4MP CCTV cameras have appeared on Aliexpress for under $ 25.
Camera AZISHN IP Camera 4MP H.265 Audio Recording ONVIF Outdoor Waterproof IP66 built on 4MP SC5239 sensor and XM530AI processor.
A year ago, I bought twelve different IP cameras on Ali to find the best value for money. All my requirements were met by Azishn cameras (aka Gadinan) with Sony matrices (https://ammo1.livejournal.com/1053037.html).
Now this manufacturer has inexpensive 4-megapixel cameras on Chinese matrices and I decided to compare them with "last year" ones.
Camera powered by 12 volts costs $ 24.98, with POE 48V $ 27.88. In addition to the standard 3.6mm lens (90 ° viewing angle), you can choose between 6mm and 8mm (narrow and ultra-narrow angle) upon purchase.
The seller specifies the following parameters:
Sensor: 1 / 2.7 "SC5239 4MP CMOS sensor, IR shutter;
Processor: XM530AI, H.265AI / H.265 + / H.265 / H.264 encoding, 4MP: 15fps, 3MP: 25fps, ONVIF support;
Backlight: 6 LEDs, visibility up to 25 meters;
Case: full metal, 16.3 * 6.1 cm, IP66;
Connection: RJ-45 and 12V or RJ-45 powered by Ethernet cable;
Features: built-in microphone, motion detection, XMeye cloud support.
The set includes a sealed cover for the RJ-45 connector, three dowels and a self-tapping screw, a self-adhesive lining, instructions.
There is a rubber gasket between the two metal halves of the camera body, all body parts and mounts are metal. The visor is part of the body (it is not removable or movable). The camera can be used both outdoors and indoors.
The main purpose of this camera is for use with video recorders (ONVIF and NetIP protocols are supported, motion detection works), in addition, it can be used autonomously to view the picture through the XMeye cloud without records.
The camera uses the XiongMaiTech (XM) module IVG-80X40PS-S. The microphone is fixed on the back of the chamber and sealed with sealant.
Module characteristics from the manufacturer's website.
In the firmware for 4MP mode, you can select up to 21 frames per second, for 3MP and FullHD up to 25 frames per second. Although the seller writes that 4MP works only with the H.265AI codec, in the settings you can set any of the four codecs (H.264, H.264 +, H.265, H.265 +) for all modes.
The camera is equipped with a retractable IR-cut filter (IR-CUT) and infrared illumination, 1.8 W, six LEDs.
In day mode, the camera with a 12 volt power supply consumes about 120 mA, in night mode with a backlight - 270 mA.
The software part of the camera is exactly the same as that of the Azishn cameras, which I wrote about last year.
The video from the camera can be viewed through the XMeye cloud mobile application (the smartphone can be even on the other side of the world, the real IP address on the network to which the camera is connected is not required). To connect the camera to the application, just start a search in it when the smartphone is connected to the same network as the camera.
The web-interface of the camera works only in Internet Explorer (requires installation of the ActiveX extension), it is the same as that of most Chinese cameras and DVRs.
By default, the camera's address is 192.168.1.10, login is admin, password is empty. At the second start, the camera changes the address to the one received from the router via DHCP.
Configuring motion detection. By default, detection is disabled, you must check the "on" box and click OK.
Setting sensor parameters.
Firmware version after over-the-air update.
Cameras work great with both Chinese recorders, in particular with Enster N9000-8EX, and with branded ones (I have a Dahua DHI-XVR7108H at home). Motion recording works everywhere. Sound recording also works, but the sound is quite quiet and "dull".
Switching the resolution, you can find that the picture in the 2MP and 3MP formats is cropped from the bottom, and in the 4MP format it is squished.
It turned out that the matrix has a strange physical aspect ratio - 14: 9. For 2MP and 3MP resolutions, information is taken from the top of the matrix with a "correct" 16: 9 aspect ratio, for a 4MP resolution, the whole picture is taken from the matrix, but at a resolution of 2560x1440 it turns out flattened. To ensure that the aspect ratio of the image is not distorted, the image size must be 2240x1440 pixels.
However, aspect ratio accuracy is not very important for video surveillance.
To assess the quality of the picture, the camera was placed over a window in the center of the room. The distance from the camera to the cabinet is 5 meters. To view the picture in full resolution, open the image in a new window. All images are taken in maximum resolution.
Artificial lighting.
In total darkness.
Resolution test (sheet occupies exactly one third of the frame in height).
He's in the dark.
Fragment of an image of a resolution test under artificial light and in the dark.
In order to check what real resolution this camera gives, I did a very simple manipulation - reduced the picture with a fragment of the image in a graphic editor by 1.33 and 2 times, and then enlarged it back. This corresponds to a downsizing to 2MP (1920x1080) and 1MP (1280x720). The resulting picture in 2MP resolution is no different from the original 4MP.
But the 1MP picture is already much worse.
It can be concluded that the real resolution of the matrix and the optical system of the camera is 2MP.
The camera gives a good picture, but its detail does not differ from the 2MP camera on the Sony matrix. This was to be expected, because the cameras on modules with SC sensors, which I tested last year, gave 1 MP with the declared 2 MP.
The advantages of this camera model are the built-in microphone and good lighting. I don't know what the AI letters in the name of the new XM processor mean, but I hope that it is artificial intelligence and camera will make fewer mistakes when detecting motion than last year models.
© 2020, Alexey Nadezhin
The main topic of my blog is technology in human life. I write reviews, share experiences, talk about all sorts of interesting things. My second project - lamptest.ru. I test LED bulbs and help figure out which ones are good and which are not so good.