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MegaPixel Cameras - Images and Demos

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Do you have a night shot, maybe a night video to show?

 

I am having some challenges with night mode at the moment, so nothing to share as of yet. The IR illuminators are posing quite a problem and it seems as though the sensor doesn't do very well at default levels, so I'm still playing around with it.

 

Do you have anything in higher res than 800x600?

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Do you have a night shot, maybe a night video to show?

 

I am having some challenges with night mode at the moment, so nothing to share as of yet. The IR illuminators are posing quite a problem and it seems as though the sensor doesn't do very well at default levels, so I'm still playing around with it.

 

Do you have anything in higher res than 800x600?

 

There is a very small file size limit on this forum which forced me to resize the 1600X1200 image.

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Was looking for a good low-light, hopefully WDR replacement for a failed Arecont AV3100DN... wow, what a score! Found a Vivotek IP8162P... grabbed a bunch screenshots to compare it to the existing Areconts as well as a VSX 2MP cam on another site:

 

Thanks for sharing the picture snapshots. Its really an eye opening comparison in between both brand for such scenario that you deployed the cameras into. Do you have any specific configuration setup that can provide us as guidelines in tuning to such low light condition ?

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Here's a set of day/night/IR on-off pics from a 1MP Vivotek IP8332, 1/4" CMOS sensor, 3.6mm F/1.8 lens. Minimum shutter speed is set for 1/30 second to reduce motion blur; at 1/5 second, the no-light shots are better.

 

The camera's about 20' from the building, and the 100W motion detect halogen light is about 45' away. At night, my light meter gives about 3 lux at the near corner of the building with the 100W light on. With no lights, it's pretty dark back there.

 

Basic settings are:

1280x800, h.264, 10fps, fixed quality - excellent (best setting)

Brightness 0, Contrast -3, Saturation 0, Sharpness 0

 

I've reduced contrast because of overly dark shadows in bright sunlight.

 

I've included one color night pic due to Buellwinkle's findings that night picture quality is better in color than BW on the 2MP version. There's not much difference on this model, but contrast is a little better with more light.

 

Edited to add one - nighttime, IR only, with gain turned down to 2x from the default 4x. It reduces noise quite a bit. Also added 1/5 second shutter speed with no light, just ambient, and 2x gain.

 

There are a few drawbacks that I encountered with the VIVOTEK IP8332 :-

 

1. IR on with turn out to be tunnel effect

2. New batch of VIVOTEK IP8332 that I received lately encountered problem with the lens not perfectly tuned.

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Here are a couple daytime stills of my AGASIO A632W camera with the garage door open during daytime with 4mm, F1.2, IR, CS Mount, Large Aperature Lens at 1280h x 720v.

 

A $200 Camera with a $12 lens.

 

Camera running in Wireless Mode, and the fence is 105 feet away from camera in top still, and far garage wall is 36 feet away from camera in bottom still.

 

Comments.

 

Thanks,

Den

1875554550_AgasioA632Wwith4mm-F1.2LargeAperature.thumb.jpg.bce2d41d84945d7ebb4f79b5022aeadc.jpg

364220826_AgasioA632Wwith4mm-F1.2LargeAperatureOutside105ft.toFence.thumb.jpg.49a9b327ab3e43a3f24b41027306d38e.jpg

Edited by Guest

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Pretty soft, and some distortion on the left side - try it with a proper megapixel lens.

 

Matt,

 

I bought a nice Tamron lens for it, but it was a shade to large in diameter to fit through the IR Led bd.

 

I have a 4mm High Resolution lens, maybe I should try that one as well, but the F = 1.4 vs. F1.2 in the cam now so will be getting less light through the aperature, right?

 

What is the real technical difference of a large aperature lens vs. a High Resolution lens? What makes a lens a High Resolution lens vs. a Standard Resolution lens?

 

As you can tell, a newbie here.

 

Den

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Pretty soft, and some distortion on the left side - try it with a proper megapixel lens.

 

Matt,

 

I bought a nice Tamron lens for it, but it was a shade to large in diameter to fit through the IR Led bd.

 

I have a 4mm High Resolution lens, maybe I should try that one as well, but the F = 1.4 vs. F1.2 in the cam now so will be getting less light through the aperature, right?

Just a smidge less - that's only 1/3 stop difference. Measurable, but not noticeable in this instance.

