Panasonic WV-SC385 IP camera and 940NM infra red

[LittleScoobyMaster 0]

Anyone here have any success with 940nm infra red and the Pani WV-SC385?

 

With my 850nm illuminators, the WV-SC385 picks up the IR amazingly.

 

But with a cheap $79 IR-200-940, the WV-SC385 could barely see at night except for the first 10 feet from the illuminator.

 

I'm hoping the problem is just due to the IR-200-940 just not being very bright at all.

 

Anyone have a WV-SC385 viewing 940nm illiminators with no other light in a scene?

 

I'd like to see some snapshots for comparison if you have some. thanks

[buellwinkle 0]

940nm wavelength is just a fraction of the effectiveness of 850nm, so it is what it is. What people have done in the past, I believe on this forum was to use 35mm exposed color print film to create filters over their camera's LEDs. This would block most of the visible light but still let something like 85% of the invisible IR light go through and was more effective and cheaper than using 940nm, assuming your goal is to be more covert.

[LittleScoobyMaster 0]

940nm wavelength is just a fraction of the effectiveness of 850nm, so it is what it is. What people have done in the past, I believe on this forum was to use 35mm exposed color print film to create filters over their camera's LEDs. This would block most of the visible light but still let something like 85% of the invisible IR light go through and was more effective and cheaper than using 940nm, assuming your goal is to be more covert.

 

I've consistently read how 940nm is supposed to be so much weaker than 850nm, but this was insane weakness. I'm still in shock. I've been meaning to perform a 940nm test for years now and I am completely let down by it.

 

I was expecting like 40 to 50% of the brightness that 850nm would give, but I got like 5% of 850nm. (tiny fraction like you mentioned)

 

I'm truly hoping that the reason is more of the fact that the IR-200-940 only costs $79 compared to the ~$300-$350 range I want to purchase for my next 940nm test. If 940nm is really this bad, I don't see why it even exists in the marketplace.

 

So far I am truly disappointed with 940nm. It can't be this bad...It can't be...Can it?

 

If it truly is just this tiny fraction like you have mentioned, and like I have witnessed today, when will it improve? Has it always been this bad?

 

I now know EXACTLY how Otto felt in A Fish Called Wanda:

 

R97TsVDC1BY

[buellwinkle 0]

It could very well be the sensors in the Panasonic are not that sensitive to 940nm. Do you have any other cameras you can test this with?

[LittleScoobyMaster 0]

It could very well be the sensors in the Panasonic are not that sensitive to 940nm. Do you have any other cameras you can test this with?

 

I have a few older analog black and white bullet cams lying around but they aren't hooked up at the moment but I really need the IR for my WV-SC385's and with 850nm, they light up the area like a christmas tree, plenty bright.

 

The other 2 cams I have are Hikvision HD-820's which have no way to turn off the internal IR yet (hopefully they add that via firmware). I could still determine where the IR flood from the 940 goes if I setup a test but I'm feeling so disappointed I don't even want to test at the moment. I really just want to put the 940 back in the box and return it tomorrow.

 

The HD-820's aren't hooked up yet otherwise I would test them, waiting on some POE injectors. I could test them with my POE switches but I am in such shock and despair with how badly the ir-200-940 performed with my WV-SC385's that I have almost lost the will to live.

 

I am trying to cope.

 

I was hit with a $7000+ car repair (engine swap) today, and my last saving grace for the day was to be my 940nm infra red test.

 

It too failed with the IR-200-940 and now my spirit has taken a dive it is going to be difficult to overcome, and all right before the holiday weekend.

[MaxIcon 0]

The problem here is you may be comparing apples and oranges, as you suggested. Very few vendors spec the actual IR output of their LEDs for either wavelength, so comparing one to the other is nearly impossible, though this is starting to change. Also, measuring actual IR output requires expensive gear, typically thousands of dollars.

 

IR LEDs output specs are for total Watts, and/or Watts per steradian (basically the area of a portion of a sphere). An LED with 1/2W output could have a 10 degree angle or a 60 degree angle, each of which would have different W/sr.

 

Here's an example of the rare illuminator giving actual specs:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional-IR-Illuminator-IR-25m-Array-940nm-Invisible-Light-Waterproof-2500mW-/200907291308#ht_3155wt_1226

 

They tell us the IR output power is 2500 mW (2.5W), with a 30 degree output angle (but they specify half/full angle, so it's not clear if it's 30 degrees total or 60 degrees total), and the input power is 6W. Whether we can trust their numbers is another matter...

 

Here's another with actual specs:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/940nm-IR-Invisible-illuminator-Indoor-MIX-LED-Array-IR-angle-120-degree-/200816839509?pt=US_Surveillance_Accessories&hash=item2ec19dcb55

 

This is what you need to know, and what both camera and illuminator vendors should spec - total IR output power and output angle. This would allow us to make logical choices and compare apples to apples.

 

When I replaced some IR LEDs on my Dahua 2100 recently, I compared the original and the new LEDs by powering them up at the same current the camera uses, pointing them at grid paper, and taking a snapshot from the 2100 with the camera's IR unplugged. Since I knew the power rating of the LEDs I bought to repair it, I could make some guesses about relative output power on the originals. Pics of the comparison are here: http://www.cam-it.org/index.php?topic=4946.0

 

However, even if you buy an illuminator with known output power, you'd have to guess about the power of the original LEDs, but if you use the originals as a reference, you could point both the cam and the illuminator at something a few feet away, and get a pretty good comparison.

 

So, best starting place is with an illuminator that specifies actual output power. Best bet with what you have now is to set up a sheet or something in a dark place, point the Hik at it, and point the illuminator at it to see how they compare.