honic 1080P (TVI/AHD/CVI/1200tvl) Security Camera with Sony STARVIS(EXMOR) Sensor, 2.8-12mm Manual Zoom, WDR (1080P Only), Smart IR, HLC, 2MP Outdoor Analog CCTV Cameras for Surveillance

I purchased the 1080P Sony Exmor Sensor (TVI/AHD/CVI/1200tvl) 2.8-12mm Manual Zoom HD Security Camera, Honic 2MP Varifocal IR CCTV Cameras, Outdoor Waterproof Day Night Vision Analog Camera for Video Surveillance and the 12v power supply after reading all of the rave reviews. In addition to the great price, I especially liked the Exmor Sensor which provides a clear crisp picture at night-time. With this feature, absolutely no additional light is needed to see a clear well lighted picture from the camera in absolute darkness. Plus, you can adjust the brightness of night-time view setting to make the brightness of the picture greater or lesser.Since I live in a rented apartment and the landlord isn't likely to permit me to put a hole in the outside wall for wiring, I attached the camera to the inside top frame of the window with the 4 screws and positioning template provided and have the camera facing outside. I experienced window reflection at night-time, but this was fixed by switching the setting in the Day/Night mode from "EXT" to "COLOR'. In this setting, the majority of the window reflection is gone, with a slightly fuzzy picture, but still very clear enough to distinguish objects. This setting also worked for me because I live in an area where there is a sufficient amount of street light and I didn't need to use the "EXT" setting. And although I am currently using the camera inside, when I get to own my own home, the camera will be used outside because it is waterproof.I am also extremely satisfied with the phenomenal support I received from Honic. The support person I communicated with via e-mail was very helpful and patient with me and was able to make suggestions in order to help me correctly connect the camera to an LED TV which I am using as a monitor and a previously purchased DVR.All in all, GREAT price, EXCELLENT camera, PHENOMENAL Honic support.

I ordered this Honic 2.8-12mm camera because it had great reviews and I needed a varifocal 1080p camera. The positive reviews were right. I'm most impressed with it's night vision. At night, far off trees, grass, vehicles, etc, show up clearly if they're not too far away and depending on other light sources. It only uses 4 LEDs and they actually do a much better job than the usual cluster of LEDs. The camera's technology does an excellent job of managing the brightness of lights at night so the image doesn't appear washed out. Day vision has sharp, realistic colors that make you feel like you are right there in person. I liked it so much I purchased a second Honic 1080p varifocal camera but this time I went with the version that has the mount located at the rear instead of on the bottom. It is large but not huge so plan accordingly before buying. It's sturdy metal body gives it some added protection. I am very picky and I research for days sometimes before buying. I'm telling you, for the price and features, you cannot go wrong with this camera. Shipping was very fast and it comes with easy to read instructions, screws and a hex key for the "zoom" and "focus" screws.

I naively assumed this camera was already focused correctly, and I was majorly disappointed in the picture. Not nearly as clear as the other cameras I've brought in for testing.Then I focused it. Wow, what a difference! It went from being noticeably more blurry than all my other cameras, to noticeably sharper.Yes, the focus control has a lot of backlash, and it's very sensitive. I had my laptop with me, remotely patched into my DVR so I could see the effects of my changes. I fiddled with the OSD settings, too, but ended up back at the defaults.I also fiddled with the zoom. Contrary to the instructions, it was NOT all the way zoomed out as delivered. So I got it a little more wide angle, which is what I wanted in this particular position.I took screen shots at four different hours to show the camera's performance in different lighting. I also uploaded images from another wide angle camera, mounted in the same place, in the same lighting conditions. Close examination will reveal that the Honic is sharper. But the other camera also costed $18 less.This camera is LARGE, probably twice the size of standard low cost bullet cameras. Also, be aware that it's made to mount on a post or a wall. There's no rotation adjustment for the camera itself, so the bracket needs to be mounted vertically. And use a level, else you'll have a tilted pic (you'll see that mine is a tad tilted).In the nighttime shot, you'll see it's getting some IR help from another camera, on the patio. On the right side, the pic goes away. Not enough IR light being cast that way, and not strong enough for the distance involved. Don't be fooled by the claims of 100+ feet of night vision. Maybe if the full moon is out, you might get that. But you won't get that in a pitch black environment. My plan is to supplement it with a standalone IR light.Overall, it's a good camera, and a tick above the typical $20-$30 cameras. But it's not like it's head and shoulders better. Enough to justify the price premium? Only you can decide that. For this particular camera location, I'm going to leave it in place, it works good here. I need wide angle and I appreciate the sharpness and clarity advantage it offers, however slight. Overall recommended.

This is a provisional review. I bought this camera because I was very pleased with the first Honic camera that I'd bought. This one provides a great daytime image, but at night when it should kick over to black and white and then IR, it shuts down and my system gives me a "NO VIDEO" message. Then in the morning when it should go from IR to black and white and then color, it starts up in the color mode when it would normally switch to color from b&w. I tried it for two nights in both TVI and AHD modes and got the same result. Honic contacted me and suggested that I upgrade my power supply to one that provides 12V 5A. I did that. The camera still cannot produce a nighttime image, even when powered by the manufacturers own power supply. Too bad, I do like my first Honic camera (not this model). This one goes back.