Hikvision ColorVu CCTV - Will I be swapping my 8mp powered by darkfighter?

Hikvision ColorVu CCTV - Will I be swapping my 8mp powered by darkfighter?
After numerous comments and messages with people messaging saying I should swap my cameras for ColorVu.
This videos explains my thoughts.
Tools used in this video can be found on the DIY Journey Amazon Storefront:
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[@desmondmcintosh8204]

Good honest no nonsense appraisal without annoying music in the background. Thumbs up.

[@DbleWinners08]

Thank you for the video! I’ve got a colourvu but do want to also add some additional lighting for the house!

[@MANUTDFORLIFE3]

Great video. I am an installer who has installed both and totally agree with you.

[@kinggeneral2760]

Thanks for the review. I took your advice buy the best you can afford, I bought two 4 mp for the rear and two 8mp for the front.

[@NICK-jk8uv]

Another great video, thanks for your point if view in them. Id be in a situation to have them at the colourvu at the front and the 8mp round the back...

[@ppdolina]

I agree with 4MP cams being the minimum as anything lower would make face and number plate ID near impossible when you crop in. Thanks for your SWOT analysis on the ColorVu. I hope 8MP cams will one day cost £68

[@jamiemundy2347]

Good video Rob. Agree that a well placed floodlight and camera will overpower ColorVu, but appreciate that it’s not always possible.

[@IJ_uk]

Also, cameras seem to have a low shutter speed set as default so it allows better images at night. But movement can be blurred. I've played around with the shutter speed and intensity of the IR light.

[@TomsManShed]

Hi Rob...nice review...I have Colourvu cams and love them...like you say it depends on individual requirements. I have security lights as well front and back but not on the shared drive I have ...having one there being triggered by cats/dogs/foxes etc (yes we have recently seemed to acquire a regular basil brush visitor at night :) ) would shine straight in the neighbors bedroom window. So I have the LED on the Colorvu just to come on when triggered by motion...this is a new option on the latest firmware (as of March 2021) but only for the G2 Colorvus.....It's a very worthwhile addition as you can also set motion triggering zones, min and max size etc for the LEDS WITHIN the main recording triggering zone. You can't unfortunately set the LED brightness if using this function though...but after experimenting I found that in my particular case covering one of the LEDS with tape got the brightness just perfect to record face details very well of anyone walking up the drive but not trigger them with animals as I have set the min size to be bigger than a low in height critter. I did a review of the new firmware features on my channel...as you probably know DVS (who you mentioned) also showed the firmware in a vid when it was in Beta but it is now released publicly so like I say a worthwhile upgrade

[@DIYJourney1]

Thank you, I have to agree with you. They have there place, I just wanted to get the message out there, that they aren’t the best things out there in certain situations, as I have found.

[@bragonletendre622]

Nice Video! Not too long, with clear and honest explanation! I thought IR would be the right solution - same case than you, full black mode, but was hesitating with colorvu. really happy you made this vid! It helps me to pick the right one! 🙂

[@jorgeluisgonzalezt.7138]

Very helpful information. Thanks for uploading content like this.

[@anelectrician]

Excellent Upload ! I agree with your choice !

[@bal9959]

Thank you for the great video. Very informative...Decisions.. decisions. Still trying to decide on either the 8MP Colorvu bullet or the 8MP Powered by Darkfighter.

[@DIYJourney1]

Thank you, if you have good ambient lighting i.e street lights et , id say the 8mp colorvu are the one to go for, when they are out

[@bal9959]

@@DIYJourney1 Thanks! I’ve always used turrets as they look neater but deciding whether or not to bite the bullet! Any things to consider if I can’t wait for the 8MP turret snd just buy the bullets now?

[@DIYJourney1]

I don’t think there is much to consider, other than the lens difference that you may require, I have done a video on that in the past: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gH-Um5qVqNBgfKM I was told a while ago it was mid this year for the turrets, so may not be long to wait, but unsure.

[@aries6776]

Informative review. As you alluded to, I think it's very situation specific. I'm in a busy street and I've got a fair amount of ambient light, so much that I don't even need the built in LED (I have it triggered just for the visual deterrent). The guy that sold me it recommended a bright flood light but I think my neighbours would have not been happy so that's why I went for the 4MP Colorvu. I'm thinking of replacing it for a 8MP Colorvu because I'd like the extra resolution for zooming in on number plates. The 4MP is just not always able to pick up plates.

