IPC-HDW5831R-ZE vs DS-2CD2385FWD-I
- Thread starter Tazz 316
- Start date
aristobrat
IPCT Contributor
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2016
- Messages
- 2,983
- Reaction score
- 3,180
I'm curious too. They both look to have the same image sensor, but the Dahua has a varifocal lens (vs. the Hik's fixed lens), and there's usually a little diff between how Hikvision and Dahua process images. Which did you prefer, @Tazz316?
I'm curious too. They both look to have the same image sensor, but the Dahua has a varifocal lens (vs. the Hik's fixed lens), and there's usually a little diff between how Hikvision and Dahua process images. Which did you prefer, @Tazz316?
I ended up with the hik sense I got it cheaper. Could not really tell a difference between the two besides the obvious varifocal lens.
BobDoh
Getting the hang of it
I have so many questions. The more I read ipcamtalk, the more information overloaded and confused I become.
I was leaning towards dahua, but undecided on which of the recommended 5231R-Z, 5231R-ZE, or 2231RP-ZS. (btw: what is the E in xxxx-ZE, and does the 5231 not have starlight since there is no S in the model?)
Then I had a security company come in for a quote and essentially say "hik 2385 is better", and "go with 8MP; it makes no sense for 2MP starlight be better at night than an 8MP camera". I'm not savvy enough to counter his argument. I'm just blindly following the numerous advice on this forum stating not to chase megapixels.
So after countless hours/days of reading, I think I might pull the trigger on the 5231R-Z instead of the hik 2385 since the dahua has zoom to simplify install. I only need less than 12 metres viewing distance, and I have motion lights or floods, so the 2MP starlights are not strictly needed. Going with 8MP will give good daylight images, with motion lights/floodlights helping night time images. Is this reasonable thinking?
I was leaning towards dahua, but undecided on which of the recommended 5231R-Z, 5231R-ZE, or 2231RP-ZS. (btw: what is the E in xxxx-ZE, and does the 5231 not have starlight since there is no S in the model?)
Then I had a security company come in for a quote and essentially say "hik 2385 is better", and "go with 8MP; it makes no sense for 2MP starlight be better at night than an 8MP camera". I'm not savvy enough to counter his argument. I'm just blindly following the numerous advice on this forum stating not to chase megapixels.
So after countless hours/days of reading, I think I might pull the trigger on the 5231R-Z instead of the hik 2385 since the dahua has zoom to simplify install. I only need less than 12 metres viewing distance, and I have motion lights or floods, so the 2MP starlights are not strictly needed. Going with 8MP will give good daylight images, with motion lights/floodlights helping night time images. Is this reasonable thinking?
aristobrat
IPCT Contributor
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2016
- Messages
- 2,983
- Reaction score
- 3,180
If you have a security company tell you "go with 8MP; it makes no sense for 2MP starlight be better at night than an 8MP camera", I'd be concerned with their understanding of how the camera work.
It's the 2MP 1/2.8" image sensor in the Dahua Starlight/Hikvision Dark Fighter models that makes them work better at night. Specifically, it's physically a bigger sensor that has fewer pixels on it, which means the space each pixel gets on the image sensor is larger. Larger pixel space on the sensor allows the sensor to capture more light in every pixel. More light captured in every pixel means better low-light image quality.
The 8MP 5831/2385 models use a slightly large sensor ... 1/2.5" ... while a bigger sensor is better, this camera has 400% more pixels (8MP vs 2MP), but the sensor is only about 10% bigger. This means the space for each pixel on the image sensor is nowhere as big as on the 2MP 1/2.8" sensor, which means less light collected in every pixel, which means poorer image quality in lower-light.
Both Dahua and Hikvision have newer 8MP pixels with even bigger sensors (1/1.8", 1/2.0"). These are getting closer to the low-light image quality of the 2MP 1/2.8" cameras (Starlights, 2MP Dark Fighters), but they're still a bit off. For Dahua, these are the 1831/2831 models.
The 5231R-Z were the original Starlight models. They've mostly been discontinued and replaced by the 5231R-ZE models. The E in the newer models stands for Dahua's ePOE capability, which allows these cameras (with adapters) to run across coax cables, which can go longer than ethernet. The main diff between the 5231 and the 2231 is that the 2231 doesn't have a built-in mic. The S at the end of the 2231 stands for SD card, I think... kind of confusing since the 5231 doesn't have a S in the model number, but also supports SD cards. I don't think any of the Starlight models have a letter in the model number that means "Starlight".
