ANNKE NC800 is a 4K security camera with people and vehicle detection, and other AI features as tested in our Annke CZ400 review. The main differentiating factor is support for “true full color” night vision that does not rely on a spotlight, but instead a “soft light”, a BSI sensor, and f/1.0 aperture as we’ll explain in a bit more detail below.
The company sent me a sample for evaluation, and today I’ll check out the specifications of the “NightChroma NC800” camera and the content of the package, before installing and focusing testing on night capture in the second part of the review.
ANNKE NC800 (I91BQ) specifications
- Camera
- Image Sensor – 1/1.2″ Progressive Scan CMOS
- Video Codec
- Main stream – H.265+/H.265/H.264+/H.264
- Sub-stream – H.265/H.264/MJPEG
- Third stream – H.265/H.264
- Framerate and Video Resolution
- 20 fps @ 3840×2160, 3072×1728
- 50 Hz: 25 fps @ 2688×1520, 1920×1080, 1280×720
- 60 Hz: 30 fps @ 2688×1520, 1920×1080, 1280×720
- Substream
- 50 Hz: 25 fps @ 640×480, 640×360, 320×240
- 60 Hz: 30 fps @ 640×480, 640×360, 320×240
- Video Bitrate – 32 Kbps to 16Mbps
- Lens – 2.8mm
- Min. Illumination – 0.0005 Lux @ (F1.0, AGC On), 0 Lux with Light
- Aperture – f/1.0 “Super Aperture”
- Wide Dynamic Range – 130 dB WDR
- Field of View (FoV) – Horizontal FoV 102°, Vertical FoV 52°, Diagonal FoV 124°
- Night vision – Up to 40 meters
- Image Enhancement – BLC, HLC, 3D DNR
- AI features
- Perimeter protection – Line Crossing Detection, Intrusion Detection, Region Entrance Detection, Region Exiting Detection
- Smart Event – Motion Detection 2.0 (Human and Vehicle), Line Crossing Detection, Intrusion Detection
- Face detection
- Audio
- Built-in Mic
- G.711 ulaw, G.711 alaw, G.722.1, G.726, MP2L2, PCM, MP3, AAC
- Storage – MicroSD Card and NAS support
- Networking
- 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port
- RTSP, ONVIF support
- Power Supply – DC 12 V, or PoE (802.3af, Class 3)
- Dimensions – 78.8 x 78.6 x 215.2 mm (Aluminum Alloy, PC, PC + ABS)
- Weight – 860 grams
- Temperature Range – -30°C to 60°C
- IP Rating – IP67
Compared to ANNKE CZ400 specifications, we got an upgrade from 2K to 4K resolution support, the full-color night vision features, as well as better smart event handling with Motion Detection 2.0 adding vehicle detection to the existing human detection. H.264+ and H.265+ solutions developed by Hikvision based on H.264/H.265 codec but with a lower bitrate at about the same quality thanks to prediction encoding, noise suppression, and flexible bitrate control.
Unboxing
The company tried to send me the package last December, right after they got the first samples, but it took forever as the sample was sent back to China the first time, but I finally got it. That may explain why it did not come in a retail package, but instead in a cardboard box showing the model number as “I91BQ”.
The content of the package is pretty standard with the camera, a screw kit for mounting, a drill template, a waterproof cover for the Ethernet cable, an L-shape Torx key used for adjusting the camera, and two Quick Start Guides that are not very useful since they are written for generic ANNKE IP and analog cameras without anything specific to the NC800 model.
The camera comes with standard cabling RJ45 and power. The plastic bit to close off the power plug/socket is a nice touch for people who are going to use PoE.
We’re getting close to the kilogram mark with this relatively heavy, large camera. I selected the bullet camera, but the company is also offering a turret camera for ceiling mounting.
The “soft light” at the front, right under the lens, is where part of the color night vision “magic” is supposed to happen. The company explains this is a supplement light that turns on automatically in 0 lux illumination to ensure the best color night vision without glare. The other parts are the f/1.0 “super aperture” which collects four times the amount of light compared to the traditional f/2.0 aperture, and a 1/1.2-inch backside illumination (BSI) sensor that doubles the light-sensing area.
There’s a small compartment at the bottom of the camera for access to the microSD card and reset button. It is secured with two Torx screws which we can loosen with the key included in the package.
Besides the microSD card socket and Reset button, there’s also a 4-pin connector that’s not documented. That type of connector is usually designed to connect an alarm or speaker. [Update from ANNKE: “The 4-pin connector isn’t for a speaker but a serial communication port for the product engineers to conduct hardware testing”].
I’d like to thank ANNKE for sending the NightChroma NC800 for review. It’s currently listed on Amazon, but currently unavailable/out of stock. You can also find it on ANNKE website for $279.99 plus shipping.
Continue reading “ANNKE NC800 Review – Part 2: color night vision, vehicle & human detection“.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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I’ve spent a lot of time recently looking at IP cams.
It’s just a world of compromise.
I think someone like Radxa could make a killing with an open RV based platform combined with a good sensor packaged into different forms. (indoor, outdoor, battery powered, etc).
Yup all with you there. Any manufacturer could make a killing with an open and modular camera platform that has a good sensor and ethernet, is affordable and can easily be used with open source software (instead of a closed firmware blob). I’d buy quite a number, and I know quite a number of people and companies who are waiting for the availability of such a thing.
The specs look great (1/1.2″ sensor, wow), but you lost me at “Hikvision”. They write racial profiling software to enable the Uyghur genocide. And not only are their cameras used in the Xinjiang detention camps, they appear to be directly involved in installing them (rather than just selling to some reseller who supplied the cameras without their knowledge which I’d find more understandable). My understanding is new Hikvision models are also banned in the US by the Secure Equipment Act of 2021.
For this reason, I’m only interested in reviews of security cameras that don’t have any components made by Hikvision, Dahua, Uniview, or Huawei. (Those unfortunately seem to be the leading low-cost manufacturers.)
That’s interesting. I had heard about Hikvision’s AI racially profiling but was unaware of Dahua until you mentioned it.
As you say, they are the primary manufacturers with a multitude of customer brands.
I recently came across this spreadsheet listing the OEM/ODM for many brands, rather informative.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/2/d/1FOD1imRth9w5wSepTo6xWWOMwrvI7NBqyT4AvKW5vlI/htmlview
Thank you for mentioning this, I had to look it up and it’s indeed true. I actually had suggested the brand at work to the procurement team and we were looking at 1000-1500 cameras across our warehouses. Knowing this I’ll mention this to the same person and get the order cancelled if there is one an order in place, I’ll see if we can source a UK manufacturer.
Edit: Typo