Hanwha Wisenet X 5MP Camera Tested (XNV-8080R)

Published Feb 13, 2018 15:27 PM

Wisenet X is Hanwha's high-end camera line. We tested their Wisenet X 1080p camera last year. Now Hanwha is offering 5MP cameras listing super low light and true WDR.

We bought and tested the 5MP XNV-8080R IR dome against the 1080p XNV-6080R to find out.

In this report, we cover:

  • Physical features
  • Installation issues
  • IR coverage
  • IR range
  • Low light image quality
  • Full light image quality
  • WDR performance
  • Bandwidth
  • VMS integration

Readers interested in new generation 5MP/6MP models should also see our tests of the Axis Q3517-LVE and Dahua 5MP "starlight" plus look for our upcoming Hikvision test and shootout of all 4 of these manufacturers.

Summary

On the plus side, the XNV-8080R offers significant advantages in full light and WDR details over Hanwha's 1080p Wisenet X equivalent (XNV-6080R). Additionally, users may see moderate advantages in low light with IR on at limited range (25-30' distance) where increased details due to higher resolution and solid IR illumination are noticeable, with better images of subjects and text.

However, at further distances in dark/IR scenes where illumination is weaker, or in color night mode, performance is roughly similar to the 1080p model, with little to no increase in details.

Pricing

The XNV-8080R can be found online for ~$800, slightly more than Hikvision's 6MP DS-2CD4565F-IZH (~$700), and notably less than Axis' Q3517 (~$1,200).

Physical Overview

We found installation and aiming of the XNV-8080R simple, with one exception: Leveling the camera's image may be more challenging for inexperienced users or those unfamiliar with Hanwha domes, as the imager is leveled from the rear of the camera instead of the front as in most cameras, with only narrow right (highlighted below) to grasp. Those unfamiliar may find it difficult to rotate without affecting tilt/pan.

Aside from this, the XNV-8080R is typical for outdoor vandal domes, with the standard slew of I/O, audio, SD storage, and other connections found on other high end domes, reviewed in the video below.

Size Comparison

The XNV-8080R is slightly smaller than competitive outdoor vandal domes, such as the Axis Q3517 and Hikvision 4565 shown here:

50m IR Range Spec Met

The XNV-8080R met its 50m/~164' IR range spec in our tests, shown in the clip below.

Limited Near Field Overexposure

IR overexposure of subjects was an issue only at very close range, starting at ~8' from the camera, shown below. This may be an issue in areas where cameras are mounted lower or otherwise closer to subjects, but less likely to be a problem in wide outdoor FOVs as subjects are generally more distant.

Dimmer IR Coverage At Edges

The XNV-8080R's IR illumination was notably darker at the edges of its FOV than in the center, reducing details, shown below.

Better Low Light/IR Details Than 1080p At Close Range

In a dark nighttime scene (~0.12lx), the XNV-808R produced better details of the subject and test chart than the 1080p Wisenet X model, the XNV-6080R, with much better legibility of the test chart.

However, at longer range in this scene, details are roughly the same, with the 5MP camera producing dimmer images.

Low Light Performance

At night with lights on, details are roughly similar at all ranges, with only a slight increase in text legibility in the 5MP 8080R.

Significant Full Light Details Increase

Due to its increased resolution, the XNV-8080R produces clearer details of the subject and test chart than the 1080p Wisenet X model at all ranges, shown here at ~25' (~50 PPF).

At further range, the XNV-8080R produces rough subject details and some legible lines of the test chart, not visible in the 1080p 6080R.

Moderately Better WDR Performance Than 1080p

In this WDR scene the XNV-8080R provided noticeably more detail of the subject against strong backlight, with clear facial details not seen in the 6080R. However, in darker areas of the scene, performance of the two cameras is very similar.

The image below shows the full test field of view.

Bandwidth

The XNV-8080R includes H.265 as well as Hanwha's WiseStream II smart codec, with bitrates below 1 Mb/s in all scenes except low light color. Testing was performed outdoors with moderate motion in the scene (humans/vehicles/foliage moving).

The XNV-8080R's bitrates were only slightly higher than the 1080p XNV-6080R in well lit scenes, but notably higher at night. However, even nighttime bitrates are low compared to other cameras tested, still well under 1 Mb/s for a 5MP stream.

VMS Support

The XNV-8080R's H.265 stream was supported by multiple VMSes, including Exacq, Genetec, Milestone, and Hanwha's own Wave VMS. Avigilon Control Center supported the camera's H.264/MJPEG streams via ONVIF without issue.

Test Parameters

The following firmware versions were used for this test:

  • Hanwha XNV-8080R:1.11_171129
  • Hanwha XNV-6080R:1.01_170520
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