Newb Alert! Great view of the bay, and want to share it.

[alphawave7]

Very cool view!

Here a BI tip... Add another camera with same setting as your 1st (so not to mess up your primary setting), then

1. goto Camera Properties->Record Tab and set Video: Triggered + continuous each 01 min for 1 sec)

2. check the "Alt/timelapse framerate" and select 2.0 sec)

This will record a frame every 2 seconds which will record a very cool cloud timelapse video. To view, click on "new clips" from the clips panel on the right. If the clouds move too slow, change up the frame rate to about 5

Cool! One of the things I was going to look into..so thanks in advance. As you've already surmised, I'm in the western seaboard fly zone...
And we do get a LOT of 'chemtrail' clouds as well as the usual fog onslaught coming this summer. Just the rolling fog bank activity alone is fun watching, live and time-lapse.

 

[alphawave7]

Make sure your image quality is set at 100% in BI...record tab>file format and compression. I cant believe that the dropcam produces a better image at zoom then the hik....what are your video settings on the hik (in the camera firmware)?

AHA! Kill number one! It was set to 50%..lemme play a bit now..THANKS!

Definite improvement! 'Zooming' into the city still very blocky and pixelated..Dropcam was really only slightly better than this. Looking up the Hik settings now...


Under Live View:
Protocol:HTTP
Performance: Balanced
Rules: Disabled
Image: JPEG
Under Basic: aw hell..I'll just post a screencap

 

[bp2008]

Nice view. That cam does a great job of seeing the big picture but I agree the fine details at a distance are lost with such a wide angle view.

First things first:

Your resolution is set to 1 megapixel. You should have it at 2 Megapixel (1920x1080) or 3 Megapixel (2048x1536). Which of those you choose is up to you; the 2 Megapixel video is a little wider and the 3 Megapixel is a little taller but less wide. (3 megapixel has the highest pixel density too of course)

That will be the biggest improvement.

Then go ahead and double the bit rate, assuming you have it on a wired LAN that won't hurt anything and it will only help maximize your image quality. I personally prefer constant bit rate over Variable bit rate but thats just me. You can easily experiment with both and see if you can tell the difference.

Dropcam is only 720p and has a very wide field of view similar to that Hikvision with the 2.8 mm lens, so there is no reason the Hikvision's video shouldn't be at least twice as detailed.

-----------

For a higher-detail picture on the cheap, you could buy a Hikvision with a longer lens. Some of the models come with up to 12mm lenses available upon request, and that is a much higher zoom level.

The best zoom however comes from PTZ cameras. You can get a 2 megapixel PTZ with 18 to 20x zoom (equivalent to about a 100 mm lens) for close to $600 from china (purchased from ebay or aliexpress) If you want to buy from a US-based seller, expect to pay at least twice that for something with equivalent specs. Just as an example, look at this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20X-HD-1080P-3-0M-2-0M-network-CCTV-IP-camera-PTZ-high-speed-dome-Onvif-support-/171092431701?pt=US_Surveillance_Security_Systems&hash=item27d5e75355 -- I'm not sure I would trust that particular listing, as the item details are inconsistent with the listing title, but there are lots of other similar cameras on ebay.

 

[networkcameracritic]

Check out the new Dahua PTZ for $529, 12X optical zoom would be great in that location. You can have it go on a patrol of a set of presets like this site http://www.sundiegolive.com/

 

[bp2008]

Aye, but more zoom is better and 20x is not hard to find. That said I think I'm going to buy one of those because I like the smaller size and I don't have much use for high zoom at my house

 

[networkcameracritic]

It's a price and PoE thing with the 12x zoom. Go to the 20x zoom and it's not PoE, it's 24V and lots bigger and lots costlier and having IR to see SF in the distance is not going to help.

 

[bp2008]

Yeah, the PoE and smaller size is primarily why I want one of the smaller Dahuas myself. Well that and the fact that Dahua's PTZs support absolute positioning which basically none of the cheap ones from smaller manufacturers do.

But 20x zoom PTZs are not as expensive as they used to be, and can in fact be found for prices below $600 with and without IR support. Again, only from Chinese vendors on ebay or aliexpress because none of the US-based sellers seem to have anything like it for less than $1000. This is nothing new though. Chinese sellers are always ahead on price and most of these PTZs only showed up in the last year or so.