 

What is the real technical difference of a large aperature lens vs. a High Resolution lens? What makes a lens a High Resolution lens vs. a Standard Resolution lens?

Standard CCTV lenses tend to be made to a lower quality, lower detail, lower "resolving power" simply because they don't need to be any more detailed with SD sensors. What you end up with most often is a "soft" image when you put those lenses on MP cameras - the camera is capable of a higher level of detail than the lens itself, so any imperfection in the lens becomes much more apparent.

 

A "high resolution" lens MAY be noticeably better... but for best results, you really want one that's actually designated "megapixel"... ideally one spec'd for the camera resolution you're using (eg. for a 3MP camera, you want a lens designed for at least 3MP or higher - a 1MP lens may still show softness).

 

Naturally, the higher quality lens you get, the more it will cost, so it becomes a trade-off, cost vs. detail. But that detail is why you're spending so much more on a MP camera in the first place, so why would you hamper it with a substandard lens? It would be like spending a ton of money on high-end stereo equipment, then playing it all through a set of $10 computer speakers.

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Soundy,

 

Excellent technical writeup on the hows and why a MegaPixel lens would make a difference to get rid of the "Softness" in the image.

 

I will take a look around and see if I can find a 4mm/F1.2/IR MP lens that will fit from a dimensional perspective. These cheaper cameras from China all have lenses that are of not a high quality, as I am sure you know. Maybe a lens that costs $60 to $80 and is MegaPixel would make a big difference.

 

If you or any one else has any suggestions on a Mfg./Model No. and a Web Site where to purchase them for a CS Mount Agasio A632W MegaPixel IP Camera that would be very helpful.

 

Thanks again.

 

Den

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There are two other specs you want to look at when shopping lenses as well:

 

One, you need one appropriate for the sensor size. If your camera has a 1/2" sensor and you get a 1/3" lens, for example, you may see some "tunnel effect" especially at shorter focal lengths (a 1/2" lens on a 1/3" sensor is fine, of course).

 

Two, if it's a "true day/night" camera with movable IR cut filter, you want to make sure the lens is IR-corrected (often listed as day/night or IR lens). Because IR light focuses a little shorter than visible light, when the camera goes to "night" mode and cut filter moves away, the image can become soft as the filter is no longer blocking the IR from reaching the sensor, and that portion of the light will be out of focus. A corrected lens will have coatings and/or optics to compensate for this and cause the IR wavelengths to focus on the same plane as the visible light.

 

Unfortunately, the specs on the Agasio webpage are unclear on both these points... it SAYS the camera has a cut filter, but doesn't state if it's movable ("ICR") or if the camera is "TDN". One would ASSUME that it is, since it has IR LEDs, and those would be useless without ICR, but you know what they say about assuming...

 

The specs also don't state the physical sensor size... 1/3" is probably a safe bet, for 1MP with CS mount.

 

And of course, the other tricky part in your case, is something that will fit inside that ring of LEDs.

 

I picked up a 3.3-8mm f/1.2 IR auto-iris 3MP-rated lens off eBay a while back, I think it was only $50 or so... wouldn't do in your case because your camera probably doesn't do auto-iris, and it's probably way too fat, but it should indicate that there's something suitable out there. You could try checking some of the manufacturers' websites to narrow down some model numbers, then look those up on eBay or NewEgg or wherever. You could also try contacting Agasio and ask if they have any other recommended lenses for that camera.

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There are two other specs you want to look at when shopping lenses as well:

 

One, you need one appropriate for the sensor size. If your camera has a 1/2" sensor and you get a 1/3" lens, for example, you may see some "tunnel effect" especially at shorter focal lengths (a 1/2" lens on a 1/3" sensor is fine, of course).

 

Two, if it's a "true day/night" camera with movable IR cut filter, you want to make sure the lens is IR-corrected (often listed as day/night or IR lens). Because IR light focuses a little shorter than visible light, when the camera goes to "night" mode and cut filter moves away, the image can become soft as the filter is no longer blocking the IR from reaching the sensor, and that portion of the light will be out of focus. A corrected lens will have coatings and/or optics to compensate for this and cause the IR wavelengths to focus on the same plane as the visible light.

 

Unfortunately, the specs on the Agasio webpage are unclear on both these points... it SAYS the camera has a cut filter, but doesn't state if it's movable ("ICR") or if the camera is "TDN". One would ASSUME that it is, since it has IR LEDs, and those would be useless without ICR, but you know what they say about assuming...

