IP8M-2496E-V2 Image scaling down / cropped only at night

[jack7]

You posted
"Unfortunately, I don't see any new settings in the Configuration/Profile Management pages that weren't there in older versions. And the only thing I changed in any of these settings was enabling WDR."

Maybe this will help.
Below  is what your Profile Management page should look like in Web UI.  If not, you are likely using plug-in firmware which does not show Day/Night option.  To use the latest no plug-in firmware,  try using a current browser that does not support plugins.  I don't know what browsers are available in Linux. 

From IP8M-2496E-V2 User Manual:

Screenshot_20220220-202022_Chrome.jpg (350.56 KiB) Viewed 2158 times

[jantman]

Thanks so much, @jack7. Yes, that's what my Profile Management page looks like (I'm using Google Chrome). I guess I'd forgotten the details of it... yes, the options of General / Full Time / Schedule / Day/Night are slightly different from my older cameras, which had Normal / Full Time / Schedule. I guess I should have double-checked that.

However, that doesn't seem to be solving the problem. Even if I use the "Day" profile, if I change "Day & Night" "Mode" to "B/W", the image always gets cropped as shown. If I change it back to "Color" (or "Auto" during the day), it always goes back to the full image area. I'm starting to think that what @Revo2Maxx said in one of his messages, that some cameras have separate sensors for B&W that have a narrower field of view, might be the case.

[Revo2Maxx]

So what I was talking about is mainly old Tech that is listed on older cameras. While the info in most times might not be 100% useful seeing todays cameras are used with loads of software to make that info less relevant because of the code written within the software for todays cameras so many companies don't even post the info about the Sensor anymore Info for one of my cameras is
¼″ Ex-View HAD CCD Image Sensor: captures super sharp images with a resolution of 600TV lines (Color) and 700TV lines (B/W).

However for most modern IP cameras there has to be info in the software that keeps that sensor size issue a thing of the past.

So in this camera moving to B/W zooms the camera it is almost like the effect of my AI camera on different stream. However for my camera I can only change to lower 1080p at max and jantman has used code to pull feeds of both day and night and so that made me rule out that idea. However if the code was written with something that gives the same effect as what is going on when I click my sub ch2 it is kind of what it looks like and might have been some type of error in Code while setting up the software for the camera..

WDR shouldn't change zoom or AOI for the camera. Wish they would talk about why a camera has changed to a V2 from a line of cameras. I mean when it came to 841v1 or 2 and the 841v3 of today it is clear what is different in the camera. Maybe the V2

In truth it kind of looks like my 1046EW-AI camera when I change to Sub2 if I setup for it. I mean I can setup my Stream2 to be just plain stream that does 1080p or I can setup for a image area that really looks like it is the starting area for your camera view at night that you posted. So I think it is software error.

For me what I would do personally, I would DL the latest FW or if the one that is still on the camera able to DL I would DL and install FW, Reset the camera back to factory and see if that cures the issue. There is a NEW FW from 2021 and the one before is from 2020. Maybe if you have the latest DL and go back to the old FW and see if that cures it or if your on the old one DL new and sure if that cures it

Anything back from the Ticket?

[jantman]

@Revo2Maxx Ah ok. So, to be clear, if I pull up the Web UI, go into Setup and Configuration, there's a video preview visible. If I go to Night Mode and select "Color" in the dropdown, I see normal video. If I change the dropdown to "B/W" the video preview blinks a bit and comes back black & white and "cropped" like in my original post. I can toggle the dropdown back and forth from Color to B/W, and every time the B/W video is cropped and the color is full area of view.

I just got a response on the ticket about 20 minutes ago. They said the same thing you did: Download the latest firmware and re-flash it to the camera, then reset to defaults. My camera is reporting itself as the same firmware version as the current newest. I'll give that a try in a few minutes. I'm not sure if I want it to fix the problem or not (if it fixes it... does that mean my camera came with corrupt, or sabotaged, firmware?). If that doesn't fix it, I guess I might as well try a downgrade. Who knows what changed in the latest version... the changelog just has a not very helpful entry of "Various Bug Fixes and User Experience Improvements".

I have 15 Amcrest cameras and really love all the others, so I'm really hoping I can get this sorted out with Support's help. I've been recommending these cameras to everyone I know - even people who just pass by my house and ask where I got my security cameras - and saying that I've never had a problem with any of them.

[jantman]

Ok, I've finally solved this (though there does seem to be a bug in the current firmware)!!! Thank you both so much for your help!

I re-uploaded the most recent firmware (V2.800.00AC001.0.R, Build Date: 2021-07-12) to the camera. When it came back up I again tried my test of using the WebUI for Setup -> Camera -> Configuration -> Day & Night and changing the dropdown between "Color" and "B/W" while watching the video preview. Same problem. I then did the full System -> Default Settings -> Factory Default, waited for it to come back, and tried again. This time it worked as desired - setting "Day & Night" to "B/W" showed the full angle of view in black & white mode. So, whatever was causing this must be one of my settings.