[@DIYJourney1]

Really good to hear your experience, and seems to align with my thoughts. I am tempted to try the 8mp myself also in the future.

[@zerobow9413]

Nice one, the problem is the stock 1/12 shuttered image "looks nice" at night but you need 1/100 or so to grab people moving. I use 4mp DF cams and use motion detect lights which is a good combo. I used to use IR & IR floods etc but colour is where its at.

[@DIYJourney1]

Yeah totally agree, this is why I also have paired up flood light and 8mp df rather than colorvu

[@DryUrEyesMate]

I managed to set mine to 1/150 and my gain at 50 but dahua 4k-t shutter is slightly better set to 0-3ms with gain 0-50. Some people just use the default lol

[@VV-om8vv]

Honest assessment. Thanks

[@DIYJourney1]

No problem 🙂

[@samradalpha]

Very good and practical point.

[@PotatoesRnice]

Very helpful video

[@gavinhatton8317]

Just stumbled across your videos and they are very helpful! I was just wondering what model your nvr is that your dark fighters are connected to?

[@DIYJourney1]

Thats great to hear thank you. The nvr I currently have is a DS-7608NI-I2

[@robertrosenberg]

Sorry to disagree (I always like your videos). I bought one of the gen2 colorvus when they came out before christmas. I back onto a huge park and installed it on a plinth facing out into the park. I have it on low illumination mode having watched one of Dave's vids and it is stunning. No LED on - must just be the aperture built in. My wife and kids cannot believe on playback at midnight that i'm not cheating but the video looks as though it was filmed on a cloudy normal day not the middle of the night. Obviously no lights on in the park - honestly I am amazed at the image - happy to share it with you. I couple it with a 8MP turret with the strobe light and warning sound which is on the back of my house like yours is and I like the deterrent of that. Its important to put the correct cameras in the right place of course. But please think again about the colorvu - I was blown away after playing with the settings

[@DIYJourney1]

My test was ran over 3 weeks period and following that I will not be changing 8mp camera with a 4mp colorvu due to the lack of quality and in turn offers me less than a 8mp and a floodlight as that gives me better colouring and image in my experience. If I cant see the details on my playback and have to have a floodlight to allow this, I may aswell stick with what I have and have the crisper image of the 8mp. I appreciate everyones situation is different, and even the moon at night on a clear night will give a better image, particularly on an open park. On a back garden like mine with walls and fence around and zero light due to surrounding building it is not a suitable camera. Please do not use 1x tiny example placed in this video as being my overall reasoning for my thoughts (due to clouds).

[@czaras_]

hi Robert, would you be so kind and let me know more about 'strobe light and warning sound'? How did you hook it up with Hikvision and what model was it?

[@DIYJourney1]

The cameras are DS-2CD2347G2-LSU/SL They have a strobe light and alarm built in. When I tried one, I found it to be falsely alarming which could get frustrating but in the right situation may be a deterrent. Its also worth considering your neighbours if you have any, that may not want any unnecessary alarms going off.

[@robertrosenberg]

@czaras diyjourney is right. It can be alarming but I set the strobe and audible warning to only operate from midnight. That way it is very rarely set off. The one night I had to go out to put something in the bin I got the shock of my life so I am convinced by the function. Ultimately it is better to have a system that prevents a burglary rather than just record it and that function does that

[@SJ-nl6xl]

Robert Does colorvu camera pick up motion well or is it a blur?

[@boigoe]

I totally agree.... I bought a hikvision ip system 8 cameras (2cd2385 g1) for my shop and its awesome...my outdoor cameras are colour due to street lamps giving out 8mp at the same time...as for the indoor cameras in pitch blackness they are supers...excellent black and whites

[@moogs]

Thank you for providing this. Hikvision makes this very hard to interpret. I dont want to have little white lights on all around my house. I want good IR with the option to have it come on on detection, but have a great night IR image mostly under low lux. DS-2CD2387G2H-LIU is the only model I can find that does all of this with audio.

