Amcrest4K Optical Zoom AI IP PoE Camera, Varifocal 8MP Outdoor IP POE Camera Bullet, Face Detection, Human & Vehicle Detection, 2.7mm~13.5mm Lens, IP67, 5X Optical Zoom, (IP8M-VB2896EW-AI)

I recently got my hands on the Amcrest 4K AI IP PoE Camera Bullet with 5x Optical Zoom (IP8M-VB2896EW-AI), and let me tell you, it's been an absolute game-changer! The UltraHD 4K resolution is just mind-blowing – the images are so sharp and clear, I can see every little detail. And the low-light capability? Fantastic, thanks to the latest and greatest CMOS image sensor and chipset tech.The super-wide 31°~113° viewing angle covers so much of my property, and the 120dB wide dynamic range makes sure I get great exposure in all sorts of lighting. I also love how easy it is to use with Amcrest Surveillance Pro software or Blue Iris Professional for recording and playing back footage on my PC – it's a breeze!I'm seriously impressed with the 1/2.8” 8MP progressive image sensor, which gives me top-notch low-light performance and night vision up to a whopping 197 feet! Plus, there are so many storage options like Amcrest Cloud, MicroSD, Amcrest NVRs, QNAP NAS, and FTP – it's super flexible.Oh, and did I mention it's built like a tank? The heavy-duty metal IP67 Outdoor Weatherproof Camera can handle pretty much anything Mother Nature throws at it. So, if you're looking for a new security camera, trust me when I say the Amcrest IP8M-VB2896EW-AI is an excellent choice. You won't be disappointed!

The camera is a good shape and size and feels strong when held. The sunshade is plastic, but doesn't feel flimsy. The optical zoom is an incredibly cool feature and I absolutely love the clarity both when zoomed in and when not zoomed in (quite a wide lens when zoomed out).The 4k image is really nice and does a great job at capturing license plates from a distance. It’s more difficult with moving vehicles at an angle, but I suspect the 30 FPS would do just fine if it was a head-on capture rather than from a significant angle.I do believe the zoom is a "set it once and forget it" feature, but it absolutely does the job if you can't get a camera closer to what you're trying to see.Setup was a breeze as usual with Amcrest cameras.Improvements:The Zoom's autofocus takes a couple of seconds to catch up and I don't believe it can be used to "patrol". It would be awesome if the autofocus was faster and could focus while zooming. Combine that with person tracking while they walk to your front door, and you could get a really clear image of faces.

FYI: I have a number of Amcrest cameras, and use their NVR for home security.This is a larger footprint camera than what I was expecting, but it does the job very well. Images are clear, and the auto-focus when zooming definitely helps keep them crisp. When testing, I could few (and read) most of the warning label on my ladder about 50' across my shop, while in night mode. Only thing that would make it better is a slightly smaller physical footprint (unless you want a camera very obvious). A pan/tilt option would be icing on the cake even if you could simply optically zoom within the same field of view, but thats just my 2 cents.Would pick up another one of these if I wanted the option for a close/wide view camera that can zoom in 5x to give more detail to a specific area.

EDIT: 8 months.#1 Still happy still good camera.#2 The failed to save as I see others have had this I did solve it and believe it or not it does work out the box without firmware change. However I only figured it out by chance. YOU MUST HAVE AND SD CARD IN THE CAMERA, then reset using the physical button to force factory reload. If you reset from the gui or with the switch without the card it wont change anything. You can remove the SD after.I have two of these one for each direction of travel and it worked for both.Original:So far I am fairly happy with this camera, Prior to buying I contacted amcrest to confirm if I disable all features and only streamed video, no motion detection, no ai, no IVS could I expect 4k@30fps; their answer was yes. I deduct one start because I am not able to change any video settings attempting to change resolution or fps or bit rate or codec result in "save failed" So stuck with factory default 4k@20fpsI am using this to power an LPR software "PlateRecognizer" While I capture most plates with a score in the 80% I am missing some faster moving cars because of the 20fps vs 30fps so I am deducting 1 star. The person reading plates at 80 feet must either have the most perfect angles or some truly amazing LPR software. Mine is around 40' from the road and with full zoom I can clearly see the plates but I have to be zoomed in all the way for a crisp image which is what makes or breaks the LPR software.

Well initially out of the box it worked great. Picture was crisp and clear. Fast forward about 10 months.... Cannot reliably stay connected to the camera, constantly loose connection. These are issues you expect when connecting over Wi-Fi, not hardwired. About my setup: I am running a cat7a cable (pre-terminated) (purchased at same time as camera) to D-Link DGS-1210-28P Gigabit Ethernet Switch w/ POE. (I purchased this switch after I began having issues with the recommended Amcrest POE adapter.) Cameras have static IP address. When attempting to view, I will try both the Local IP as well as P2P. neither are reliable. Camera is mounted under the eave of the roof (not exposed to direct sunlight). There is NO EXCUSE for connectivity issues...other than a garbage product. I am extremely disappointed in this product. For $300 I don't think I should be having these complaints. If it were $50, of course, par for the course. Save yourself the frustration and purchase something of better quality.original post Aug 2021This camera surprised me with the quality of the video. I have purchased a few cameras that boasted "great video" however they left me wanting. The video was crisp and clear. Night vision is better than I expected. Positive side effect is being able to clearly identify wildlife at night. Setup was a breeze. Like any camera there is a lot of tweaking to get the configuration that you are specifically looking for, but make no mistake this camera affords you the ability to configure exactly to your liking. I will be purchasing more Amcrest cameras in the future.