Axis 'Sold Out' P3707-PVE Multi-Imager Tested

Published Oct 18, 2017 13:47 PM

Axis faced significant product shortages over the summer.

Perhaps the most notorious and significantly sold out model was the Axis P3707-PE 8MP multi-imager, with stories from integrators circulating of various large orders of this model blocking availability.

Now, this fall, we were able to buy the P3707-PE and have tested it, examining:

  • Physical construction
  • Imager positioning issues
  • Full light image quality
  • Low light image quality
  • VMS compatibility
  • Frame rate limitations
  • Bandwidth

Is this unit really worth waiting for? Does it deserve to be sold out?

Summary

The P3707-PE has several drawbacks compared to competitive multi imager models:

  • Manual varifocal/no autofocus: The P3707's lenses were manual focus and zoom, making setup more time consuming and difficult due to the lens' small size, unlike some others which include motorized zoom and/or autofocus performed via the web interface.
  • Limited up tilt: P3707 imagers may only be tilted up to ~30° below the horizon, limiting their field of view and cutting off the tops of objects unless mounted higher off the ground. Other multi-imager models such as Arecont, Avigilon, and Hanwha allow 0-10° downtilt, avoiding this issue.
  • Poor low light performance: In low light and dark scenes (~1lx and below), the P3707 provided poor details of subjects and test chart, with increased noise and dark images.

However, there are three key positives:

  • Solid VMS integration: The P3707's four imagers were supported by Avigilon, Exacq, Genetec, Milestone, and NxWitness without issues, unlike many multi-imagers which suffer from driver issues or ONVIF integration only. Only Avigilon required four camera licenses, with others requiring only a single license for all channels.
  • Low bitrates with Zipstream: Due to its inclusion of Axis' Zipstream smart codec, the P3707 had some of the lowest bitrates we have seen in multi imager cameras tested, totalling 2-3 Mb/s total in full light.
  • Relative low price and limited competitors: Dahua and Hikvision have no respositionable multi-imagers, increasing Axis strength in this segment, especially given Axis relative lower price of ~$1,000 USD compared to Western competitors.

Outlook vs. Others

Overall, the P3707-PE has limitations not found in other multi-imager models, but its solid VMS integration and low bandwidth may be appealing to many, as these are common multi imager issues. Additionally, its lower price (~$1,000 USD, or ~$250 per imager) makes it more palatable as a replacement for multiple fixed cameras in common scenes such as three and four way intersections, vs more expensive competitors.

Finally, vs Arecont, the heretofore most common multi-imager supplier, Axis overall reliability and track record of support likely was a positive factor in Axis selling out the P3707-PE. 

Pricing

The Axis P3707-PE sells for $1,000-1,100 USD online, significantly lower than other 2-3MP repositionable imager models, such as Arecont or Hanwha, both ~$1,600 online.

Physical Overview 

Similar to other repositionable multi imager cameras, the P3707 resembles a flattened, wide dome, with the four imagers rotating around a track.

The P3707 is larger than the Arecont Omni, but smaller than the Hanwha PNM-9081VQ, shown below.

Imager Positioning

The P3707-PE's imagers have more limited tilt than many multi imager models, stopping at ~30° below the horizon (compared to -10-0° downtilt found in others). Because of this, the tops of objects and the background of the scene may be partially or fully cut off. For example, the vans in the image below are ~8' tall, parked at ~80' from the cameras, but cut off at ~4' off the ground.

Poor Low Light Performance

Axis P3707 low light performance was poor, with greatly increased noise and reduced details at 1-2lx, and images almost totally dark at the camera's minimum illumination spec. 

Note that the P3707 is not a Lightfinder camera, with a 0.3lx minimum illumination spec, compared to 0.16 in recent P series 1080p Lightfinder cameras, such as the P3225-LVE Mk II.

Sample Scenes

We shot the P3707 in multiple scenes indoors and out to show potential configurations as well as positioning issues:

  • Indoor lobby and hallways
  • Outdoor building corner
  • Outdoor building side/loading dock/parking lot

Interested readers may compare the P3707's performance here to the Hanwha 20MP PNM-9081VQ, which we tested in the same scenes.

Indoor Hallway

Indoors, we set up the camera to view an entry lobby with double glass doors, along with two hallways, with these cameras rotated 90° using Corridor Mode to better cover the long/narrow area. The fourth imager was aimed straight down to cover the lobby/monitor subject direction.

Building Corner

Next, the camera was configured to monitor a 270° area, mounted at a building corner, with three imagers monitoring the parking lot and one focused on the entry door, rotated 90° to capture additional areas below the camera.

Note that in this scene there is notable overlap between imagers used in the 270° view. This is is due to difficulties manually aiming/focusing the three separate imagers to cover this area. This process is time consuming using other multi imagers with remote zoom/focus, but even moreso here due to Axis' manual varifocal lenses.

Building Side/Loading Dock/Parking

Finally, three imagers were moved to cover a rough 180° field of view (though with some overlap), with the fourth camera looking down, viewing the warehouse overhead door. Objects are notably cut off due to the camera's limited imager uptilt in this scene.

1080p 15 FPS Limitation

Framerate of the P3707 is limited to 15 FPS at full 1080p resolution, which may be an issue in applications with minimum FPS regulations, such as casinos, dispensaries, city surveillance systems, etc. In our tests, 15 FPS was solid across all four imager simultaneously. 

In most scenes, this limitation is not an issue, with slow speed vehicle traffic and people walking/running still easily visible and fluid, shown in the clip below (also available to download, ~18 MB Windows .exe):

VMS Support

All four imagers of the P3707-PE were supported in all VMSes tested: Avigilon Control Center, ExacqVision, Genetec Security Center, Milestone XProtect, and Network Optix NxWitness. Avigilon used four licenses (one for each imager) while other VMSes used only a single license for all four imagers.

Bandwidth Consumption

Due to its use of Axis' Zipstream smart codec, the P3707's bitrates are much lower than typical 8-12 MP multi imager models, such as the Hikvision PanoVu, Pelco Optera, and Arecont SurroundVideo Omni. The measurements below show the total of all four imagers of the P3707-PE (four 1080p streams).

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