[@stevehunt9114]

Thankyou for your review, as a beginner and not techy found it very informative and will be taking your advice about going with the 8mp, I live in Canada and saw the Hikvision Brand in the electrical wholesale's the other day, but after looking online it looked like it may be a little to involved for my skill set to set up I bought some Arlo a number of years back and found it pretty straight forward to set up but I didn't like the features all dropped if you didnt do the monthly subscription , have you done any clips on step by step start up to show how much knowledge I would need to be able to tackle it myself

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, Yes there is a video in the CCTV Playlist

[@johnsimpson1126]

Thanks for the videos, they are useful. Can I ask do you have any experience of the cameras at night when stand alone LED security lights come on? Does the image / camera react quickly and adjust to the rapid increase ambient light?

[@DIYJourney1]

In my experience, and is how I have ran them for the last 6 years with a security light support, Id say the adjustment takes around 5 seconds as it switches from night to day mode.

[@johnsimpson1126]

@@DIYJourney1 Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

[@aries6776]

I have a 4MP Colorvu and I found that the in-built LED would temporarily blacken the image for about 2 seconds. Not good at all, but I found that switching on the Wide Dynamic Range (with some fiddling around, mine is set at 40) it got rid of this side-effect and now it's fine.

[@WillsHellaHeat]

I Also live in a place with NO lighting what so ever my starlight cameras so good but not great so am considering getting the new 8mp colorvu or 8mp darkfighter but also adding either A IR illuminator or A white light flood just curious if the ir illuminator would be good enough for color night vision or if im better off with a flood light

[@DIYJourney1]

I would say go down the floodlight route, it would help for yourself too, if your out there on an evening.

[@utterlyexiged]

There is slightly too much wall in shot there which is casing over exposure in that area closing the iris slightly in the rest of the shot. I agree good quality IR cameras are better for lower light areas.

[@DIYJourney1]

Im happy that the IR wasn’t affected by the wall in this instance, but appreciate your comment. Like you say, I prefer IR for night

[@conormcdade6021]

Hey mate i live in a bungalow and would need to have 4K cameras installed, I also have a flood light at the back off the house but don’t want one at the front can you recommend a camera that would suit I don’t want to be flooded with constant notification for bugs or movement in the frame

[@DIYJourney1]

You probably want to be looking at the ACUSENSE cameras which Iv had great success with, minimal notifications. Iv also found spraying fly spray around the camera drastically reduces that aswell.

[@philprice760]

I have a few questions. I am looking at initially installing a 4 camera Hikvision system with the potential to add extra cameras at a later date. I live in a area with very little light at night and was wanting a good camera system . What would you recommend? I’m assuming these Hikvision cameras can be powered with cat5e cables I’ve already run in? Cheers

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, Yes these Hikvision cams are Power over Ethernet so no issues with cat5e. If its dark, I don’t think you’ll benefit from colovu. I would suggest the Acusense darkfighters and where possible security light if a daytime view was desired. Hope that helps.

[@Techielass]

Where did you get your Hikvision Darkfighter 8mp cameras? I'm looking to upgrade our CCTV at some point this year.

[@DIYJourney1]

I buy mine from a UK Distributor ‘DVS’ as I have a account with them.

[@hugo5053]

I have the coaxial setup and looking to install the 8mp in my setup, is the Hikvision DS-2CE79U1T-IT3ZF the HD version of your 8mp dark fighters in this video, Thanks

[@naamangeist7843]

So, when are the 8mp DS-2CD2387G2-LU due to hit the shelves? The bullet model (2087) is out now but not the turret.

[@ryandonovan7665]

Have you seen the newly released 8mp Hikvision with built in light and two way audio (including audio alarm on event trigger)? I fancy adding one to see how they perform against the dark fighter you and I have.

[@DIYJourney1]

I have yes, I like the idea but for any mis activations, could be very annoying. My acusense one has audio which has already been handy.

[@Daniel_Adam]

Do you have the model number? I'm looking for a 2 way audio hikvision cam

[@anonymous4201]

So just to clarify: If there is ambient light / flood light then colourvu would be ideal, but if pitch black darkness then infrared led?

[@DIYJourney1]

Personally for me, I prefer infrared with a floodlight in any setting. If a floodlight is not something doable then if you have ambient lighting you can resort to the colorvu, otherwise you may aswell have the infrared and increased quality image.

[@GK-qc5ry]

Is there any way to trigger the led light for motion on a non-IP camera?

