Hikvision 3K ColorVu Colour Bullet Camera with Audio, 2.8 mm DS-2CE12KF0T-FS(2.8mm)

What this colour camera is for

Black and white night footage loses details such as the colour of a car or a coat. This Hikvision camera is built to keep that information, and it works over existing coaxial cable.

It can suit a homeowner or small business with a DVR (digital video recorder), and an installer upgrading one position at a time. A bullet camera has a long body on a bracket, so it is plainly visible from a distance.

How the camera's technology works

• ColorVu: Hikvision's name for its colour-at-night range. The wide F1.0 aperture lets more light reach the sensor.
• White light: the camera's own lamp adds light in the dark. Smart Light is among its image settings.
• TVI, AHD, CVI and CVBS: four ways of sending video down coaxial cable. CVBS is the older standard-definition signal, and the other three carry HD.
• BLC and HLC: backlight compensation lifts a subject against a bright background. Highlight compensation tames glare such as car headlights.

Where to use it

The IP67 rating and the -40 °C to 60 °C range cover outdoor walls and soffits in UK weather, and it also works indoors. The 2.8 mm lens has a wide view, so it covers the area close to the camera better than anything far away.

The solid light alarm is a visible white light, as is the night lighting. Think about neighbours before aiming it across a shared space.

What the figures mean in practice

• 3K at 20 fps: on TVI, the top resolution runs at 20 frames a second. This is fine for general viewing, and lower settings on the list run faster.
• Digital WDR: this balances bright and dark parts of a picture in software. It helps where a doorway faces a bright street. Check with Hikvision if you need a dB figure.
• White light up to 40 m: this is how far the camera's light reaches. Recognising someone needs them to be far closer than that.
• 0.001 Lux: lux measures light falling on a scene, and this is a very low figure. Real results vary with AGC, the camera's automatic gain, and the scene.

Installing it

• Video cable: one coaxial run carries both picture and sound to the recorder, so an existing run can often be reused if it is in good condition.
• Power: the camera takes a separate 12 VDC supply, so run one to each position.
• Aiming: the three-axis adjustment lets you level the picture on a sloped soffit or a side wall.

Planning your system

To record the built-in mic, the recorder must also accept audio over coaxial cable, so read its specification first. To see 3K, it needs to take that resolution on TVI.

Hard drive space at the recorder decides how long you can keep footage, and higher resolutions use more of it. The DS-1280ZJ-XS is an optional accessory.

Ratings explained

• IP67: dust tight, and protected against temporary immersion in water.
• PAL and NTSC: the two older regional video systems. PAL is the UK one, which is why 25 fps is the frame rate to set on most UK systems.