External lightning will have new power cable and new installation, cost lot of time and extra money. Not everyone like light at night.
So select a good cam is very important. Colorvu cams at full color cams are good anyway.
Initial review of the DS-2CD2347G2-L(U) ColorVu 2.0 IP camera.
- Thread starter alastairstevenson
- Start date
So select a good cam is very important. Colorvu cams at full color cams are good anyway.
I think @EMPIRETECANDY has nailed it in one.
If nothing else I've learned a few valuable lessons from this exercise.
1. Take Hivksion's stated performance specs with a grain of salt.
The LUX specs in particular. When there is no stated basis for the specified LUX levels assume it is at the lowest exposure speed or at the very least the default exposure that the camera ships with. Having said that, there is no way of knowing how a camera will perform in low light conditions without trialing.
There is no definitive answer to how Hikvision rates low light performance. In the days of B&W cameras, minimum LUX specs were usually quoted at IRE50 which was at the very least a standard baseline that allowed different cameras and manufacturers to be compared.
It seems now that there is no standard/baseline being used by Hikvision. The claimed minimum illumination levels are therefore no longer comparable between manufacturers or even between different products from the same manufacturers.
2. Color is not always the best option.
When I started out looking at the Gen2 ColorVu 2.0 I was attracted by the low light specification of 0.0005Lux @ F1.0. On the face of it, it was the best low light turret style camera. I was not particularly chasing a night time full color image. Color will have been a bonus. What I wanted was a good quality night image that did not need additional artificial lighting and could work with the little ambient light available.
From testing in my particular application it appears this was achievable using the 2CD2347G2 but it requires either unreasonably low shutter speeds in the range of 1/12th sec or needs the onboard LED illuminators switched on which defeated my reasons for selecting this camera in the first place.
That's not to say that this camera does not perform well in low light conditions. As can be seen from the previous posts there are dozens of amazing full color night scenes showcasing the capability of this camera.
I've tried this camera in a few other locations and have been impressed that it was able to hold a full color and detailed image in locations where the existing cameras had long since switched to B&W mode needing IR illumination.
3. IR Illuminators and IR cut filters are still very useful.
I found out the hard way that not having an IR-cut filter or IR illuminator integrated into the 2CD2347G2 as an alternative to low light color can be very limiting. Where light levels are not sufficient to maintain a useful color image, there is no option for switching into B&W mode or switching on the IR illuminator since there isn't one.
Adding external visible illumination or using the integrated white LED's in the camera obviously solves the problem of insufficient light but visible light from any source will attract insects and also brings attention to the cameras. It can also be annoying for neighbors if the light shines anywhere in their direction.
IR illumination is invisible to the human eye therefore it can be used without impacting others or highlighting the camera. They also allow the camera to operate down to 0 LUX (IR on).
The 2CD2386G2 which I have in my possession has proven to have excellent night sensitivity but it also has an integrated IR illuminator and IR cut filter which means I have the option of switching to IR if the light levels are too low.
Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate that the ColourVu is a full-time color camera only and in spite of having Day an Night modes in the image settings it does little more than switch to a different parameter set but is always in color.
After all this, I've decided to switch out the 2CD2347G2 for a 2CD2386G2.
Keep in mind this is the same game with almost every manufacturer - very few will give every parameter used or set for their claims...and some I see will spec out it is at a 1/3 shutter speed - wow that is impressive for motion....NOT!
I have said this before, but worth repeating. Do not be sold by some trademarked night color vision (Full Color, ColorVu, Starlight, etc.) that is a marketing ploy in a lot of ways lol. It is simply what a manufacturer wants to claim for low-light performance, but there are so many games that can be played even with the how they report the Lux numbers. They will claim a low lux of 0.0005 for example, but then that is with a wide open iris and a shutter at 1/3 second and an f1.0 - as soon as you have motion in it, it will be crap. You need a shutter of at minimum 1/60 second to reduce a lot of blur from someone walking.
Check out this video at midnight. You see this and it looks like daytime and be like WOW I want that camera. But any motion in the frame and it is crap and will be a ghost blur. You notice they do not show anything with motion. I can make all my cameras look like this at midnight with no other light, but we want good motion video, not still images video. This is a very nice camera with enough light at night - and as you have seen, with some light, this camera rocks. But all cameras, regardless of what they are called, need light - either white light or infrared. Simple physics.
