Has anyone ever heard of Cortex Cameras?

[basil_]

A friend's neighbor installs cameras and he send me the cutsheet for a turret Cortex Camera link. An online search does not show if they're rebranded cameras or not. Are the features any good?

From what the cliff notes taught me, the below features are good. Right?

• 5MP
• 1/2.7” Progressive CMOS IR Range up to 98 feet
• 3.6mm (Fixed) IR Lens

These will be used as surveillance and then add some varifocals from IPCT shop to better identify people in our driveway, front door and rear porch. Is mixing the types of camera for their different roles the smart thing to do?

Thanks in advance. I really like how supportive this community has been thus far. Feel free to share your setups I'm shooting im trying to see how much i will be comfortable spending without compromising quality.

 

[sebastiantombs]

5MP on a 1/2.7" sensor won't be worth much at night. The current standards are a 4MP on 1/1.8" or a 2MP on a 1/2.8" sensor. Those combinations, resolution and sensors sizes, result in good motion video day or night. Keep in mind that with a 3.6mm lens the subject will need to be within 20 feet or so, and have a straight on shot, not from 8 feet in the air, to get a useable identification.

 

[wittaj]

In addition to the poor MP/sensor combination, you have no idea if you can truly set parameters in the camera or if the camera will do what it wants to give a nice bright image at night but then be total crap with any motion, and that is the problem with cheaper cameras. They are fine for overview purposes where you just want to see something happened and not concerned with IDENTIFY because you have that covered with other better cameras. But to use this is a primary camera to IDENTIFY a stranger at night....forget about it.

 

[Teken]

If the cameras are going for less than $45.XX a piece and you just want lots of coverage just to see Something why not.

This is what you’re getting for X vs Y

• 1/2.7 vs 1/1.8 - 1/1.2
• 0.05 colour lux vs 0.001 / 0.0005 lux
• 15 FPS vs 20, 25, 30 FPS
• 18 IR Old School Halo LED vs 3rd Gen
• Digital WDR vs True WDR
• No edge recording (Micro SD)
• No reset button
• No alarm triggers
• No (AI) filtering human / vehicle
• No Smart IR (Auto Adjust IR Output)
• No H.264+ / H.265+ Compression

The market offers lots of IP camera hardware at competitive prices which exceed all of these specifications for not a lot more.So unless these cameras are going to be less than $45.00 a piece you can do better!

Good Luck . . .

 

[Arjun]

Sounds like Lorex's parent company

 

[basil_]

5MP on a 1/2.7" sensor won't be worth much at night. The current standards are a 4MP on 1/1.8" or a 2MP on a 1/2.8" sensor. Those combinations, resolution and sensors sizes, result in good motion video day or night. Keep in mind that with a 3.6mm lens the subject will need to be within 20 feet or so, and have a straight on shot, not from 8 feet in the air, to get a useable identification.

Well then, I clearly learned nothing lol

In addition to the poor MP/sensor combination, you have no idea if you can truly set parameters in the camera or if the camera will do what it wants to give a nice bright image at night but then be total crap with any motion, and that is the problem with cheaper cameras. They are fine for overview purposes where you just want to see something happened and not concerned with IDENTIFY because you have that covered with other better cameras. But to use this is a primary camera to IDENTIFY a stranger at night....forget about it.

This was recommended by an installer. I should have known better when he wrote that higher MP is better. SHAME ON ME!

If the cameras are going for less than $45.XX a piece and you just want lots of coverage just to see Something why not.

This is what you’re getting for X vs Y

• 1/2.7 vs 1/1.8 - 1/1.2
• 0.05 colour lux vs 0.001 / 0.0005 lux
• 15 FPS vs 20, 25, 30 FPS
• 18 IR Old School Halo LED vs 3rd Gen
• Digital WDR vs True WDR
• No edge recording (Micro SD)
• No reset button
• No alarm triggers
• No (AI) filtering human / vehicle
• No Smart IR (Auto Adjust IR Output)
• No H.264+ / H.265+ Compression

The market offers lots of IP camera hardware at competitive prices which exceed all of these specifications for not a lot more.So unless these cameras are going to be less than $45.00 a piece you can do better!

Good Luck . . .

See I thought that was a good sensor
The installer is charging $60 per camera I think. I have to go through the cliff notes again and make some notes about the things I need to look out for in a camera. That was the camera recommended by a friend's neighbor who is a security camera installer. That is even scarier, an installer offering something like that.

 

[wittaj]

Sensor sizing can confuse a lot of people LOL.

Is a 1/2.8" sensor bigger than a 1/1.8" sensor? Most people say yes LOL. But it is a fraction, so the 1/1.8" sensor is the bigger of the two.

I know you saw the professional installer job in your other thread LOL.