Damn, you out did yourself !
my 5442-z4e is starting to lag behind now.
I'll be watching this for future updates.
Thanks Widcat
my 5442-z4e is starting to lag behind now.
I'll be watching this for future updates.
Thanks Widcat
Review: Dahua DH-IPC-MFW7442K1-Z4-T40 - Dual Sensor (4MP + 4MP) Bullet Camera
- Thread starter Wildcat_1
- Start date
Robert G.
Getting comfortable
Your production quality is amazing, a LOT of work into the review and videos.
You mention that the ALPR on this camera is not as good as some full 'ALPR' cameras that you reviewed before. Can you tell us what cameras you have reviews on, that are dedicated ALPR cameras? The dual camera feature is certainly nice, are there any dedicated ALPR cameras that have the dual camera option?
You mention that the ALPR on this camera is not as good as some full 'ALPR' cameras that you reviewed before. Can you tell us what cameras you have reviews on, that are dedicated ALPR cameras? The dual camera feature is certainly nice, are there any dedicated ALPR cameras that have the dual camera option?
With regards to other ALPR/ANPR cams check out my ITC-LPR237 review HERE. On the question of the dual sensor cam then you really would want to look at cams that support ANPR through Video Metadata rules such as the larger 8442 review I did HERE. Dedicated ALPR / ANPR cams generally don’t need dual sensors as your FOV is set as I’be shown before to ensure you capture details and plates in the same shot. Dedicated ALPR/ANPRs are somewhat of a 1 trick pony BUT do it very well. Onboard country specific algorithms lead to much better consistency and accuracy overall. That’s not to say that AI on cams like this, the 8442 and others aren’t good but put them side by side with a traffic cam (like the ITC) and the ITC will win out (in areas of plate and vehicle recognition) over the AI cams using Video Metadata rules.
One other key different I pointed out before (in my other reviews) is that AI cams have to detect a vehicle on scene before they process a plate whereas traffic cams can process a plate regardless.
HTH
Just a quick update. I plan on recording the menu video this week so you can see the options available for this cam along with some of the restrictions. I'll then plan on writing up my summary
Menu video recorded, editing and will then plan on uploading ASAP over the weekend
As promised, here I walk through some of the menu options available for this dual sensor camera. I show some of the areas it excels in what it offers vs those where there are shortcomings such as the area of illumination (shown in my review video) and in the area of Smart Plan types that I call out in this video.
I will be posting my summary + wrap up in the next day or two with my final thoughts on this camera as I close out this review. Thanks for following along and as always, let me know with any questions.
I will be posting my summary + wrap up in the next day or two with my final thoughts on this camera as I close out this review. Thanks for following along and as always, let me know with any questions.
What I'd like to see is side by side video of both streams on the street doing the ANPR during daylight and at night. I'd like to see how the wide view looks in comparison to the close up view on the street. Like to see how well the wide view camera does at night without light.
Im thinking of putting two of these down by the street.
Im thinking of putting two of these down by the street.
The dual streams of ANPR are shown in the videos so you can see the comparison between channels. Remember Channel 2 does not benefit from IR so the light available to the Channel 2 in the night comparison video is just ambient light on the street.
Thanks to @Wildcat_1 great videos.
I checked with him about the ANPR function, he said the professional ANPR model LPR237 still be the best ANPR camera
This dual channel camera is a comprehensive camera, so can meet multi-functions.
It’s an updated version compare to the 7442 one channel model.
I checked with him about the ANPR function, he said the professional ANPR model LPR237 still be the best ANPR camera
This dual channel camera is a comprehensive camera, so can meet multi-functions.
It’s an updated version compare to the 7442 one channel model.
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Have been giving this cam a lot of thought. I really would like to use this on the side street for LPR and overview. Right now any cars that do not have a front plate and come down Front Street and turn down Side Road are not captured for LPR.
But the only place that will work requires me to mount this on the soffit, a ceiling mount. I do not see how to do this with this cam. The recommended ceiling mount is the PFB603C-SG. But there does not seem to be a way to isolate the connections from the elements using that mount. Plus that would be butt-ugly on the side of the house. Any ideas?