[@RafaelDia]

Does the 8MP powered by darkfighter have any IR lights, to help in low light conditions? We wont have accessory lighting at night.

[@DIYJourney1]

They do yes, however what I would say, is if it is very low light is to not expect a colour image which is what I have.

[@RafaelDia]

@@DIYJourney1 Thanks. We'll have a street light probably 10m from our house, and possibly neighbour lighting (house lights etc.) about 20-25m from our house. I wish ColorVu had an SL feature. That would be perfect!

[@interyanan8742]

@@DIYJourney1 do the colorvu have ir if the light was to be turned off or do you have to keep the light on?

[@chrisjinks5414]

Given they now have an 8mp/ 4k turrert, would you now swap to a colorvu? or if someone was looking to install a new system which would you personally recommend?

[@DIYJourney1]

It’s on my list to give the 8mp a try. I think regardless of quality my opinion still sticks in areas of poor lighting. Cctv should be in my opinion supported with floodlight also, as shadowing is caused.

[@andrewormiston2077]

Hi, I don't know if you can help advise on what would be best for our needs? We live in a very rural setting, only 2-3 houses. No street lights and it is extremely dark at night. We do have some decorative lamps (LED 850 lumen warm white) on the outside of the house (2 on front, 2 on side) which are sensor activated if anyone walks close to the house, but no flood lights (although we could easily retrofit flood lights after cameras if we need additional light for a good image). I prefer the facial detail of your dark fighter and do feel put off by absolutely no facial features of the colourvu. What would you suggest? If its the dark fighters you have could you let me know what model yours are please? If there is a newer version you would recommend what models should I consider? I prefer the turret design in a dark colour where possible but this isn't important if white provides a more superior product. Thanks in advance. Andy.

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, I still have the darkfighter and have nit made the switch. We are in similar lighting situations and without support of floodlights anyway the Colorvu do not offer any more than darkfighter. Iv popped below the model number of the latest 8mp non-colorvu camera: DS-2CD2386G2-IU There are other similar models with mic/strobe lights and audio. The one above just has audio.

[@andrewormiston2077]

@@DIYJourney1 brilliant thanks 👍

[@richardstratford4594]

What system do you recommend for a rural house. On the old coaxial cables not ip ethrrenet connections struggling too much choice.

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, Iv never used them myself but know Hikvision do coax cameras. I think they are called Turbo HD and they do a mix of colorvu and normal cameras. Apologies cant be more helpx

[@richardstratford4594]

@@DIYJourney1 thanks for the reply mate I've just bought the colour vu ones quite happy with them to be honest. It was a pain getting the phone set up to the proper hikvisikn connect app but once sorted good bit of kit

[@JCJCJCJCJCJCJCJC]

Hi mate recently got colorvu 5mp but it’s set at 4mp tried to change the settings to 5mp and the camera brings lines on the screen any advice would be so grateful also when a car goes past (light from the car) the lines go worse. Cheers

[@allfor1andoneforall]

Power issue or cable issue most likely cable .is it a premade cable if so change to a good quality cable

[@mars6394]

Where did you buy your system from looking for a hikvision system at moment but can’t find any suppliers for system only

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, I buy from DVS

[@carlbate3786]

Iv been looking at these. I live on farm land so there no light at all. I spoke to Hikvision regarding these they told me it would record in colour even with no light. Told me to look on KZbin for videos. Yours was the first to come up now I’m confused. I need something that will record cars driving past as we are getting a lost of breakins and where I live they have to drive past our farm to get away. I have cctv at the moment but with black and white the Rey plate just looks like a white reflective bar. What do you recommend please

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, Apologies to cause confusion. I am yet to try the 8mp Colorvu, however my feelings are that if you have a standard black and white camera, this coupled with a good quality security light is the best option and has worked very well for me. Now the colorvu will work the same, but I find the image quality is better in black and white in standard viewing and then when it switches to colour on activation of the security light to be the best option. For colorvu to work correctly, they require ambient light or a light source (normally a small led from the camera). If your in a rural setting as I am, Iv found them not to be very good, due to the lack of ambient lighting, hence my reason for sticking with the non colorvu cameras, still to this day

[@carlbate3786]

@@DIYJourney1 no need to apologise. My problem is I would need a security light to come on as a car drive past. Or if someone walked past. The farm is about 40 feet away from the road. So to point a PIR at the road we would lose the PIR parameter at the front of the house due to the angle. If you understand. But even with black and white due to the IR the ref plate still come up like a bright light. One of the reasons I was looking at Colourvu

[@DIYJourney1]

There is a HLC setting Im told which removes that glare and helps prioritise viewing such things as the reg numbers.