While this camera is not what we would call a consumer grade camera and this is a really good camera, it is these games played to make it look good at night - but then a person walking by is a blur and people simply say well the camera isn't good at night. If you have the ability to change the settings, you can make it work. Just remember that every increase in shutter speed needs more light. So I can set mine to 1/250 second and eliminate blur at night, but then all that is visible is a 5 foot diameter around the camera IF I have enough light.
If your camera doesn't have enough light, as you are finding out, a 24/7 full color camera will not be of much good and now you have a camera with no IR and even if you added external IR, the camera will not see it since it does not have an IR filter.
We are fortunate so many people here post videos and images where we can see their field of view and available light and we can try to imagine how that stacks up to our field of view and available light and that to me is a much better spec to go by than what is printed on the side of the box.
I have a Full Color type camera and the LED light on it is a gimmick. It helps for a small diameter circle, but it is no different than going outside at pitch black and turning on your cell phone light - it is bright looking directly at the LED light, but it doesn't spread out and reach very far. Fortunately I have enough ambient light that I do not need the little piddly LED light on and it actually looks worse with it on, but it performs better than my other cameras when tested at the same location. But without some light, a camera with IR capability is the safer bet.
I have said this before, but worth repeating. Do not be sold by some trademarked night color vision (Full Color, ColorVu, Starlight, etc.) that is a marketing ploy in a lot of ways lol. It is simply what a manufacturer wants to claim for low-light performance, but there are so many games that can be played even with the how they report the Lux numbers. They will claim a low lux of 0.0005 for example, but then that is with a wide open iris and a shutter at 1/3 second and an f1.0 - as soon as you have motion in it, it will be crap. You need a shutter of at minimum 1/60 second to reduce a lot of blur from someone walking.
Check out this video at midnight. You see this and it looks like daytime and be like WOW I want that camera. But any motion in the frame and it is crap and will be a ghost blur. You notice they do not show anything with motion. I can make all my cameras look like this at midnight with no other light, but we want good motion video, not still images video. This is a very nice camera with enough light at night - and as you have seen, with some light, this camera rocks. But all cameras, regardless of what they are called, need light - either white light or infrared. Simple physics.
While this camera is not what we would call a consumer grade camera and this is a really good camera, it is these games played to make it look good at night - but then a person walking by is a blur and people simply say well the camera isn't good at night. If you have the ability to change the settings, you can make it work. Just remember that every increase in shutter speed needs more light. So I can set mine to 1/250 second and eliminate blur at night, but then all that is visible is a 5 foot diameter around the camera IF I have enough light.
If your camera doesn't have enough light, as you are finding out, a 24/7 full color camera will not be of much good and now you have a camera with no IR and even if you added external IR, the camera will not see it since it does not have an IR filter.
We are fortunate so many people here post videos and images where we can see their field of view and available light and we can try to imagine how that stacks up to our field of view and available light and that to me is a much better spec to go by than what is printed on the side of the box.
I have a Full Color type camera and the LED light on it is a gimmick. It helps for a small diameter circle, but it is no different than going outside at pitch black and turning on your cell phone light - it is bright looking directly at the LED light, but it doesn't spread out and reach very far. Fortunately I have enough ambient light that I do not need the little piddly LED light on and it actually looks worse with it on, but it performs better than my other cameras when tested at the same location. But without some light, a camera with IR capability is the safer bet.
Last edited:
CCTVCam
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- Sep 25, 2017
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I think the solution here is to add a light on a PIR sensor if there's very little ambient light in your locale.. The older camera models recommended on here used to takes ages to adjust and were dazzled by the light coming on but it seems the manufacturers havce got their act together on this now and they react very quickly to the new conidions.
As for it drawing attention to the cameras, it's far better to deter than to covertly film your house being emptied. You can always have other cameras eg inside that are covert to get a face shot if they try and avoid the ones they can see outside.
In this particular instance the outdoor PIR sensor which once switched on the external lighting was replaced with a smart switch and now uses the camera smart events to trigger the lights instead.
The PIR was problematic since it would trigger the outdoor lighting with the slightest breeze. Using a camera to switch on the external lighting is much more accurate. It has almost eliminated false triggers.
I can also understand the benefit of brining attention to the cams as a deterrent but in a suburban household situation some esthetics come into play. Not so long ago there was a stigma associated with having security cameras on a home. People associated CCTV cameras with some sort of illegitimate business going on inside.
