Which Hikvision ColorVu PoE camera?

[chrisc90]

Greetings all.

Having had a lot of success on the CCTV system we were left with when we moved in with no user details, ive popped back along to see what people would recommend in terms of adding extra cameras to our system.

We have a 16port NVR (DS-7616-E2-16p) and currently have 5 cameras attached to it. These are quite old 2mp and 3mp ones DS-2CD2335-I and DS-2CD2332-I .

We are looking at getting a good quality colorVU one which covers our main route into the premises, something that would pick up a reg/number plate fairly easy.

They are all POE, so new cameras would need to be powered over ethernet.

Is there anything thats recommended thats reasonable in price too? As seems PoE ones are a fortune in their own rights.

Would a 4mp camera be up to the job?

Cheers'

Chris

 

[alastairstevenson]

We have a 16port NVR (DS-7616-E2-16p) and currently have 5 cameras attached to it.

Just be aware that the E-series is an old model NVR that, strictly, does not support h.265 (at least via the VGA/HDMI interface, OK via IE11 with webcomponents plugin) or 8MP cameras, the spec is 6MP max.
H.265 makes such a big difference to storage consumption, which may be a factor if you are adding and updating cameras.
Whilst it can be used outside it's rated specs, you'd find that it can get a bit frustratingly sluggish, even with 4MP cameras.
But if you are only adding 2 or 3 that should be OK.

We are looking at getting a good quality colorVU one which covers our main route into the premises, something that would pick up a reg/number plate fairly easy.

I'd argue that the ColorVu may not be the best choice as an LPR camera.
Depending on the specific scene, the lighting and the distance to the target, a ColorVu might not give a good plate image, on the assumption you'd want to have the white LEDs turned off.
Remember that number plates are retro-reflective, so you'd ideally want to illuminate them from the camera location.
A low-light camera with strong IR I believe would do a better job.
I'd be tempted to suggest a DS-2CD2385G1-I or similar.

 

[chrisc90]

I thought the NVR might be bandwidth restricted so thought best to ask rather than just add and have issue.

I have attached a couple of pictures of the camera we want to replace with the main drive up to our garage.

I mean the current ones just about make out a license plate at the distance those vehicles are parked, but I think it would struggle with a moving target. I think it does just get a plate from memory if you drive along the road, but something a lot sharper and crisp to make cars/people out better would be ideal.

 

[chrisc90]

Same camera in the dark

We used to have outdoor lights along the wall, but they all failed so really low light along there at present

 

[alastairstevenson]

it does just get a plate from memory if you drive along the road, but something a lot sharper and crisp to make cars/people out better would be ideal.

A key consideration, especially if the gate is the primary area of interest, is the camera focal length.
From your sample screenshots, the existing camera is more for overview than detail. What's the focal length?
An additional camera with a longer focus would significantly increase the level of detail in the target area.

 

[chrisc90]

Not too sure how far it is to that gate in all fairness.

Your right the existing is just for overview at present, which is why we are looking for something a bit better to give more detail.
I believe that's off a dome camera with one of the numbers linked above.

 

[chrisc90]

https://www.hikvision.com/UploadFile/image/2013101905391080103.pdf

I believe thats the PDF for them

Unless theres settings in the camera that just need a tweak to get better from it.

 

[alastairstevenson]

I believe thats the PDF for them

Yes, I've had a few of those over the years.
They were a good workhorse for modest sized scenes.

 

[chrisc90]

Their upgrade or bigger brother would probably fit the criteria well.

Maybe a 4mp or a 6mp camera would have enough detail in the image to better what we have currently, and have no issues with the older NVR we have.

 

[The Automation Guy]

Are you sure that Colorvu is the best choice? While the new versions are pretty amazing with their low light capabilities, they do have limits to what they can do. The work great in low light situations, but definitely need light to work well. As dark as that parking lot appears, it may be better to get a camera with IR that will work in complete darkness.

 

[chrisc90]

Not limiting myself to colorVu. One that is reasonably priced and does the job better than what we have is what im looking for really.

 

[Parley]

https://www.hikvision.com/UploadFile/image/2013101905391080103.pdf

I believe thats the PDF for them

Unless theres settings in the camera that just need a tweak to get better from it.

Those cameras with the 1/3" sensor will not be good at night as you can see., Also I could not find the specifications on the NVR number that you posted. I don't know how it will handle a 4K camera like the new models can. Also as stated the bandwidth could be a real issue with the older model NVRs. Maybe you can go no larger than a 4MP camera with a 1/1.8" sensor which will work fine if your NVR can handle it.

 

[chrisc90]

DS-2CD2145FWD-I(S)

Hikvision DS-2CD2145FWD-I(S) 4 MP Powered-by-DarkFighter Fixed Dome Network Camera

www.hikvision.com

Not really sure what im looking for but that ones a 4mp camera, IR and I think it has a good image sensor 1/2.7" which I guess is better than a 1/1.8" sensor?

Ah, just seen the 1/1.8 is a larger sensor.

 

[wittaj]

It is simple LOL do not chase MP - do not buy a 4MP camera that is anything other than a 1/1.8" sensor. Do not buy a 2MP camera that is anything other than a 1/2.8" sensor. Do not buy a 4k camera on anything smaller than a 1/1.2" sensor. Unfortunately, most 4k cams are on the same sensor as a 2MP and thus the 2MP will kick its butt all night long as the 4k will need 4 times the light than the 2MP... anything else will do very poor at night unless you have stadium quality lighting (well a lot of lighting LOL).

Sensor sizing can confuse a lot of people LOL.

Is a 1/2.8" sensor bigger than a 1/1.8" sensor? Most people say yes LOL. But it is a fraction, so the 1/1.8" sensor is the bigger of the two.

 

[chrisc90]

Is there anything youd recommend to suit our older NVR whilst offering better detail?

 

[Tolting Colt Acres]

A low-light camera with strong IR I believe would do a better job.
I'd be tempted to suggest a DS-2CD2385G1-I or similar.

My 2385's completely wash out license plates at night. I get one large white block where the license plate is.

 

[wittaj]

My 2385's completely wash out license plates at night. I get one large white block where the license plate is.

What is your shutter speed? It needs to be a fast shutter speed and with IR it needs to be at least 1/500 but preferably 1/2000.

And at night all you will get are the plates - the image will be black except for head/tail lights and plates. It cannot serve as overview as well. Two cameras needed if you want overview also.

 

[Tolting Colt Acres]

I pretty much tried every combination of everything over the course of several months. I got excellent nighttime pictures of cars... just the license plates were one large rectangular block of bright white.

 

[chrisc90]

What would people recommend for a 'overview' camera?

A lot seem to have a 1/3 lense which is probably too small?

 

[wittaj]

What would people recommend for a 'overview' camera?

A lot seem to have a 1/3 lense which is probably too small?

An overview camera is just that, an overview. So we typically want a wide angle lens like a 2.8 or 4.6mm.

Since it is an overview and we know that for a 2.8mm for example that IDENTIFY is difficult much past 10-15 feet, many will go with a cheaper camera that is probably on a smaller sensor, but that is ok because we are using it to see something happened and be able to tell like clothing color or car color, so many are ok with running it on auto shutter - sure it won't freeze frame to make an ID, but again, at 60 feet out it will not be able to ID anyway, so a little blur is OK.