Anyone using the Dahua SD3E405DB-GNY-A-PV1?

[s4lezardv]

I'm considering buying the Dahua SD3E405DB-GNY-A-PV1 4MP 5x Optical Zoom PTZ Camera (TiOC/WizSense) and I would like to hear from people who actually own this camera.


I really like this model because, from what I found, it seems to have one of the best cost-benefit ratios on AliExpress for a PTZ camera with these features (PoE, optical zoom, AI detection, color night vision, etc.).


My main concern is the noise level, especially during zoom operation and PTZ movement. Is the camera noisy in real use? Can you hear the motors from a normal distance, or is it only noticeable if you are very close to it?


I saw some videos of the EmpireTech PTZ3E405-AI, which appears to use the same housing/platform, and the zoom sound seemed quite loud. I'm wondering if the Dahua version has the same behavior.


Also, if anyone has a YouTube video, sample footage, or real-world test using this exact model, I would really appreciate it if you could share it.


Thanks! I would love to hear your experiences before making the purchase.

 

[war4peace]

I'm wondering if the Dahua version has the same behavior.

No, it does not. I have two of them now, but one is in repairs because some water reached inside the RJ45 port during a particularly violent storm. Not the camera's fault, the RJ45 cable developed a hairline crack in its outer insulation and allowed water to seep through.
The motors are nearly inaudible, both from outside as well as when the camera records audio. As a matter of fact, I was very surprised by how quiet they are.
I don't have any footage to share (it would reveal some private footage), but there are reviews which detail the camera's image quality.

With that being said, both my cameras suffer from a particularly annoying issue (which I found a workaround for):

The warm light does NOT turn off at dawn. It turns on when night comes, as expected, but remains ON during the day. It's a weird issue, because I go and meddle with settings, the next morning it works as expected, then after one more night the warm light again refuses to turn off.
Interestingly, the camera that's now in service somehow "fixed itself" and turned its warm light off at sunrise for months, as expected, until that storm which damaged it. The other camera permanently exhibited the issue.
My workaround: I have integrated the cameras to my Home Assistant server using ONVIF and I have created an automation which restarts the cameras (sends a restart command) at sunrise.

Just something to keep in mind.