But the only place that will work requires me to mount this on the soffit, a ceiling mount. I do not see how to do this with this cam. The recommended ceiling mount is the PFB603C-SG. But there does not seem to be a way to isolate the connections from the elements using that mount. Plus that would be butt-ugly on the side of the house. Any ideas?
sebastiantombs
Known around here
Maybe use a plastic 4x4 or 6x6 electrical junction box? You could paint the box to match the soffit or siding to make it less obvious and mount the camera to the side.
@Wildcat_1 , is the ANPR functionality built into the camera's software or did you use a 3rd party app?
Its on-camera @disbjohn but the metadata can be passed in the stream to a Dahua NVR for processing or SmartPSS etc too
My final summary & detailed write up posted in Post #5. Including here in case you want to read here too:
Review Wrap Up
Hopefully you’ve all enjoyed the review to this point. I continue to add different elements and tests and as I know people love the comparisons. I also intend to do more of these (in their own right) going forward. Time for me to now post my summary and wrap up this review.
After spending over 80 hours of testing this Dahua MFW-7442K1-Z4-T40 camera (and the 7842, more about this one later) and putting it through its paces, I now feel I truly understand its pro’s and con’s well. This cameral definitely has a lot of strengths BUT unfortunately some weaknesses that in my testing leaves it struggling to find its own identity. Lets explore this some more.
Any camera with dual sensor generally has most people thinking about how they can a) consolidate multiple cameras in an area and b) start to envision how they can use both sensors together for the better of a captured output or target acquisition. In many cases this is indeed what a dual sensor camera gives you. Ttake a look at this cameras bigger brother (8442 - reviewed HERE - Worlds First Review - Dahua IPC-HFW8442-Z4-D47-LI - Dual Sensor Micro PTZ Bullet ) OR some of the panoramic cameras such as the Dahua IPC-PFW83242-A180 or PTZ Panoramic’s such as PSDW82442M-A270-D440. Those cameras aim to give you a primary sensor with generally higher quality and then dual or multiple lenses (can be same as primary) which can be used in conjunction with the primary. An example of this is the Spotter / Overview example I share all the time in PTZ activation / multi cam setups where you use 1 camera to keep an eye on an area, generally wider view and then call a PTZ to a specific preset at the point that the 1st camera identifies a target. This is an incredibly effective way to utilize cameras in any deployment, small, large, commercial, global and I advocate and configure these dual, quad, multi-cam configs all the time.
Does This Camera Fulfill The Expectations of Dual Sensor Cameras ?
So, now you have the background, how does this camera fulfill those needs, well in a couple of words, it doesn’t, not 100% anyway. Why is that the case you ask, well, here are the problems holding it back:
Lets jump into point 4 a little deeper. While not a PTZ that can be called to a preset, there is a missed opportunity here. For example, as I’ve shared before, AI cameras rely on the camera detecting a Vehicle before it will process the FOV for a plate, this often times leads to missed captures. Why, well to capture a good plate (and especially for ALPR/ANPR) you need a tight, clear shot that relies on a faster exposure (not uncommon to set 1/1000 or 1/2000 depending on install and target). While this is fine for daytime, at night this of course can make your caps very dark (as expected) and while you can capture a plate for LPR/NPR (manual review of footage), AI caps can be difficult. A dual sensor cam COULD assist these IF the algorithms were such that as a slower exposure, full color (or B&W) 2nd sensor ‘detected’ a vehicle that it passed that info in real-time to the primary sensor that would then automatically start processing for a plate. The ending result would be Color image of vehicle, B&W image of Plate, processed in time for ANPR to kick in with bi-directional metadata on vehicle type, color plate being fused from both sensors into the final capture. That is NOT an option in current deployments using this camera due to its design and implementation. This is a huge missed opportunity.
What About That Primary Sensor ?
