reccomend me a cam for nighttime 40m facial images

[mycatjest]

hi

i have a need for an IP cam for low light night time to pick up facial images as we have a vehicle crime issue on regular basis.

i have hikvision kit currently. Unfortunately the location has bad street lighting , trees etc and i cannot project led lighting over a busy public road to that distance. ive measured out and need a cam that can cover circa 40 metres distance and a that range cover an area of 2 to 4 metres wide

i currently have a hikvision DS-2CD2755FWD-IZS dome on the target area zoomed in - specs are

• 2.8mm to 12mm varifocal lens.
• Image Sensor: 1/2.9" Progressive Scan CMOS.
• IP67-rated for outdoor deployment.
• IR 30 metres night vision: 0 Lux with IR.
• Video Compression: H.265+.
• Wide Dynamic Range: 120 dB.

i run the above camera in colour , and no IR, if i switch to BW and inbuilt IR there isn't a dramatic improvement, so proberly time to find something more suited.. i do have a spare Hik turret, that i could look to swap the lens, but reckon i really do need an improved camera.

The camera doesnt need to be hikvison, or have any smart features like intrusion detection or line crossing, just IP /onvif and so i can record onto a hikvision NVR on a 4 hour window every night..

The bad guys are usually hooded up, but as i face down a hill and they walk up a hill, i can get decent facial pics in the day , ( good enough to secure convictions) , its just really poor at night. I'm in the UK.

any recommendations , or example pics from suitable cameras at that circa that distance at night, gratefully received..thanks!

 

[bigredfish]

40 metres distance and a that range cover an area of 2 to 4 metres wide

You;ll need more zoom. The Dahua Z12's should work, but read up on them in the LPR forum, they do have focus issues past 80% zoom, but this can be mitigated.

At that distance using IR at night you'll probably want additional external IR to help.

Sample Z12 at 120ft used for tag capture.

(make sure and change the youtube player to 1080p)

 

[bigredfish]

There are also some good 25-30x zoom PTZ cams that may be even better for your use now that I think about it.

 

[Dreamliner]

You can buy new ColorVu camera or change settings (Exposure time to 1/3 in the night):

 

[bigredfish]

Not at 120ft with bad lighting...

 

[Dreamliner]

Yes, you need some light anyway
Take this invisible 940nm light: IN-905 V2 Infrarot Scheinwerfer weiss (940nm)

 

[mycatjest]

thanks guys , ive just looked at my last captures - too many artefacts when digitally zoomed up on the pc and its using a slow shutter speed already, 1/6 . gain 100 - but i think its going to be a better optical zoom that i definitely need, plus a good low light ccd.. I do have room to hide a PTZ, so its not overt and still capture the target area. target area is the car and pavement on the right of the image

 

[aristobrat]

A slow shutter speed blurs facial details when folks move, no?

 

[bigredfish]

Good light

May not need the Z12 at 60mm lens, either the Z5 Starlight (7-32mm) or a small zoom Starlight PTZ should work.
https://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/productDetail/32747

HiK makes a very good 8-32mm Darkfighter as well
DS-2CD5A26G1-IZ(H)S 2MP VF Bullet Network Camera-Hikvision

 

[Dreamliner]

A slow shutter speed blurs facial details when folks move, no?

Sure, therefore I did a schedule for day is one shutter speed (1/25) and for the night is another (1/6). Picture with settings above.

 

[mycatjest]

@aristobrat - yes a slow shutter speed is part of my problem as the time i need to capture is midnight to 4am, targets are always moving

@bigredfish - will take a look at both those cameras and specs -thanks

 

[mycatjest]

here is an example of a file with some guys in the target zone with my current camera

 

[mycatjest]

would reducing the resolution make any difference at night to improving image quality im running it currently at 3072x2048 ?

 

[Dreamliner]

would reducing the resolution make any difference at night to improving image quality im running it currently at 3072x2048 ?

May be I am wrong, but generally image quality = (number of pixels) X (quality of the color in each pixel).
In theory, if you reduce 2x in each direction you will have 4 times less pixels, but the color ix 4 cells will be improved since the noise-signal in 4 cells will increase signal/noise ratio in appx. 2 times. I.e. with reduced resolution the total quality will be decreased. In the worth case resolution will be 1x1 and pretty good average color Completely useless picture I think.

You can get better's quality in case you have large sensor appx. 1" size (more light per pixel) and best possible lens with aperture appx. F1.0 (no losses in lens). Like in modern ColorVu cameras.
Hikvision ColorVu Cameras – Capture Vivid Chromatic Images in Darkness - Hikvision

 

[mycatjest]

thanks - ok think all roads point to a new camera with improved sensor and better zoom..

 

[Dreamliner]

thanks - ok think all roads point to a new camera with improved sensor and better zoom..

Usually objectives with ZOOM lens have bad aperture. Try to use FIX focus lens in order to get better quality.

 

[mycatjest]

thanks - i have an old hikvison turret i no longer use - will see what m12 lens i can get for it as an experiment...also have a standalone ir emitter as well now, just need to get a 12 power source - else it buy a new cam