- Aug 6, 2014
- 196
- 31
Camera Recommendations
- Thread starter Overcon
- Start date
Don't chase higher megapixels - you won't get quality or definition or details that way.
Dahua IPC-5442 is one good recommendation.
Others will be here shortly with more details.
There's a 4K-X I believe, but I'm not familiar with it.
Dahua IPC-5442 is one good recommendation.
Others will be here shortly with more details.
There's a 4K-X I believe, but I'm not familiar with it.
Mike A.
Known around here
- May 6, 2017
- 4,199
- 7,067
Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera
Intro I’m excited to be doing another Worlds First Review. this time as I mentioned in the full color thread, I’ve been testing the new Dahua full color 4K camera. This was provided courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY for a fair, honest, no holds barred, unbiased review. I’ll attempt to answer any and...
But even with the best you will need some light and more is better.
sebastiantombs
Known around here
Don't chase megapixels! It takes a sensor of the right size to produce night color and even then every camera, video surveillance or still camera, needs some light to produce color at night. If you want more than 8MP I hope you have a really deep set of pockets. Cameras like that are available but are in the $2,000.00 and up range for the camera body. Then you need a lens, another $1,000.00 and an enclosure to put it in for another few hundred.
Any camera can be made to produce a nice still frame at night if the exposure time, shutter speed, is slow enough as in 1/10 second or even lower as far down as two or three seconds. That will produce a nice still image but as soon as motion happens all that you'll see is a blurred mess. Exposure times of 1/60 or 1/100 are needed to produce crisp motion video. The wrong sensor size on the wrong resolution will only produce a black screen if the exposure time is that fast.
Here's a guide for what works best at the moment in terms of sensor size versus resolution -
Disclaimer - These sizes are what the manufacturers advertise and may, or may not, be the true size of the sensor in the camera.
1/3" = .333" Great for 720P
1/2.8" = .357" (think a .38 caliber bullet) Great for 2MP
1/1.8" = .555" (bigger than a .50 caliber bullet or ball) Great for 4MP
1/1.2" = .833" (bigger than a 20mm chain gun round) Great for 8MP
The F stop of the lens is another key element. The lower that number the better. The smaller the lux number the better the low light performance. 0.002 is better than 0.02. The problem here is that manufacturers, as in all of them, tend to overstate the lux numbers to make their specs look better. Real world night motion video is the only way to truly evaluate a camera.
Any camera can be made to produce a nice still frame at night if the exposure time, shutter speed, is slow enough as in 1/10 second or even lower as far down as two or three seconds. That will produce a nice still image but as soon as motion happens all that you'll see is a blurred mess. Exposure times of 1/60 or 1/100 are needed to produce crisp motion video. The wrong sensor size on the wrong resolution will only produce a black screen if the exposure time is that fast.
Here's a guide for what works best at the moment in terms of sensor size versus resolution -
Disclaimer - These sizes are what the manufacturers advertise and may, or may not, be the true size of the sensor in the camera.
1/3" = .333" Great for 720P
1/2.8" = .357" (think a .38 caliber bullet) Great for 2MP
1/1.8" = .555" (bigger than a .50 caliber bullet or ball) Great for 4MP
1/1.2" = .833" (bigger than a 20mm chain gun round) Great for 8MP
The F stop of the lens is another key element. The lower that number the better. The smaller the lux number the better the low light performance. 0.002 is better than 0.02. The problem here is that manufacturers, as in all of them, tend to overstate the lux numbers to make their specs look better. Real world night motion video is the only way to truly evaluate a camera.
mat200
IPCT Contributor
- Jan 17, 2017
- 16,133
- 27,100
Hi @Overcon
let us know if you ended up picking this up and how it works out for you. ( thanks @Mike A. for the link .. thanks @Wildcat_1 for the review ! )
Looks like a great camera...
Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera
Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera
Intro I’m excited to be doing another Worlds First Review. this time as I mentioned in the full color thread, I’ve been testing the new Dahua full color 4K camera. This was provided courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY for a fair, honest, no holds barred, unbiased review. I’ll attempt to answer any and...
DanDenver
Getting comfortable
I have two of the color 4x and one 5442. IMO so many cameras look reasonably good during daylight, so I don't ever judge a camera by day time performance. It is at night that the differences come in. Without you providing any details on what it is that you intend to cover it is difficult to make any recommendation. One size does not fit all in the security camera world.
For me I have a fair amount of natural light in front of my house so the color 4x works fairly well at night. In my back yard it is pitch black (basically) so I go with the 5442. Works for me and for what I am trying to protect.
You specify 8MP's or higher, why? Try to read up on the numerous threads in this forum and learn about the relationship between light and how modern security camera sensors work. Is there a specific reason you want high MP's? It might help to understand what you are trying to achieve.
It would help to know your budget as well, there are some very nice PTZ cameras that perform very well. They won't work for my situation, but it is something to consider since you used the phrase "really good security camera"
For me I have a fair amount of natural light in front of my house so the color 4x works fairly well at night. In my back yard it is pitch black (basically) so I go with the 5442. Works for me and for what I am trying to protect.
You specify 8MP's or higher, why? Try to read up on the numerous threads in this forum and learn about the relationship between light and how modern security camera sensors work. Is there a specific reason you want high MP's? It might help to understand what you are trying to achieve.
It would help to know your budget as well, there are some very nice PTZ cameras that perform very well. They won't work for my situation, but it is something to consider since you used the phrase "really good security camera"
I have proven more than once on this site that 2MP can provide the money shot over 8MP.
Getting the correct camera for the distance you want to IDENTIFY is much more important than MP and beyond a certain distance a 2MP is better as an 8MP with a higher focal length isn't on the market.
Getting the correct camera for the distance you want to IDENTIFY is much more important than MP and beyond a certain distance a 2MP is better as an 8MP with a higher focal length isn't on the market.
Sybertiger
Known around here
You and everyone else!
I figure that in 3 to 5 years it'll be on the market for a decent price.