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Night time vision - is this as good as it gets?

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https://youtu.be/cjnhMGjiQL4

 

Hi Folks - really haven't had to really use any night time footage yet for any specific analysis - but last night we noticed some yahoo person deciding two of our tree branches were too much in folk's way.

 

My question is - for night time vision - is the quality of the video basically as good as it gets? For normal user usage - not NSA quality. The set-up is a Hikvision 5mp camera and Raytec illuminator.

 

Also - his face seems to be "washed out" in the video when he looks directly at the camera - making it harder to get a detailed picture. Is that normal for night time vision due to IR?

 

Thanks!

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https://youtu.be/cjnhMGjiQL4

 

Hi Folks - really haven't had to really use any night time footage yet for any specific analysis - but last night we noticed some yahoo person deciding two of our tree branches were too much in folk's way.

 

My question is - for night time vision - is the quality of the video basically as good as it gets? For normal user usage - not NSA quality. The set-up is a Hikvision 5mp camera and Raytec illuminator.

 

Also - his face seems to be "washed out" in the video when he looks directly at the camera - making it harder to get a detailed picture. Is that normal for night time vision due to IR?

 

Thanks!

 

What is the coverage angle for the illuminator? It seems to be narrow for your application. You have one hot spot in the center of the video but the area behind your fence is pitch black. You need something that can go wider at a shorter distance. You can also play with the camera settings to achieve a picture that's much more evenly balanced across the scene.

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I believe the coverage angle is 80 degrees - and I can change the filter to 120 degrees if you think I need to widen the coverage area - but will that help reduce the "hot spot" area in the middle?

 

Any recommendations on the camera settings that I should play with to get a more balanced picture? Right now I am using the default Hikvision camera settings...

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I believe the coverage angle is 80 degrees - and I can change the filter to 120 degrees if you think I need to widen the coverage area - but will that help reduce the "hot spot" area in the middle?

 

Any recommendations on the camera settings that I should play with to get a more balanced picture? Right now I am using the default Hikvision camera settings...

Actually the camera need to have "Smart IR" function but that normally comes with a camera with built-in IR, it will reduce the power to the LED when object is closer to the lens so you will not get a white washed effect.

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You can improve the washout problems by enabling BLC (back lighting correction). This selects a smaller area of the image to set the exposure for. It will under-expose the darker areas, though, so it's a trade-off.

 

Hik's BLC on the 2CD2xxx series isn't very good, in that it doesn't allow you to specify a detailed area, just a general area like center, top, etc. Don't know if they've improved it on the 5MP cams. Still, it's worth playing with it to see if it helps your situation.

 

WDR helps with this kind of thing in the daytime, but tends to increase noise at night. Again, give it a try to see if it helps.

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https://youtu.be/cjnhMGjiQL4

 

Hi Folks - really haven't had to really use any night time footage yet for any specific analysis - but last night we noticed some yahoo person deciding two of our tree branches were too much in folk's way.

 

My question is - for night time vision - is the quality of the video basically as good as it gets? For normal user usage - not NSA quality. The set-up is a Hikvision 5mp camera and Raytec illuminator.

 

Also - his face seems to be "washed out" in the video when he looks directly at the camera - making it harder to get a detailed picture. Is that normal for night time vision due to IR?

 

Thanks!

 

That bandit is hilarious! That is the funniest thing I have seen all month. Thanks for that.

 

I wonder if he will strike again?

 

You should put up wanted signs in the local coffee shops.

 

BTW, what are the model numbers of the Raytec illuminator and Hikvision camera?

I'm currently trying to decide between Raytec and Axton. Have you compared the two by any chance?

 

Before purchasing the Raytec, did you measure angles of the location to be monitored ahead of time using the spread areas as a guide, similar to the ones in this comparison starting on page 2? (Raytec has a similar guide somewhere). For example, if you had purchased the 10 degree angle illuminator to cover an area that should have a 120 or 130 degree spread, the results would be horrific, although, not quite as horrifying as that bandit.

 

If you are currently at an 80 degree angle, it seems that the 120 degree angle change may help your situation.

 

http://axtontech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014-AXTON-Product-Guide.pdf

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