Night time setting

[zplugger]

Just got a Amcrest UltraHD 8M 4K Turret PoE Dome Outdoor Security IP Camera IP8M-T2499EW, just can't this a nice picture after dark. Camera is perfect in the day,night time is not working out. Is it harder to get nice picture in the dark with a 8mp camera,tried every setting with not great results.

Think about trying the Amcrest 4MP IP Camera POE Security UltraHD Outdoor IP Cam Dome - IP67 Weatherproof, 98ft Night Vision, 4-Megapixel (2688 TVL), IP4M-1055E to see if its better in dark. Dropping from 8mb camera to a 4mb camera will there be much change in picture? I just want a all round system for day and night.. I see some post of night time pics and they are clear,just not getting that on this 8mb camera.

[Revo2Maxx]

It is hard to say... Are you trying to use B/W at night or do you have enough light to use it in COLOR?
There is a few things that make working with Large MP cameras at night... Sadly it all starts out with the CMOS type of Sensor then there is image size and F-Stop and things that you can change in your camera but it is something that isn't easy to dial in... Biggest issue and I will show you pictures of one of my 10x about this next thing and that is IR wash out... If you have it pointing to close to things and using Manual IR it could have bad Results.. .If you use Smart IR could have low IR because of IR Reflections... The camera will take that as your to close and lower the IR so it don't wash out the Picture sadly at times this makes it bad...

If you have to make changes for Night time.. Please Make sure to setup for night time.. If you do under Normal time then it will be that setting all the time... Then you will want to go and make changes in the camera under Schedule for day/Night that way it will only use your night setting say after 9pm until 5am maybe need to change if it is really bad night to day difference... Because winter time days shorter so night might start now for you at 6pm and end at 7am... But want to find what works for you... By the Way... I will show you a couple of Pictures.. This camera is in the wrong place and I have had this for 10 years + THe Image is only 500TVL but you will see what I mean.. I have no outside lights on in the back, Neighbor has one facing to the front.

What I know is there are some camera that really are bad at night lol... I have a very old Camera that I used to use in another location.. When it was in the other location it was a nice camera most of the time. But at night time with the B/W going it was great for a few reasons 1st is that it is a Zoom camera and it would zoom much faster then when in Color mode... However one down side to this Crazy 10x zoom camera it isn't a SMART IR camera like the Amcrest cameras I own... So where I have it now I have no white light besides 1 light that is facing the other way at my neighbors.. 1 Thing that this camera has is the Ability to work in VERY LOW light at night in color.. So the image is soooo much nicer at night in Color then it is in B/W..(I can see someone walking in the yard Not to id them but see them). I am going to share this picture but DON't Judge lol Day time looks very nice Night time not so much... Also please note this camera is from 2009 or 10 I can't remember now.. I know that 500 for 10x bullet seems like a lot but seeing what I was paying for non outdoor Zoom cameras 500 was kind of cheap.. Anyway The outdoor picture in clor is loads better then in B/W because of the splash of IR sadly this camera don't have the COOL Smart IR that Amcrest Cameras have... I am going to make this smaller and I am going to put in 3 the 3rd picture is at 10x looking at a TREE zoomed in lol... I know I know this camera don't normally go here but I put it here as a Stand in for another camera that I have had to make some repairs on the Belt because it is a PTZ and also from 2011 and 9 years belt broke couple of weeks ago.. It is 12x zoom but pan and tilts this is just a HUGE BULLET no movement and weighs a ton mainly because of IR heat sink...

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This one at night almost 10pm no moon out zoomed in 10x

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[zplugger]

Thanks Revo2Maxx
I have the 8mb camera on driveway and a 5mb on the porch. Might be getting some light from the gutter on 8mb camera. Going to swap them today and see if the 5mb camera is better at night. Will move away from gutter a little more,if this helps then will try the 8mb again tomorrow. If the 8mb is no better after moving will send it back and get the 5mb if it works ok. Hope I did not get to close to gutter and causing this problem,if so it's a repair job to fix the old hole.LOL

[zplugger]

Took the driveway camera down to try a test. Took the camera and hooked it up in a furnace room with no light.(Total Darknest). Camera had a clear picture, nothing like outside. I could read the nameplate on the furnace with no problem, so I'm thinking it was placed to close to gutter and was getting washout. Going to move the camera 5 feet from gutter and try again tonight,can't believe how clear it is in the furnace room.