[@mobash4044]

If I have floodlight already installed around house, do I really need a colourVu camera? Or will a normal 5MP camera be fine and show colour too? Advice please

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, That correct, there is a short period of time where the camera changes from black and white to colour, unless you have the floodlight on all the time. This is exactly how mine work via floodlight, which in my opinion gives me a better image to colorvu

[@mobash4044]

@@DIYJourney1 perfect. Thank you

[@ThuanNguyen-jn9sp]

Can this camera be placed outdoor, exposed to rain/sunlight? Some say the bullet variation should be used outdoor but I see IP67 on both turret and bullet :/ im confused

[@DIYJourney1]

Yes these are for use externally also.

[@Movepsbox3]

Which nvr are you using for your color vu camera ?

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, I only fitted the Colorvu for a test but it was a Hikvision NI-I2 8 channel

[@TheoMurray]

Use smart lighting in the settings, it will compensate for the blown out faces

[@DIYJourney1]

It is too dark for the camera to see, is my point

[@TheoMurray]

@@DIYJourney1 true, I’ve had a similar experience doing an install for a farm, I switched back also 👌🏽

[@DIYJourney1]

I like the idea of them, but just in certain instances.

[@aaronletchford]

Thanks for the video, intresting, but I'm non of the wiser now what to go for 😂

[@zenbrentastore496]

Totally depends on what setting your using the camera, 8mp will allways be better than 4mp but colorvu are a fantastic camera and when they have there 8mp turret camera they will beat darkfighter hands down. 100 percent!!!

[@DIYJourney1]

Im not convinced the 8mp will cope any better in a zero ambient lighting environment, but will certainly try it when the time comes.

[@johnlishman4946]

oh and todays date it 20/12/22 these cams i was going to fit had mikes on them also you could here the next door neighbours talking in there garden so i think i can sort of understand where the problem might be might be coming from

[@zuluula]

hi i have the colorvu 4mp It works really well during the day capturing reg plates but at night they all have a white glare and does not read any at all, do you know how to solve it?

[@demisx]

You need to change exposure setting to something like 1/500 or 1/1000. And maybe turn HLC on.

[@SUM1SLY83]

I have the 8mp but no lighting so reckon I’ll wait to see the colour 8mp

[@DIYJourney1]

Hopefully, I can get hold of one as soon as, and see how they are.

[@naamangeist7843]

They will likely look the same as the 8mp bullets and his face isn't washed out either: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIjGaZp6fZqXicU

[@none-qq9lg]

I can't find anyone who is willing to sell hikvision products to the public! any recommendations?

[@danielebrahim2336]

Hi, all the places ask for trade. How did you overcome this?

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, I do actually have a Trade Account. Maybe worth trying www.cctvtek.co.uk of they are still around.

[@maryellis3661]

Whats it like with the camera light off I have herd even with the light off you can get colour at night

[@DIYJourney1]

As explained in the video, because of where we require it, the camera needs the light or it wont give a colour image, it is very poor with the light off. If you live in a housing estate for instance with ambient lighting, such as street lights the ColorVu are fine.

[@maryellis3661]

@@DIYJourney1 We are in the country with no external lighting

[@ANDY-we7mr]

So what's the best DVR recorder NVR or DVR

[@DIYJourney1]

NVR is more modern and said to be the better way to go for a system

[@jellyboy123]

mine was great till the council decided to knock off the street lights at night to save money.

[@davidaston8966]

A fast-moving objects all seem to be very blurry.. ghosting

[@BengalOscar]

You need to set the colurVu up correctly.. whilst they come out of the box pretty much set up there is plenty than you can do improve the ‘problem’ that you have demonstrated

[@DIYJourney1]

Please advise, how in low ambient light levels you can improve the quality of the image? I would be keen to know.

[@ddemier]

Any update on a 8mp colorvu turret camera from Hikvision? 5/3/21

[@DIYJourney1]

Nothing I have heard as of yet.

