Gadspot cameras any good?

[shockwave199 0]

They have up to 700TVL cams for what seems like fairly short bucks. Anyone have experience with them or other cameras from them? I'm thinking about upgrading from cmos 400tvl to maybe a 600 or more for an even clearer picture. I understand the different levels of quality- I'm simply interested to see if anyone has had gadspots of 600tvl or higher in line and what they think about them. Thanks.

 

Dan

[shockwave199 0]

Well, since no one knows, or cares, I'll let YOU all know. I picked up a GS330B- a 520TVL today with 36 IR's in it. I have this one spot on my property that's mostly dark until a motion light comes on, so those 36 IR's should come in handy- as well as the mounting bracket for my install. I'll be interested to see how this camera works out. At this level of camera, which of course isn't very high, you can actually pay a good deal more for a good deal less in these cameras. Serious shopping confirms this. For what it is, if the camera does the job well, it could prove to be the best in it's class at a really good price. We'll see and I'll be as objective as I can when it's installed.

 

Dan

[rory 0]

Looks like they ship straight from Taiwan and the USA office is just an office.

Hence the low price and the info regarding OEM/ODM

 

That camera mentioned is a Color IR camera, not a True Day Night, so the colors will likely be washed out.

Its a typical Color IR camera which can be just fine for most residential applications, thats just under the average retail price in the US for small or rebranded cameras, I get them for less as a dealer but dont buy them typically as those budget cameras all use cheap chips and are normally minus the other important features, so I just stick with the even cheaper lower res ones for budget jobs, and skip right up to the True Day Night for the others.

 

Also pay no attention to the number of LEDs on any camera, I have one here for testing right now and it has 6 LEDs and it puts out over 400' of IR. (costs $1500+ though)

 

But do let us know how it works out

 

PS. Most here buy from distributors which is why they might not have heard of that site.

Also the ones that do buy retail normally buy from more well known sites.

[shockwave199 0]

I did notice the higher end cams have much fewer IR's but state a much further throw. Interesting. I'm in the last stages of a DIY install around my home and bought a q-see dvr/8 cam package. I did a little review of some of the features here-

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukpvn1BijzU&feature=related

 

All things considered, I'm juggling entry level gear here but I do think the dvr is fantastic. I never heard of gadspot cameras but I saw an install youtube vid and checked out their site. This particular camera offered more for less bucks than all the other offerings in it's class, so we'll see. I have learned a great deal reading up here though. With whatever I do, I usually go full throttle high end stuff but I had to be realistic with my situation. I sit at a desk all night and watch my employers cams and now my home cams too. My home install is enough to give me a great look-see at what's going on, should I need to make calls- all for under 500 balloons. Far from top shelf, but 100% better than seeing nothing! I also understand the foliage color with these cheaper cams can be inaccurate, but for some reason it's right on the money for clothes colors during the day. B&W at night, obviously. I'll put up a post when I get the camera installed. It's probably of no interest to many here, but who knows. I probably should have posted this in residential in the first place- but those forums are slow movers man!

 

Thanks for the novice indulge Rory.

 

Dan

[shockwave199 0]

Ok, so I received this camera today. And as I figured, I'm very pleased. That doesn't surprise me considering what I'm upgrading from- a 400TLV cmos camera. I'm very impressed with this gadspot, I must say. It's double the size and a weighty, quality build. I feel confident this camera will hold up to the weather, considering the quality of the shell. For me, this is a great upgrade for my applications. To others who are used to high end cameras, it still may be a chuckle I'm sure. What impresses me most about this gadspot is the night IR. I was hoping 36 LEDS would be a serious upgrade for a spot almost entirely in the dark. It really is. The pictures isn't the actual spot I'll be installing the camera, but it's mostly dark even in that shot. With the gadspot, the field of view is wider, color is truer, and focus is better. An overall increase in picture quality, for sure. But I think the pictures tell the story- that being a budget DIY'er getting a system in place as best as I can.

 

Gadspot [520TVL CCD 36 LEDS] daytime- very cloudy after a storm-

 

 

Q-see [400TVL Cmos 24 LEDS] in the same window on the opposite side-

 

 

Q-see cam in night shot-

 

 

Gadpsot in night shot-

 

 

Now, I have other q-see cams in spots doing much better at night, but they are helped greatly by added exterior lighting. This picture of the q-see cam in darkness is particularly bad, but it represents the severe limitations of that camera in total darkness. And that's what brought me to gadpsot. Long/short, [if that's possible now!]- my boat is floated.

