...and the OP stated he is looking for sub $200 range and I suspect available now.
Good IP Cameras That Don't Need IR Lights
- Thread starter mark4312
- Start date
iwanttosee
Pulling my weight
Custom zoom, custom focus, custom shutter speed, and custom gain. White balance is left to auto.
As you know, not a chance a default setting would capture the license plate numbers.
Exactly, but your response was to a person that says they run auto/default and gets no blur....
First off, I’ve never claimed that my camera on default settings can capture license plates. I do have a couple of cameras that are set up specifically for that, but they required adjustments to get good results, which is totally normal. Unless you're working with a purpose-built LPR/ANPR camera that’s pre-configured for plates, pretty much everything needs some tuning.
When I asked about “can,” I think someone might’ve miswrote and meant “can’t,” so I was just trying to give a complete clear answer for the original poster. From the way their question was worded, it seemed like they were just looking for a general-purpose observation camera, not something for ID or plate reading and specifically one that works without IR. That’s why I brought up my own setup where even the white lights don’t turn on because the ambient lighting is enough.
Just to be clear: I didn’t tweak any settings to make the video look better than it is. I pulled a sample recording straight from my NVR from the 1st no audio because my wife is busy in the background and don't need her in my videos lol. One thing to note the streetlight on the far right is currently out, and when someone walks through that darker part of the frame, which isn’t really a focus area for this particular cam, you do get some ghosting. I don’t mind pointing that out I’ve always been open about flaws, whether it’s with my own gear or when calling out marketing BS. In fact, I’ve posted before about a company comparing their high-end cam to a cheap one, and I had no problem calling them out for it that was the video I posted on page 1.
Are my videos perfect? Not at all. Do I say they are? Definitely not. But they do exactly what I’ve said they do, and they work well enough for my needs. I’m not saying my cameras will work for every use case or every scene. No one has the one-size-fits-all solution not unless you’re ready to drop close to ten grand on just a couple of cameras, which isn’t in the cards for most people.
When I asked about “can,” I think someone might’ve miswrote and meant “can’t,” so I was just trying to give a complete clear answer for the original poster. From the way their question was worded, it seemed like they were just looking for a general-purpose observation camera, not something for ID or plate reading and specifically one that works without IR. That’s why I brought up my own setup where even the white lights don’t turn on because the ambient lighting is enough.
Just to be clear: I didn’t tweak any settings to make the video look better than it is. I pulled a sample recording straight from my NVR from the 1st no audio because my wife is busy in the background and don't need her in my videos lol. One thing to note the streetlight on the far right is currently out, and when someone walks through that darker part of the frame, which isn’t really a focus area for this particular cam, you do get some ghosting. I don’t mind pointing that out I’ve always been open about flaws, whether it’s with my own gear or when calling out marketing BS. In fact, I’ve posted before about a company comparing their high-end cam to a cheap one, and I had no problem calling them out for it that was the video I posted on page 1.
Are my videos perfect? Not at all. Do I say they are? Definitely not. But they do exactly what I’ve said they do, and they work well enough for my needs. I’m not saying my cameras will work for every use case or every scene. No one has the one-size-fits-all solution not unless you’re ready to drop close to ten grand on just a couple of cameras, which isn’t in the cards for most people.
^Yeah we totally get that, I was just pointing out that he went with a more time involved setup to capture plates example replying to your post about using default/auto settings, and we can't get further apart than those two extremes.
I didn't want someone finding this thread later and seeing a reply to a post about default/auto settings and thinking that is possible with plates. At night that is almost impossible except in very unique situations.
I have a few cams on auto/default as well. My overviews are intended for me to get an idea of what is going on when I hear something - I want to see what is going on in the distance. I have other cameras for the ID, but as we all know, ID cameras at distance have narrow field of views and I don't wanna be looking at X number of cameras when I hear something in the front or down the street. I go to my overview and see if it is anything I need to look at further.
I didn't want someone finding this thread later and seeing a reply to a post about default/auto settings and thinking that is possible with plates. At night that is almost impossible except in very unique situations.
I have a few cams on auto/default as well. My overviews are intended for me to get an idea of what is going on when I hear something - I want to see what is going on in the distance. I have other cameras for the ID, but as we all know, ID cameras at distance have narrow field of views and I don't wanna be looking at X number of cameras when I hear something in the front or down the street. I go to my overview and see if it is anything I need to look at further.
bigredfish
Known around here
Following up on this (had some family things going on), I guess what I'm really looking for are cameras that have similar performance to the Hik ColorVu cameras I already have, but perhaps in a smaller form factor (these are quite large) and higher resolution. Here's an example image from one of those. They're a little older, the model number is DS-2CD2T27G1-L 2MP.
(I masked out identifying information in the top right and bottom left corners, otherwise the image is untouched).
It's hard to tell from the screenshot, but there's VERY little ambient light here. This is a fairgrounds in a rural area, and it was close to pitch black outside when I grabbed this screenshot. I understand that zero ambient light = zero picture
(I masked out identifying information in the top right and bottom left corners, otherwise the image is untouched).
It's hard to tell from the screenshot, but there's VERY little ambient light here. This is a fairgrounds in a rural area, and it was close to pitch black outside when I grabbed this screenshot. I understand that zero ambient light = zero picture
Following up on this (had some family things going on), I guess what I'm really looking for are cameras that have similar performance to the Hik ColorVu cameras I already have, but perhaps in a smaller form factor (these are quite large) and higher resolution. Here's an example image from one of those. They're a little older, the model number is DS-2CD2T27G1-L 2MP.
(I masked out identifying information in the top right and bottom left corners, otherwise the image is untouched).
It's hard to tell from the screenshot, but there's VERY little ambient light here. This is a fairgrounds in a rural area, and it was close to pitch black outside when I grabbed this screenshot. I understand that zero ambient light = zero picture
View attachment 221426
So your goal is overview and not identify?
Any camera if you slow the shutter down enough can look good with little light for a static image but then motion is a blur.
What are your shutter and gain settings or are you running on auto/default settings?