[@ddemier]

@@DIYJourney1 thankyou for your reply. Do you notice any ghosting effect with the 8mp? Also how does the image look on your mobile device when viewing a video clip in 4k? Does it buffer of lag?

[@DIYJourney1]

Iv never found ghosting, when viewing on the phone on 4k I have found my own internet to be the issues. My previous house with better internet, I had no issues. Here is a touch worse but is occasional

[@ddemier]

@@DIYJourney1 but overall you still recommend 8k over a 5k system

[@DIYJourney1]

Not sure over 5k, but certainly 5mp, I would always go 8mp

[@shanemclernon6640]

Hi. Do u have footage of the dark fighter camera?

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, I do on my Instagram account if you have access to that.

[@shanemclernon6640]

Thanks. Will download for a nosey

[@zjzozn]

8MP ColorVu 😍

[@DIYJourney1]

Keen to try them, not sure it will improve the need for additional lighting in low light areas, but hopefully those with good ambient lighting it will work well with quality images.

[@Pro1er]

@@DIYJourney1 More MPs require more light, less MPs needs less light.

[@DIYJourney1]

In zero light even the 4mp are poor, hence my conclusion to the video, that I prefer 8mp dark fighter in a low light environment, supported by outside flood lighting.

[@Pro1er]

@@DIYJourney1 Of course in zero light a camera is not going to work, cameras need light to work, in fact in zero light you will not get a picture from any camera. My point is that unless HikVision uses a larger aperture lens, (which I'm sure they won't), I wouldn't count on the new 8MP ColorVu being better in low light than the current 4MP or the 2MP. Bigger pixels let in more light.

[@DIYJourney1]

I agree and is what Iv said in the video and why I have 8mp darkfighters and not colovu as they don’t work and when combined with a floodlight give a less quality image.

[@Audio.Stomperz]

Where to buy hikvision cctv kit from?

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, I buy from DVS

[@paulpeters4903]

Do you know of anywhere that sells these to end users?

[@DIYJourney1]

I don’t Im afraid I buy from a UK distributor with a trade account. Sorry cant be more help.

[@Pro1er]

I bought my ColorVu on Amazon USA from a third party seller, it is a gray market camera but I've been using it since last year without a problem. You can also buy gray market cameras on AliExpress and eBay. Just keep in mind that the firmware may not be upgradeable.

[@bamsefar7206]

ColorVu just released 8Mp cameras

[@DIYJourney1]

Hi, they have however not yet in the Turrets, Im told these are expected in Q3/4 of this year. Will be keen to give them a try.

[@VnatureZamir]

Hi, this camera is the Best on market at Last time. Super technology LED Light and color vizion at night! Sorry my english is not perfect, i am from russia 🖐️😃

[@leahlambert5737]

I've always used 4-5mp never had a problem with seeing people faces as my cameras takes a picture of people and my ptz is only 4mp and I can see a number place at the end of the road.

[@DIYJourney1]

Regardless, you can’t compare 8mp and 4/5mp in relation to detail offered.

[@leahlambert5737]

@DIY Journey 8mp is overkill what I need it for

[@leahlambert5737]

@@DIYJourney1 I can go up to 12mp on my nvr but not really budget friendly.

[@DIYJourney1]

Taking the point back to the video. These two cameras are/were priced very similarly. 8mp detail far outweighs the details 4mp and 5mp can off.

[@jollywolly55]

street lights give me the same result with my 2mp camera

[@intelescan7719]

Well 8 MP colorvu is out there as we speak.....

[@DIYJourney1]

Only in Bullet form as far as I an aware at the time of filming. Turrets expected later in the year.

[@markmason5538]

Not so sure. Adding unnecessary light pollution, electricity consumption by adding an extra light. Over exposure is dealt with by reducing the output from the camera's light. One of the seedling points is that a light coming on when dieting activity is that it attracts attention of onlookers and the miscreant so they know they're being filmed.

