Getting ready to buy first cameras and would like your opinion on best choices.

[Brad Strohfeldt]

So, I have purchased a BI machine, ubiquity router and 8 POE switch. Looking to start with 4 cameras to cover the external of my house. Been reading reviews and posts on the forum on the best cameras but need help on what will be best value for money.

Looking at getting a varifocal 2MB Starlight to start with but I suspect 2.8mm fixed lenses will be just fine for my application.

IPC-HDW2231R-ZS is $188.00 or IPC-HDW5231R-ZE for $255.00 or latest model IPC-T2231T-ZS $186.00 (Australian dollars)

I don't really know what features are going to be important to me other than good low light performance. First time camera user! Which of these cameras would you recommend as offering the best value for money?

Or is there other cameras I should be considering.

Note: the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE Spec sheet says IVS(optional)? Anyone know what this means?
Cheers for the advice.

 

[catcamstar]

Couple of things:

• read the wiki one more time
• varifocal versus fixed lens: it might be "just fine", but the price difference might not hinder you in the flexibility you gain. Especially with your first cams, I'd advice to pick varifocal, make some test benches/setups, so you "learn"/"experience" and can make better judgement for future camera acquisitions. More is merrier, right? ;-)
• "best value for money" is dependent of your budget available. One can advice a "VW Golf" might be enough to drive from A to B, but if you have budget for a Porsche, I'd look that way too
• IVS - I compared with the HDBW and HFW's I own, with those it is not "flagged" as optional, but to my understanding, these cams carry the IVS module which you can (but don't have to) activate. Keep in mind that all this magic happens INSIDE your camera, and your BI might be able to reproduce those events (better or worse, I leave that in the middle).
• ask a quotation from @EMPIRETECANDY on this forum. You will not regret.

Good luck (and enjoy your hobby!)
CC

 

[sebastiantombs]

I hate to throw more confusion, and angst, into your decision but...The new 4MP starlight cameras perform as well as, or better than, the 2MP starlights. The 1/1.8 sensor size seems to be the "sweet spot" for a 4MP in dark conditions. To muddy the waters a little more, the turret versions are fixed focal length but there is a varifocal bullet version as well. Have a look at the 5442 series.

In terms of the 2MP cameras the major difference between the two you mention is that the 5231 has a mic while the 2231 does not. If you need/want sound, the choice is obvious.

Definitely contact Andy no matter what your final decision is.

 

[SouthernYankee]

I would go with a 4MP Starlight cameras. Please read the camera reviews and My other comments.

Read study plan before spending money
-------------------------------------------
My standard welcome to the forum message.

Please read the IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes and other items in the IP Cam Talk Wiki. (read on a real computer, not a phone). The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) in the wiki also.

Quick start
1) If you do not have a wired monitored alarm system, get that first
2) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras if you need good low light cameras.
3) use a VPN to access home network (openVPN)
4) Do not use wifi cameras.
5) Do not use cloud storage
6) Do Not use uPNP, P2P, QR, do not open ports,
7) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
8) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
9) Do not use reolink, ring, nest, Arlo cameras (they are junk), no cloud cameras
10) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
11) Use only solid copper, AWG 23 or 24 ethernet wire. , no CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)
12) use a test mount to verify the camera mount location. My test rig: rev.2
13) (Looney2ns)If you want to be able to ID faces, don't mount cams higher than 8ft. You want to know who did it, not just what happened.
14) Use a router that has openVPN built in (Most ASUS, Some NetGear....)
15) camera placement use the calculator... IPVM Camera Calculator V3
16) POE list PoE Switch Suggestion List


Cameras to look at
IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+) - 4MP starlight
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+
IPC-B5442E-ZE Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+
IPC-T2347G-LU Review of the Hikvision OEM model IPC-T2347G-LU 'ColorVu' IP CCTV camera. (DS-2CD2347G1-LU)
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW2231T-ZS-S2 Review-OEM IPC-T2231T-ZS 2mp Varifocal Starlight Camera
IPC-HDW5231R-ZE Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
N22AL12 New Dahua N22AL12 Budget Cam w/Starlight -- low cost entry

