DS-2CD2732F-IS blurry picture - unable to focus

[jon102034050]

I've just installed my 4th Hikvision camera at my house, and I'm struggling to get this one to perform like the other 3. See the pic below for an example. Is there further adjustment that I need to perform, or is the camera just defective? As you can see in the picture, its as if the camera is focusing on the tiny piece of the soffit that shows in the picture, and is unable to focus at any distance at all.

http://imgur.com/QvecmTn

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[ricvil]

Remove the Dome and compare the image quality. I have seen the same thing happen before in another thread. Not sure if they ever got to the bottom but for sure it was Dome related.

 

[jon102034050]

Unfortunately, this really didn't make a difference at all. Here are a few shots with me messing around with the 2 adjustment points (both with the dome off)

http://imgur.com/a/1JvGc

 

[fenderman]

Unfortunately, this really didn't make a difference at all. Here are a few shots with me messing around with the 2 adjustment points (both with the dome off)

http://imgur.com/a/1JvGc

if you are completely zoomed out, try zooming in just a bit then adjusting the focus.

 

[jon102034050]

if you are completely zoomed out, try zooming in just a bit then adjusting the focus.

This was what I was kind of trying to do with the 3 most recent pictures, I wanted to demonstrate that when I zoomed in a bit, things get much, much worse. The first picture is zoomed all the way out.

I'm going to be quite honest, either I'm a total derp, or this thing is broken. I can't get it to focus on anything but the soffit that is 6 inches away.

 

[fenderman]

This was what I was kind of trying to do with the 3 most recent pictures, I wanted to demonstrate that when I zoomed in a bit, things get much, much worse. The first picture is zoomed all the way out.

I'm going to be quite honest, either I'm a total derp, or this thing is broken. I can't get it to focus on anything but the soffit that is 6 inches away.

make sure you completely loosen the adjustment screws. Then set the focal length, tighten it, and try playing with the focus.

 

[jon102034050]

Anybody know of any better documentation out there than this crappy guide from the product page? I'm concerned that I'm just maybe missing an adjustment or something because I'm about 99% certain this camera is gray market, and came with no documentation...

Here's the link to the docs that I'm viewing:
http://overseas.hikvision.com/en/Products_accessries_160_i4323.html

 

[fenderman]

Anybody know of any better documentation out there than this crappy guide from the product page? I'm concerned that I'm just maybe missing an adjustment or something because I'm about 99% certain this camera is gray market, and came with no documentation...

Here's the link to the docs that I'm viewing:
http://overseas.hikvision.com/en/Products_accessries_160_i4323.html

There are two adjustment screws, that adjust the focal length and focus..

 

[jon102034050]

There are two adjustment screws, that adjust the focal length and focus..

With this knowledge, I have concluded that this product is defective. I just pulled it off the soffit and am returning it. While I'm sort of on the topic, is there really any downside to gray market cameras? (besides the fact that you really can't upgrade their firmware)

 

[fenderman]

With this knowledge, I have concluded that this product is defective. I just pulled it off the soffit and am returning it. While I'm sort of on the topic, is there really any downside to gray market cameras? (besides the fact that you really can't upgrade their firmware)

Nothing aside from the firmware. Note that on some china specific models, there housing hardware is not the same..for example the 4mp turret users much more plastics and is not as sturdy...

 

[jon102034050]

This specific model that I have actually has Chinese under the Hikvision logo on the exterior of the camera. Looks pretty cheesy IMO, but if the camera would have worked, I guess I wouldn't have cared

 

[fenderman]

This specific model that I have actually has Chinese under the Hikvision logo on the exterior of the camera. Looks pretty cheesy IMO, but if the camera would have worked, I guess I wouldn't have cared

I have never seen chinese under the logo...that is strange..what was the cost of the camera?

 

[jon102034050]

Here is the camera that I bought - got it for $168.

http://www.amazon.com/HIKVISION-Waterproof-Vandalproof-Verifocal-DS-2CD2732F-/dp/B00LMZY5BW/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1449789070&sr=1-1&keywords=DS-2CD2732F

Here's a picture of it as well:

http://imgur.com/4CAk9jF

 

[jon102034050]

I have never seen chinese under the logo...that is strange..what was the cost of the camera?

You seem very knowledgeable, and I really appreciate your help so far - do you have any suggestions for a soffit camera above my garage? I'm debating if I got the correct camera for this location or not. The only reason why I'm leaning towards getting the same one is that the screw holes and wire cutouts are already in place for the camera.
Thanks!

 

[fenderman]

Here is the camera that I bought - got it for $168.

http://www.amazon.com/HIKVISION-Waterproof-Vandalproof-Verifocal-DS-2CD2732F-/dp/B00LMZY5BW/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1449789070&sr=1-1&keywords=DS-2CD2732F

Here's a picture of it as well:

http://imgur.com/4CAk9jF

For a bit more you can get a US region camera with warranty (particularly if 2mp will be enough)..there is also a motorized version of this camera design (its 4mp)...

 

[jon102034050]

For a bit more you can get a US region camera with warranty (particularly if 2mp will be enough)..there is also a motorized version of this camera design (its 4mp)...

Curious - where would I get the US warranty one at? I'd probably be interested in that over the motorized one (seems like too many moving parts, more likely to break...?)

 

[fenderman]

Curious - where would I get the US warranty one at? I'd probably be interested in that over the motorized one (seems like too many moving parts, more likely to break...?)

https://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/257-Good-source-to-buy-IP-items-at

 

[jon102034050]

https://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/257-Good-source-to-buy-IP-items-at

Thanks! New to the forums (and IP cams actually), still finding my way around.

 

[jon102034050]

Just a small update here - I returned my first camera, and got the exact same one from a different reseller. It was MUCH easier to focus the camera, and I'm way more satisfied with the results now. I'm not 100% done working on the focus, and these are just the out of the box image settings, so there is still room for improvement, but it's nice to know that I don't have a defective camera anymore.

http://imgur.com/SaFbK12

Thanks again guys!

 

[shocktube]

So I just purchased the same camera from the same dealer on amazon. When I installed it and tried to adjust the field of view and came across the same problem. The one adjustment screw with a "T" on one side of it and a "W" on the other didn't seem to adjust the viewing angle but rather the focus. The sweet spot on that focus was extremely small. The other adjustment screw offered no adjustment once loosened. Does this camera, which is advertised as a variable zoom, not have this functionality or am I missing something? I added a picture of the adjustment screws in the link below.

http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/shocktube1/CCTV/story