Its 1.5 Inches higher and I I'm out of adjustment. (Actually 3-4 inches lens to lens)
It aint gonna mattter
B54PRO-Z4E first impression
- Thread starter tmxv4128
- Start date
Its 1.5 Inches higher and I I'm out of adjustment. (Actually 3-4 inches lens to lens)
It aint gonna mattter
Maybe I need to move them to where I have 100-150ft straight shot.
We all know that the further away from the target, less zoom, things get easier because the level of detail goes away. Marketing videos 101
We all know that the further away from the target, less zoom, things get easier because the level of detail goes away. Marketing videos 101
Regardless of the distance, I'm just suggesting if you are comparing, the FOV could be more similar to minimize any differences from that.
We know that they fudge the FOV and focal length numbers and we have seen different sensors with differing FOV of other cameras on the same MP and focal length.
The key here is it appears the objects in view on @bigredfish (like him, welcome sign, etc.) are basically the same size with each camera, which to me makes it a more fair comparison than what the same FOV would be.
They are damn close. Damn close
It aint a FOV problem and if I zoom to tighten the 54PRO anymore I'll lose the top.
They are different and have different FOVs natively and I'm out of room to manually turn the 54PRO
That aint the problem...
I will attempt to work with the 54PRO settings and reduce blur and noise more.
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch2_20251218190156_20251218190211.mp4
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch8_20251218190156_20251218190210.mp4
It aint a FOV problem and if I zoom to tighten the 54PRO anymore I'll lose the top.
They are different and have different FOVs natively and I'm out of room to manually turn the 54PRO
That aint the problem...
I will attempt to work with the 54PRO settings and reduce blur and noise more.
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch2_20251218190156_20251218190211.mp4
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch8_20251218190156_20251218190210.mp4
It'll take me an hour or so to tweek settings and perform a couple more tests
One thing that will be interesting is that currently they are BOTH benefiting from each other's IR.
I'll isolate them and we'll see how they do on their own.
Any Bets?
Here's my other 5442 Z4-S3 I bought to replace the 54PRO in color on the other side of the house for your enjoyment.
Its still not 100% dialed in but much improved over those tests with golf cart drivers with no upper body
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch5_20251218190036_20251218190106.mp4
One thing that will be interesting is that currently they are BOTH benefiting from each other's IR.
I'll isolate them and we'll see how they do on their own.
Any Bets?
Here's my other 5442 Z4-S3 I bought to replace the 54PRO in color on the other side of the house for your enjoyment.
Its still not 100% dialed in but much improved over those tests with golf cart drivers with no upper body
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch5_20251218190036_20251218190106.mp4
Yea, shine two flash lights at the same target and they will be additive ...
Added: If you are comparing (just) sensor/lens/processing between the two camera's, then ideally you would want an external IR illuminator (located equidistant between 'em) to provide the same light.
However, that doesn't test the on-board LED's to ascertain if any difference between those ... and yea, if you will ONLY be using the onboard LED's in your actual deployment, that the full-on test.
So as you implied, toggling the "other" camera's IR lights is important to see the standalone performance.
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I started this way again because in my real world I have a 7442 at top in that exact same spot overseeing the driveway. So it mirrors my actual setup
But yeah less IR should make a difference
But yeah less IR should make a difference
Beauty shot from the 54PRO ZE I installed in place of a 5442 S2 in the backyard. (also with the new 1217 fw)
I'll save that test for later this weekend but same results. pretty still image...but.....
* The new FW DID help the red tones
I'll save that test for later this weekend but same results. pretty still image...but.....
* The new FW DID help the red tones
I have had no need for external IR in that scene. The onboards do just fine.
In fact I have to run OverExposure (not tonight for testing) so that someone walking in from the driveway isnt washed out
But yes, with enough added IR or ambient white lights I can get the 54PRO closer to that of the 5442 S3
I can also do same with a $50 chinese knockoff from Ebay
Thanks @bigredfish great testing, Yes, both camera's IR will effect each other's pics, so better turn off the IR light when test each camera.
Ok in this next test, the only change is that I turned OFF the IR from the bottom 5442 S3
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch2_20251218202510_20251218202547.mp4
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch8_20251218202510_20251218202547.mp4
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch2_20251218202510_20251218202547.mp4
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch8_20251218202510_20251218202547.mp4
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And in this one, the 5442 S3 IR is still OFF
Changed Exposure on the 54PRO to 20ms per a request.
Honestly, and like I said weeks ago, its not THAT bad.