Either way, I like my cams to be discrete and out of sight. There are other cams located in much better positions that are immediately obvious if a potential intruder was to jump the gate but your point is taken.
In my travels I came across the attached Excel spreadsheet on Hikvision's Download Portal which seems to clear up which model cameras use the G3 and G5 firmware.
The models highlighted in YELLOW are all using the G5 firmware.
The instructions also state "Yellow-labeled model: (C) is not on the product model, while (C) is reflected on the actual label and spec;" which seems to suggest it is not possible to tell which firmware is needed by simply looking at the product model code.
Also of interest is that statement that "The cut-off version of the non-yellow part is V5.5.160, and it is expected that there will be no updated version in the future, corresponding to the package platform: G3 platform" which I interpret as meaning there will be no more G3 firmware releases beyond V 5.5.160.
Hi All, Has anyone managed to get this DS-2CD2347G2-LU working with QNAP QVR PRO? only the 1st gen model is on the supported list......
Hi3516CV500 SoC only has 3MP 20fps.
How to achieve 4MP 30FPS?
This processor is definitely not this one.
How to achieve 4MP 30FPS?
This processor is definitely not this one.
Movies on the big screen are shot at 24FPS, I do not think we need 30FPS for our mobile devices and tablets LOL.
15 FPS is sufficient for surveillance cameras.
15 FPS is sufficient for surveillance cameras.
Bump! can anybody help?
Sorry, it was worded incorrectly last time:
or do i just have to wait for a hikvision G5 firmware update to be released?
Is there any difference between G5 and G3 units? When i try and update to G3 firmware it doesn't move from 0% on the update screen. I can load all versions of G5 including previous versions.
Ta in advance.
Sorry, it was worded incorrectly last time:
or do i just have to wait for a hikvision G5 firmware update to be released?
Is there any difference between G5 and G3 units? When i try and update to G3 firmware it doesn't move from 0% on the update screen. I can load all versions of G5 including previous versions.
Ta in advance.
As I was pushing Hikvision technical department to add "the event support the linkage of the Light". Hikvision sent new firmware V5.5.114 to us and tested that LED Light could be triggered by event 2 weeks agao.
now Hikvision have released new firmware version IPC_G5_EN_STD_5.5.114_210512.
now Hikvision have released new firmware version IPC_G5_EN_STD_5.5.114_210512.
Hiya, where is this new version please?As I was pushing Hikvision technical department to add "the event support the linkage of the Light". Hikvision sent new firmware V5.5.114 to us and tested that LED Light could be triggered by event 2 weeks agao.
now Hikvision have released new firmware version IPC_G5_EN_STD_5.5.114_210512.
@bobajob. As far as I know the G3 and G5 firmware are not interchangeable. Hikvision published a document which you can find in my last post (see above) which lists the cams using the G3 and G5 firmware. Unfortunately, the 2CD2347G2 is not listed.
I'm interested in knowing if you are referring to the 2cd2347G2 when you say it currently has 5.5.113 (G5 Firmware) because when I purchased the same camera from a local retailer in Australia it came with 5.5.150 (G3) firmware.
If you have the 2CD2347G2 with G5 firmware it would seem to indicate there are two hardware versions for the same model camera being produced.
I'm interested in knowing if you are referring to the 2cd2347G2 when you say it currently has 5.5.113 (G5 Firmware) because when I purchased the same camera from a local retailer in Australia it came with 5.5.150 (G3) firmware.
If you have the 2CD2347G2 with G5 firmware it would seem to indicate there are two hardware versions for the same model camera being produced.
G5 update (up to .113) Available from here:
www.hikvisioneurope.com
Mine came with .111 and I upgraded to .113
Go up the tree and you'll see a G3 line for that upgrade
DOWNLOAD EU PORTAL
Go up the tree and you'll see a G3 line for that upgrade
Yes, There are some diferent hardware for G3 and G5.
After April 2021, all of DS-2CD2347G2-L(U) are produced as G5 serial, with V5.5.111or V5.5.11X firmware version.
We have both G3 and G5 camera.
I'll share the link, after digging I found the following for G5 version (potentially a 'C' spec)
www.hikvisioneurope.com
I haven't tried it yet as not at home but will report back later in the week....
HIKVISION UK PORTAL
G3 & G5 user here, can confirm the 5.5.114 G5 firmware enables the ability to link white supplement light and duration to events.