Purchasing Hikvision cameras
- Thread starter dana2
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I bought 3 Dahau 4mp cameras direct from china about 2 years ago - they were about $80 - $90 each I think. I was new to these multi-mp cameras and didn't know the full story about resellers modding the cameras for english/international use, chinese-market and language stuff. A friend of mine bought a 4mp starlight hikvision camera a few months ago (he didn't talk to me first) and the camera is chinese language and I've posted about it here on this board but if it can be done and if anyone knows how to change it to english then they're not saying here. I can navigate the camera ok using chrome and "translate this page" in the browser so it's practically like it's an english camera, but chrome won't do live-stream any more from the camera. I don't know yet if it can be used with my friend's english version hikvision NVR - I will find that out within the next few weeks.
Bottom line: If this is the (new?) reality for Hikvision cameras - that the "affordable" ones sold direct from china are locked to Chinese language, then I'd say Dahau is the way to go.
Now, I have no idea if Dahau china-market cameras are also hard-locked to chinese language TODAY like Hikvision is, so if they are then I guess the days of $100 4+ mp cameras are over. Maybe someone else can comment on that.
Bottom line: If this is the (new?) reality for Hikvision cameras - that the "affordable" ones sold direct from china are locked to Chinese language, then I'd say Dahau is the way to go.
Now, I have no idea if Dahau china-market cameras are also hard-locked to chinese language TODAY like Hikvision is, so if they are then I guess the days of $100 4+ mp cameras are over. Maybe someone else can comment on that.
fenderman
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First its Dahua. Second your friend did no buy "4mp starlight hikvision" that combination of words does not exist.
Third, there are many affordable hikvisions that are international versions and will ALWAYS stay english and are FULLY upgradable. Its as if you never read this forum. Everything in your post is wrong.
Guys, guys, LOL. I am not looking into purchasing 80-90 bucks cameras, I am not here for the debate, I am looking at top of the line cameras. DarkFigher, Starlight, 4k, PTZ, etc. Or at least some of these attributes. Is there any Hikvision reliable seller around?
fenderman
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The guy is in UK, I am Canada based.
fenderman
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You know they deliver packages from all over the world these days.
Nellys is in the US.
aristobrat
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You might also try B&H Photo.
IMO, in the two years that I've been on the forums here, there hasn't been a Hikvision equivalent of @EMPIRETECANDY (Andy), from whom most here buy their unbranded Dahua equipment from. He's based in China/Hong Kong, ships quickly worldwide, and is an active participant on the forum here.
> I am Canada based.
So am I, and you and I both know that our looney doesn't go very far these days. I'm impressed by my 2-year-old Da-hoo-ah's that cost me 80-odd USD at the time. very sophisticated in-camera detection, great low-light performance (good enough for me). One of them captured a meteor back a month ago that I posted to that site that tracks shooting star observations.
So am I, and you and I both know that our looney doesn't go very far these days. I'm impressed by my 2-year-old Da-hoo-ah's that cost me 80-odd USD at the time. very sophisticated in-camera detection, great low-light performance (good enough for me). One of them captured a meteor back a month ago that I posted to that site that tracks shooting star observations.
fenderman
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Its a hacked china region hikvision. Hikvision does not use the term starlight in its marketing notwithstanding what a scamming seller on ali express will tell you. I would also not trust any of the specs provided by a china seller peddling that crap.
Hikvision does have a new line of international acusense cameras with 4mp low light "power by darkfigher" sensors as I have noted in another thread. They are not yet available.
https://www.hikvision.com/uploadfile/image/20170825014944604.PDF
> Its a hacked china region hikvision.
See, the problem here is that -> ITS NOT HACKED! For the 12'th time, it came in a legit Hikvision box, all with chinese printing, and chinese web-gui menus. It will display no other language. I wish it was hacked. Some people use the Starlight term when describing EXIR cameras. So maybe Hikvision uses the obtuse "dark fighter" instead?
> Its a hacked china region hikvision.
See, the problem here is that -> ITS NOT HACKED! For the 12'th time, it came in a legit Hikvision box, all with chinese printing, and chinese web-gui menus. It will display no other language. I wish it was hacked. Some people use the Starlight term when describing EXIR cameras. So maybe Hikvision uses the obtuse "dark fighter" instead?
fenderman
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Oh, god its like you know nothing. A hacked camera WOULD have a hikvision box. If the firmware was not hacked then its just a regular china region camera, same crap.
EXIR as NOTHING to do with starlight. EXIR is simply a term hikvision uses for an IR design, it has no bearing on the sensor or low light capability. Darkfighter uses sensors that are much better in low light.
TooManyBeers
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Surveillance-video.com for hikvision, I’ve used them in the past in the analog days. After much deep thought I just bought a new dahua system from Andy, it was better value and I like the dahua cameras better.
The following text is from a google translation of the hikvision pdf file I gave a link to above:
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DS-2CD3346(D)WD-I
4 million 1/2.7 " CMOS ICR Starlight Infrared Array Network Camera
---------------
The term "dark" or "Dark fighter" does not appear anywhere in the translation, but note that "Starlight" does. Minimum illumination is spec'd at .005 lux (or zero lux in IR mode).
Does Hikvision indicate low-light (or Darkfigher) sensor in their camera model numbering format? If so, which digit or character in the model name indicates super-low or ultra-low or "darkfighter" sensor? Does having .005 lux (color-mode) qualify as "darkfighter"?
And just a guess on my part - the first "3" in 3346 must indicate China-market. The second "3" probably indicates Turrent style. The "4" indicates camera resolution (4 mp in this case). The last digit (6) - no idea what that indicates (maybe chipset?). The trailing characters DWD-I, no idea. The camera does have SD-card capability, so perhaps the first "D" is for that.
But it's clear that Hikvision, in it's own Chinese-language sales material, does use the term "Starlight".
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DS-2CD3346(D)WD-I
4 million 1/2.7 " CMOS ICR Starlight Infrared Array Network Camera
---------------
The term "dark" or "Dark fighter" does not appear anywhere in the translation, but note that "Starlight" does. Minimum illumination is spec'd at .005 lux (or zero lux in IR mode).
Does Hikvision indicate low-light (or Darkfigher) sensor in their camera model numbering format? If so, which digit or character in the model name indicates super-low or ultra-low or "darkfighter" sensor? Does having .005 lux (color-mode) qualify as "darkfighter"?
And just a guess on my part - the first "3" in 3346 must indicate China-market. The second "3" probably indicates Turrent style. The "4" indicates camera resolution (4 mp in this case). The last digit (6) - no idea what that indicates (maybe chipset?). The trailing characters DWD-I, no idea. The camera does have SD-card capability, so perhaps the first "D" is for that.
But it's clear that Hikvision, in it's own Chinese-language sales material, does use the term "Starlight".
fenderman
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yes, because google translate does a great job interpreting chinese marketing material. Regardless is a junk china region camera.
aristobrat
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Dahua's Starlight models are incredibly popular. It seems like more and more shitty vendors are adding that term into product descriptions for products that aren't Dahua Starlight models, hoping to trick less knowledgeable buyers.
And FWIW, onlinedoctranslator.com translates it as "Star-class", not starlight.
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aristobrat
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Wow, no kidding. Way to upload all of the screenshots on my desktop.