With flood lights, if they're motion activated, keep in mind that when they come on, no matter which camera you have, it'll usually take a few seconds for the camera to adjust to the new light, especially if you leave the camera in "auto" mode at night, which means it may switch back to color mode when the lights come on. Image quality while the camera adjusts to the light usually drops. If you have an 8MP camera, when the flood light is off, you're probably going to get really grainy low-light image quality, and when it captures movement, the movement will often blur .. so you're not likely to get a lot of usable images/video until a few seconds after the flood light has turned on.
It's the 2MP 1/2.8" image sensor in the Dahua Starlight/Hikvision Dark Fighter models that makes them work better at night. Specifically, it's physically a bigger sensor that has fewer pixels on it, which means the space each pixel gets on the image sensor is larger. Larger pixel space on the sensor allows the sensor to capture more light in every pixel. More light captured in every pixel means better low-light image quality.
The 8MP 5831/2385 models use a slightly large sensor ... 1/2.5" ... while a bigger sensor is better, this camera has 400% more pixels (8MP vs 2MP), but the sensor is only about 10% bigger. This means the space for each pixel on the image sensor is nowhere as big as on the 2MP 1/2.8" sensor, which means less light collected in every pixel, which means poorer image quality in lower-light.
Both Dahua and Hikvision have newer 8MP pixels with even bigger sensors (1/1.8", 1/2.0"). These are getting closer to the low-light image quality of the 2MP 1/2.8" cameras (Starlights, 2MP Dark Fighters), but they're still a bit off. For Dahua, these are the 1831/2831 models.
The 5231R-Z were the original Starlight models. They've mostly been discontinued and replaced by the 5231R-ZE models. The E in the newer models stands for Dahua's ePOE capability, which allows these cameras (with adapters) to run across coax cables, which can go longer than ethernet. The main diff between the 5231 and the 2231 is that the 2231 doesn't have a built-in mic. The S at the end of the 2231 stands for SD card, I think... kind of confusing since the 5231 doesn't have a S in the model number, but also supports SD cards. I don't think any of the Starlight models have a letter in the model number that means "Starlight".
With flood lights, if they're motion activated, keep in mind that when they come on, no matter which camera you have, it'll usually take a few seconds for the camera to adjust to the new light, especially if you leave the camera in "auto" mode at night, which means it may switch back to color mode when the lights come on. Image quality while the camera adjusts to the light usually drops. If you have an 8MP camera, when the flood light is off, you're probably going to get really grainy low-light image quality, and when it captures movement, the movement will often blur .. so you're not likely to get a lot of usable images/video until a few seconds after the flood light has turned on.
Last edited:
BobDoh
Getting the hang of it
A wealth of knowledge in your replies;
Just out of curiosity, are the dahua 5831 and hik 2385 essentially on par? Google doesn't seem to give me any hits.
Yes, concerned I was. I'll be getting secondary quotes....I'd be concerned with their understanding of how the camera work.
I'll have to add those models to my list of must-reads.Both Dahua and Hikvision have newer 8MP pixels... For Dahua, these are the 1831/2831 models.
You make a lot of sense, but now I am back to the drawing board. I might have to just test first with one of each of 5231 and 5831 to see which one suits my situation best, and throw in some garden lights to assist night time. (But let me read up on the 1831/2831 first)With flood lights, if they're motion activated, ....
Just out of curiosity, are the dahua 5831 and hik 2385 essentially on par? Google doesn't seem to give me any hits.
aristobrat
IPCT Contributor
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2016
- Messages
- 2,983
- Reaction score
- 3,180
When it comes to image quality, I'd guess they're pretty much the same <they use the same image sensor>. @Tazz 316 played with both and said he didn't notice a different.Just out of curiosity, are the dahua 5831 and hik 2385 essentially on par? Google doesn't seem to give me any hits.
The 5831 has a varifocal lens that will allow you to change from 2.7m up to 13.5mm (I think), which will allow you to zoom it in tighter on the area you're recording.
The 2385 is fixed-lens, so you pick the lens size at purchase (2.8mm, 3.6mm) and what you get is what you get... no zooming in tighter.
The 5831's varifocal lens adds to that model's price. If you don't need varifocal, Dahua has a 4831 model that's fixed-lens like the 2385. Should be a little less expensive.