Putting Camouflage Tape On My Dahua 5442E-ZE Camera

[Parley]

Ok, the installation is now complete and the tree camera is now in full operation. I also took a picture of the camouflaged tape going up into the tree. It actually turned out better than I had expected. I also wound up putting this cable into 1/2" pvc as I considered the area to rocky to chance a bare cable burial. Here are a couple of pictures.

 

[handinpalm]

I can't wait til the guy sleeping in his truck comes back to make his rounds. Maybe he already has, you could not see him before. Where is the camera? Good job on the camera coverage!

 

[Parley]

I can't wait til the guy sleeping in his truck comes back to make his rounds. Maybe he already has, you could not see him before. Where is the camera? Good job on the camera coverage!

Here is a picture of the camera. I will see how this goes tonight and I might change out the camera to the 5442E-Z4E as IMHO it has better night time vision then the 544E-ZE. I have not seen the overnight camper with his girl friend in quite some time now.

 

[Parley]

Let me also add that so far the camera has been rock steady. However the wind has not been that high.

 

[ljw2k]

The only problem I see is it would take someone literally 10 seconds ( If that ) for a $200 camera using the large rock and tree as a step up.

 

[wittaj]

They would have to see it first...that is where the camo comes in

But most people are completely oblivious...My neighbor has had his on his fence that is less than 3 feet from the public sidewalk. Cams are only 4 feet high and nobody has touched them...most haven't even noticed them!

 

[Parley]

The only problem I see is it would take someone literally 10 seconds ( If that ) for a $200 camera using the large rock and tree as a step up.

True enough, however the same can be said for maybe 6 of my cameras.

 

[Parley]

Here is a night picture of two people and a dog walking at a fast pace. That street light sure helps things.

 

[wittaj]

What zoom are you - could you zoom in more or are you also trying to catch a minor glimpse of people on the sidewalk on your side?

 

[Parley]

What zoom are you - could you zoom in more or are you also trying to catch a minor glimpse of people on the sidewalk on your side?

Yes on the sidewalk and parked cars on this side of the street. This camera goes from 2.7mm to 12mm and is pretty close to being zoomed out all the way. I can put in the 8mm to 32mm version which I may very well do. I will play with this one for a few days and see how it goes before making any decisions. I have another roll of camouflage tape due in Monday so that I can do another camera if need be.

 

[sebastiantombs]

I'm curious about how long that tape will last. I looked on Amazon and see that Duck, 3M and Gorilla all make it and wonder which one is best. What did you use? I've painted a couple of tree mounted cameras, flat army green and "air brushed" in some brown and that holds up well but requires a repaint when the camera gets "repurposed".

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Use the Z4E may can only cover your neighbour's backdoor, lol.
I think you can adjust the ZE's lens to 12mm, can watch further.

 

[Parley]

I'm curious about how long that tape will last. I looked on Amazon and see that Duck, 3M and Gorilla all make it and wonder which one is best. What did you use? I've painted a couple of tree mounted cameras, flat army green and "air brushed" in some brown and that holds up well but requires a repaint when the camera gets "repurposed".
[/QUOTE

The Duct Tape version. I am curious myself to see how long it will last. Right now the fps is set at 1/25. With the amount of light available at night I might change that to something around 1/60 and see what happens

 

[Parley]

Use the Z4E may can only cover your neighbour's backdoor, lol.
I think you can adjust the ZE's lens to 12mm, can watch further.
View attachment 85625

View attachment 85626

Thank You for the chart Andy. I have a number of both camera types so I can play with them and get real world numbers.

 

[ljw2k]

In regards to getting closer, can you not use it as a spotter cam and tell one of your many PTZ's to take a closer look when it see's movement?

 

[Parley]

In regards to getting closer, can you not use it as a spotter cam and tell one of your many PTZ's to take a closer look when it see's movement?

Not sure on that side of the house. The PTZ that could be used is on order with Andy and a big upgrade to the existing PTZ.

 

[hivolt]

As I stated in another thread I have not like the results of where this camera has been located. So I stated that I am going to relocate the camera to a tree so I can get a better view down the street and the sidewalk. I have ordered CAT6 burial cable and it should be here by the end of next week. I have a spare Dahua 5442E-ZE camera that I will use as the guinea pig to see if all of this is feasible. The camera that I will use in the end is a Dahua 5442E-Z4E which will remain in the current position until I see the results of this experiment. First picture is the camouflage duct tape on the camera. I am getting tired and will finish the rest of it in the morning. Second picture is an older picture showing the location and the tree in the lower left corner that the camera will be installed in. By the way the flash of the camea makes the camo look more vivid than it actually is.

Edit: I painted the camera all black before I put on the camouflage tape.

View attachment 85098

View attachment 85099

This is a nice solution. I have been taping off the front of my cameras and using camouflage paint. Here are six colors:

https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-269038-6-Specialty-Camouflage-12-Ounce/dp/B009ROI59I/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B009ROI59I&qid=1617316961&sr=8-1

I use only two colors. I paint the camera brown and dab on khaki color with a folded up paper towel. I really like the paint method.

 

[Parley]

I just cannot help myself after the putting camouflage tape on my 5442E-Z4E camera. I am going to do the same with my DH-SD8A820WA-HNF PTZ camera and mounting brackets. Here is one bracket being covered with a clear paint to help it last longer after the camouflage tape was applied.

Edit: I ordered some camouflage tape in 1/2", 3/4" and 1" widths. The larger PTZ will be a little trickier to do so I got some narrower widths.

 

[Parley]

....and the other bracket that the one above will bolt onto.

 

[bigredfish]

Note to self: Dont park car at Parley's house too long if you dont want it to be camo...