WDR and IR Settings Questions - Analogue Effio-based

[YW84U 0]

Good Evening,

 

I'm seeking any offered guidance with regard to tweaking my settings with regards to WDR configuration as well as IR switching between day/night. I've Googled things extensively and have been reading the forums here for some time, but have yet to find any comprehensive explanation of some of the camera settings and how they relate to one another.

 

I have 4 analogue TDN Bullet Cams with the following specs:

- 1/3" CCD SuperHad II with Sony Effio-P (CXD41299GG & D5148GG)

- 2.8-12 mm varifocal, IR corrected lens

- Mechanical IR cut filter

- IR Leds x 72, with smart IR controller (AR-258A v3.5)

 

My manuals list OSD options, but they do not offer much explanation as to the effects each may have on the image. It seems the manual may be outdated and lists options that are 'more rudimentary' than the ones in my actual firmware (perhaps some of the OSD options may have changed with the ver2 Effio-P chip?) I've found a few resources so far that explain the options in a generic way, but I'm hoping to gain a better understanding of how they interact with the image. I admit it, I'm a nerd and like to delve into the gritty details

 

Here is a reference image with the camera set to default values:

 

 

 

As I have several challenging areas due to shaded outdoor areas, I opted to try out Effio "P" based cameras for my application. I've read both my manual as well as those from other manufacturers using Effio-P, but have only encountered WDR selections limited to either ON or OFF. My actual OSD provides the following WDR menu choices of LIGHT, NORMAL or FULL. Within the menu options for either LIGHT or FULL, I can then choose to adjust contrast within the WDR subset to LOW,MID LOW, MID etc. I saw one brief article suggesting using LIGHT for outdoor, but there is hardly any information in either the manual or on the intertubes explaining the rationale of these settings . I've played around a bit, and switched over to FULL MID HIGH, bumped the PICT ADJ contrast from 32 to 38, and appear to have better results this far:

 

 

 

So for the WDR, my question is can anyone assist me in understanding the processing difference between FULL/LIGHT, and am I addressing the contrast settings appropriately? The daytime shots seem decent, but I wonder if at night (more important picture quality for me) I might be trading off any PQ with these settings? I realize there are always trade-offs when using a single cam for such purposes, but I guess I'm seeking a better understanding of what trade-offs these settings incur.....

 

 

The IR part of my question revolves around the behavior of the mechanical IR cut filter - the photocell will trigger the filter and activate the LEDs fairly early in the evening, but it seems that the internal chipset switching to night mode does not coincide. I've adjusted the default day->night and night->day settings in the camera (as seen in the previous image) in order to see if I can mitigate the 'orange' coloration. The default values were quite low, and these higher settings **seem** to help, but this image coloration still lasts a good 10 to 20 minutes before the cameras go fully to BW on IR.

 

Here's a twilight pic, once the IRs are lit and the mechanical filter has clicked over:

 

 

 

I will continue to test out different settings, but if anyone might suggest a more efficient way to adjust this, it would be much appreciated!

 

I've been really enjoying setting up and tweaking these so far, and am hoping to work my way to getting the best PQ for my scenarios as I can. Night modes are most important to me, and I will continue tinkering with other things such as better focus etc as I go along. I've already learned a lot from the forum members, and express Thanks to those that take the time to share their interest and experiences with others!

 

Thanks in Advance,

YW84U

Edited July 13, 2013 by Guest

[YW84U 0]

As well for reference - attached night image. There is a lone streetlamp out of the FOV towards the top left, and only a few path lamps for artificial illumination. The front of the driveway has dual 75W halogen floods on a PIR, and there is another identical camera covering that area (that will be tweaked as well )

 

Thanks Again,

YW84U