[Revo2Maxx]

Yes sadly placement can make things not so good at night... That is one of the things that people have had issues with DOME cameras. I know a lot of people that use Dome cameras. Some are placed in areas that one would be odd spot but to be honest it had to be in that spot for best picture... Turret less issues but still can have IR wash issues if placement isn't ideal..

[Revo2Maxx]

Love how snow gives the filling of light at night lol... Thought I would share tonights picture after it snowed lol... There is no more light tonight then there was last night infact to be honest with the clouds there is no Star light tonight... Just thought it looked kind of cool.

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[zplugger]

Location Location Location Location Location
This is the most important step in putting up a camera, first time I put up my 8mp it was in wrong spot, to close to gutter. I blamed the camera for not be good,the night time picture was so bad I was ready to send it back. Moved the camera 5 feet away from gutter and what a difference. This camera has outstanding night vision,so glad I did not return it.Still have to fix hole in overhang but I'm happy to do it. I will use a lot more judgement on installing rest of cameras on this system. I have a home office upstairs and the nvr is on first floor. Was able to fish 2 pieces of cat6 up to my computer, my computer has 3 monitors, I can work in excel,shop on ebay and watch tv at the same time. I used the cat 6 to run vga from the nvr to one of my monitors,and the other cat6 to extend the usb mouse from the nvr. So I can now monitor the driveway or any other camera without the computer on, just have to turn monitor on. This setup is working great for me. If I need to get into web interface just turn on computer and log on. Their is a lot to learn about setting these systems up right, I sure got a lot of GREAT help on this forum.
Thank you

[longedge]

Absolutely 100% right. Getting lighting right is very very important and it comes up so often in one of the other forums I follow (for my NVR maker). I have a soapbox that I now climb onto whenever the opportunity presents itself and that is to sing the praises of IR blasters. They improved night vision on all my cameras both inside and out.

Daytime lighting is almost as important to me although, unfortunately I can't control the sun

[zplugger]

Thanks for all the pics Revo2Maxx, gives me a good idea on what to expect at night.

[Revo2Maxx]

Gives you a good idea of how much better your camera is lol... While that camera I showed isn't the best quality camera I own lol. It was at the time built 10 years ago. While it is Sony sensor it is a Samsung System using a Sony Super HAD CCD. Old tech by todays standards that uses CMOS units. But is a 10x Optical with 10x digital that I don't turn on. The Camera is normally a non IR camera but does offer a IRC and because of this the camera maker took a Samsung Camera Module and put in the camera with IR. So sadly this makes for a VERY OVER lite B/W if not placed right. The Camera that goes in this location is like it that It don't have IR on it but has such good Night CCD chip that it sees at night and because of if the IRC (IR Cut Filter) It is a motor that moves a colored glass in front of the sensor. Anyway as su I use a IR blaster most times with my Dome mounted there. It is 37x zoom.. Anyway I can't use the Blaster with the 10x because it has the IR come on at night all the time if I use B/W or not the IR comes on.. Most cameras are not this way. you turn off IR or you change to Color at night the IR stays off. These are only using a LDR to turn it on and off. AKA Light Sensor in the camera... So to give you a total idea of what I am working with lol.. The 10x is a 500TVL camera the 37x PTZ that is normally there is 680TVL maybe it was 650 but right around there a 4k camera is around 10 times the quality The HD camera uses different type to measure.

I am just waiting till the camera dies.. Then I will take the 10x out put in a 37x only down side is I won't have the IR however I might be able to put in a smaller array. The one in there now lens is about 1/2 the size of my 37x lol. I have been designing IR array that uses High Output IR. I keep burning out my LED drivers on them.. I can get the lights to light up for 9 hours before the LED driver shorts out.. I think it was a quality issue seeing where they came from.. Bought some Regulators that were fake different seller same area they are from. Should have been 5amp anything over 1amp kills the chip sad...