wildfins 0 Posted December 18, 2014 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/DA-IP8525TRV-POE-2-8-12mm-varifocal-lens-waterproof-onvif-hd-5mp-ip-poe-camera/2035454227.html Eying these DONGJIA 5MP IP cameras which look quite good on the paper and inexpensive (about $100 shipped to US). I like the 2.8-12mm varifocal, 2 led arrays, ONVIF compatible with many NVR/CMS software and platform (inc. BlueIris, Synology, Hikvision, Dahua...). The company also has a website where one can find some user guides and (newer) firmware download @ www.dongjiadigital.com - looks like service / support is being maintained so this is good sign... On the other hand, I notice that none of these 5MP cams have WDR feature as compared to the HIKVISION DS-2CD2232-I5 3MP series which have good user reviews and nice picture quality. But then, I read that many owners would just disable WDR and set DNR (Dynamic Noise Reduction) = 100%. So not too sure if WDR really matters? There are some short footage demo available on youtube but can't tell the PQ from the video - but I think the color is slightly washed out and not as sharp as I would expect when compared to other footage captured by the Hikvision... Any body has any experience / opinion on these DONGJIA ip cams or should I just stick with the HIKVISION DS-2CD2232-I5 3MP (12mm lens to reach the license plate off the street from porch at 40-50ft away)? Appreciate any feedback, thanks... (day) nOi6HDkD86Q (night) WSGL86OeBEc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don Stephens 0 Posted December 18, 2014 I'm a bit skeptical about those video samples. According to them, the max frame rate is 10fps at 5MP. Maybe I'm starting to lose it, but those clips hardly appear to be recorded at 10fps, or some very meticulous video editing was done. If they're faking the video to sell the camera, that's enough for me to shop elsewhere. Looking passed that, I'm not seeing anything forthcoming regarding the image sensor. Considering that plays the biggest role in performance and cost, I like to get that information before handing my money over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaxIcon 0 Posted December 18, 2014 The other thing you won't know about until you have the camera is how well the firmware works and how adjustable it is. This is another tricky area on little-known cams, or even older name-brand cams. As for WDR, my experience is that it's valuable in the daytime, but increases noise too much at night. Many modern sensors and firmware go for high contrast images to make them pop, but you lose details in the shadows. Inexpensive WDR can help bring the details out of the shadows and keep the too-bright areas from washing out, but it depends a lot on how it's implemented. Best bet is to have day/night profiles where you can optimize the settings for each set of conditions, and this gets back to having flexible firmware. I don't buy cams without WDR and profiles any more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted December 19, 2014 My experience with unknown brands is that the cameras don't last. There's a lot of heat buildup in these type of cameras and a very small manufacturers probably don't have the resources to do a proper engineering. I see guys like this at the ISC shows all the time. It's funny because you mention that to them and they say that was last years model, we worked that out this year and they say that year after year. I worked for a tech startup and their only hardware designer was a kid out of school. They got parts from China and built servers for sale for millions of dollars. The servers stayed up for sometimes days because once in rack, the vibration from one server caused the fans to fail in an adjacent one. Then the fans failed, the server overheated. So he designed a fan ducting system using cardboard and scotch tape. That didn't work out well, luckily we didn't burn down any data centers. After that fiasco the CEO gave up and just bought Dell servers. It takes more than slapping together parts to make something last and that's what many of these small companies in China are doing. Grabbing parts here and there and building a kluge. As for the night video. This is typical of companies in China and Taiwan. When you are in a big city, take NYC or Chicago as local examples, there's so much light pollution that you don't even notice as your eyes adjust and it's bright. I got one camera once that was awful at night at my suburban house. Took it to my vacation condo in the middle of a big city, the quality at night was awesome. So if you are in a big well lit city, all is good, otherwise, it's likely not so good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don Stephens 0 Posted December 19, 2014 I see guys like this at the ISC shows all the time. It's funny because you mention that to them and they say that was last years model, we worked that out this year and they say that year after year. 100% accurate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaxIcon 0 Posted December 19, 2014 Even if your time and frustration are worth nothing, the payback of going with inexpensive no-name cams often isn't worth it. All it takes is one glitch that you have to spend hours dealing with to make you wish you had gone for Hik or Dahua. At least their problems are well documented by the community. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
utasek 0 Posted February 1, 2015 Hi guys I have bought about 17 pieces of ip cams from Dongjia and must say-cams are OK but their service is terrible, they dont respond to emails and so on and the worst surprise was that I bought PTZ cam and this cam didnt work with ptz controller at all-because RS485 communication board wasnt installed into it. REgards Ludvik Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
secplus 0 Posted February 2, 2015 Hi guys...... I bought PTZ cam and this cam didnt work with ptz controller at all-because RS485 communication board wasnt installed into it. REgards Ludvik And this should be the final answer.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