[@DIYJourney1]

The light from the camera is on permanently, as explained, in instances like my own the colorVu requires the internal light to support it to give a colour image, due to the lower light levels this means the image displayed is over exposed, without the light on the camera the image is grainy and very poor quality offering much less abilities than the Darkfighter matched with a floodlight which in my experience supports the cameras better and allows you to capture detail while also having the crisper image. I will be keen to try the 8mp turret colorvu when they are released, but I anticipate the same problem having to have internet light to support. Persoanlly, id rather spend a little more with a 40W LED floodlight and have a useful CCTV system than lower consumption and of wasted upwards of £800 on cameras that dont give me what I need.

[@markmason5538]

@@DIYJourney1 a hikvision issue I think others have the facility to turn the light on reactively. Talking to local police from there point of view a good infrared image is more use because they have software to interpret colours but not much they can do to improve clarity.

[@DIYJourney1]

Totally agree, I have seen those that have them on activation

[@DIYJourney1]

This was the G2 in the test.

[@DIYJourney1]

Yes, in situations with no ambient lighting you have to have the external light on all the time if you want to be able to see on live view.

[@farhaan100]

How much pal and we’re

[@Bond2025]

Turn the radio off and we might be able to hear you.

[@DIYJourney1]

No radio on in the video that I had control over.

[@johnlishman4946]

i fit cctv cam's wired the system out but the client told me she didn't what Hikvision on her 2 x properties as she has been told off her husband who works away on the rig's they are illegal her house are old Victorian type with 24 inch walls so it's been a canny task for me to get trapped as the floors have now been carpeted plastered painted so i cant reroute any cable's ? i have left load's of spare pushed into the wall space of all cam's ? for this reason in future maybe for newer type's in time different systems has anyone else herd any thing about this law the government brought it out some thing about the Chinese she got a different type now &av fitted them so am not going back now any way no way that was a very hard job 21 camera's in total

[@DIYJourney1]

The rules are for government buildings, not residential properties.

[@johnlishman4946]

@@DIYJourney1 ahh but there are solicitors Premises next door to there so it's a bit of a ichy subject av done the job now any way and am not going back all working end of ???

[@wrnrt]

Well I would swap the microphone for a real one.

[@MrEnglishman6969]

I have just bought these. I live in the country side and these are useless at night.. spot light is bright but the picture is very poor. My £10 night vision ones were better. I am pissed off as I thought I would upgrade to a better system as we have just moved to the country side. It pitch back here with no other light. I will be asking to return the lot after spending 2 days fitting 8 of them 4 bullet and ; dome cameras. I was told the light on the things really work well. THEY DON’T

[@DIYJourney1]

Totally agree with you, and was the reason I wanted to do this video. Alot of thoughts people have given me, is that they are the best thing ever, they are only good if you have ambient lighting, but still no better than a Darkfighter particularly one supported with a security light. Sorry to hear you’ve had all the hassle, hope you get them sorted soon.

[@MrEnglishman6969]

Going back to 5MP or higher night vision cameras with a security light. 10 times better than the colorvu and that’s a fact if you have no other lights near you

[@MrEnglishman6969]

Also with having the spot light on them they look stupid. If I put all 8 cameras up around my property it would look like Wembley stadium. Really do not like the lights on them. I thought they would come on if someone was close not on all the time.

[@hanguyen-fk9jp]

Full color camera are the best!

[@DIYJourney1]

Im afraid you cant make a statement like that, we have both demonstrated that the Colorvu cameras are not suitable in a countryside setting with no ambient lighting, which is what is needed for the colorvu cameras, so generally you have to asses your personal surroundings as whether that is ‘best’.

[@invisible4405]

Why are you comparing an 8mp darkfinder vs 4mp colourvu?? The 8mp colourvu turret is not even out yet bro?

[@DIYJourney1]

Your exactly right...and given this was filmed nearly 3 months ago, for that reason I compared the two best that are available at the same price point 🙂 Colorvu which are very popular and the reason why I stick with 8mp darkfighter...bro

[@OneManSmoke]

Kill the music mate it offers nothing to the viewer at all. I can't hear what your saying.

[@DIYJourney1]

Thank you for the feedback, really sorry you cant here the first 50 seconds talking of the 9min 40sec video. I have double checked and don’t see an issue but will look at for future videos.

[@OneManSmoke]

@@DIYJourney1 I'm using a Bluetooth headset mate. It's not in stereo. When listening the music is equal to your voice. Thanks for the review you made a good point and over all the video was helpful. Thanks for taking the time to do it.