 

Dan

Edited July 19, 2011 by Guest

[groovyman 0]

shockwave199 - Thanks for the review of the cameras and video review of the QSee DVR. Much appreciated.

[SEANHAWG 1]

Hi Shockwave. If your camera has an on screen menu, you may want to turn your nightshot to auto which means it will make your camera go black and white at night. This will give you a more clear night shot.

[edyang 0]

I think for the price their quality is indeed pretty darn good.

 

BTW, here's the promo they're running for July. Got this from bein on their email distro list. Prolly won't be of use to those just looking for a single unit but still...

 

Big Ed

"Do not try, do. There is no try."

[MoeJoe 0]

Looks like they ship straight from Taiwan and the USA office is just an office.

Hence the low price and the info regarding OEM/ODM

 

That camera mentioned is a Color IR camera, not a True Day Night, so the colors will likely be washed out.

Its a typical Color IR camera which can be just fine for most residential applications, thats just under the average retail price in the US for small or rebranded cameras, I get them for less as a dealer but dont buy them typically as those budget cameras all use cheap chips and are normally minus the other important features, so I just stick with the even cheaper lower res ones for budget jobs, and skip right up to the True Day Night for the others.

 

Also pay no attention to the number of LEDs on any camera, I have one here for testing right now and it has 6 LEDs and it puts out over 400' of IR. (costs $1500+ though)

 

But do let us know how it works out

 

PS. Most here buy from distributors which is why they might not have heard of that site.

Also the ones that do buy retail normally buy from more well known sites.

 

Rory, could you explain what you mean when you say they use cheap chips? Are you referring to the DSP or CCD?

 

The specs for that camera say it uses a Sony chip. I'm assuming "Supper" is a typo

Are they using fake or copies of Sony CCD's?

 

GS330B

Pick-Up Device: 1/3" interline Sony SUPPER HAD color CCD

[shockwave199 0]

I'd be interested in that answer too. All I know is they are great for me! And I came from lower res cams and there is no way I could be satisfied with them, nor go back to them. This type of camera would be my default lowest res cam- nothing less.

 

Dan

[rory 0]

 

Rory, could you explain what you mean when you say they use cheap chips? Are you referring to the DSP or CCD?

There are various models, some are cheaper than others.

The Super HAD in a $30 camera may not be the same Super HAD in a $200 one.

eg. items with a *1 are all Super HAD, check the sensitivity, pixels and image size.

http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/pro/image_senser/color_video.html

[Birdman Adam 0]

Honestly, some type of "Sony" chip has been in every cheap camera I've owned. I don't take it to mean anything - seems that to be able to trust the picture a model can put out, you just have to test it yourself.

[MoeJoe 0]

Interesting info Rory. Now it makes sense about the budget cams. I wonder if there that many versions of the Effio chips? I know there is a Professional, Standard and Economy.

 

http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/effiowld/technology/index.html

[rory 0]

I wouldnt hurt your head over it though, Ive seen $50 cameras beat $200 cameras, $200 cameras beat $1000 cameras - in one way or another. There's no way to really know without hands on testing, however the additional features the manufacturers put into the camera as the price goes up also helps us to make a decision.

[nDAlk90 0]

I agree, price is not always a good teller of quality. The best way to find out about a camera is to test side by side.

[JuanC 0]

Hi nDAlk90. Can't agree more. I myself have 4 Gadspot cameras and other 4 from Costco. Although the tvl are the same and the specs are almost the same, too, clarity of gadspot is better than others, especially the night vision.

[videotiger 0]

I have bought five Gadspots so far. Two were installed in a remote location several thousands of miles away; one of those died about two months after installation, which left me pretty miffed. No more Gadspots in that location; they only go where I can readily access them for replacement.

 

I also use some KT&C N600's (discontinued) and Veilux vandal-resistant ball cameras. I like the Veilux' low-light performance and resistance to scum build-up on the lenses.

 

I find that the Gadspots have a reddish/pink bloom appearance to their images, and the color space seems to be shifted towards red. It's more obvious in low light conditions where the camera is about to shift between day and night mode (I use true D/N cameras only): the overall image turns very pinkish. The contrast also seems somewhat harsh. My image quality/attribute is towards the KT&C's which seem to give a truer picture quality. I really should do some color chart calibration and some actual human-subject testing to validate my empirical observations.