For those who deem the image acceptable and want the advantage of the LED's and mic, and fancy AI stuff (The Large Scale AI models produces too many false alerts for my setting), it may be a camera that does what you need it to do
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch2_20251218203346_20251218203435.mp4
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch8_20251218203348_20251218203433.mp4
Changed Exposure on the 54PRO to 20ms per a request.
Honestly, and like I said weeks ago, its not THAT bad.
For those who deem the image acceptable and want the advantage of the LED's and mic, and fancy AI stuff (The Large Scale AI models produces too many false alerts for my setting), it may be a camera that does what you need it to do
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch2_20251218203346_20251218203435.mp4
View attachment 192.168.1.110_ch8_20251218203348_20251218203433.mp4
Lots of testing make our buddy bigredfish drink a lot and smoke a lot. 
Same speech from me - Thank you all, for your time and efforts to test, analyze, and develop solutions to our favorite project!
On last thought before bedtime:
While I understand and DID rightly show a test with ONLY the IR from the 54PRO on, I would venture a guess that most folks who have a clue, in most scenes, have an added overview camera pointing in the same general direction as their highly zoomed in Z4.
So while testing them independently (which I have) is important, whats more important to the end user is testing in a real world environment the way the camera will actually be deployed.
Most cameras I test myself and spend many hours fine tuning, require happy mediums of nighttime and bright sunshine, / low light and when the motion floods kick in, /IR in instances where you didnt plan for it because light levels drop from summer thunderstorms that turn the 3:00pm afternoon sky into 3am in a matter of 20 minutes.
To test video cameras with a focus on whether one is brighter or richer or more colorful in a static unrealistic photo test proves nothing.
Cameras have adjustment controls, lots of them. For image, exposure, backlight, bitrate and on and on. They are meant to be used. Most times you can adjust for deficiency's or differences by using them. AUTO/DEFAULT isnt your friend and most of the time neither are extreme settings.
No two scenes are identical.
Your porch and Bob's porch don't have the same light.
You're backyard has a motion flood light and yet its black back there when its not on. Have you tested for the transition?
If you are buying or experimenting with cameras for the first time, DO NOT waste time on making pretty static pictures.
What matters is capturing motion (bad guy, cat, bear, car, license plate, alien) with a crisp and clean video that can freeze motion without blur or pixelization that looks like a bad watercolor painting.
That means at minimum getting out of your chair and walking in front of the camera (at night) at the same speed and position that you expect most targets to do. Also plan for and test against different positions. Cover the most likely choke points with zoomed in, focused cameras like the Z4, but know that you'll also very likely need an Overview camera to see those areas outside of the choke point and provide both perspective and situational awareness.
While I understand and DID rightly show a test with ONLY the IR from the 54PRO on, I would venture a guess that most folks who have a clue, in most scenes, have an added overview camera pointing in the same general direction as their highly zoomed in Z4.
So while testing them independently (which I have) is important, whats more important to the end user is testing in a real world environment the way the camera will actually be deployed.
Most cameras I test myself and spend many hours fine tuning, require happy mediums of nighttime and bright sunshine, / low light and when the motion floods kick in, /IR in instances where you didnt plan for it because light levels drop from summer thunderstorms that turn the 3:00pm afternoon sky into 3am in a matter of 20 minutes.
To test video cameras with a focus on whether one is brighter or richer or more colorful in a static unrealistic photo test proves nothing.
Cameras have adjustment controls, lots of them. For image, exposure, backlight, bitrate and on and on. They are meant to be used. Most times you can adjust for deficiency's or differences by using them. AUTO/DEFAULT isnt your friend and most of the time neither are extreme settings.
No two scenes are identical.
Your porch and Bob's porch don't have the same light.
You're backyard has a motion flood light and yet its black back there when its not on. Have you tested for the transition?
If you are buying or experimenting with cameras for the first time, DO NOT waste time on making pretty static pictures.
What matters is capturing motion (bad guy, cat, bear, car, license plate, alien) with a crisp and clean video that can freeze motion without blur or pixelization that looks like a bad watercolor painting.
That means at minimum getting out of your chair and walking in front of the camera (at night) at the same speed and position that you expect most targets to do. Also plan for and test against different positions. Cover the most likely choke points with zoomed in, focused cameras like the Z4, but know that you'll also very likely need an Overview camera to see those areas outside of the choke point and provide both perspective and situational awareness.
Yes, I have been learning my lessons here. I still have not been able to participate in testing in a wanted way. Still haven't had time to mount a camera. They remain in a window. But tonight I learned of a cancellation in my schedule. I might be able to steal a few hours for a little fun.