need two cameras one for the front and one for the garden. The garden is pretty much pitch black at night and I'm looking to put a camera with a 2.8mm lens so it can cover the sidegate and the patio area.

Ive read a lot but there seems to be conflicting information about the 2385's night vision capabilities. From what I've read the 2335 seems to be great at night but how does the 2385 compare?

Also i need a dome for the front as it will be mounted fairly low, would 8mp be ok for the front of the house which has one or two street lights?

 

[aristobrat]

To do well in low-light situations, you'll want a model that Hikvision labels Ultra-Low Light, or one Dahua has labeled Starlight. These cameras have fewer megapixels (i.e. most are 2MP, a few might be 3MP) and use a Sony STARVIS image sensor (which was designed to work magic in low-light situations).

Looks like the 2335 is an Ultra-Low Light model, so it should do as well in low-light as can be done in this price range. The 2385 has way too many megapixels to do as well as the 2335. I've seen higher megapixel cameras (like the 2385) give OK static images at night, but once something starts moving, the image usually turns into an unusable blurry mess. So if you do any more research on the 2385, be sure to look for videos of how it does in low-light situations where there's movement (vs. just screenshots).

I have a Dahua Starlight Varifocal turret that covers my backyard. It's a great "overview" camera ... I can see a lot (width-wise) with it zoomed out to 2.8mm, ... but the trade-off is that unless someone is standing within 20 feet of the camera, at 2.8mm I can't identify them (unless I happen to know them). I have to a separate camera (zoomed in much tighter than 2.8mm) on the side gate to get useful video, but I'm sure our backyards are laid out differently.

If you haven't already found this resource, check out IPVM Camera Calculator V3 ... you should be able to pull up a Google Earth view of your yard, drop a camera on a location, and it will give you a good idea of what the image quality will look like.

Be careful with domes outside. If there's anything close that the cameras IR will bounce back from (porch ceiling, porch columns, side of house), it can reflect back into the dome and wash out the image. Turrets don't usually suffer from this as much.

If you look at the bottom picture on this post, it shows the dome glare issue I have on my porch. I have to run the camera with no IR to get a good picture.

 

[Nick N]

Thanks for your comments. I was leaning towards the 2335 which is good.

Re the some - I thought the dome might be better as it will be mounted fairly low, thus with the vandal resistance it might stand up better. Should i consider something else? There will be a car parked pretty much directly below it so IR would bounce back from that i would have thought. Do you think 8mp would be ok in the front as it has some street lighting so not pitch black?

 

[cutterman]

I have both. The 2335 is by far the better camera for low/no light. Even during the day the extra pixels in the 2385 don't add much.

 

[alastairstevenson]

A few weeks back I bought a DS-2CD2335FWD-I from here - DS 2CD2335FWD I 3MP H.265+ IP67 POE CCTV IP Camera Ultra Low Light Turret POE Network Camera with Logo-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
At £69 a good price for an English / upgradeable camera, I'm very happy with it.

you can choice this store,they have them in stock and have the fast delivery.Recommend！

Quite expensive at £84.
By the way, FYI, the DS-2CD2335FWD-I is not a Darkfighter series camera.

 

[alastairstevenson]

I avoid DHL as they play by the rules and charge you import duty and a handling fee. China Post is usually just over a couple of weeks.