Samsung SNV-5080R Mini Review.

[voip-ninja 0]

So, after months of hand wringing over what to use for replacement of my aging Panasonic PTZ box cameras (VGA resolution, terrible night performance, etc) I finally broke down and ordered a Samsung SNV-5080R camera.

 

I had been holding out hope for the new Axis P33 cameras with integrated IR but Axis is very late with these cameras and I have concerns (The Axis cameras also look to be VERY expensive.. to the point that a cheaper camera and outboard IR gets more attractive as an option).

 

My previous IP camera experience is with the previously mentioned Panasonic box cameras, Vivotek (FD8361) and a BrickCom that I ended up returning (did not have an advertised feature, integrated IR).

 

I went with the Samsung because it had a very good feature set for the $570 shipped street price;

 

[*]Integrated IR with auto IR intensity adjustment

[*]Weather and vandal resistant, rated down to 0F without the heater running, -40F with the heater engaged

[*]Vari-Focus lens is electronically adjustable.

[*]Samsung WDR feature, plus backlight compensation

[*]Works with Synology Surveillance Station (as of last major update in August/Sept)

 

I ordered the camera from A1 Security Systems. Tony was a pleasure to work with and the camera showed up as promised via 3-day Fedex shipping.

 

This camera comes very nicely boxed and includes all of the "extras" that you would expect in a mid to high level fixed dome camera, such as breakout video cables, security wrench, mounting template, etc. All of the hardware is top notch and I was pleasantly surprised that all of the screws you remove during installation include gaskets. There are also four high quality self-tapping screws for installation of the camera base to a wall or ceiling.

 

 

One growing gripe with budget PT cameras that are weather/vandal rated is the increasing use of huge pigtail cables which are sealed to the camera body. While it is unfortunate that the Samsung camera does not have a detachable pigtail cable (and an ethernet jack on the body) at least the cable is relatively small and could be stuffed into a tight space relatively easily. Also worth noting is that there is no reset switch on the pigtail itself.

 

 

Upon opening up the camera, I was surprised with Samsung's approach. The IR LEDs are recessed into the body and where-as my Vivotek has a really terrible IR protection achieved with a plastic shroud that is clipped to the IR board with a spring, the Samsung camera has a simple foam 'donut' to prevent IR leakage. The board lens, if it is removable, is not easily accessible. Pan and tilt are the same as other cameras, but interestingly, the rotate feature for setting picture level is achieved by twisting the board assembly behind the camera lens.

 

 

Although it's hard to see in the photos, the camera does have an SD card slot in the interior camera body as well as a reset switch that is easy to reach by simply taking the dome off.

 

A couple of other innovative things that Samsung has done is that instead of holding the camera body into the housing with glue or screws, there are retention clips that keep the body in place. Another really nice touch is that when the camera body is inserted into the exterior camera housing there are "clips" that snap into place that allow you to have the camera held in place while you put the screws in... I wish more manufacturers did this!

 

I powered the camera on and set it up on my network. One thing you notice right away is that you can definitely hear the fan in this little guy whirring away. With the dome cover installed it's not particularly loud or obnoxious but you might notice it if you put the camera in a quiet area where you sit frequently. I am considering one for our patio so I will see what my wife thinks of the fan noise.

 

The setup utility suffers from some grammatical errors, but overall it is VERY easy to use. I was able to add it to the Synology NVR, and then after scratching my head a bit about why motion detection was not working, I realized that the Synology had not enabled motion detection on the camera or set a motion capture area. This took only a moment to fix.

 

 

The camera really has too many features to cover in the review, but one particularly nice feature of note is the "push to focus" feature. People frequently complain that when cameras do include this feature it "doesn't work" properly and fine tune of the focus is needed. Imagine my surprise when the one-touch focus on the Samsung camera worked EVERY time I used it, and achieved relatively sharp focus.

 

 

There are also a huge array of video features including backlight compensation, Samsung Super Wide Dynamic Range, etc)

 

 

I tested the camera out in my basement before installing it at my front door. The integrated IR will work well for a doorway as it is about a 30-45 degree spot and has that wonderful auto adjustment feature that prevents the image from getting blown out when it fills the frame of the camera. I will get a sample of that soon. One weird problem I experienced is that the day/night detection for the IR cut filter seemed to get tricked if a subject filled the frame with the IR engaged. Bumping this up from the default of 5 seconds to 30 seconds seemed to have improved/fixed this.

 

I was also testing the Axton AT7 IR illuminator out, and made this video (in my basement of course) of the AT7 in conjunction with the Samsung 5080R. The integrated Samsung IR is decent (much better than Vivotek for example) but with the Axton IR, holy cow!

 

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After messing around a bit I got impatient and decided to install the camera in its permanent location. Unfortunately when I had the CAT5 run done for this spot the electrician ran it to the corner wall rather than into the ceiling as requested. Since I was using a box camera I didn't really care. This cable location meant I would get a "cleaner" looking installation by simply bolting the Samsung 5080R over the cutout for the low voltage box, so that's what I did. I had some concerns about angle of the camera lens, but it seems to have worked out pretty well.

 

One minor complaint is that the dome cover is tethered to the "back" of the camera rather than the "front". This means that installing the camera as recommended the dome was trying to hang down over the camera, which was a little annoying.

 

 

Here's some video of the camera in its semi-permanent location (if my wife insists I will move it to the ceiling);

 

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What you'll notice in the first clip is that at this time of day there is a big contrast in the brightness of the driveway (which has a lot of reflection) compared to the shaded entry. You'll see that the SWDR seems to do a good job here at getting the face of the UPS guy when he drops a parcel off.

 

I will try to post some night video using the cameras integrated IR soon.

 

Hope you all enjoyed the review. If I get another one of these (I likely will) I will have more to add as well.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Guest

[tpenn 0]

Great review! Which Axton illuminator did you get? I'm interested in the AT-6E series of PoE illuminators they have and may pick one up to test with.

[voip-ninja 0]

I bought the AT-7. I didn't necessarily need the advanced features of the PoE unit and the cost was a lot higher. I am pretty impressed with it so far.

[Kawboy12R 0]

Got any sample pics or video?

[voip-ninja 0]

Posted a couple in the samples/demo thread.

[voip-ninja 0]

First post updated to full "mini" review with video/etc.

[Agentchuckles 0]

What kind of NVR software comes with the samsung?

[voip-ninja 0]

I am not aware of it coming with any NVR software.

[tpenn 0]

Thanks again for your review, I am pretty impressed with the feature set and image quality of the Samsungs and I may have to pick a couple up to test with.

 

Agentchuckles, looks like they provide free central monitoring software called NET-i viewer and also a 4 channel demo version of their recording software, NET-i ware. Not sure what the pricing is like for going beyond the 4 channels.

[voip-ninja 0]

You are correct. That net I-viewer software is in the box but I have not played with it.

[tpenn 0]

Does this Samsung let you turn off the integrated IR and use external illuminators exclusively?

[voip-ninja 0]

Does this Samsung let you turn off the integrated IR and use external illuminators exclusively?

 

Yes. IR can be set to 'auto', 'on', or 'disabled'.

 

I just ordered a 2nd camera for replacement of my old Panasonic at my patio.

[voip-ninja 0]

As promised, here's a demonstration video of the integrated IR in the 5080R. This is a pitch black doorway.

 

You will notice that it adjusts the level of the IR output automatically based on scene lighting. It's pretty good for integrated IR. Notice the lack of halos or bleed-through of the IR.

 

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