Amcrest IP Cameras and BLC vs HLC vs WDR

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I was disappointed in the performance of an Amcrest IP4M that I had under test side-by-side with a Nest IQ camera.

One specific area where I was disappointed was in nighttime viewing. At this location I was using a 12-volt IR LED Floodlight to blanket the area with infrared. After positioning the IP4M one more time I was leaving the area with my cellphone in my hand and the Camect view showing the camera output as I switched off the area lighting. Initially, the Amcrest was switched over to an amazing flood of light and then after a few seconds (probably 6) things went dim and there was only a small central field of light immediately under the IR Floodlight.

The six (6) seconds is an internal configuration setting in the Amcrest and it suggested to me something was happening within the camera that was making me less happy with the visual quality of the scene. This is when I stumbled on the BLC setting, which defaults to Off. A quick Duck-Duck-Go search and I found the definitions for BLC, HLC and WDR and I began to test them with the supplemental IR Floodlight. I was stunned when I switched to WDR and the scene became something like high-noon at the beach. Everything was visible and almost nothing was over-lit. A bright car and a dark car were both rendered correctly, as was everything in between.

WDR, or Wide Dynamic Range, is not right for every scene but it was amazing for this one. I tried it on several other Amcrest cameras in different scenes and it was effective in at least one and not effective in others (providing a washed out view lacking contrast) but I know for sure I would test this in low-light situations where supplemental IR is being used.

reference: CCTV Camera World Knowledge Base