Review: Dahua DH-IPC-HFW5842E-ZE-S2 - 8MP / 4K Vari-Focal Bullet Cam

All, as promised, night video is fully edited, timestamped, uploaded and ready for you to view. Please remember to watch on YouTube and select 4K so you'll see in full quality. Will place in post #2 as well for continued reference.

 
All, as promised, night video is fully edited, timestamped, uploaded and ready for you to view. Please remember to watch on YouTube and select 4K so you'll see in full quality. Will place in post #2 as well for continued reference.



You clearly invest a lot of energy in the production of such videos. Have you intentionally left them unlisted (so they do not return in YouTube search results)?
 
Thanks you so much for your fantastic work @Wildcat_1 , in 2022 we will bring more new tech as leader in the CCTV industry, sure we will invite you to help us to test and review!
Hope soon we can get the 1/1.2cmos 4K Monster PTZ to play soon, just for fun on new Tech.
 
Are there any plans for a night review with zoom ? I mean.. nice review, always happy that you invest so much time to show us the products..

but this is varifocal camera,.. so why no zoom ? Most people would buy fixed lens when mounting it like that ?

According to spec sheet the 2831 is F1.9 and this one here is F1.4 , .. so in theory it should be better ?
 
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@Wildcat_1 What a killer set of videos! I like the picture inset that shows what is being tested.
I have a 3 cams in the review plus a 5442. The best seems to be the 4K-X if size if foot print
and size doesn't matter.

One question, I abuse a 4K-X as a sky camera. I would like to turn off the IR shutter and force color
at night. Currently the blue from washes out all but the brightest stars. Is my line of thinking wrong?
 
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That's a heck of a lot of work @Wildcat_1 .. thanks!
Personally, from what I'm seeing thus far, I have no doubt I would choose another Color4K-X over this camera though.


@NightLife thanks for the comments. Yes the Color4K-X is a powerhouse of a cam as I showed in my review of it BUT remember it has a place and its own limits since it a) is fixed (not vari) therefore does have limits on install location based on FOV and target requirements for some and b) does not have IR. Therefore as I mentioned in my 5842 Turret review, these 5842 cams really do have a key role and place in the Dahua portfolio but more critically in anyones overall security buildout. What I mean by that is that they (5842) can either be a primary 4K (with other cams in the mix) based on a particularly difficult FOV (lighting or distance to target perspective etc.) or can augment a Color4K-x at a particular install location. Augmenting a Color4K-x with a 5842 is a great combination because it ensures that should a) you need to target (zoom) on a particular area of an FOV or b) light is problematic or may change without your control, then having the 5842 covering the same FOV albeit from a different angle etc (redundancy is always good in planning a robust security rollout installation) will ensure you get a usable capture. I'll always advocate for having a B&W + Color cam (2 cams) as a minimum covering 1 area (of course depending on size of coverage area). This also ensures that the B&W with IR can give you crisp detail in dark areas or where color cannot keep up with facial detail while the color gives you of course color ID details both of which are great for evidential use should you need to engage LEO etc.

Also in my testing (especially with the newer FW I made mention of RE: SmartIR) there really is no need now not to consider moving from a 5442 (either as an upgrade or at point of purchase) to the 5842 as the PQ is extremely good and light handling does not take a beating as it did in older 4K's. Noise is also similar and in fact almost identical in newer FW. In other words you / we are not having to compromise when adding the 5842 into installs any more. The price between 5442 and 5842 is also narrowing therefore my recommendation if anyone is considering the 5442 is to now go for the 5842.

As I said before, its nice to see Dahua bringing better products to the portfolio that allow for great choices of camera for each environment that not only critically complement your overall setup but also importantly, each other.

HTH
 
Are there any plans for a night review with zoom ? I mean.. nice review, always happy that you invest so much time to show us the products..

but this is varifocal camera,.. so why no zoom ? Most people would buy fixed lens when mounting it like that ?

According to spec sheet the 2831 is F1.9 and this one here is F1.4 , .. so in theory it should be better ?

Appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback and for commenting on the review, they do take a lot of time but I do it to help the community here.

Due to 1 camera not being vari (Color4K-x) also it not having IR therefore rendering it non viable for the full on IR testing portion, plus the issue I mentioned with the 5842 shipping FW washing out with IR, this video focused on full widest night for the cams to give everyone the best feel from a comparative perspective under varying light. The day video features the vari / zoom so people can appreciate the FOV once zoomed to 50% and 100% for now. I will probably be posting a follow up now the new FW is loaded that will be a very short video demoing the improvement in the SmartIR and I can look to add in vari on 2831 vs 5842 at 50% and 100% at that time, so look for that in the next week or so.

