Total newb, about to purchase first ipcam.... (but some input sought first!)

[kaczor47]

Hello, great community here - I am glad I found it. I have been lurking for some time before creating an account.

I am about to purchase my first camera (after finally successfully obtaining permission from the real boss of the house!). Looking for

• outdoor unit, relatively small and inconspicuous (hence a dome)
• PTZ with IR. The area being monitored is not large, so IR range of ~15m is sufficient.

Currently I am considering either:

• Dahua DH-SD1A404XB-GNR (I normally avoid AliExpress, but I gather Empire Technology is reliable ) or
• Hikvision DS-2DE2A404IW-DE3 (although I may have to get one locally here in New Zealand, which will likely be a HiLook rebrand available locally for a highly marked up price)

So both 4MP, 4x zoom, PTZ IR (the main difference I see on the spec sheet is the IR range (15m Dahua vs 20m Hikvision)). I was hoping to get some thoughts on the relative merits of the above two:

• what about the reliability of the two brands?
• is the software and intelligence that comes with them comparable?
• is there an 6MP or 8MP upgrade available? without going to a Pro series of either Dahua or HikVision (don't want to mainly due to size).

Thanks in advance for any advice. I much appreciate it.

 

[samplenhold]

Welcome to the forum.

If you have not yet read the Cliff Notes, then please do that. Also check out the WIKI.

Dome cams are really not a good idea for outdoors. The domes get dirty very fast, the plastic dome gets foggy from the UV light, and have trouble with IR reflections on the dome. Turrets or bullets are your friends for outdoors.

Do not chase MP. Look for larger sensor sizes.

A PTZ cam is not the best idea for your first cam. Unless you expect to be at the controls, you will generally miss the action. While I do have a few PTZ cams, they are for overview duty and are not expected to supply enough detail for face identification. I do not use the IR as they are looking through windows.

I actually have two of the 2MP versions of this cam, but are used indoors. They are good cams.

A review of the Dahua cam you linked to is here:

REVIEW- Dahua SD1A404XB-GNR 4MP AI mini PTZ

Thanks to Andy @EMPIRETECANDY for providing this camera for testing in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is the 4MP AI big brother to the 2MP SD1A203T-GN Click here to purchase this camera from the IPCT Store. Aliexpress link $174.99- US $174.99 5% OFF|2019 Latest New Model...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[kaczor47]

Thank you for your feedback, in particular the drawbacks of using a dome outside.
I admit that a big factor for considering it was the esthetic (ie, not having a bullet cam under the eave). I will look into the turret options
I will have a careful read through the Cliff notes - they look like a great resource.

 

[samplenhold]

Turrets are fairly low profile. This pic has two shown.

 

[bertnl]

Turrets are fairly low profile. This pic has two shown.
View attachment 70897

I will follow this I am just thinking about buying similar cams.
Problem is I would like PTZ and color ans lowlight an I am not for the cheapes cams but more to the lightly better moderate prices

I was thinking of the Dahua 4MP Lite Full-Color IPC-HDW2439T-AS-LED-S2 or the
I think these haves quite a big sensor?
IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED 4MP Full Color Starlight + Wdr
IPC-T5442T-ZE 4MP IR varifocale Starlight
IPC-T2347G-LU 4MP ColorVu Fixed Turret
IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED 4MP Starlight + WDR Oogbol AI Netwerk Camera
or the
Hikvision PTZ IP Camera DS-2DE2A404IW-DE3 2.8-12mm 4x Zoom

 

[kaczor47]

As the OP, I should post a follow up.

I ended up buying the IPC-T5442T-ZE 4MP IR varifocal turret from Empire Tech on AliExpress. Very very happy with it.
Took me a while to tweak the various motion setting and schedules, but it is now running beautifully. Using Synology Surveillence station.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!