Review: Dahua 8MP / 4K 25x Starlight IR PTZ - PTZ5A4K-25X / SD5A825GA-HNR

For 4K or 4MP?
 
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Budget is under $1000 and use case is neighborhood type surveillance with nice FOV that's unobstructed by trees/poles. Daylight quality more important than night-time. I'd prefer if it had auto zoom in while tracking feature.
 
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Budget is under $1000 and use case is neighborhood type surveillance with nice FOV that's unobstructed by trees/poles. Daylight quality more important than night-time. I'd prefer if it had auto zoom in while tracking feature.

If Daylight quality more important than night-time then SD5A825GA-HNR is better because of the 8MP give you more detailed videos day time. That's what I got and the day time image is great, but night time image is just so so even with decent light on my block. And is around $807.

SD5A425GA-HNR will have better night videos due to right sensor size of 1/1.8 matching with the 4MP ptz. The price is $712 which is more popular compared to the 8MP version in the forum.

Edit: Forgot to answer you last question, both of these ptz can do auto zoom when auto tracking. You just have to set the tracking target size ratio when you are setting up the ivs rules.

After playing with the ptz for a while, I switch the size ratio from 30% to 40%. It seems to give the best quality for ID a person and not lost track too easy at the same time.ratio size.jpg
 
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If Daylight quality more important than night-time then SD5A825GA-HNR is better because of the 8MP give you more detailed videos day time. That's what I got and the day time image is great, but night time image is just so so even with decent light on my block. And is around $807.

SD5A425GA-HNR will have better night videos due to right sensor size of 1/1.8 matching with the 4MP ptz. The price is $712 which is more popular compared to the 8MP version in the forum.

Edit: Forgot to answer you last question, both of these ptz can do auto zoom when auto tracking. You just have to set the tracking target size ratio when you are setting up the ivs rules.

After playing with the ptz for a while, I switch the size ratio from 30% to 40%. It seems to give the best quality for ID a person and not lost track too easy at the same time.View attachment 184542

@JDreaming if interested, check out my write up here about these features (older FW but same rules apply) and associated videos I built at this link HERE. Here is 1 VIDEO I did on this exact topic that may help you
 
Still hoping for new firmware on this guy. I, unfortunately, have one of these cameras and can confirm that the pictures while moving are often unusable.

Yes as I mentioned in my review and feedback to Dahua. This cam needs work and is why I can't recommend it. I can dial it in to be better but as I showed Dahua engineering, there are a number of issues that need sorting. I gave them a full rundown with many many videos, tips, FW changes etc.
 
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Hi everybody. A new firmware has been released for this model. Has anyone tried installing it? What changes have taken place in it?
I did try this in hopes that some of the changes I put forward to correct some of the 'problem behaviors' I mentioned were fixed but alas, those are not in this release.
 
Hi everybody. A new firmware has been released for this model. Has anyone tried installing it? What changes have taken place in it?

According to the release notes there is no new features or improvement over the old firmware other than "Strength product security."

I don't see any good reasons that worth updating the firmware unless Dahua release a new firmware that can improve the image
quality of this ptz with the compression artifacts and macro blocking problems Wildcat mentioned early on in this thread.
 
Hey guys

As for a further testing on this camera with latest new fw, we release the user guide video for this PTZ5A4K-25X , and it has day and night showing of the camera. It's a nice 4K camera.
 
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I hate installing ptz cameras....with that said we just installed 3 -
PDN5AI825H-GR ptz's Lot of ambiant lighting.

Customers seem to like the tracking ability of the PTZ's and it seems to give one of the co. i do some work for an advantage over other co.s that dont offer ptz cameras.

We've installed several over the last two years. 22 ptz's i can remenber. Not all this model, it's just the last 3 we installed.

Always with ambiant lighting. One police dept was impressed and recognized the guy that broke thru the fense. Followed him and zoomed in on his face.