Jumping back to the primary sensor now, its nice and sharp, minimal noise and what is there can be mitigated easily. There are some bugs around IR washout when IR is the only source and some areas of tuning needed (like the 5842 I had Dahua complete) that are needed to be fixed here but overall the primary sensor is a solid one. Processing of multiple events in FOV and / or special functions such as ANPR (though video metadata) works well and can keep up with multiple vehicles within quick succession. This latter processing speed is assisted by the onboard GPUI. While bright, the primary sensor still needs light but utilizes it well. As you’ll note from the ANPR section of the videos I posted, even at 1/500 you get a good looking image and one that can lead to an ANPR capture. For ANPR however, as mentioned in my video, I would still recommend the Z7 variant (7442 not 7842) to give you more flexibility for plate and vehicle captures.
Pro's, Con's & Dealbreakers
Pro’s
Cons but not dealbreakers
Dealbreakers
Summary
While the primary lens is great, decent build quality, camera very capable in taking on the tasks of multiple rule types and scenarios, it really is the 2nd lens that makes this hard to recommend. The mount I’m sure will be fixed and I’ve already had conversations with Dahua on ways to do this BUT that 2nd lens is what really lets this camera down for me. I know the 8442 is its bigger brother, will see an update this year and again has kick ass primary and secondary sensors, thats not a reason to keep a decent secondary sensor from its smaller brother, this camera. With that said, it could be Dahua had to use this specific 2nd sensor due to availability OR that they are using it as a way to differentiate between this and the more expensive model line. If it’s the former then that is understood, if it’s the latter then of course that is not a great way to do this.
Due to the above it really makes this one a hard one to justify the cost. While $500 is certainly half of what the 8442 (new version) will cost it is still a fair amount for a camera that doesn’t (currently) live up to its potential. If this camera had the 1/1.7” (or 1/1.8”) as primary AND secondary (with IR cut filter), this would be a no brainer to recommend and could truly, in 90% of applications replace the tasks completed by 2 separate cameras. However with no IR-cut filter, a noisy and not overly capable 2nd sensor and lack of IVS functionality I think its a hard sell.
This is one of those cams that is a real shame to see the vision that professionals and end users have for a cam like this are not in line with the design decisions made by the manufacturer. This product range has a lot of promise, I’ve always mentioned I’ve loved the 7x42’s (apart from the mounts) and if this was a single sensor unit, price was a little lower then again it would be easy to recommend but not in it’s current state.
I am sending a number of recommendations back to Dahua in hopes that the next model of this great line of cameras really does live up to its promise and that both sensors get treated equally in terms of importance to overall design and performance
So who is this camera for and what camera use cases show here benefit other choices by users ?
Thought adding some additional commentary here may help those looking for recommendations. BTW the reason I don't mention the 49225XA is that while I still highly recommend the older version I reviewed, the newer versions with lack of Auto Track should be avoided.
Lastly, What About The 7842 ?
As I mentioned early on, the 7842 I received has a number of problems including IR not working, warm LED lights staying on when disabled in menu etc. I reached out to Dahua on these as well to have them check other units. In the meantime, as this may be limited to the 7842 unit I have, I intend to take apart this camera and look to see if there are board related issues. If this is the case of a mis-soldered connect etc I will fix and then review, if not then I will see if Dahua or Andy wants to send a new unit to review or maybe move to the Z7 for testing. Will keep you updated
That’s it for now
If you’re still reading to this point then THANK YOU and I hope you enjoyed this review. As always, let me know with any questions or other things you would like to see in the future.
Take care all and for those that have been patiently waiting for DM responses, I haven’t forgotten about you and will speak to you soon
See you in the threads and on the next one
Wildcat_1
Review Wrap Up
Hopefully you’ve all enjoyed the review to this point. I continue to add different elements and tests and as I know people love the comparisons. I also intend to do more of these (in their own right) going forward. Time for me to now post my summary and wrap up this review.