Other dahua 4MP starlight Dahua 4MP Starlight Lineup

My preferred indoor cameras
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW
IPC-K35A Review-Dahua IPC-K35A 3mp Cube Camera

If interested in Blue Iris and other setup items see the following post

Newbie Starter Guide to IP Cam System – VPN setup – Computer Hardware – Blue Iris – Dahua Cameras

This is an intermediate / newbie guide for people just starting out looking for a surveillance setup. I know this setup might not be for everyone and there are many options. You can find a lot of this information in the Wiki: IP Cam Talk Wiki | IP Cam Talk A great place to start in the Wiki...

ipcamtalk.com

Camera Sensor size info Sensor Size Chart Generally bigger is better

Read,study,plan before spending money ..... plan plan plan
Test do not guess

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
if you are interested in International Dahua cameras, a forum member sells dahua (and some Hikvision) and ships world wide. You can read some of the members recommendations on his service. He also provides cameras to other forum member for evaluation and reviews.
you can email him for a quote, or purchase from his Aliexpress store or his Amazon store. The cameras are fully upgradable, he posts upgrade software when available.

Andy
@EMPIRETECANDY
kingsecurity2014@163.com
Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: EmpireTech Andy
Andy's AliExpress store: Empire Technology Co., Ltd - Amazing prodcuts with exclusive discounts on AliExpress
Andy's Amazon store:

https://www.amazon.com/s?me=A329YQ83EBQGJF&imprToken=1afvDbw2NQ3Kn0HZpSmv2g&linkCode=w61&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&redirect=true&slotNum=0&tag=ipctk-20

forum: EmpireTech Andy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Brad Strohfeldt]

these cams carry the IVS module which you can (but don't have to) activate. Keep in mind that all this magic happens INSIDE your camera, and your BI might be able to reproduce those events

Thanks catcamstar, so an advantage of using BI would be that I can use lower featured cameras to do what the higher ones can do natively.

[QUOTE="catcamstar, post: 419633, member: 48398"
Good luck (and enjoy your hobby!)
[/QUOTE]

Wasn't planning on it as a hobby but following on here for a while has me worried

 

[petere10]

So, I have purchased a BI machine, ubiquity router and 8 POE switch. Looking to start with 4 cameras to cover the external of my house. Been reading reviews and posts on the forum on the best cameras but need help on what will be best value for money.

Looking at getting a varifocal 2MB Starlight to start with but I suspect 2.8mm fixed lenses will be just fine for my application.

IPC-HDW2231R-ZS is $188.00 or IPC-HDW5231R-ZE for $255.00 or latest model IPC-T2231T-ZS $186.00 (Australian dollars)

I don't really know what features are going to be important to me other than good low light performance. First time camera user! Which of these cameras would you recommend as offering the best value for money?

Or is there other cameras I should be considering.

Note: the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE Spec sheet says IVS(optional)? Anyone know what this means?
Cheers for the advice.

Consider the 4K cameras from Jaycar - the top one being this one. I'm from the land of OZ as well and I have these cameras. Crystal clear and I can offer help in getting them into Blue Iris. They're expensive, but you get what you pay for...

 

[Brad Strohfeldt]

Have a look at the 5442 series.

Thanks sebastiantombs, I read the thread on the
IPC-T5442TM-AS which is same price or slightly cheaper than the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE so leaning that way. I think I need to stick with the turrets as they will all be under the eves.

 

[sebastiantombs]

I have both bullets and turrets eave mounted. The big difference is the "spider web" factor since turrets are much less prone to spider, and general, insect attraction due to the location of the IR (further away from the lens).

 

[SouthernYankee]

Petere10

Please post a video of your camera at night with very low light and someone walking by it.

Most cameras are good during the day and pure unusable crap at night.

