Need help understanding the difference between these cameras

[techierookie]

I am looking to purchase some cameras for my home use. It will be used outdoors to capture up to 15 feet - mainly the side fence and front porch.

So after reading through many threads, it seems the sweet spot is a 4MP camera with 1/1.8" sensor -

https://www.amazon.com/Loryta-IPC-T...sprefix=loryta+5442,aps,464&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1

The 2.8mm S3 version is currently unavailable. However, what is the difference between the 3.6mm and 6mm version?

Would the other versions still be suitable in my scenario?

 

[wittaj]

The non-S3 version was the go to and still used by many people. If that is the only version you can get, it is still a great camera.

The 3.6mm versus 6mm version are the focal lengths. The smaller the number, the wider the field of view. The higher the number, the better the zoom.

At 15 feet I wouldn't use the 6mm.

See this great thread by @Ri22o demonstrating his journey on the focal lengths:

"I want 2.8mm cameras everywhere to see everything..." - This is why you need specific FOVs with purposeful focal lengths.

I have gained a lot of knowledge since I signed up and wanted to share my experience and examples of improvements and changes for others who are coming from a "I want 2.8mm cameras everywhere to see everything" system mentality. My ongoing "build/looking for advice" thread can be found here...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[bigredfish]

The 6mm is too much zoom for your area of 15ft
The 3.6mm may work, note the difference in FOV. The more you zoom, the less area you see

I personally use 3.6mm at both entrance doors, Fixed lens provide a slightly better image and better light pick up than variable focus lenses
15ft to the truck bumper and 15ft to the edge of the deck


There is however a variable focus model of the same camera that would allow you to dial in your FOV but in such a small area it seems a waste

IPC-HDW5442T-ZE - Dahua International

IPC-HDW5442T-ZE

www.dahuasecurity.com

Focal Length	2.8 mm; 3.6 mm; 6 mm
Max. Aperture	F1.6
Field of View	2.8 mm: H: 112°; V: 58°; D: 139° 3.6 mm: H: 88°; V: 50°; D: 102° 6 mm: H: 61°; V: 35°; D: 69°
Iris Control	Fixed
Close Focus Distance	2.8 mm: 1.3 m (4.27 ft) 3.6 mm: 1.5 m (4.92 ft) 6 mm: 3.0 m (9.84 ft)
DORI Distance	Lens	Detect	Observe	Recognize	Identify
2.8 mm	61.5 m (201.77 ft)	24.6 m (80.71 ft)	12.3 m (40.35 ft)	6.2 m (20.34 ft)
3.6 mm	67.6 m (221.78 ft)	27.0 m (88.58 ft)	13.5 m (44.29 ft)	6.8 m (22.31 ft)
6 mm	96.6 m (316.93 ft)	38.6 m (126.64 ft)	19.3 m (63.32 ft)	9.7 m (31.82 ft)

DORI (Detect, Observe, Recognize, Identify) is a standard system (EN-62676-4) for defining the ability of a person viewing the video to distinguish persons or objects within a covered area. The numbers in this table do not reflect intelligent function distances. For intelligent function distances, refer to installation and commissioning manual/project design tool.

 

[techierookie]

Thanks for the clarification.

Come to think of it, both my side fences are about 40ft long. It is long but narrow. In this case, would the higher focal length like 6 mm be suitable?

 

[bigredfish]

Go with the variable focus model

 

[observant1]

This may not be applicable to your situation. Some cameras/nvrs have corridor mode. I's especially good for hallways. Not gonna help with 10ft to 40 ft length fence, but in the proper location it's a great feature to try out.

 

[bigredfish]

And realize that if you zoom in to get a clear identifiable image at 40 ft, you won’t see anything from 0-15ft or so.

Typical case of trying to do too much with one camera.

Two cameras 6" apart
One is to watch over the driveway where my wife parks her jeep, the other is to get facial ID on the street. Cant do both with one camera