B54PRO-Z4E first impression

[tmxv4128]

I received delivery of a B54PRO-Z4E today and quickly put it up before the sun set. It is replacing a B54IR-Z4E S3 to monitor the end of my driveway. I have three cameras that I use for the driveway, a PTZ5A4M-25X, a 6mm Color4K-X, and this new one. I used the same settings on the new camera that I previously used with the B54IR-Z4E, except that I changed the sharpness from 42 to 22 on the new camera. Also, I had used WDR=25 on the previous camera, but I turned it off on this new one.

When I first opened the package, I was surprised at how large the new camera is. I had seen a picture of it previously, but it still looked large in person. Oh, and those wires! Lots of wires to stuff in the junction box. Here is a quick clip from the previous camera at 5pm yesterday and the new camera at 5pm today. Two things I noticed right away, the new camera has much greater dynamic range. The shadows have a lot more detail and the colors are better. The sound is also better.

It will be fun trying this out tonight. Haven’t had anyone arrested on my driveway for the past few months, so probably won’t be anything exiting this evening; but there are always cats, raccoons and possums to view. Just a note, the distance from the new camera to the end of the driveway is 60 feet.

 

[tmxv4128]

Not much happened overnight during the first test of the camera, but some raccoons decided to take a stroll. On the B54IR camera, I have found that a 0-8.33ms setting for the shutter works best for that dark area of the driveway, so that is the setting I made for the B54PRO. Again, as with the first test, I'll show a video of the B54IR first so you can compare the two cameras. A couple nights ago someone walked down my driveway, and that shows how well the B54IR works at night. It seems like the IR on the B54IR is stronger than the IR on the B54PRO. I didn't have Smart Illumination turned on--LED illumination only.

 

[tmxv4128]

I've been trying out different settings today to see which have the best effect on the image. Right now, the shadows are at their worst, so this is what I found be optimal during this time of day (screenshot): Brightness=50, Contrast=58, Saturation=50, Sharpness=44, Gamma=40. For the exposure settings: Manual, shutter 0-2ms, gain 0-42, 3D NR=32, 2D NR=29. Here is the setting that works best, but I have never had on any other camera: Iframe interval @ 4 seconds. I don't understand why it makes such a difference from the default setting of 2 seconds, but it immediately cleaned up the image. (10,240 bit rate) More tests coming tonight (weather permitting). Fog is forecast to start rolling in at 9pm.