 

[alphawave7]

I've enjoyed this cam a great deal..but I think I've gotsta get a PTZ w/ 20x Optical Zoom. I've tweaked and tweaked to try to match the 'real' colors and brightness of the actual view, but naturally it changes throughout the day (morning actually seems less contrasted than afternoon, bay reflects a lot of light, etc.) so it's difficult to get perfect. Plus, there's a cruise ship in the port right now, but you can't even see it:


SO... I think I'll be happiest with a dedicated zooming PTZ cam...with minimal bells and whistles. The automated 'points of interest' would work quite well in this locale, I think. I still didn't spring for BI yet...the included software is actually very lightweight, but I haven't studied the webcast portion in detail yet...and I need that. I really want to get it sent to Chromecast or Roku, which would be ideal...but I haven't even suceeded with my Chromebook yet, beyond RDP to the Windoze server. Everything I want is a challenge! LOL!

 

[alphawave7]

Nice view. That cam does a great job of seeing the big picture but I agree the fine details at a distance are lost with such a wide angle view.

First things first:

Your resolution is set to 1 megapixel. You should have it at 2 Megapixel (1920x1080) or 3 Megapixel (2048x1536). Which of those you choose is up to you; the 2 Megapixel video is a little wider and the 3 Megapixel is a little taller but less wide. (3 megapixel has the highest pixel density too of course)

That will be the biggest improvement.

Then go ahead and double the bit rate, assuming you have it on a wired LAN that won't hurt anything and it will only help maximize your image quality. I personally prefer constant bit rate over Variable bit rate but thats just me. You can easily experiment with both and see if you can tell the difference.

Dropcam is only 720p and has a very wide field of view similar to that Hikvision with the 2.8 mm lens, so there is no reason the Hikvision's video shouldn't be at least twice as detailed.

-----------

For a higher-detail picture on the cheap, you could buy a Hikvision with a longer lens. Some of the models come with up to 12mm lenses available upon request, and that is a much higher zoom level.

The best zoom however comes from PTZ cameras. You can get a 2 megapixel PTZ with 18 to 20x zoom (equivalent to about a 100 mm lens) for close to $600 from china (purchased from ebay or aliexpress) If you want to buy from a US-based seller, expect to pay at least twice that for something with equivalent specs. Just as an example, look at this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20X-HD-1080P-3-0M-2-0M-network-CCTV-IP-camera-PTZ-high-speed-dome-Onvif-support-/171092431701?pt=US_Surveillance_Security_Systems&hash=item27d5e75355 -- I'm not sure I would trust that particular listing, as the item details are inconsistent with the listing title, but there are lots of other similar cameras on ebay.

This advice seems sound, and is the direction I'll go. I'm tempted to do the 12mm lens, just to see how zoomed it really is...I do enjoy the wide view, but at a cost of detail it seems a poor trade-off. After I do my taxes, I'll see how much wiggle room I've got...but I'm not hopeful. Thanks for your insight, and the follow-on discussion...very helpful! Cheers!

 

[alphawave7]

I've enjoyed this cam a great deal..but I think I've gotsta get a PTZ w/ 20x Optical Zoom. I've tweaked and tweaked to try to match the 'real' colors and brightness of the actual view, but naturally it changes throughout the day (morning actually seems less contrasted than afternoon, bay reflects a lot of light, etc.) so it's difficult to get perfect. Plus, there's a cruise ship in the port right now, but you can't even see it:
View attachment 313

SO... I think I'll be happiest with a dedicated zooming PTZ cam...with minimal bells and whistles. The automated 'points of interest' would work quite well in this locale, I think. I still didn't spring for BI yet...the included software is actually very lightweight, but I haven't studied the webcast portion in detail yet...and I need that. I really want to get it sent to Chromecast or Roku, which would be ideal...but I haven't even suceeded with my Chromebook yet, beyond RDP to the Windoze server. Everything I want is a challenge! LOL!

And like that...he's off to Hawaii (just right of Corinthian Island if you zoom):

 

[bp2008]

I only have the default lenses in my Hikvision cams but I would assume a 12mm lens would give you an image roughly 1/4 to 1/3 the width of the one you have now. You'd definitely see more detail in ships, but you'd also not be able to see the entire bay at once with it. If I were you I would definitely get a 16, 18, or 20x zoom PTZ cam at least 2 megapixel sensor. Or you can get slightly more zoom at lower resolution with something like Ratingsecu R-N900Q4 like this guy got: http://www.cam-it.org/index.php?topic=7063.0 Who knows, maybe you can find an even better deal.

 

[dalepa]

This advice seems sound, and is the direction I'll go. I'm tempted to do the 12mm lens, just to see how zoomed it really is...I do enjoy the wide view, but at a cost of detail it seems a poor trade-off. After I do my taxes, I'll see how much wiggle room I've got...but I'm not hopeful. Thanks for your insight, and the follow-on discussion...very helpful! Cheers!

