Review-SD4A425DB-HNY 1/2.8" CMOS 4MP 25x Starlight Auto-tracking MiniPTZ

looney2ns

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Courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY with have a new Mini PTZ to check out.

You can currently purchase here: link
Amazon link coming soon.
Price as of this writing is approximately $370 shipped.

**Please keep this thread on topic


I've spent a LOT of time working with Andy and an Engineer at Dahua attempting to squish several issues I originally found with this camera.
The Dahua Engineers have logged into the camera several times checking things.
I just today received the updated firmware, so we'll see if that has indeed has been accomplished.
.
· 1/2.8" 4Megapixel STARVIS™ CMOS.
· 25× optical zoom.
· Starlight technology.
· Max. 25/30 fps@4MP
· IR distance up to 100 m.
· H.265 or H264 encoding.
· Perimeter protection.
· Face Detection. Up to 8 faces captured at the same time.
· SMD 3.0
· IP66, IK10
Camera
Image Sensor : 1/2.8" CMOS
Pixel : 4 MP
Max. Resolution : 2560 (H) × 1440 (V)
ROM : 512 MB
RAM : 128 MB
Electronic Shutter Speed : 1/1 s–1/30,000 s
Scanning System : Progressive
Min. Illumination:
Color: 0.005 lux@F1.6
B/W: 0.0005 lux@F1.6
0 lux (IR light on)
Illumination Distance : 100 m (328.08 ft) (IR)
Illuminator On/Off Control : Zoom Prio; Manual; Smart IR
Illuminator Number : 6 (IR)
Lens
Focal Length : 5mm–125mm
Max. Aperture : F1.6–F3.6
Field of View : H: 53.61°–3.37° ; V: 30.89°–1.93°; D: 59.23°–3.88°
Optical Zoom : 25x
Focus Control : Auto; semi-auto; manual
Close Focus Distance : 0.1 m–9 m (0.33 ft–4.92 ft)
Iris Control : Auto
PTZ
Pan/Tilt Range : Pan: 0° to 360° endlessTilt: –5° to +90°, auto flip 180°
Manual Control Speed : Pan: 0.1°/s–240°/sTilt: 0.1°/s–160°/s
Preset Speed : Pan: 240°/s; Tilt: 160°/s
Preset : 300
Tour : 8 (up to 32 presets per tour)
Pattern : 5
Scan : 5
Power-off Memory : Yes
Idle Motion : Preset;Pattern;Tour;Scan
Intelligence
IVS (Perimeter Protection): Tripwire; intrusion; crossing fence detection; loitering detection; abandoned/missing object; fast moving; parking detection; people gathering; vehicle/human alarm classification
Face Detection : Supports face detection, capturing pictures, and face enhancement
SMD : Yes
Video Compression : H.265; H.264B; H.264; H.264H; MJPEG; smart H.265+; smart H.264+
Streaming Capability : 3 streams
Resolution: 4M(2560×1440); 1080p (1920 × 1080); 960p (1280 × 960); 720p (1280 × 720); D1 (704 × 576/704 × 480); VGA (640 × 480); CIF (352 × 288/352 × 240)
Video Frame Rate: Main stream: 4M/1080p/960p/720p@(1–25/30 fps)
Sub stream 1: D1/VGA/CIF@(1–25/30 fps)
Sub stream 2:720p@(1–25/30 fps)
Bit Rate Control : CBR/VBR
Port
Audio Input : 1 channel (LINE IN, bare wire)
Audio Output : 1 channel (LINE OUT,bare wire)
Alarm Linkage : Capture; preset; tour; pattern; recording; alarm digital input; audio; send email
Alarm Event:
Motion/Tampering detection; audio detection; network disconnection detection; IP conflict detection; memory card state detection; memory space detection; power exception detection
Alarm I/O :2/1
Audio I/O : 1/1
Power
Power Supply : 12 VDC/2 A (± 10%)PoE (802.3at)
Power Consumption : Basic: 7WMax.: 17 W (IR light)
This is a great form factor for those wanting something that is a tad more discreet than a standard PTZ, size is
Product Dimensions : 168.6 mm × Φ171.1 mm (6.6" × Φ6.7")
Net Weight :2.5 kg (5.29 lb)

Pictures.

