Review: Axis P3384-V With Lightfinder

The Axis P3384-V is an internal HD dome that provides a varifocal lens. It’s vandal resistant (to IK10 standard) and has the latest market-leading technology, Lightfinder.

720p HD Resolution

We found the quality of the images to be excellent; as soon as we plugged in the camera we noticed crisp and vivid colours, and a very sharp image without any adjustment. Internal lights are no issue (flickering) and when pointed outdoors, with some minor focal adjustments, the picture was clear and top drawer! The camera is constantly correcting itself to maintain image quality.

The only slight grievance we could possibly find is although you get a decent 83 degrees angle of view from the lens, there are other dome cameras out there that can provide 90 or even 100 degrees therefore offering wider coverage. In most scenarios this is no real issue as the field of view is wide enough for most environments that you would use a static dome however it is worth noting.

Wide Dynamic Range

Axis has a very strong WDR. We tested the camera internally and externally and it coped with fluorescent lighting as well as natural sunlight. Equally in near pitch-black conditions, the level of detail it produced was superb. In a standard wide dynamic range system, the picture is enhanced with the WDR algorithm however it is commonplace to see some anomalies enter the picture as a result. These can include noise, increase artificial illumination and ghosting. Axis has done a great job to limit the potential anomalies that can be created as a result of using WDR. There is minimal added noise, almost no noticeable extra illumination and almost no ghosting.

P-iris control

Axis has always been at the forefront in innovation and to this end, has enabled remote control of the camera head. We are able to remote zoom and focus the camera with simple clicks of a mouse. This is amazing as historically an installer needed to manually adjust the lens on its gimbals by removing the camera casing — now they don’t have to!

The focused image can be zoomed in or out to achieve the perfect position, and when you are happy, you are sure to be satisfied with the picture, it is certainly comparable to the top brands in the market.

The main benefit of p-iris is not just to make an installer’s life easier; it is actually to improve the picture quality. By being able to make specific adjustments to the lens position, we are able to maximise our depth-of-field, object focus and ultimately, the amount of light entering the camera. Combined, we are increasing the quality of the picture, bringing all objects in the frame into focus, and reducing unwanted effects or aberrations in the picture. Of course, this all happens behind the scenes, and we the user, are presented with a simple to use interface that gives us control like never before.

Lightfinder

Let’s cut to the chase, those who have heard, seen, read about or used Lightfinder, know how good it is. For everyone else: simply put, it offers the best low light performance I have seen.

Typically when light levels are very low, cameras switch to monochrome mode. By operating in black & white they are able to provide higher quality images as there is less noise and picture break up vs colour images. The downside is of course, we only get basic visual information, such as, is a person tall or short, male or female. We cannot get the extra level of detail; for example, was the perpetrator wearing a red or green top?

Axis has been very strong with its standard low light performance in monochrome mode; indeed, other major brands have also been very strong. If we were to stick A-brand 720p cameras side by side in low light, we would have very, very similar quality monochrome images. They all have sensors that operate at very low light and they all have Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) so the detail will be good (they aren’t A-brands for nothing!). However, ask the cameras to produce colour in these conditions and we get a generally poor mish-mash set of results, until now.

Lightfinder takes over from WDR (they cannot be used together) when the light levels are very, very low. It is a software feature that virtually illuminates the camera’s pickup area enabling it to produce very good quality colour images even when the light is near pitch black.

We tested this overnight with our office environment at approx 0.3lux luminance. With just WDR on, the P3384-V was producing very detailed monochrome images. Point it outside, where there is no light at all and it was still able to allow us to make out the presence of buildings.

When we switched Lightfinder on, the picture goes through a flash as the artificial luminance kicks in. Within a few seconds the picture switches to colour and boy is it impressive. In our lighting environment, it was comparable to using a VGA resolution camera in colour mode during the day. The colour representation is high, noise and grain is low, and you can make out fine details on the desk, walls and computers. Simply put, to provide colour images, it is the best low light technology we have seen in the market.

Alarm inputs

One of the features we look out for in IP cameras is alarm inputs, especially now integration is becoming such a big topic.

Alarm connectors are great as it allows the camera to be hooked up to PIRs (Passive Infrared detectors) to monitor movement, lighting (building or external) or it might even be desirable to connect it to another system such as access control or intruder. The P3384-V only has 1 alarm input (this is via a block terminal) and this restricts other systems that can be hardwired into the camera. We can see why Axis have done this, other than space it takes up on the camera, intelligent integration now takes place over the network using TCP triggers rather than contact closures, the camera can still integrate with other systems via an NVR or VMS but we always like the option for both.

The Verdict

The Axis P3384-V works well in any lighting conditions. The WDR works brilliantly and you can see the camera constantly working to produce optimal images.

The precise control the user gets over image zoom and focus is excellent, everything can be configured remotely through the browser which is a dream for installers. The interface is very logical and easy to use.

We cannot speak highly enough about Lightfinder, usually colour images are terribly broken up in low light however Lightfinder solves this, and without the introduction of artificial luminance or ghosting.

The P3384-V is only powered via PoE so for applications in which a DC power supply was being used, this camera cannot be. More and more IP solutions now run via PoE so this shouldn’t be a common issue. Only having one alarm input is also a slight drawback.

Without doubt it is one of the best cameras we have tested and in our opinion, it is the best static dome we have tested.

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