Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

@EMPIRETECANDY or others, Is Ali, the only place to buy this right now? I have never shopped this site before.... What could I except in usual shipping time to Fla.?
 
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How far does the bullet mount adjust? Since they don't make a a varifocal turret version of this camera yet, I was wondering if I couldn't make the bullet version work ok, but I'd need to be able the point the camera about 60-70 degrees off to the left or right. Is the mount capable of doing that?
 
Yes the mount can accommodate that.

fresnoboy said:
How far does the bullet mount adjust? Since they don't make a a varifocal turret version of this camera yet, I was wondering if I couldn't make the bullet version work ok, but I'd need to be able the point the camera about 60-70 degrees off to the left or right. Is the mount capable of doing that?
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This model has some new update again, i will release the latest new firmware soon when get some testing.
 
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EMPIRETECANDY said:
This model has some new update again, i will release the latest new firmware soon when get some testing.
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Quick update. Updated my B5442 over at @EMPIRETECANDY link, no issues at all. Just one thing I saw here that I didn't see with other cams & FW is that the IVS rules were wiped out when updating, haven't noticed that with my other cams. Just a heads up for people to check and re-establish their IVS rules after the FW update as applicable.
 
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Wildcat_1 said:
First Comparison - B5442E-ZE vs 2831T-ZS

I wanted to get some initial pics up as I start to compare this camera to others. Some quick notes:
  1. Cameras set at identical configs noted above each set of pics
  2. Only shutter speed and gain changed when completing this first test (unless noted like in the 1/120 capture)
  3. Pics pulled straight from the cam JPG captures, not doctored or altered in any way, only titles changed
  4. Time stamps are accurate
  5. Scene is lit directly with 2 x 100w bulbs only (apart from ambient lighting across street etc) the bulbs are about 30 feet apart (1 each side of the driveway). On driveway test each cam has 1 of these bulbs directly near them (within 12”)
  6. Driveway is about 46 feet to street for reference
  7. The B5442E-ZE 4MP AI camera will always appear on the left and comparison cam on the right for easy navigation. However depending on post layout I also titled the Channels so you can reference the name there as well.
  8. BMP images are used (again pulled straight from cam) and converted to JPG (noted by higher image sizes in JPG) where ‘snapshots’ were not captured by a cam during an event
  9. No dialing in of cameras completed in this first test. Cams set back to defaults except any changes mentioned as above (shutter/gain). Will follow up with more ‘ideal’ settings and suggestions soon but wanted to show how these look against each other with as plain a config as possible
  10. Auto is used for IR which on the B5442-ZE has a more pronounced spotlight affect in the middle of the image. However in the 1/120 test I switch to ZoomPrio just to show the more even / balanced approach to lighting the image vs subject that you see in this mode with this cam.
  11. We all know positioning is key. In my testing this camera needs to be installed ‘slightly’ higher than usual with a more pronounced angle so you have more versatility when dialing in the optical zoom and benefit from the optimum sweet spot based on this cameras optics. With that said my current location for this is about 12” too high so I will be adjusting that as well.
  12. I wanted to show image capture from a moving seen captured by the cams as theses are generally what we’ll rely on when looking to ID an individual or object etc.
So with all that said, first up I compare against another 1/1.8” sensor, the one in the 2831. I know the 2831 is a 4K (8MP cam) but wanted to compare sensor performance and also answer questions asked directly on how do 4K cams compare to lower megapixel Starlight+ cams at night and or in extreme lighting conditions.

More to come as I look to compare against the 5231 & others. Will also be posting my thoughts, findings in post 3.

Lots of pics here but stick with it and be sure to check out the more dialed in image ** of the B5442E-ZE at the end

Forced Color

1/30 - 0 to 50 Gain

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1/60 - 0 to 50 Gain - 2 Images Per Cam Here

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1/100 - 0 to 50 Gain - 2 Images Per Cam Here

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1/250 - 0 to 50 Gain. The 2831 Didn’t Detect At The Default Settings In This Lighting So Did Not Upload Those. The Image Below Is Therefore From The B5442E-ZE

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Black & White - IR On

1/30 - 0 to 50 Gain

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1/60 - 0 to 50 Gain

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1/100 - 0 to 50 Gain

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1/100 - Optically Zoomed 50%. This Time There Are 2 Images Per Cam

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** B5442E-ZE - 1/120 - 0 to 50 Gain **

I hadn’t captured a 1/120 image the other night so dialed this one in a little more (reduced gamma, NR and optically zoomed to a better spot) and took this one yesterday. This is the B5442E-ZE only as the 2831 really doesn’t like this extreme low lighting once it starts pushing past 1/100. For reference the highest usable image (with a lot of work) in this kind of lighting for the 2831 was 1/120 (in my testing) but with about 80 gain therefore not an apples to apples comparison.