 

The specs also don't state the physical sensor size... 1/3" is probably a safe bet, for 1MP with CS mount.

 

And of course, the other tricky part in your case, is something that will fit inside that ring of LEDs.

 

I picked up a 3.3-8mm f/1.2 IR auto-iris 3MP-rated lens off eBay a while back, I think it was only $50 or so... wouldn't do in your case because your camera probably doesn't do auto-iris, and it's probably way too fat, but it should indicate that there's something suitable out there. You could try checking some of the manufacturers' websites to narrow down some model numbers, then look those up on eBay or NewEgg or wherever. You could also try contacting Agasio and ask if they have any other recommended lenses for that camera.

 

Matt,

 

Forget contacting Agasio sister of Foscam... they are totally useless and have NO Parts, and also have NO idea what their cameras are as they just want to sale them, and run from any problems or at best ship out another one when you ship yours back.

 

Technically they are TOTALLY USELESS, and like from another Planet... they are so bad, they would not know an inch from a mm. let alone the nm. wavelength of the IR Leds, you get the pt. God forbid don't ask them about Voltage (EMF) or Current (Amperes) dq/dt, they are really LOST.

 

Yes, your right on, no AutoIris on this camera, and I know it is 1/3" CS Mount, your right on.

 

Will take a look around, nice writeup Matt.

 

Thanks again,

 

Den

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I'd say pull out the lens that DOES fit and measure it up, at least, so you know what size range you have to look for.

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Grandstream GXV-3651_FHD (5MP Camera) --

 

We are looking at this camera to mount in an IP66 Outdoor housing w/Htr. and Fan, and wire it up with CAT6 cable, and use Blue Iris software on a PC.

 

Anyone have any experience w/ Grandstream cameras, and in particular this Model camera?

 

Looks very reasonable at less than $300 w/ Manual Iris 4.5-10mm lens.

 

Thanks Guys.

 

Den

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Grandstream GXV-3651_FHD (5MP Camera) --

 

We are looking at this camera to mount in an IP66 Outdoor housing w/Htr. and Fan, and wire it up with CAT6 cable, and use Blue Iris software on a PC.

 

Anyone have any experience w/ Grandstream cameras, and in particular this Model camera?

 

Looks very reasonable at less than $300 w/ Manual Iris 4.5-10mm lens.

 

Thanks Guys.

 

Den

 

This thread is for images and demos, you should probably start a new thread up if you are asking for advice.

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Grandstream GXV-3651_FHD (5MP Camera) --

 

We are looking at this camera to mount in an IP66 Outdoor housing w/Htr. and Fan, and wire it up with CAT6 cable, and use Blue Iris software on a PC.

 

Anyone have any experience w/ Grandstream cameras, and in particular this Model camera?

 

Looks very reasonable at less than $300 w/ Manual Iris 4.5-10mm lens.

 

Thanks Guys.

 

Den

 

This thread is for images and demos, you should probably start a new thread up if you are asking for advice.

 

OK, thanks will do. So, if someone has some Images from this camera please post them.

 

Den

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So, I got samples of three different low-light/WDR cameras from one of my suppliers, with the plan to install them in place of three of four CNB VCM-24VFs in the lounge of our main restaurant customer. Finally got them all in place this morning... just remoted in to see how things were looking in low light.

 

Camera 6 is the CNB. On the others, (V) is the Vivotek FD-8162 (IR disabled), (P) is the brand spankin' new Panasonic VW-SW559, and (A) is the Axis Q1604. The Panasonic and Axis are running fully on default, out-of-the-box exposure settings... the Vivotek has the WDR options cranked but other than that, pretty sure it's on all defaults. The CNB has the SBLC cranked and DNR on MID, but otherwise is default exposures.

 

195687_1.png

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Full-size exports:

 

CNB:

195688_1.jpg

 

 

Vivotek:

195688_2.jpg

 

 

Panasonic:

195688_3.jpg

 

 

Axis:

195688_4.jpg

Edited by Guest

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Which one do you like the best?

 

Thanks.

 

Full-size exports:

 

CNB:

195688_1.jpg

 

 

Panasonic:

195688_2.jpg

 

 

Vivotek:

195688_3.jpg

 

 

Axis:

195688_4.jpg

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