PXL_20221023_214347135.jpgPXL_20221023_214402845.jpgPXL_20221023_214548682.jpg


Remove the dome (4 screws), then the access door in this picture to find the Reset Button, and the SD card slot. The latch on my sample for the door was pretty tight, and took some futzing to get it open without breaking anything. YMMV
PXL_20221023_215348900.jpgPXL_20221023_215631443.jpg


Tracking test Video.
Video Settings: h264H, 30fps, 8192,



Focus Issues



Nighttime




Issues.
The focus issue comes from the shape of the dome, when the camera is zoomed past Z9 or so and tilts up beyond 10 degrees, the lens get further from the dome due to it's shape. Thus the dome distorts the picture.
The SD card reader has not been reliable, sometimes it will work correctly, other times it stops recording and the card disappears from the system. I've tried 3 different SD cards all with same results. All cards that work without problems in other Dahua cams.
Cam has been set back at least 6 times to factory defaults.
Using Internet Explorer with the camera, it puts a heavy resource load on the computer.
It will not change from day to night settings without using the time schedule. The time schedule is fussy when trying to set it up. Prior to todays firmware update, it did not work correctly at all.
I will have to give it a day or so to see if that has been corrected, on first blush, it still doesn't seem to be working correctly.

I am NOT a fan of Web5.0 at all. To me it is a step backwards from the old GUI interface in functionality. Too much wasted white space and various settings are not intuitive to find.
YMMV
 

dubber

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How loud is the motor when it's tracking?

Example Scenario: My neighbor drive into his/her driveway, camera will track him/her. Would they be able to hear the motor moving around?
 

Flintstone61

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maybe if they are walking and they get tracked they might hear it, if there isn't some backround noise nearby like a highway or something....You might have to make a 24 hour Wind playlist on an old phone stick it the bushes...:)
 

Timokreon

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The focus issue is of concern. Below the 10 degree tilt, the focus is fine?
After playing around with the 5.0 gui on the color-t, I actually like it. Took a few minutes to find everything, but pretty easy after that.

I have one of these on the way, hopefully see it next week. I'll have to play with it for awhile before putting it up.
 
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Thanks for the testing.

I can't believe how well it tracks, even behind the tree branches.

Is it possible to run the cam with the dome removed? I have 2-3 positions that I would like to use this cam for and they are all inside pointing out a window, so no issue for the elements getting to them.

Could you post pics of the underside of the cam so we can see the mounting?
 

EMPIRETECANDY

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Thanks a lot for @looney2ns hardwork with us, cost lots of time on it.
For the focus issue I think the camera has some hardware problem, when we test it with another new camera with @jmcu all OK. Because looney's camera is really the 1st samples.
SD card recording also ok.
The camera is easy to install, it comes with a metal plate, so no need any junction box or wall mount. Left camera is the turret IPC-Color4K-T, the right is the MINI PTZ.
1670638113517.png

1670638869228.png
 
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JDreaming

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Thank you looney2ns for the review and providing us new information on this mini ptz. I was really looking forward for the review
because wanted to upgrade my hivision mini ptz for a while.

But to be honest, was kind of disappointed with the video quality as the focus Issues mentioned by looney. Hopefully there will be
a fix in the near future and we can see better results soon.
 

wittaj

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Thanks looney!

Looks like it has some smooth tracking and maybe a newer algorithm that improves upon the 49225 which already did a pretty good job.

The focus issue was very evident in your videos. Certainly looks like this is a camera that needs to be installed higher. 2nd story or 3rd is probably a good spot.

Hopefully @jmcu can post some video showing his in action.
 
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Thanks, @looney2ns on a very nice review! Been waiting on this. Very impressive auto tracking on this camera. Especially how it does not loose tracking when the subject goes behind the tree(s) and lightpost. And very smooth motion when tracking. Even though I think they could have stuffed the 1/1.8 sensor into this cam (it's quite a bit bigger than I thought), the tracking is much better than the 49225 and makes the cost seem like a bargain. But, the focus issue is concerning and hopefully it can be resolved with firmware updates.
If the night videos are done with the camera tweaked already, they are definitely not impressive. Way too dark, IMOP.

So, when does Dahua come out with the Mini PTZ Color4k-T version? That would be awesome!
 
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prsmith777

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The camera is easy to install, it comes with a metal plate, so no need any junction box or wall mount.
Im thinking of putting this on a pergola which would basically expose the cables to lots of snow and ice for several months. I think I would be better off using a junction box. Which junction box model is recommended?
 
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