WIth regards to the 2831 vs 5842, while it can still hold its own which is amazing for a 2019 cam, the 5842 definitely has the edge and takes the lead in PQ overall. 5842 improves on detail and is crisper in mid / short range. Also remember that beyond the lens you have the new AI and IVS advancements that the 2831 does not have plus overall IR control (near and far ability on 5842 in manual mode vs just an amount slider on 2831). While I love my 2831's, still think they are remarkable both for how long they've held up and how during the day they can provide a great image in comparing to 2021/2022 cams, the 5842 has proven that it is more than capable to take the torch and continue the journey :)

HTH
 
You clearly invest a lot of energy in the production of such videos. Have you intentionally left them unlisted (so they do not return in YouTube search results)?

Great question. The main reason is due to the fact that I primarily make them for this community here. I don't monetize them and don't advertise them outside of this forum. As I mentioned above, I do want to continue to increase the production value of the videos (hopefully shown in the latest ones here), make them more useful (add in some tutorials, reviews, unboxing, configuration assistance etc) and at some point may consider turning the channel public etc if people continue to like and see value in what I'm putting together.

HTH
 
The value is absolutely there and the comparisons put anyone else posting camera videos on YouTube to shame!!!!!

Your videos and demonstrations should be the go to for anyone looking for reviews. Not an unnamed YTer that pushes reolink and test cameras in the wrong application like he did when he tested EmpireTech 2.8mm (or maybe it was 3.6mm) fixed lens at 60ish feet at night is the wrong application for such a great camera...
 
If someone can't see the value in your video comparisons, they need stronger glasses or more zoom on their cameras!

Another great job, wildcat! Now you've got me thinking about spending more money on cameras, yet again, once I get the home automation going again.
 
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Thank you for doing these, they are always very useful.

I may have missed it but what do you use to measure Lux?

Also, what are your thoughts on the IPC-HFW5842E-ZE-S2 vs the IPC-HFW7842H-Z?

The specs are almost identical, the 7842 is Wizmind 7 vs Wizmind 5, I couldn't find the diference between the two online. Also, the 7842 has 2GB RAM instead of 1GB.
 
@NightLife thanks for the comments. Yes the Color4K-X is a powerhouse of a cam as I showed in my review of it BUT remember it has a place and its own limits since it a) is fixed (not vari) therefore does have limits on install location based on FOV and target requirements for some and b) does not have IR. Therefore as I mentioned in my 5842 Turret review, these 5842 cams really do have a key role and place in the Dahua portfolio but more critically in anyones overall security buildout. What I mean by that is that they (5842) can either be a primary 4K (with other cams in the mix) based on a particularly difficult FOV (lighting or distance to target perspective etc.) or can augment a Color4K-x at a particular install location. Augmenting a Color4K-x with a 5842 is a great combination because it ensures that should a) you need to target (zoom) on a particular area of an FOV or b) light is problematic or may change without your control, then having the 5842 covering the same FOV albeit from a different angle etc (redundancy is always good in planning a robust security rollout installation) will ensure you get a usable capture. I'll always advocate for having a B&W + Color cam (2 cams) as a minimum covering 1 area (of course depending on size of coverage area). This also ensures that the B&W with IR can give you crisp detail in dark areas or where color cannot keep up with facial detail while the color gives you of course color ID details both of which are great for evidential use should you need to engage LEO etc.

Also in my testing (especially with the newer FW I made mention of RE: SmartIR) there really is no need now not to consider moving from a 5442 (either as an upgrade or at point of purchase) to the 5842 as the PQ is extremely good and light handling does not take a beating as it did in older 4K's. Noise is also similar and in fact almost identical in newer FW. In other words you / we are not having to compromise when adding the 5842 into installs any more. The price between 5442 and 5842 is also narrowing therefore my recommendation if anyone is considering the 5442 is to now go for the 5842.

As I said before, its nice to see Dahua bringing better products to the portfolio that allow for great choices of camera for each environment that not only critically complement your overall setup but also importantly, each other.

HTH
Also forgot to say, remember the 5842 comes in a Z4 variant so if you need a little more reach That’s another option this cam in that variant can give you.
 
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Thank you for doing these, they are always very useful.

I may have missed it but what do you use to measure Lux?

Also, what are your thoughts on the IPC-HFW5842E-ZE-S2 vs the IPC-HFW7842H-Z?

The specs are almost identical, the 7842 is Wizmind 7 vs Wizmind 5, I couldn't find the diference between the two online. Also, the 7842 has 2GB RAM instead of 1GB.

thanks for reaching out. Will respond with a detailed answer for you in my thoughts and recommendations on this tomorrow.
 
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@Wildcat_1 What a killer set of videos! I like the picture inset that shows what is being tested.
I have a 3 cams in the review plus a 5442. The best seems to be the 4K-X if size if foot print
and size doesn't matter.

One question, I abuse a 4K-X as a sky camera. I would like to turn off the IR shutter and force color
at night. Currently the blue from washes out all but the brightest stars. Is my line of thinking wrong?

