I finally got around to play with my prototype RLC422W camera.
My first impression was that this is a very well built camera and the fit and finish was everything I have come to expect from Reolink. Like their other models, Reolink has chosen to stick with metal housings which I am very much a fan of. They also provided a few different configurations of mounting holes inside rather than the typical two hole options.
I'm not a fan of the antennas mounted on the removable section of housing but it's workable. Ideally I would have liked to see them remain on the backplane with the circuit board so one could remove the domed cover for adjustments without risking damaging the antenna connection.
My original plan was to use this new 5MP camera to replace the existing 4MP bullet up on the gable of our home giving us a wider overview of the neighborhood. Already pleased with the clarity of the 4MP bullet, I was more looking forward to the increase in field of view than the resolution. Better coverage from replacing a single camera rather than adding more units is always a good thing.
Original view using 4MP RLC410
Improved view at same location with 5MP RLS423WS
Attached pictures will show the improvement of the field of view. In addition to seeing an improvement of 10+ feet on either side, we also picked up quite a bit on top and bottom as well which eliminates quite a bit of dead zone directly under the camera. Of course I always want more but I am more than happy to get this view without having to endure t0o much of a fisheye lens effect to get it.
Playing with the zoom features of both cameras yields impressive results but the 5MP cam is clearly the winner here. I find it hard to utilize the 4x zoom feature here without having pan and tilt as well but the added resolution will be greatly appreciated when I need to take stills off the footage and then zoom in to get details.
4MP zoom details
5MP zoom detail
While giving this camera an overall high score, I removed one star for the fact that the focus was not even across the lens. The center of the view and the left side was crystal clear and in focus but a good deal of the right hand side was blurred enough that the resolution would be far less than desireable in this area. This may be due to this being a prototype unit but either way, it's a considerable concern worth noting. Had I purchased this camera, it would be going back for a replacement.
I handed it off to ScottS to try it out as a driveway/mailbox/license plate reader.
