5442-ZE upgrade for better identification at longer distance - Z4E vs Z12E vs ANPR?

m4gnum

m4gnum

Young grasshopper
May 8, 2019
34
3
Florida
Hi, I’m looking to replace my current 5442-ZE with something better for face recognition and possibly license plates on mostly static cars at about 60 ft. Even at max 12 mm zoom, the image is still too wide (I’m capturing the side wall and the other side of the street), so I feel like something around 20+ mm could still give me enough overview while improving identification quality.

With the 5442-ZE, faces and plates are sometimes readable, so I’m thinking a Z4E-type lens might be enough, while a Z12E could end up being too narrow for my needs.

I’ve also been looking at ANPR options like the Amcrest IP4M-1072EW and Dahua ITC413-PW4D-Z3, but I’m not sure they make sense as a “do-it-all” camera. i don't want a visible IR, the Dahua lists 730 nm illuminators, while the Amcrest specs seem a bit confusing between 730 and 850 nm.

1. Are these two ANPR cameras essentially the same, and does anyone know for sure if the Amcrest uses 730 nm or 850 nm IR?

2. Do any of these support something like auto/active zoom, or at least ONVIF zoom controls/presets that could be triggered via HA/Frigate automations?

3. If that’s possible, is the zoom/focus speed any better than the 5442-ZE, or are Z4E, Z12E, and ANPR models all about the same in real use (set and forget)?

Dahua:

Screenshot_20251227_153536_Samsung Notes.jpg

Amcrest:
Screenshot_20251227_153702_Photos.jpg
 
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Some other camera considerations that might fit your needs.

HFW-5242H-Z6E-MF
8mm - 48mm
1/1.8
2 MP

HFW7442H-Z4-4MP
8mm - 32mm
1/1.8
4 MP

These are both "set and forget" zoom.

For daytime use a dedicated LPR camera, depending on FOV, can be used for both plates and face ID. However, at night forget face ID. Thus a 2nd camera will be needed for that application.

Plus one should also consider the use of a third camera for use as an overview cam for night color auto ID if you have enough white light. In that case, the use of a fixed lens cam either at 6 mm or 3.6 mm would be suggested. Some even use a 180 cam for that purpose.
 
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z4s and z12's as dedicated LPR, should not be tasked with any other compromises. 1 Job. If you have a happy accident and get faces in daylight, great.
A night color overview cam along with an LPR can get you data.
here for an example is a z4 at max distance. at night you see nothing. Which is where my Color4K 180 comes in to fill in colors and descriptions.
and also depicted is a z12 on a testbench at about 3/4 zoom.
1767064729807.png

1767064888275.png

1767065081810.png
 
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Thank you guys, that helps a lot.
I ordered the 5442-Z4E and will test it out. Not sure if it will cover the 50' wide area that's 60-80' away

I also purchased a commercial grade PTZ (Illustra Pro Gen4 with 42x optical zoom) which works great, has presets, IR is extremely strong, the pan/tilt/zoom/focus is instant, however it is huge and weights 16lbs. Due to many obstacles and limites space I will most likely need to flip it. It's an overkill in my case.

I am also looking at the triple lens IPC-B52IR-X3 which might be the best option to serve as an all-in-one. The description mentions a micro PTZ at 5-10 degrees, if that means that it can be rotated remotely, it seems like a perfect choice.
 
It can be adjusted up and down by 5 degrees each way. Not side to side, and it’s slow. And all 3 lenses move together.

And it’s 2MP
 
m4gnum said:
Thank you guys, that helps a lot.
I ordered the 5442-Z4E and will test it out. Not sure if it will cover the 50' wide area that's 60-80' away

I also purchased a commercial grade PTZ (Illustra Pro Gen4 with 42x optical zoom) which works great, has presets, IR is extremely strong, the pan/tilt/zoom/focus is instant, however it is huge and weights 16lbs. Due to many obstacles and limites space I will most likely need to flip it. It's an overkill in my case.

I am also looking at the triple lens IPC-B52IR-X3 which might be the best option to serve as an all-in-one. The description mentions a micro PTZ at 5-10 degrees, if that means that it can be rotated remotely, it seems like a perfect choice.
Click to expand...
I replaced my X3 with a fixed focal length 5442 and a Z4E because the 2MP just wasn't cutting it at night.
 
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^^^^^^
If mine was in a mission critical scene I would too.

Again Dahua took a shortcut to reduce costs.

had they made that a 4MP 1/1.8" camera they'd sell out
 
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Here are some captures, for reference. The X3 image could work for recognize, but I wasn't happy with it.

X3, even with ALL of the onboard IR it has. Unfortunately I didn't save many captures. These are the Mid and Far views.
South Mid.jpg
South Far.jpg

Z4E with it's fewer onboard IR LEDs.
Z4E Guessing.jpg
PathSouth.20250712_001347339.87.jpg
 
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