Are you asking about using the Color4K-X at night or this 5842 for sky captures ? Remember the 4K-X is a full color camera therefore no IR. The Color4K-x is also a fixed lens with a shallow DOF (Depth of Field) therefore its ability to give you a infinity focus point will be lost. Now with that said, if you want to ensure that regardless of focus that you get a better overall sky image then you absolutely can and should manually white balance the camera and reduce the blue push that you are seeing which may yield a more beneficial sky capture. HTH but if you were referencing using the 5842 instead then just let me know and can respond on that.
 
thanks for reaching out. Will respond with a detailed answer for you in my thoughts and recommendations on this tomorrow.

Response to your question on 7842 vs 5842

In order to give you the best answer I really need to know the following as in some respects these cameras are very similar but in others there are a number of feature differences:

  • Anything specific you require from this camera ?
    • Do you need audio capture ?
    • Are you limited in space to install location ?
  • Do you prefer turret or bullet cam or don't mind ?
  • Is this replacing or augmenting a current setup, any other cams covering this FOV ?
  • What target type are you trying to capture (human, vehicle, both) ?
  • What is the distance to target (avg speed if wanting vehicle capture) ?
  • Do you have any special target application requirements (ANPR, Face Detection, Face Recognition) or just regular IVS, SMD Human/Vehicle captures ?
  • Budget for the camera itself ?

General Thoughts

As I don't have the info above from you yet, let me answer more generally for now. If you take a look at my threads and reviews of the 7x42 series you’ll see I do recommend these and have always been a fan or that range. Very good build quality, excellent sensor/optic/SOC pairing and great capture results. There are however a couple of things that I never liked:
a) the proprietary mount that you can’t change for others therefore have to accommodate differently on install​
b) while the AI on cam is good (very good in some cases especially with the improved security algorithms) it still needs work to make it great​

An example of where b above is an issue is ANPR, while the camera is great at processing metadata on camera, Dahua did not (has not yet) incorporate(d) US plate formats at a more detailed level into the current algorithms. Therefore you often end up with hit or miss AI caps that something like an LPR cam can do accurately in its sleep AND through glass (as I showed in my ITC LPR 237 review. Now, based on your use case scenario of a 5842/7842, ANPR may not even be a requirement therefore this 2nd concern may not be important to you but mentioning just in case.

In short, I still love the 7x42 range, so much so that I’ve recommended that Dahua spend more time building out the algorithms and enhancing the offering of this range as it goes forward. I'm hopeful I might see results of these recommendations this year but will update when I hear more. Also, I would NOT recommend buying the current 7842 as the S2 version should be available this year so for now I would say wait (if you must have a 7x42) and let’s see what the 2nd Gen version looks like (hopefully I’ll get my hands on one for a review).


A quick rundown of some of the key differences and similarities include:

The 5842 (both turret and bullet cam versions) are incredibly powerful and really do a great job. The extra cost, proprietary mount and size of the 7842 in comparison has to be considered by yourself as well. You should also focus on overall target and AI requirements for the cam you are purchasing per my questions above.
  • 5842 and 7x42 both come in Z4 (4x) variants so even if you want /need more reach, both ranges (7x and 5x) have you covered.
  • The 5842 is the only 1 of the 2 that comes in a turret, the 7x42 is limited to bullet cam, box or dome (don't recommend the dome for outside)
  • The 7x42 use the new Web 3.0 version of the GUI which has more granular controls and an enhanced feel to them that hasn't made it into the 5x42's yet
  • The 5x42 support SMD 3.0, 7x42 does not support SMD at all
  • 7x42 supports up to 60 fps, 5x42 supports up to 30 fps. While not a deal breaker for most, the 60 fps can be incredibly useful to have that headroom if primary target capture requirements are vehicles
  • 7x42 supports 1Gig Ethernet, 5x42 is 100 Mbps Ether, again not a huge deal but can assist if streaming live OR wanting to offload multiple sub streams to different platforms etc. This is where the memory difference can also assist in the 7x42 if you are offloading to multiple platforms
  • 7x42 supports additional special capture rules such as Video Metadata, ANPR, Face Detection, Face Recognition on camera, 5x42 supports SMD 3.0, Face Detection, Smart Object Detection
  • 7x42 supports an external wiper and external light (should you need it) controllable through the GUI, 5x42's do not
  • 7x42 offers audio via a 3.5mm audio jack vs line in on 5x42
  • 5x42 turret has built in audio (bullet cam does not), 7x42 does not feature built in microphone / audio on any cam in its range

In most cases the 5842 will be more than enough for most people if you don't have specific needs I mentioned above. You'll benefit from turret or bullet cam and Z4 or standard variants along with on camera audio (turret version) and at a more affordable price. The 7x42 is still a fantastic range of cams but depending on your needs, might be overkill

HTH