B54PRO-Z4E first impression

JDreaming said:
Thank you for all the guys spending so much time, money and effort testing out the B54PRO-Z4E. But the conclusion seems to be better for me to just keep the S3 instead of "upgrading" it with B54PRO-Z4E. I'm also disappointed with the result as I was looking forward to upgrade my camera with the B54PRO-Z4E.
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Definitely keep the S3, it is a proven winner. The B54PRO-Z4E isn't a bad camera; it just isn't an improvement over its predecessor. It reminds me a lot of B&W speakers. When CD's were invented, B&W thought they needed to change all of their speakers to accommodate the wider dynamic range and make them "digital-ready." They took several steps backward in sound quality, and it took them years to recover. Now look where we are: back to analog with vinyl and cassettes.
 
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[email protected] said:
If I purchased the 54 so called "pro" IP camera, from a UK supplier (not Andy). I would return the unit to the supplier as "unfit for purpose and inheritanly faulty". The weird UK law allows this, for consumers. One legislation, that is still good!
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I would happily do this with at least two or possibly all three of mine! frankly. It is bugging me already, when a manufacturer releases a product pretty much half baked, simply no excuses. I mean come on, it takes a bunch of enthusiasts to test the prototype :wtf:
 
I figured this Dahua Artificial Stupidity on steroids was a thud from Day 1. Why? Well, I have a paid VideoProc Converter AI (automatically updated from the VideoProc Converter that I originally purchased) program that I often use and every single time I have used the Artificial Intelligence option to "upgrade" an original file or picture, the end product has been no observable change to me or an obvious degradation.

Dahua should have hired the CSI television producers to fix Dahua's software fiasco. Those producers could have enhanced all video in less time than it takes for a commercial to interrupt the show. :rofl:
 
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tmxv4128 said:
The 54IR-ZE-S3 drives me crazy with its center spot illumination.
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Have you tried using some 'frosted glass effect' window film/vinyl, it works great as a diffuser on white leds and also IR emitters. Have used it in the past on my starlight models that weren't very well diffused, cheap enough and does the job. I intend to add some on my S3 turret when I work out which IR emitter is causing the problem, or just put it on both!

Something like this or similar
 
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CamCrazy said:
Have you tried using some 'frosted glass effect' window film/vinyl, it works great as a diffuser on white leds and also IR emitters. Have used it in the past on my starlight models that weren't very well diffused, cheap enough and does the job. I intend to add some on my S3 turret when I work out which IR emitter is causing the problem, or just put it on both!

Something like this or similar
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Does the film appreciably cut the light output? It's worth a try. I have swapped out my T54IR-ZE cams for Color4M-T cams and have been pleased with the improved illumination.
 
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tmxv4128 said:
Does the film appreciably cut the light output? It's worth a try. I have swapped out my T54IR-ZE cams for Color4M-T cams and have been pleased with the improved illumination.
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No it is fine, any degradation will not be noticeable. Worked very well on the occasion when I've used it on either IR cams or flashlights. I have a few different types, some are more textured than others, not huge differences for IR though, mostly more noticeable on white LED's. If I can dig out an old starlight with it on I will post an image.

I will add one of the 4M-T's to my shopping list along with 4K-X, might as well try all the more recent cameras!
 
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Thanks guys great compare, it Looks like the 54pro-Z4E's IR is very dark in the night and lots of noise, i will check with them on Monday and show them the videos we did compare. Have a new fw at the end of the Nov.
 
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Updated my previous comments/posts - "IR sensitivity differences between 5442-S3 and T54PRO-ZE ... puzzling results"


This ideally should be a fairly simple test - we are just looking at exposure - not sharpness, noise, motion, etc. It's frustrating that my results were not consistent between day & night (photons should be photons at 1/30000s and 1/3s!) and I can only guess that there is some funky processing going on that is not allowing me to truly assess lens/sensor capability.

This seems to further support the theory that the "challenges" people are seeing in low-light IR is due to that processing getting a bit wonky ...


Thanks @EMPIRETECANDY for following up on all the feedback you have gotten from various folks ... and curious what they say.
 
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alekk said:
Updated my previous comments/posts - "IR sensitivity differences between 5442-S3 and T54PRO-ZE ... puzzling results"


This ideally should be a fairly simple test - we are just looking at exposure - not sharpness, noise, motion, etc. It's frustrating that my results were not consistent between day & night (photons should be photons at 1/30000s and 1/3s!) and I can only guess that there is some funky processing going on that is not allowing me to truly assess lens/sensor capability.

This seems to further support the theory that the "challenges" people are seeing in low-light IR is due to that processing getting a bit wonky ...


Thanks @EMPIRETECANDY for following up on all the feedback you have gotten from various folks ... and curious what they say.
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There are no doubt some strange things going on in the background, sometimes mine can be running in B&W as the sun comes up, or early morning. As a vehicle passes through the scene it will literally switch to colour part way through around 30-35 frames! As my B54IR-Z4E-S3 keeps reminding me, capturing bright super sharp images (and plates!!) in B&W really isn't a problem :thumb: just seems like the 54Pro didn't get the memo!

On a positive note, the 54Pro is performing mostly better than my old 2mp starlight, although the 2mp starlight can freeze motion as you'd expect. The 54Pro is leagues ahead in colour during the day, obviously it can also run colour at night :confused: and the IR is no doubt more powerful. Also to note I find the white LED's pretty damn bright, the IR maybe not so much as has been noted by others, when compared to S3 bullet variants, so maybe not fair comparison.

So the major ongoing issues are night performance and of course the dreaded auto/ai processing which is potentially crippling the 54Pro. Hopefully we don't have to wait until end of this month for some progress.
 
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tmxv4128 said:
Does the film appreciably cut the light output? It's worth a try. I have swapped out my T54IR-ZE cams for Color4M-T cams and have been pleased with the improved illumination.
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@tmxv4128 Here is the film on one of my old starlight cameras, worked well for several years. It was a tidy job on that camera due to the recessed illuminators, on the new style cameras some thought will be required to make it look less DIY if that bothers you. Will be doing the same on my S3 turret this week.
 

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CamCrazy said:
@tmxv4128 Here is the film on one of my old starlight cameras, worked well for several years. It was a tidy job on that camera due to the recessed illuminators, on the new style cameras some thought will be required to make it look less DIY if that bothers you. Will be doing the same on my S3 turret this week.
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Looks like a great fix for the bright IR spot.
 
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In a previous post in this thread I commented on how the rendering of fog on the B54PRO-Z4E looked different from the B54IR-Z4E-S3. It was like the image was digitally created. Last night the fog once again came in, but since that previous post, I have replaced the B54PRO-Z4E with the B54IR-Z4E-S3. See if you notice a difference how the two cameras render the scene.

 
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tmxv4128 said:
In a previous post in this thread I commented on how the rendering of fog on the B54PRO-Z4E looked different from the B54IR-Z4E-S3. It was like the image was digitally created. Last night the fog once again came in, but since that previous post, I have replaced the B54PRO-Z4E with the B54IR-Z4E-S3. See if you notice a difference how the two cameras render the scene.

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This will be the auto/Ai pixies doing there thing I suspect. Similar thing happens when a car passes at night with IR or colour, processing happens and 'pixelation' effect begins.
 
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Just for grins I ran the 54PRO Z4 and the newly installed 3449 TIOC PRO VF Last night in AI SSA. Which takes most controls away (exp, gain, Iris, NR)

I’ll snag a clip from both and post but what I saw was a beautiful bright video, with motion blur, but relatively nice video.

I think this is part of what they’re trying to do to make it stupid proof.
 
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