Awesome view...

The hik 2632 @12mm would also be pretty interesting... I nice FOV of downtown and the marina @3mp... Should make for some cool time-lapse vids of the sailboats...

This is how it starts... one cam, two cam, then before you know it, 20...

 

[bp2008]

This is how it starts... one cam, two cam, then before you know it, 20...

Yeah absolutely. I started with a cheap DVR kit (4 analog cams) about 4 years ago before megapixel IP cams became affordable. I have been upgrading ever since as new tech reaches lower price points. Now I run 19 cams, all digital of course, totalling about 60 megapixels in my Blue Iris.

 

[pal251]

Yeah absolutely. I started with a cheap DVR kit (4 analog cams) about 4 years ago before megapixel IP cams became affordable. I have been upgrading ever since as new tech reaches lower price points. Now I run 19 cams, all digital of course, totalling about 60 megapixels in my Blue Iris.

Wow how much square feet do.you have on your property

 

[bp2008]

Hah not very much. Just a quarter acre lot and 1200 sq foot home with attached 2 car garage. Most of my cameras overlap their views and give me different angles. This also allows me to be relatively relaxed with the motion detection controls, where it is okay if it misses a recording because another camera will surely record anything that moves. I get almost no false alarms during the winter

 

[alphawave7]

Not much time to futz around, but I did set up and buy BlueIris finally..soooo much to learn, but at least I got it to dump a jpg every 5 minutes and to write 100 shots..today was a nice but windy day after yesterday's rain storm, and I believe bp wanted to see some clouds to foster his day-dreaming, so I oblige:

edit: it was dalepa who wants to float in the clouds, but I bet bp enjoys it just the same.

 

[alphawave7]

Okay...I've just discovered WDR and what it means (so many new acronyms!) and it has fixed a few of my niggles with image quality, although I need to play around with various adjustments to perfect it. I also came across a flyer with some decent prices (I think) on PTZ cams...but I'd need some pro guidance on my selections: Some are NOT 'IP Cams' (so may be off-topic for this forum?), but use CCD over CMOS and of course require 24 volts/etc. I guess I'm failing to understand any other significance in this fact, but it's curious why a similar PTZ cam in 'IP' is nearly double the cost. If anyone could clarify why (difficulty/$/whatever) choosing analog/IP/CCD/CMOS or point me to a primer on the subject, I would be most grateful.
EG: http://www.dvrunlimited.com/ptz951x37w-37x-optical-zoom-7-outdoor-high-speed-dome-camera.html
versus
http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Sources-Optical-4-7-94mm-Outdoor/dp/2132047944

 

[bp2008]

It is true a lot of Analog PTZs are half the price compared to an IP PTZ with the same zoom/speed capabilities. But analog ones have downsides, such as much lower resolution and PTZ control being via serial cable.

As I understand it CCD tech is generally more expensive than CMOS and may be better for low light use.

When you go shopping for PTZ cams, keep in mind the best deals come from China. Cams like this one http://r.ebay.com/dDJDRh for $540 shipped are half the price of the equivalent Dahua or Hikvision PTZ for example. You would be very lucky to find anything close to that for less than $1000 from a US seller.

 

[alphawave7]

It is true a lot of Analog PTZs are half the price compared to an IP PTZ with the same zoom/speed capabilities. But analog ones have downsides, such as much lower resolution and PTZ control being via serial cable.

As I understand it CCD tech is generally more expensive than CMOS and may be better for low light use.

When you go shopping for PTZ cams, keep in mind the best deals come from China. Cams like this one http://r.ebay.com/dDJDRh for $540 shipped are half the price of the equivalent Dahua or Hikvision PTZ for example. You would be very lucky to find anything close to that for less than $1000 from a US seller.

Thanks for the link and direction! Do you think there exists a difference in quality between these 'no-name' PTZ low-cost cams and their Hik/Dah equivalents? My main concern is the cost versus durablity, especially of the mechanical internals in what is essentially a marine environment. What lifespan could I reasonably expect? Cheers!

 

[bp2008]

I don't know if there is a difference in quality. Probably, yes, but I've always been able to scratch my PTZ itch with Dahua cams sold by forum members on ebay. So I've never bought a no-name PTZ that cost more than about $150. (and those are pretty terrible)

On the bright side, you can get a 3 or 4 year SquareTrade warranty for just about any camera purchased on ebay.

Maybe you should ask forum member @milkisbad for his product catalog: http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php?257-Good-source-to-buy-Hikvision-items-at

Last I checked his Hikvision PTZ prices were pretty unbeatable.