After spending over 80 hours of testing this Dahua MFW-7442K1-Z4-T40 camera (and the 7842, more about this one later) and putting it through its paces, I now feel I truly understand its pro’s and con’s well. This cameral definitely has a lot of strengths BUT unfortunately some weaknesses that in my testing leaves it struggling to find its own identity. Lets explore this some more.
Any camera with dual sensor generally has most people thinking about how they can a) consolidate multiple cameras in an area and b) start to envision how they can use both sensors together for the better of a captured output or target acquisition. In many cases this is indeed what a dual sensor camera gives you. Ttake a look at this cameras bigger brother (8442 - reviewed HERE - Worlds First Review - Dahua IPC-HFW8442-Z4-D47-LI - Dual Sensor Micro PTZ Bullet ) OR some of the panoramic cameras such as the Dahua IPC-PFW83242-A180 or PTZ Panoramic’s such as PSDW82442M-A270-D440. Those cameras aim to give you a primary sensor with generally higher quality and then dual or multiple lenses (can be same as primary) which can be used in conjunction with the primary. An example of this is the Spotter / Overview example I share all the time in PTZ activation / multi cam setups where you use 1 camera to keep an eye on an area, generally wider view and then call a PTZ to a specific preset at the point that the 1st camera identifies a target. This is an incredibly effective way to utilize cameras in any deployment, small, large, commercial, global and I advocate and configure these dual, quad, multi-cam configs all the time.
Does This Camera Fulfill The Expectations of Dual Sensor Cameras ?
So, now you have the background, how does this camera fulfill those needs, well in a couple of words, it doesn’t, not 100% anyway. Why is that the case you ask, well, here are the problems holding it back:
- 2nd sensor is an older (and cheaper as admitted by Dahua) 1/2.7” 4MP (on 7442) and 1/2.7” 2MP (on 7842) and doesn’t produce great quality unless you give it a lot of light for night operations
- The 2nd sensor is NOT IR sensitive (no IR cut filter) and therefore cannot benefit at night in B&W when IR light is on scene
- IVS does NOT allow you to trigger off of sensor 2 EXCEPT for just Motion Detection. Yes I kid you not, there are no IVS event rules for sensor 2
- Both sensors are seen as independent in operation therefore you cannot use sensor 2 to ‘spot’ for sensor 1 in camera
Lets jump into point 4 a little deeper. While not a PTZ that can be called to a preset, there is a missed opportunity here. For example, as I’ve shared before, AI cameras rely on the camera detecting a Vehicle before it will process the FOV for a plate, this often times leads to missed captures. Why, well to capture a good plate (and especially for ALPR/ANPR) you need a tight, clear shot that relies on a faster exposure (not uncommon to set 1/1000 or 1/2000 depending on install and target). While this is fine for daytime, at night this of course can make your caps very dark (as expected) and while you can capture a plate for LPR/NPR (manual review of footage), AI caps can be difficult. A dual sensor cam COULD assist these IF the algorithms were such that as a slower exposure, full color (or B&W) 2nd sensor ‘detected’ a vehicle that it passed that info in real-time to the primary sensor that would then automatically start processing for a plate. The ending result would be Color image of vehicle, B&W image of Plate, processed in time for ANPR to kick in with bi-directional metadata on vehicle type, color plate being fused from both sensors into the final capture. That is NOT an option in current deployments using this camera due to its design and implementation. This is a huge missed opportunity.
What About That Primary Sensor ?
Jumping back to the primary sensor now, its nice and sharp, minimal noise and what is there can be mitigated easily. There are some bugs around IR washout when IR is the only source and some areas of tuning needed (like the 5842 I had Dahua complete) that are needed to be fixed here but overall the primary sensor is a solid one. Processing of multiple events in FOV and / or special functions such as ANPR (though video metadata) works well and can keep up with multiple vehicles within quick succession. This latter processing speed is assisted by the onboard GPUI. While bright, the primary sensor still needs light but utilizes it well. As you’ll note from the ANPR section of the videos I posted, even at 1/500 you get a good looking image and one that can lead to an ANPR capture. For ANPR however, as mentioned in my video, I would still recommend the Z7 variant (7442 not 7842) to give you more flexibility for plate and vehicle captures.
