Choose a Hikvision camera that shows you the faces and plates you need.
The most common CCTV let-down is a camera that records everything and identifies nobody. This guide explains what each Hikvision series is for, how to read the model number, and how to pick a resolution and lens that give a usable picture at your distance.
Which five questions decide it?
What do you need at that spot? To notice someone is there, or to identify who they are? These need very different cameras.
How far away is the subject? This, with the answer above, sets your resolution and lens.
How much light is there at night? This decides between infrared, ColorVu and the low-light series.
Do you need alerts, or just a recording? AcuSense is the difference between alerts you use and alerts you switch off.
Should the camera step in? Active Deterrence cameras give a warning rather than quietly recording a crime.
What are pixels per metre, and why do they matter?
A megapixel figure means little on its own. What counts is how many pixels land on your subject. That depends on resolution, lens and distance together. The standard (EN 62676-4) sets four levels:
Goal
Pixels per metre
What you get
Detect
25 px/m
Someone is there
Observe
63 px/m
What they're doing, clothing colour
Recognise
125 px/m
You'd know someone you already know
Identify
250 px/m
Usable to identify a stranger
So a 4K camera on a wide 2.8mm lens covering a whole car park still won't give you a face. The pixels are spread across 20 metres of scene. Narrow the view or move the camera closer, and the same camera identifies people easily.
The practical rule: one camera per job. Use a wide camera for the overview, and a second on a tighter lens for the door, till or gate where you need faces or plates. That works better than one expensive camera trying to do both.
What does each camera series do?
AcuSense: start here
The camera sorts what it sees. It picks out people and vehicles and ignores rain, leaves, shadows, spiders and cats. On a normal motion-detection camera all of those trigger alerts. That's why most people turn notifications off within a fortnight, and then miss the one that mattered.
It also decides what your recorder can do. AcuSearch and AcuSeek on an NVR (network video recorder) only work with AcuSense cameras that have the function switched on. Pair an AcuSeek recorder with older cameras and you've paid for an AI engine with nothing to work with. See the Hikvision NVR buying guide.
A very wide f/1.0 lens and a soft warm light give full-colour pictures in near darkness. Infrared shows a grey shape. ColorVu shows "grey hoodie, red car", which is what a description or a court needs.
It works where there's some background light: forecourts, car parks, entrances and yards. The light stays on all night. That deters people, but it can be a nuisance facing a bedroom window.
Smart Hybrid Light: the middle path
Infrared by default, switching to white light when it detects something. Low-key most of the night, colour when it counts. Usually the right choice on residential streets, where a camera lit all night would annoy neighbours.
ColorHunter is HiLook's version of ColorVu on the value range: same idea, lower cost. LightHunter works differently. It uses a larger sensor to see in the dark instead of adding light, for places you can't light up.
The specialist low-light range. DarkFighterX uses two sensors, one for detail and one for colour, and combines them. It performs very well and costs a lot. It's the right choice only where light is poor and picture quality is critical. Most sites are better served by ColorVu for much less.
A flashing light and a spoken or siren warning, set off by the camera's detection. The camera steps in rather than just recording. On yards, compounds and forecourts after hours, this often stops the incident instead of filming it. That's worth more than any resolution upgrade.
Pair it with AcuSense so the warning goes off for a person, not for rain.
PanoVu puts several sensors in one housing for a seamless wide or 180° view, on one cable and one recorder channel. Fisheye covers a whole room or forecourt from one ceiling spot, with software flattening the picture. Both save cameras, cable and channels on large open areas. But they spread pixels widely, so check the table above before relying on them to identify people.
How do I read the model number?
Hikvision packs a lot into the suffix. Two cameras that look the same on a quote can be quite different:
G2, G3: the generation. G3 is newer than G2 of the same model, and usually improves the sensor, detection or low-light picture.
Bracketed letters, (C), (D), (E), (eF): the hardware revision. It matters. A revision can change resolution support, storage limits or which detection features you get. Always ask which revision a quote is for. We state it on every product page.
/SL: strobe light and audio alarm (Active Deterrence).
U or IU: built-in microphone. Recording audio has its own legal rules; see our FAQ on CCTV law.
Z or IZ: motorised zoom lens, adjusted remotely instead of up a ladder.
/BLACK, /GREY: housing colour, not a different camera.
2.8mm / 2.8-12mm: the lens. One figure means fixed; a range means adjustable (varifocal).
Which lens should I choose?
2.8mm: roughly 100–110° wide. An overview of a drive, yard or shop floor. Recognises people to about 10m on a 4MP camera.
4mm: around 80°. A sensible default for doors and gates.
6mm and above: narrower, sees further. For one target: a gate, a till, a loading bay.
Motorised varifocal (2.8-12mm): costs more, but you set the view from the ground and change it later without a ladder. On a two-storey job, it pays for itself the first time you adjust it.
Turret, bullet, dome or PTZ?
Turret: easy to aim, discreet under eaves, and no dome cover to cause infrared glare. The default for most jobs.
Bullet: clearly a camera, which deters people. The longer body suits longer lenses and longer views.
Dome: the lens sits behind a cover, protecting it in public or vandal-prone areas. It's harder to tell where it's pointing.
PTZ: pans, tilts and zooms to follow activity across a large site. It only looks one way at a time, so use it alongside fixed cameras, not instead of them.
What else will I need?
A recorder with enough channels and bandwidth. Higher-resolution cameras need more of both. Our NVR buying guide covers the sums.
PoE power (one network cable powers the camera and carries the picture), from the recorder or a PoE switch. Check the wattage, not just the port count. Heaters, lights and PTZs draw far more than a fixed turret.
4MP suits most sites. It gives recognition at sensible distances without the storage and bandwidth cost of 8MP. Go higher only where you need to zoom into recorded footage or cover a wide area from one position, and remember that lens and distance matter more than the megapixel figure.
Will a 4K camera let me read a number plate?
Not on its own. Plate capture depends on pixels per metre, angle and speed, and a wide-lens 4K camera covering a whole entrance usually will not manage it. Dedicated ANPR cameras exist for this, so ask before assuming a general-purpose camera will do it.
What is the difference between ColorVu and infrared night vision?
Infrared gives a black-and-white image using invisible light. ColorVu gives a full-colour image using a very wide aperture and a warm supplement light. Colour is far more useful for describing people and vehicles, but ColorVu's light is visible, whereas infrared is not.
Do I need AcuSense cameras?
If you want alerts you will actually keep switched on, yes. AcuSense is also required for AcuSearch and AcuSeek on the recorder, so it affects which NVR is worth buying.
Can I mix camera brands on one recorder?
Usually yes, over ONVIF, but you will lose the manufacturer-specific features, including AcuSense classification and analytics. Mixing is a fallback, not a plan.
Do these cameras work with my existing coax cable?
No. IP cameras need Ethernet. If you have coax from an older analogue system, HD-TVI cameras and a DVR let you reuse it.
What does (C) or (E) in the model number mean?
The hardware revision. It can change resolution support, storage limits and which analytics are included, so always check which one a quote refers to.
Tell us what you need to see and how far away it is. A photo or sketch of the site is ideal. We'll suggest camera positions, resolutions and lenses, and we'll tell you if a cheaper camera would do the job.