On the flip side this 1/120 gain 50 image dialed in (within camera) from the B5442E-ZE really does show the potential for better image clarity when aligning positioning (very important as we all know) with gamma, NR, shutter speed adjustments etc. As mentioned above, ZoomPrio was dialed in here as well which provided much better balance to the IR light than Auto. Some spotlighting can still exist but the cam does a much better job at adjusting as motion works across the image. Will be tweaking the cam further but wanted to show you an initial more dialed in version.

View attachment 43595 View attachment 43596
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Lovely and fair review you got there @Wildcat_1. Excellent job. May I ask does this camera have SmartIR? Also, you mentioned this is the OEM version. May I ask what is the official version? I can't seem to find it in the Dahua website..? also, cannot seem to find the turret version :(. Please help? thnx. Hope Turret version is much cheaper
 
redfive said:
@MikeyTech8
The official one is the IPC-HFW5442E-ZE, and no, the SmartIR isn't availabe (yet), at least, with the last firmware.
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Ah I see. Thanks for confirming. Would you say it is safe to go ahead and buy thIS camera now? or wait until the latest firmware is out which brings/includes SmartIR? Which one is the safest option? sorry for the inconvenience @redffive
 
MikeyTech8 said:
Ah I see. Thanks for confirming. Would you say it is safe to go ahead and buy thIS camera now? or wait until the latest firmware is out which brings/includes SmartIR? Which one is the safest option? sorry for the inconvenience @redffive
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@MikeyTech8 I've been using the B5442 since I received and think it’s a solid camera. You can play with the IR settings to help for now and when SmartIR is introduced through future FW it will only get even better. Therefore if you have a need for this cam now, buy it :)
 
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Wildcat_1 said:
@MikeyTech8 I've been using the B5442 since I received and think it’s a solid camera. You can play with the IR settings to help for now and when SmartIR is introduced through future FW it will only get even better. Therefore if you have a need for this cam now, buy it :)
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Hey Man,

Thanks for the response.

Sounds good. Glad all the new "4MP starlight model cameras" are going to be getting the SmartIR feature in the next firmware(s). Time to decide which new 4MP starlight model cameras should I go for. Thanks again for your help.
 
@MikeyTech8
Absolutely, IMHO, globally, is even better than the Ultra serie, like IPC-HFW-8232E-Z/ZE, on which, the SmartIR, even with the latest fw, isn't so smart, unless you put your hand at 20 cm in front of the camera (tested on 3 differents cams, two 8232 and 81230, same behavior.... ), nothing to do with this, but not even comparable to my old hikvision cameras.
 
Smart IR is controlled on the camera
 
merkaba said:
Is the SmartIR feature only going to work on a Dahua NVR, or will it work on Blue Iris as well?
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As SmartIR is a function of the camera’s IR available through FW it’s a pass through feature to both that can be configured directly through the webUI or an NVR (HW or SW based). Therefore BI will support when cam FW is available as well.
 
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Wildcat_1 said:
As SmartIR is a function of the camera’s IR available through FW it’s a pass through feature to both that can be configured directly through the webUI or an NVR (HW or SW based). Therefore BI will support when cam FW is available as well.
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
I think I will order this camera in a couple of days to replace a 2mp Hikvision with a 1/2.8 sensor in the backyard. This camera looks very promising.
 
I ordered the IPC-B5442E-ZE from Andy on Tuesday and it arrived this Friday. It arrived early enough in the day that I already have it mounted. :) It is replacing a Hikvision 12mm 2MP bullet with a 1/2.8" sensor. I have noticed that at full zoom it does not quite match the field of few of the 12mm Hikvision. It comes up short. So what I will do is order the 8-32mm version and put this camera in place of a 4mm Hikvision camera that I have. I am waiting for nightfall to see how this camera does in comparison.
 
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