Mini PTZ camera impressions! 2015 PTZ camera of the year? AVOID THIS CAMERA

klasipca

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3x is plenty wide, wider then Hik 2.8
 

atom

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3x is plenty wide, wider then Hik 2.8
It's replacing something even wider again, so can't be wide enough. Will see how it goes tonight, might go back to the other one and try to sort out its problems...
 

wxman

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BIGTIME! I can't believe folks are whining about PTZ speed..it's fast after I toggled the speed slider...much faster than I thought possible.
I guess it depends on what you're using it for and what you're used to. If you're new to PTZ, then it's probably fast for you. If you're used to speed domes that can swing around over 300 degrees per second, then 15 degrees per second is going to seem very slow to you.....Also if you're trying to auto-track fast moving things close to the cam, the 15 degrees/second may not be able to keep up like a speed dome could.....Like I say, it all boils down to what you're used to and what you're using it for.
 

klasipca

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I suppose if you use PTZ all day long for a living then, yes, this cam is awfully slow. Personally, I like PTZ because I don't have to worry about which lens I need to get and have flexibility to play around the neighborhood, in both cases speed isn't a concern. I am not trying to match the speed of the squirrel passing by.
 
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bp2008

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I guess it depends on what you're using it for and what you're used to. If you're new to PTZ, then it's probably fast for you. If you're used to speed domes that can swing around over 300 degrees per second, then 15 degrees per second is going to seem very slow to you.....Also if you're trying to auto-track fast moving things close to the cam, the 15 degrees/second may not be able to keep up like a speed dome could.....Like I say, it all boils down to what you're used to and what you're using it for.
Yup, out of the last 4 PTZs I bought, the slowest pans at something like 120 degrees per second. The fastest, close to 200 degrees per second. I've also had PTZs that clock in around 15 degrees like this, and they absolutely crawl in comparison. It is frustrating.
 

wxman

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Yup, out of the last 4 PTZs I bought, the slowest pans at something like 120 degrees per second. The fastest, close to 200 degrees per second. I've also had PTZs that clock in around 15 degrees like this, and they absolutely crawl in comparison. It is frustrating.
Although it still beats the pan heads that cams had some 20 odd years ago...Those that only went in one direction and took a minute or more to go completely around. Miss your aim by a hair and have to wait another minute or two to flip it all the way back around....and yet that was "amazing technology" back in the day...I think I'd lose my patience with one of those things today!
 

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I guess it depends on what you're using it for and what you're used to. If you're new to PTZ, then it's probably fast for you. If you're used to speed domes that can swing around over 300 degrees per second, then 15 degrees per second is going to seem very slow to you.....Also if you're trying to auto-track fast moving things close to the cam, the 15 degrees/second may not be able to keep up like a speed dome could.....Like I say, it all boils down to what you're used to and what you're using it for.
Agreed . If there's something going on and you're waiting 10+ seconds for the cam to pan 180 degrees it seems like a lifetime. There's a reason speed domes are as fast as they are.

All the same these are great cams and a brilliant option compared to many fixed alternatives.
 

klasipca

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You guys are inpatient, would someone wait for their 2nd gen cams? I am not getting one, but curious how much better it will be :)
 

wxman

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You guys are inpatient, would someone wait for their 2nd gen cams? I am not getting one, but curious how much better it will be :)
Just have to keep in mind that newer doesn't always mean better. There's been many times in the past where I've felt that what started out as a good product lost quality with later productions. In fact, I'm not quite sure if the Hikvision 3mp cams don't fall into this same category. I personally felt that the early stock (in the 5.0 firmware range) gave a better image than the newer ones. Whether it's in the firmware or if they're using a different brand of lens, sensor, etc; I'm not sure....The later version, while still good and fairly close on quality, doesn't quite seem to match the early samples (such as those from Network Camera Critic) from 2 years ago.....Seems like some difference in color reproduction as well as exposure range. Perhaps I'm the only one that noticed this (and maybe it's all in my imagination) but I would swear to it that there's some level of difference.
 

acvb

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Chinese New Year coming and a very long time to wait for shipping. I'm waiting til after their new year holiday and hopefully the 2nd gen will be out. (late feb or march)

- - - Updated - - -
 

Chust

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Chinese New Year coming and a very long time to wait for shipping. I'm waiting til after their new year holiday and hopefully the 2nd gen will be out. (late feb or march)

- - - Updated - - -
not till Monday, February 8
 

klasipca

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Just have to keep in mind that newer doesn't always mean better. There's been many times in the past where I've felt that what started out as a good product lost quality with later productions. In fact, I'm not quite sure if the Hikvision 3mp cams don't fall into this same category. I personally felt that the early stock (in the 5.0 firmware range) gave a better image than the newer ones. Whether it's in the firmware or if they're using a different brand of lens, sensor, etc; I'm not sure....The later version, while still good and fairly close on quality, doesn't quite seem to match the early samples (such as those from Network Camera Critic) from 2 years ago.....Seems like some difference in color reproduction as well as exposure range. Perhaps I'm the only one that noticed this (and maybe it's all in my imagination) but I would swear to it that there's some level of difference.
Well 4MP Hikvision (their 2nd gen) is certainly improved over 3MP budget line. Also, as we already seen IQ could be firmware dependent. I saw how firmware has improved in my 3MP cameras as well as most recently in 4MP going from 5.3.3 to 5.3.6.
 

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Monica told me that they're still testing the 2nd gen but they should be available by the end of the month. I guess she meant the end of December.
 

Q™

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Chinese New Year coming and a very long time to wait for shipping. I'm waiting til after their new year holiday and hopefully the 2nd gen will be out. (late feb or march)
You know, Charlie Chan did once say "Long road, sometimes shortest way to end of journey."
 

klasipca

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Monica told me that they're still testing the 2nd gen but they should be available by the end of the month. I guess she meant the end of December.
Candy just told me that you can order 2nd gen now, so... who is in?
 

AlpineWatch

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Anyone have one mounted outside in the sun long enough to say how the plastic housing is holding up to UV exposure?
 
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