Pro's, Con's & Dealbreakers
Pro’s
- Solid build quality
- Sharp, bright primary lens
- Good selection of IVS rule types that the camera recognizes and processes well
- Camera is snappy to respond in the UI, would have been nice to have seen menu v3.0 being employed on this range though (original 7x42 has it)
- ANPR capabilities
- Ability to have a wide + zoom cap of the same area which as I showed can be useful for color details (where light is available) as a wide area and then have the zoom lens dialed in to a choke point or critical cap area
- Benefit of dialing in each sensor separately both in picture, config, schedules etc is a huge plus
Cons but not dealbreakers
- No SMD which while not a target for this range in Dahua’s portfolio, at this point should be included on any camera that has standard Motion Detection. In my opinion the higher portfolio ranges (which WizMind is part of) should include all features of the lower range as an option or at least the key technologies such as SMD in this case. I will be recommending to Dahua that they consider this
- With dedicated GPU’s now being used, expectation for them to be utilized more in rule types and in consistent/accurate processing, this is not there yet and as I mentioned above is a missed opportunity
- No ability to pair the lenses for coverage duty as I mentioned above RE: ANPR processing
- Lack of IVS for 2nd sensor
Dealbreakers
- The mount as I showed in the video does NOT work well and is an important part of any install especially since the arm is needed for any installation involving pole OR junction box mount. This needs to be corrected and quickly
- The 2nd sensor is cheap as admitted by Dahua and is NOT a 4MP sensor I would recommend. Unfortunately it appears as if this sensor was almost an after thought. If this had the tried and true 1/1.8” on the secondary it would be fantastic and perform a LOT better
- No IR cut filter on 2nd sensor is absolutely a bad choice in my opinion. While I understand that Dahua was envisioning this lens as full time color, the sensor is just not up to that task without compromises as I showed. Now, if you have enough external light on scene OR don’t mind running on-board illuminators through the night then this may not be a dealbreaker for you but I do think this was another missed opportunity
Summary
While the primary lens is great, decent build quality, camera very capable in taking on the tasks of multiple rule types and scenarios, it really is the 2nd lens that makes this hard to recommend. The mount I’m sure will be fixed and I’ve already had conversations with Dahua on ways to do this BUT that 2nd lens is what really lets this camera down for me. I know the 8442 is its bigger brother, will see an update this year and again has kick ass primary and secondary sensors, thats not a reason to keep a decent secondary sensor from its smaller brother, this camera. With that said, it could be Dahua had to use this specific 2nd sensor due to availability OR that they are using it as a way to differentiate between this and the more expensive model line. If it’s the former then that is understood, if it’s the latter then of course that is not a great way to do this.
Due to the above it really makes this one a hard one to justify the cost. While $500 is certainly half of what the 8442 (new version) will cost it is still a fair amount for a camera that doesn’t (currently) live up to its potential. If this camera had the 1/1.7” (or 1/1.8”) as primary AND secondary (with IR cut filter), this would be a no brainer to recommend and could truly, in 90% of applications replace the tasks completed by 2 separate cameras. However with no IR-cut filter, a noisy and not overly capable 2nd sensor and lack of IVS functionality I think its a hard sell.
This is one of those cams that is a real shame to see the vision that professionals and end users have for a cam like this are not in line with the design decisions made by the manufacturer. This product range has a lot of promise, I’ve always mentioned I’ve loved the 7x42’s (apart from the mounts) and if this was a single sensor unit, price was a little lower then again it would be easy to recommend but not in it’s current state.
I am sending a number of recommendations back to Dahua in hopes that the next model of this great line of cameras really does live up to its promise and that both sensors get treated equally in terms of importance to overall design and performance
So who is this camera for and what camera use cases show here benefit other choices by users ?
Thought adding some additional commentary here may help those looking for recommendations. BTW the reason I don't mention the 49225XA is that while I still highly recommend the older version I reviewed, the newer versions with lack of Auto Track should be avoided.