I then went back through my configuration process:

• Camera -> Video, Set main stream to H.264 2304x1296, 15 FPS, VBR, Quality 6(Best) Max Bit Rate 8192, watermark to camera hostname. Set sub stream to MJPEG, VGA, 8 FPS, bit rate 1024.

• Go back to Camera -> Configuration -> Day & Night. Now the video preview is showing the reduced angle of view for BOTH color and b/w.

• Camera -> Video, change main stream from VBR to CBR.

• Go back to Camera -> Configuration -> Day & Night. Same thing, showing reduced angle of view for BOTH color and b/w.

• Go to "WDR" tab and change from "OFF" to "WDR". Video preview flashes and then shows the correct full angle of view.

• Go to Day & Night tab, change mode from "Color" to "B/W". Video preview flashes and then shows reduced angle of view again.

• Go back to Camera -> Video, change main stream to H.264 3840x2160 (full resolution), 12 FPS, CBR, Quality 6(Best) Max Bit Rate 8192.

• Back to Camera -> Configuration -> Day & Night. It's in "Auto" mode and video preview shows color at full angle of view. Change to "B/W" and preview blinks, then shows full angle of view in black & white.

• Go through the rest of my settings.

So, it looks like there's a bug in the current firmware related to some combination of resolution and WDR (not sure why this changes anything).

It's a shame because my ZoneMinder server is pretty overloaded and it would help if I could run at a lower resolution.

[jack7NewUsername]

@jantman
About three years ago you  created and posted an API command that would change between day and night profiles whenever the camera sensed the light change.  Thanks, I used it then and told other folks about it.  That function is now done by the Day/Night setting in Profile Management.
Have you tried that setting instead of General?  Use with Day and Night Profiles set to what you want.
Also, you might try other resolutions like 2688x1520 (4MP) or 1920x1080 (2MP) instead of 3MP.

[jack7NewUsername]

@jantman
Word of caution for my last post:
I'm not sure how Profile Management Day/Night works now.  I have not used in a long time and can't test it now.

[Revo2Maxx]

So talking to my son I found out that he bought one of these cameras as well. Found out a little while ago that he boxed it up and mailed it out to me. Installed in an area that he had a 1046EW-AI camera that I bought him last year for his Birthday and had the 2496v2 up for less then a week before he took it down and put the 1046 back up. He said the video at night was ok but liked the quality of the other at night.

I mean the picture you posted look nice at night even though it is cropped, What is your feelings on the quality of picture at night with busy scene now that it is fixed? The camera isn't listed like a AI camera however the data sheet I looked at says it has Trip Wire and Intrusion? My son don't remember if it did or not. However again as I was saying the spec sheet says in the heading that it has AI and in the listing says under DORI that it has the 2 IVS rules. Glad you got it sorted out. Seeing the one he had has the 2.8mm lens not 100% sure where I will put it. Kind of need Zoom ability for where I want to update one of my cameras.

Since fixing the issue how does the night picture look these days?

[jantman]

Sorry, apparently I don't get email notifications for replies here.

Everything has been working great with these cameras since my last post about solving the problem (aside from the fact that my ZoneMinder servers are almost falling over from the resolution of these cameras).

I haven't tried any of the AI/TripWire/Intrusion/etc. stuff... I use ZoneMinder for that, and I really only got the fancy V2 camera because of the field of view and resolution.

I can say, though, that I LOVE the night mode on these. They can do color in amazingly low light levels, and even when running black & white (true night mode), it is SO much brighter and clearer than my older generation cameras. Here's a snapshot from that same camera with the night mode fixed. Maybe it's just the increased resolution, but everything looks crystal clear to me, and I can see a lot more of what's in the distance than I could when I had a IP2M-852 there.

PORCH_20220320_210001.jpeg (3.26 MiB) Viewed 1357 times

[Revo2Maxx]

Very nice. I have to say that your Picture is cleaner then mine. I have to run mine with IR off. I have not been back there to take it down and clean lens. I did replace the pack when I got the camera from my Son. I should have bench tested it before installing it for night vision with IR. While it isn't really all that bad it is a cleaner picture with IR off. What does yours look like with IR on Auto or say manual 55%. On mine and the reason my Son wasn't happy with it was the 1046EW-AI I got for him he liked it better. When I asked him to send me a picture he said he already took it down and he would just pack it up and send to me and I could have it and know for my self.. So far again didn't know. I mean I cleaned in and outside glass of the camera when I changed out the Gel Packet before I installed it. there shouldn't be any reflection from IR off glass seeing the way the IR is installed and the camera front. However there is something with IR on causing right side of picture little blurry for mine anyway. With IR off using IR from another camera it looks fine, or in color at night with White light from one of my Color at night cameras it looks ok. B/W in that location is best at this time for clear motion at night. Tonight I will show what I am talking about with IR being on and off.

Nice you were able to load large image my account only 2meg limit lol. Very nice clean picture there. Glad your Shrinkage has been solved.