People are invisible at night

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tomekz
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Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2024 8:29 pm

People are invisible at night

Post by tomekz »

Hi,

Bought two IP8M-2496EB-V2 cameras and having some problems where at night when people are walking by, they are almost invisible.

not invisible because it's too dark, they just disappear from the camera.

Anyone else have seen this before?
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Revo2Maxx
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Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: People are invisible at night

Post by Revo2Maxx »

Hello welcome to the Forum.

The camera is an early edition of 8mp and with that the Technology was new. That camera works best with lots of outdoor light or in an area with shorter FOV. Ensure that your camera's IR illumination is properly configured and positioned to evenly illuminate the scene without causing glare or reflection. We can't force other to wear correct color clothes so without good light people can ghost and or disappear. Higher quality camera can help reduce these issues but with newer tech camera and better low light camera would be best. To be honest lower MP camera bigger lens is best in most cases. Like 4mp is my go to for low light areas.
Be Safe.
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Revo2Maxx
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Re: People are invisible at night

Post by Revo2Maxx »

So I thought I would expand on my answer a little to help others that might end up reading this.

For best results the camera in an area without enough lighting should have day/night setup rather then using just the Auto Day that the cameras normally come setup for. Then in the Night time settings there are some areas that you can make adjustments to the camera to help. First I would have Smart IR off, Then on the Illuminations area I would setup the IR to full 100%. That is because the camera can take a little time to adjust for brightness changes at a slower pace then other changes that are made in the cameras settings. Next on Exposure time. I would say that if you are going to use the camera at the highest FPS like I think 15 in this case on other cases it would be higher like 30fps. In this case it is best to use 1/30. However if that setting don't work well enough you might need to change the settings to meet your needs. Main reason behind making sure you have Day/Night setup is in the picture below. At the current day time level at the time I took these pictures 1/2000 was best however just a few seconds later because of the light level change from sun/clouds that wasn't as nice a picture so Auto for day is best and seeing that isn't where the issue is I am just explaining about Day/Night and reason behind. Looking at the one set at 1/30 you would be looking at a white image in the day time. Picture below..
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tomekz
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Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2024 8:29 pm

Re: People are invisible at night

Post by tomekz »

thanks Revo2Maxx, I will check these things out. It's odd that a new to me cameras work worse than almost 10 year old hkvision cameras i have .....
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Revo2Maxx
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Re: People are invisible at night

Post by Revo2Maxx »

Nighttime performance is considerably worse compared to daytime, although I'm uncertain about the specific type of 10-year-old camera you're referring to. I do own some very old Hikvision OEM cameras that outperform most budget-friendly IP cameras available today. However, to be frank, some of the cameras I've invested in cost more than the combined price of ten of today's budget IP cameras.

Adding some context, in 2019, I purchased two 4MP zoom cameras from Dahua. A notable difference between them lies in their sensors and lenses. One was manufactured early in 2019 with a 1/3 CMOS sensor and an F1.4 lens, while the other, produced around the 6th month of that year, boasts a 1/1.8 CMOS sensor and an F1.8 lens. The older model's lens spans from 2.7mm to 13.5mm, while the newer one ranges from 2.7mm to 12mm. The price gap between these two cameras is significant, primarily due to the advanced features of the newer one, such as built-in heating and enhanced AI capabilities. Despite having what I'd consider subpar F lenses given their sensor sizes, the latter camera compensates with better nighttime footage.

The 2496EW-V2 camera is essentially a budget 8MP camera with a relatively small sensor comparable to that of a 1080P camera. However, its fixed lens has an F2.0 aperture, whereas my 4MP cameras mentioned earlier with motorized lenses offer superior apertures of F1.4 and F1.8. These 4MP cameras cost three to five times more than the 2496, owing to their smaller MP but feature-rich nature.

For superior nighttime performance, one should opt for a camera with a larger sensor, approximately 1/1.2 in size, and the lowest possible maximum aperture.

Even my Amcrest 2685EW-AI camera, with a sensor size akin to that of a 1080P camera, stands out due to its F1.4 aperture and extensive features compared to the 2496. Despite its higher price tag of $199.99, which I recall paying more for initially, it offers better value than the 2496, which I acquired for around $99 or $95 upon release.

The ultimate choice for nighttime surveillance would be the IP8M-B2886EW-AI, priced similarly to my better-performing 4MP camera at around $450. This camera boasts a 1/1.2 sensor and an impressive F1.0 aperture, making it a professional-grade option far superior to the 2496.
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