 

[petere10]

OK,
Here is last night - pitch black - no lights on

 

[Brad Strohfeldt]

Consider the 4K cameras from Jaycar

That's interesting Peter looks quite good night vision.

Are these a varifocal?, I'm looking for a varifocal as my first camera to experiment with to confirm what focal lens to get.

 

[Brad Strohfeldt]

Sorry double post. Damn smart phones

 

[petere10]

That's interesting Peter looks quite good night vision.

Are these a varifocal?, I'm looking for a varifocal as my first camera to experiment with to confirm what focal lens to get.

Check out the specs in the link above. They are not varifocal

 

[petere10]

That's interesting Peter but they don't seem to have the same night vision of the Dahuna starlight going by the spec's. How do you find them at night compared to something like the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE?

Are these a varifocal?, I'm looking for a varifocal as my first camera to experiment with to confirm what focal lens to get.

Impossible for me to say without having the other camera beside it. The fact is - all surveillance systems have pluses and minuses

 

[Brad Strohfeldt]

I have both bullets and turrets eave mounted.

Must of been a brainfart, I thought bullets were only wall mounted. Darn, now you just made my decision so much harder.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Seriously, if you want a 4MP varifocal a bullet will work well. If you can use a fixed lens, the turret may be a better choice.

 

[SouthernYankee]

The JatConcord 4K PIR Bullet IP Camera with Floodlight
has a 1/2.8 cmos sensor and a 0.1 lux and a max frame rate of 15 fps.

I would recommend looking at the 4MP Dahua starlight 5442
Cameras to look at
IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+) - 4MP starlight
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+
IPC-B5442E-ZE Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

 

[bradner]

So, I have purchased a BI machine, ubiquity router and 8 POE switch. Looking to start with 4 cameras to cover the external of my house. Been reading reviews and posts on the forum on the best cameras but need help on what will be best value for money.

Looking at getting a varifocal 2MB Starlight to start with but I suspect 2.8mm fixed lenses will be just fine for my application.

IPC-HDW2231R-ZS is $188.00 or IPC-HDW5231R-ZE for $255.00 or latest model IPC-T2231T-ZS $186.00 (Australian dollars)

I don't really know what features are going to be important to me other than good low light performance. First time camera user! Which of these cameras would you recommend as offering the best value for money?

Or is there other cameras I should be considering.

Note: the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE Spec sheet says IVS(optional)? Anyone know what this means?
Cheers for the advice.

• I'd only get varifocal - learnt this from spending extra $$ over the past 5 years getting rid of all my fixed focal cams.
• I wouldn't get 4k cams - crappy night vision for what they cost. The clip in this thread shows a person walking towards the camera so that minimizes the horizontal blurring but I'd like to see a post of someone walking that speed sideways thru that cams POV.
• 2.8mm - I'd never get that as the view is too far away for my preferences. I go for at least a start at 4mm then up to 12mm or so for varifocal.

It all depends on your use. If you only want an overview shot of an area, the 2.8mm will suit you. The flexibility of a varifocal is so great compared to a fixed. I can move my varifocals anywhere around my yard and zoom to where I want them and not worry about where they are mounted. Every camera looks great when there's no motion in the shot, see how they handle a car driving by them an night, that gives you a true idea of their night capabilities.

 

[Brad Strohfeldt]

I would recommend looking at the 4MP Dahua starlight 5442

Definitely have the IPC-T5442TM-AS shortlisted to use once I workout the focal lengths required. The 1:1/8" seems well worth the extra $50. I have a lot of critters where I live so am a bit wary of using the bullets. The IPC-B5442E-ZE sure does look a nice choice thought, but $320 is probably pushing the budget a bit.

I'd only get varifocal - learnt this from spending extra $$ over the past 5 years getting rid of all my fixed focal cams.

Really appreciate you sharing your experience as this is my first camera setup. I think the IPC-HDW2231R-ZS is a great buy, but I may regret not having microphones. Would you recommend the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE as a good choice?