 

Based on someone's comment, I just picked up a Gadspot GS9405 3 MP IP camera. I'm still testing it, but preliminary testing shows that my StarDot hybrid box camera with CS-mount lenses has better low-light performance and truer image quality and contrast. Then again, a true C/CS-mount lense will run circles around the smaller lense sets in all-in-one cameras.

 

It just seems that the Gadspot image quality is harsher. Maybe that's what's needed for security surveillance to get identifying information. My paid profession is to produce as life-like an image on a computer screen as possible.

[Kawboy12R 0]

If you could post some sample pictures and video of the 9405 it'd be great? Faces at night and license plates are of particular interest.

[videotiger 0]

I have never posted with photos, so bear with me if the references to attachments is mixed up.

 

I just completed a side-by-side comparison of the Gadspot GS9405E/S with the StarDot NetcamSC (5MP true day/night, MJPEG).

 

Both were set up to comparable resolutions, approximately 1200 pixels wide by about 800 pixels high on a single mount, aimed at the same general scene (see attached photo).

 

The NetcamSC image were taken directly from the camera's web server. The Gadspot image was taken from the NVR software that comes bundled with the Gadspot IP camera, the FCW-SE064 package. I also got some video clips, but as these are IP cameras, the video clips are simply a sequence of images comparable to the stills I have attached.

 

These images were taken outdoors in a mostly-overcast setting. As the images show, the Gadspot image quality was very disappointing: hazy and washed out. I did double-check the Gadspot's lense, and it was spotless.

 

While setting up the Gadspot, I discovered something funky about the web server UI: I was trying to focus the camera by accessing the internal live feed, and the image would not update in real time. But: the time-of-day clock in the right lower corner would continue to increment! To prove my point, I stuck my hand in front of the camera to mostly obscure the camera's view, and I watched in disbelief on my laptop's screen as the time-of-day clock continued to increment, but my hand never appeared in the live image.

 

So... I am disappointed with the Gadspot camera. I will probably end up getting an H.264 version of the NetcamSC for permanent use. It's about 4X more expensive, but as the sample image indicates, the quality is beautiful.

[shockwave199 0]

Huh- well that's not a good picture or report for that gadspot. Sorry to hear that. Did you contact them about the problem? Send it back? Thanks for the pics.

[videotiger 0]

You're very welcome! While I'm not too surprised with the results, I would have been pleasantly surprised if the Gadspot gave the StarDot a run for its money. I was curious to do some controlled condition testing. Next time, though, I'll compare frames within a few seconds of each other.

 

I weighed the option to return the camera but I suspect that the image won't improve even with a replacement camera, so I would be out the shipping cost to send it back to the disti. I'll just use it in a less critical application where the subjects will be a lot closer to the camera.

 

I also have an ACTi TCM-1111 in hand for another installation. Preliminary testing shows that the user interface is a lot less ambiguous. I had a couple questions about the camera that I posted to their online Support. Their response was prompt and accurate, which matches the experience someone else noted in a different thread.

 

If time and weather permits, I'll do another apples-to-apples-to-apples comparison/shootout between the ACTi, the Gadspot, and my StarDot.

[shockwave199 0]

Great- thanks for your reports on this. Your efforts do not go unnoticed, by me certainly. I have been happily using gadspot analog cameras and I'm very curious to see their IP offerings. I'll keep an eye on your findings.

[heckufaguy 0]

I bought one camera from gadspot. Dome style, 700 lines I think. Stated it was a chip camera.

 

After I received it and plugged it in I realized it was cmos. (obvious color deterioration)

I called them, raised hell, they changed the web site and then offered me a return. Since I had the camera in service already I just never sent it back. I use it now, it's about the 'best' cmos I've run across, but I won't buy from them again. (A camera anyways). I also have one of their 4 channel dvr's and I quite enjoy it. It overs prealarm recording on motion detection, something not found in most low end DVR's.

[goodobs 0]

I've dealt with Gadspot for over three years as a do-it-yourself'er around my home. I've purchased 7 cameras from them over time, including cable and a dvr. These either in person at the storefronts (old and new) or by mail. Their product has always performed well and any issues I've had (few) were resolved to my satisfaction. My newest camera is a 750tvl dome and wouldn't switch into IR at sunset. They swapped out a new 3A power source for the one included in the original shipment . . and problem fixed! "Mark", at their storefront, spent a half hour trouble shooting the issue and fixed it with an upgraded power source (3amp). NO charge to me and he could not have been more helpful, also providing some tech info and advice. I'm slowly switching to more HD and will use Gadspot to do that.

[joseph.chen0312 0]

The role they real plays is trading not manufacturing here.