Noob looking at inexpensive

[stevemc1979 0]

I have been lurking here for a couple weeks trying to read and absorb as much as possible. I am going to be building a CCTV system in the very near future.

 

I was looking at this camera, as it seems to have have pretty good specs for the price.

 

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Full-HD-1080P-Outdoor-5-0-Megapixel-H-264-Bullet-Ip-Camera-with-5Mp-Progressive-CMOS/668925756.html

 

I know that this is a chinese camera but, I can't afford at least triple the cost for a non-chinese camera with similar specs.

 

Is the WDR a good idea for south facing cameras? From what I've read here and via google, it seems like a good idea to me but, I will let the pro's give advice.

 

Thanks in advance.

[voip-ninja 0]

I think if you are looking at cameras which are that cheap you should at least go with something that people here have experience with, like the lower end Dahua 1 and 2MP bullet and mini-bullet cameras.

[Kawboy12R 0]

The odds are better that he gets a good camera when going with something more well-known, but the price of experience may be $169.80 plus shipping. How bad can it be? Plus, I'm sure we'd love to see screenshots.

[buellwinkle 0]

Check the lens, it comes with 6mm but says 4mm,8mm,12mm optional. 6mm is pretty narrow, you may want a 4mm. Also make sure you get the write plug for you country. Don't know how many times I got a euro plug when I'm in the U.S. when ordering from China. If it was me, I would ask for a PoE version as mounting a camera with a power supply outdoors is usually a PITA. They seem to have PoE versions of their cameras, but no pricing.

 

Here's a better spec sheet with sample photos, looks pretty good - http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/5881H-C-FULL-HD-CCTV-960P-720P-3-0-Megapixel-H-264-Outdoor-Night-Vision-IP/511666_681128700.html

[tomcctv 190]

Looking for Inexpensive .......tends to cost you more.

 

ONVIF. Is on lots of cheap no name china crap.........the maker is not even a member .....so you will have problems finding software to run the camera,,

 

Buy local and save time and money

[stevemc1979 0]

So, I'm gonna see if I get a $200 lesson. I'm going with one of these cams. I'll post some screenshots once received and installed

 

http://1080p-ip-camera.diytrade.com/sdp/2008271/4/pd-6713705/11356904-0/Megapixel_IP_Cameras_HD_Full_1080P_960P_720P_3_5MP.html

[MaxIcon 0]

One thing to be aware of is that many no-name cams aren't supported by the popular software packages, and the software that comes with them is usually part of the problem, not part of the solution.

 

If the manual includes the stream settings, you'll be able to make it work with some packages, but many no-name cams don't include this important data.

 

Here's what I'd check before buying something like this:

- Do any popular software packages support this brand and model?

- Are software updates available online?

- Is the manual available online (and is it in a language you understand)?

- Does the manual include the stream settings?

 

I'm a big fan of experimenting, but I hate to throw money away.

[buellwinkle 0]

So, I'm gonna see if I get a $200 lesson. I'm going with one of these cams. I'll post some screenshots once received and installed

 

http://1080p-ip-camera.diytrade.com/sdp/2008271/4/pd-6713705/11356904-0/Megapixel_IP_Cameras_HD_Full_1080P_960P_720P_3_5MP.html

 

 

Sweet, love to see the image quality. Competition is good, drives up quality and drives down prices.

[stevemc1979 0]

Well I got the camera yesterday. I haven't mounted it outside yet. Here is a video from inside my house behind a window. 3MP 15fps 4mbps

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a5mgbmo9wzk9ofz/144322-vv-1.avi

[buellwinkle 0]

What did you use to create record and make the AVI file? The video has some dropped frames that makes the car driving through to look a little chopy. If you get a chance to mount it outside, the proof is always in the way it works at night. Also, if you have some stills at full resolution, that would great as the video is limited to my monitor which is only 1080p.

[stevemc1979 0]

The program that came with the camera produces the AVI. I should be able to get it mounted outside tomorrow. I will then be able to get some night shots and some stills.

[stevemc1979 0]

OK. Here is the not so great night video. Any idea what is causing the graininess?

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ezufefwps9wgyah/230105-vv-1.avi

[Kawboy12R 0]

Looks like fairly normal night-time grain to me, plus a bit of fog or mist lighting up from the on-board IR. Throw in what's most likely some IR reflected back onto the lens from something to the right of the camera (the lighter part of the right side of the frame) and you've got a pretty good night-time image, especially from a cheap 5mp cam. Love to see some full-res snapshots.

[stevemc1979 0]

There is a cover that slides on to the camera. I think that may be what is causing the reflection. I will see if I can slide it back some to eliminate the reflection. I'm still working on the full res stills.

[Kawboy12R 0]

If the underside of the weather shield is white, a black magic marker on the underside of the part above and in front of the IRs will probably help if you want/need the extra extension and protection of the shield. QSee uses that trick on their 1.3mp bullets.

[buellwinkle 0]

May be a house light near the right side of the camera or reflection of a part of the house.

[stevemc1979 0]

About an inch of the underside is painted black. Not a spectacular job though. I think I can either slide it back or remove it to see of it helps. I think for $200, its not too horribly bad.

 

The right side is open air. Maybe the street light across the street is effecting the image? HPS light approx 150' away.

[stevemc1979 0]

I got the camera to work with blueiris. Holy cow large files. 30 sec video at 3mp in blueiris is 200MB where the native program is 30Mb.Why such a difference?

 

Also here is a full res still at night.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8elr24aqiux04mh/Cam1.20130212_194538.jpg

[MaxIcon 0]

What are the BI stream settings you used?

 

For night image sizes, this jpg has a lot of sharpening artifacts, which are pretty common on inexpensive MP cams. They add a good bit to the bitrate and file size, since they're essentially rectangularized noise, and don't compress well.

 

If you can reduce sharpening, it will get rid of some of the grain and should reduce file size as well. The over-sharpening doesn't bother a lot of people, though.