Need help with image quality

Have some questions or having issues with your IP Camera(s), Post them here for the mods and other users to assist you with.
User avatar
Revo2Maxx
Site Admin
Posts: 5820
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by Revo2Maxx »

This is from my old FW Amcrest camera. IT would look something like at the top of the picture area right below live and playback.
Screenshot (4456).png
Screenshot (4456).png (125.6 KiB) Viewed 2314 times
Here to help the best I can.
Be Safe
ITGuy1024
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 12:46 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by ITGuy1024 »

6.gif
6.gif (131.54 KiB) Viewed 2312 times
User avatar
Revo2Maxx
Site Admin
Posts: 5820
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by Revo2Maxx »

Yeah sorry I looked for the manual online and when I click the link for the manual it DL the Spec Sheet again. Thank you for the updated picture and sure enough it looks like that camera at this time don't offer ROI. Sorry I thought for sure with my older 1046EW-AI I have ROI with 4 zones that your camera being a even higher end camera would have had ROI. My guess is that it will come out in a newer FW in time.

That is a newer camera and it might be a feature that was over looked. My guess is that the option is within the chip just not active for use. Or maybe there is something with it being a Active Deterrent type camera maybe they had to omit a feature to drive another? I do like the features of the camera and have been looking at it for a little while. When I bought my last 3 cameras It was a toss up between 2 8mp cameras and my 5mp camera that I bought for my Amcrest DVR's or the camera you have there. Maybe a couple of months I will buy a new 8mp AI Amcrest camera. Have some summer projects that need to be taken care of first.
Here to help the best I can.
Be Safe
User avatar
Pogo
Posts: 291
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2023 9:10 am

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by Pogo »

A couple of real basic things to try:

First, that camera should provide a killer image straight out of the box. That said, it also has advanced features designed to enhance recognition of certain objects and movements -- primarily animated / human-based. It features a sefl-adaptive capability to assess a given scene for what it thinks is 'normal' to help identify what it thinks is not normal in order to initiate a response to the abnormality. This is obviously the heart of its AI capabilities and is a very powerful feature capable of being fine tuned well beyond its 'general' out of the box setting. As alluded to previously, a static nature scene isn't exactly the type of scene that particular feature was designed to accommodate since lesser motion detection methods would easily suit the purpose -- at least in my opinion.

With the above considered, (even if not agreed with), try getting a fresh start by resetting the camera to its default settings and then disable the AI functions. Dumb it down to its basic image producing capability in 'General' day/night mode just to see how it looks without all the bells and whistles with the same scene. Depending on the results, try changing the location to a different scene with more depth of field..., establishing a more realistic 'region of interest'. It may also be interesting to see how it performs at 4M just for a comparison.

Lastly, have you recorded with it yet? If so, how do the recordings look?

I feel your frustration from here and am pretty much just thinking out loud now....
ITGuy1024
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 12:46 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by ITGuy1024 »

The camera will mostly be used for recording wildlife in the yard, foxes, deer, hawks, ect. So I don't need the AI stuff. There's not like an on / off switch in the menus for the AI features. At least not that I can see.

I got this camera because it's one of the few that had 4k 30FPS. I'm not sure if there's much difference between the 15FPS 4k cameras but I assumed more is better. It has a lot of stuff I don't need like the siren and spot light.
(Fun fact - the camera comes with the motion detection siren enabled) I got a nice scare when hanging it up.

I looked up Amcrest ROI and found a post about it being removed. So not sure what's going to happen with that option.

I'm certainly not glued to this camera if anyone has a suggestion for a camera that might work better for what I want to do.

I haven't tried to record yet because the NVR hasn't worked with any of the drives I tried yet. WD Blue 1TB, WD Red 3TB, HGST 2TB
ITGuy1024
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 12:46 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by ITGuy1024 »

Also - I had a IP5M-T1179E in place before this 4k one. Really no difference in quality between the two.
ITGuy1024
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 12:46 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by ITGuy1024 »

Found where to disable the AI stuff. It didn't make any difference.
https://support.amcrest.com/hc/en-us/ar ... o-4K-30fps
User avatar
Pogo
Posts: 291
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2023 9:10 am

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by Pogo »

I just had another response disappear when hitting 'submit' so I'll try again with an abbreviated version.

What NVR are you using?

It probably won't make much difference, but it's common practice to have the frame rate and I-frame interval the same and your I-frame is set to twice the frame rate which is essentially every two seconds in your case.

As for other cameras to consider, you may want to look into a vari-focal solution for your purpose, or maybe going with a PTZ for even greater flexibility. I bought a cheapie 2MP analog 2.8mm - 12mm as a backyard bird feeder cam for my older DVR and have been pleasantly surprised by the results. And I'm one of those folks who doesn't think megapixels are everything, especially when all crammed into the same camera. Give me four 2MP or two 4MP cameras any day over a single 4K camera, and I have all of them in my system.
User avatar
Revo2Maxx
Site Admin
Posts: 5820
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by Revo2Maxx »

No the iframe on the NVR is fine. That is setup by the camera. it is little different in the DVR. IF you look at your DVR you will see there is a X1 or X2 option. In the DVR it is normally setup for X1 and that is how I leave it. However if it was setup to X2 it will be more like the IP Camera. If you look in my picture on that same page mine is setup for 22fps and my i-Frames is 44 that is how the camera is setup and as such that is how the NVR gets setup.
Here to help the best I can.
Be Safe
User avatar
Revo2Maxx
Site Admin
Posts: 5820
Joined: Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: Need help with image quality

Post by Revo2Maxx »

So I just looked at one of my 8mp IP cameras that has a max FPS of 15, I setup that camera to run at 15 I-Frames for a few people that drove by and to be honest I didn't see anything different in playback even playing back while paused frame by frame it looks about the same. So how would I know for sure to be honest I would have to have 2 of the same cameras at the same point of view and one set to 1x and other set to 2x aka in this case 15 i-Frome and 30 i-Frame respectfully. Play back and look at the images in each frame forward to see when the real frame changes. To be fair that is most noticed on events that have no change. Because the I frame is the frame of Change the P frame I think is the Frame that don't change within the time.. It has been a long time and the books are buried right now..

However about a camera as Pogo said in your area there I personally would put up a Static camera that has a good size lens to get the best picture quality at night time. Most cameras with the right sized image sensor will look great.. Personally 4mp is what I prefer unless you have a need for a Long view then the 5mp. Then using a PTZ camera even an older one seeing you don't want or need the AI you said I would buy the 858 and that is because it has 25x zoom and you will be able to see the smallest bird in the grass from your cameras area of view.. Use the static camera for full area static image and use the PTZ camera to get a closer view of the wildlife. Like in my case I have a PTZ camera that I can view a bird feeder and ground feeder that feeds everything that passes by. Then I have a preset that lets me zoom into the bottom feeder and another preset that lets me see the water bowl (Not the fountain that is in the front yard) and a preset that I can look at the Temperature outside and so on.. Then at night if I get bored lol. I will look at the moon with the camera.

However if the price between say an AI 25x PTZ camera and the non AI was only a few dollars different then buy the updated AI camera even if not tu use the AI seeing it will have Firmware Updates much longer then the older soon to EOL if they haven't already..
Here to help the best I can.
Be Safe
Post Reply