- This Camera
Someone looking to replace 2 cams with 1, can make a 3.6mm fixed, no IR 2nd sensor work and therefore has enough light on location OR is willing to have illuminators on full at their location, does NOT need IVS and are ok with approx 70% AI ANPR (average accuracy across day and night combined) as an end result
- Other Cameras for ANPR / Vehicle Based Targets + Overall Coverage
Those that are looking for highly accurate, consistent ANPR then look at the LPR-237 traffic camera (I reviewed HERE - Worlds First Review - Dahua DH-IPC-HDW5842T-ZE-S2 / IPC-T5842T-ZE - 8MP / 4K Vari-Focal Turret) + add a 5442/5842 for the wider shot with flexibility of IR or Color depending on your location
- True Overview/Spotter Setup
For this type of user / deployment then consider using a 5842 (reviewed HERE - Worlds First Review - Dahua DH-IPC-HDW5842T-ZE-S2 / IPC-T5842T-ZE - 8MP / 4K Vari-Focal Turret and HERE - Review: Dahua DH-IPC-HFW5842E-ZE-S2 - 8MP / 4K Vari-Focal Bullet Cam in bullet cam form factors) for your wide shot and look to add in the very capable 5A425 PTZ (reviewed HERE - Review: Dahua SD5A425XA-HNR 4MP 25x Starlight IR PTZ)
- Camera Based AI ANPR / Video Metadata (Human recognition) + True Plate Algorithm Based ANPR + Face Recognition - Triple Threat Setup
For the user with these needs that rely a LOT on recognition, your best best would be a combination of the original 7x42 (ZE reviewed HERE - Review - Dahua IPC-HFW7442H-Z 4MP Ultra AI Varifocal Bullet Camera - and compared in this review, Z4), a 5842 (bullet or turret) or Color4K-X (if you have light on scene and can accommodate fixed focal length, reviewed HERE) + LPR-237. With the 7x42 in the mix you could swap the 5842/Color4K-X out with a PTZ such as the 5A425.
- Cheaper Option For ANPR & Face Recognition Off Camera
Pair your choice of camera from above or add in others such as 5241-Z12 with an AI NVR (5216 I/L) or NVR platform (Blue Iris, Milestone etc) with ANPR & Face Recognition plugins and you have another option. If using the Dahua AI NVR you can set channels for AI By Recorder (instead of by camera unless your camera supports the AI feature you want and you prefer to do it that way)
Lastly, What About The 7842 ?
As I mentioned early on, the 7842 I received has a number of problems including IR not working, warm LED lights staying on when disabled in menu etc. I reached out to Dahua on these as well to have them check other units. In the meantime, as this may be limited to the 7842 unit I have, I intend to take apart this camera and look to see if there are board related issues. If this is the case of a mis-soldered connect etc I will fix and then review, if not then I will see if Dahua or Andy wants to send a new unit to review or maybe move to the Z7 for testing. Will keep you updated
That’s it for now
If you’re still reading to this point then THANK YOU and I hope you enjoyed this review. As always, let me know with any questions or other things you would like to see in the future.
Take care all and for those that have been patiently waiting for DM responses, I haven’t forgotten about you and will speak to you soon
See you in the threads and on the next one
Wildcat_1
Awesome write of thanks again for taking the time to put these videos together and help us out in setting up our systems.
All, quick update here, I've heard that Dahua IS currently working on the re-design of the cable bundle for this cam per my feedback of the issues with mounting. I am hoping to have more of an update + an updated camera soon from Dahua or @EMPIRETECANDY to test and I will revisit this critical area
@Timokreon I'm hearing this rework of the cable got bumped a little due to other priorities on product releases at Dahua BUT I'm under the impression this will still be ready end of July/August. With that said I've asked Dahua and @EMPIRETECANDY to let me know when ready as I would like to get hold of a unit for re-testing so I can confirm for everyone that this is now truly taken care of