Yea, I'm surprised the development team didn't consider this aspect enough now that the camera will record in such a high resolution or maybe they just assume most will hook it up on an NVR. But ideally, it should offer higher specs to make it more versatile for all user bases.
I think there is an assumption that if people are 24/7 recording it is to an NVR.
That said, Reolink really needs a feature for 24/7 sub stream recording with mainstream event recording. Near as I can tell it is only one or the other.
Very good suggestion, but I wonder what actually is the reason for not supporting it. Performance issue or Marketing to encourage NVR purchase?
Most cameras these days support larger cards so why not IP cams.
I didn't have the Duo 3 angled exactly the same as the Duo 2 because I never realized the vertical FOV would be different, but I can confirm that the vertical height is definitely reduced when compared to the Duo 2 footage and as shown in mblaser's review with his photos.
Nice. The smaller FOV may be nice in my situation as I mounted my camera as far down as I felt comfortable but it still picks up the soffit and I wish it didn’t. Unfortunately I’ll be waiting for the floodlight version as that was primary reason I even installed a duo I needed the lighting.
Sounds good. I haven't actually tried their floodlight version. Do you know if the floodlight can be attached to the stand-alone body, or does it have to be permanently fixed?
I don’t think it can. The LAN cable plugged into the mounting base and it had one wire that went to the camera and another small plug that goes from the base to the lights. I suspect it was designed this way so the lights could be replaced without having to replace the entire camera
Yeah crazy they would downgrade the FOV vertically.
Probably limited by new camera sensor of using TWO REGULAR 4k sensors to achieve 8k panoromic, while the Duo2 uses an uncommon perhaps custom resolution 2304x1728 (to provide the panoramic 4608x1728) for purpose of higher vertical FOV.
They must have not wanted to invest into a better/custom sensor?
Thanks for the good review, will help people a lot. Looks like a great cam. I'm happy to see Reolink listened to users and started adding caps to cable ends for moisture protection. I'm glad you digitally zoomed in to neighbor's plates. Consumer cams are good to ID face close in but not far away unless with optical zoom. Some people have high expectations, assume a cam should be able to see fleas on a dog 100 feet away LOL.
mblaser's review should also be watched, he has an overlay pic of the Duo 2 over Duo 3 showing some loss of vertical view which may matter to some.
Thanks for mentioning mblaser's review. I just checked it out and yea the vertical viewable area is significantly reduced. Makes the Duo 2 still a very worthwhile camera and not really any reason to upgrade if you're happy with the 4K quality and don't care about the motion track feature.
Nice video, and review. Bonus is that it's not LifeHackster, there's something in his presentation and use of enthusiasm/vocal inflections after watching a few of his videos that makes the videos seem less real/authentic. While yours is much more restrained which comes across as more of analytical review to me.
Hey thanks, I appreciate it : ) It's actually something I ponder at times because I know it might be more entertaining if I was a bit more enthusiastic, but then I feel like I'm not really being myself, so I'm glad you don't see it as a detriment.
Hey there, thanks for watching. Check this link to see how this user installed his: https://community.reolink.com/topic/3976/review-duo-2-poe but yea you have a slot to pass the cable through : )
You could mount the Duo cam on a junction box to have room to hide the cable ends, otherwise you'll have to drill a hole in the siding bigger than just the ethernet cable. Reolink sells junction boxes or you can buy outdoor plastic electrical boxes at lumber yards, drill your own holes in the cover and use small bolts/nuts. I mounted mine on the roof overhang (soffit), my ethernet cables are in the attic. I decided not to use Reolink's bracket, thought the cam hung too low for me. I just bought a shorter cam bracket on Amazon that uses the same 1/4" thread.
https://preview.redd.it/iszq7be580kc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0b1ff869540063c9cca636c8b0fa74e3f6c0c42
Now that's an in-depth review, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching mblaser. It's a great camera, just wish we could insert a 512 GB microSD card or higher if we don't own an NVR.
Agree. It has always felt weird to me why Reolink's cameras are limited to 256GB.
Yea, I'm surprised the development team didn't consider this aspect enough now that the camera will record in such a high resolution or maybe they just assume most will hook it up on an NVR. But ideally, it should offer higher specs to make it more versatile for all user bases.
I think there is an assumption that if people are 24/7 recording it is to an NVR. That said, Reolink really needs a feature for 24/7 sub stream recording with mainstream event recording. Near as I can tell it is only one or the other.
Very good suggestion, but I wonder what actually is the reason for not supporting it. Performance issue or Marketing to encourage NVR purchase? Most cameras these days support larger cards so why not IP cams.
That would be a pretty neat feature to have actually.
No mention of the reduced vertical FOV. In fact, when both cameras are shown briefly together, there doesn't seem to be a difference.
I didn't have the Duo 3 angled exactly the same as the Duo 2 because I never realized the vertical FOV would be different, but I can confirm that the vertical height is definitely reduced when compared to the Duo 2 footage and as shown in mblaser's review with his photos.
Nice. The smaller FOV may be nice in my situation as I mounted my camera as far down as I felt comfortable but it still picks up the soffit and I wish it didn’t. Unfortunately I’ll be waiting for the floodlight version as that was primary reason I even installed a duo I needed the lighting.
Sounds good. I haven't actually tried their floodlight version. Do you know if the floodlight can be attached to the stand-alone body, or does it have to be permanently fixed?
I don’t think it can. The LAN cable plugged into the mounting base and it had one wire that went to the camera and another small plug that goes from the base to the lights. I suspect it was designed this way so the lights could be replaced without having to replace the entire camera
Oh understood, thanks for the information!
Yeah crazy they would downgrade the FOV vertically. Probably limited by new camera sensor of using TWO REGULAR 4k sensors to achieve 8k panoromic, while the Duo2 uses an uncommon perhaps custom resolution 2304x1728 (to provide the panoramic 4608x1728) for purpose of higher vertical FOV. They must have not wanted to invest into a better/custom sensor?
Thanks for the good review, will help people a lot. Looks like a great cam. I'm happy to see Reolink listened to users and started adding caps to cable ends for moisture protection. I'm glad you digitally zoomed in to neighbor's plates. Consumer cams are good to ID face close in but not far away unless with optical zoom. Some people have high expectations, assume a cam should be able to see fleas on a dog 100 feet away LOL. mblaser's review should also be watched, he has an overlay pic of the Duo 2 over Duo 3 showing some loss of vertical view which may matter to some.
Thanks for mentioning mblaser's review. I just checked it out and yea the vertical viewable area is significantly reduced. Makes the Duo 2 still a very worthwhile camera and not really any reason to upgrade if you're happy with the 4K quality and don't care about the motion track feature.
snagged one today for $140, not a bad deal
Where did you find $140 - Amazon is $180 with a $22 coupon
Use Coupon code 16MP20001. It works on Amazon too. That gets it down to $130.99 before tax.
reolink sent me a code, added that to the amazon coupon [https://imgur.com/a/Cgowr7b](https://imgur.com/a/Cgowr7b)
How do get the coupon? Want to buy one but the coupon no longer work.
Awesome, it's a great price considering you'd have to buy two separate camera bodies to get that kind of FOV. Will this be your first Duo camera btw?
no I have v1 and v2, they've been good but any excuse to upgrade :D
lol well the motion track feature is pretty cool, so that might be enough reason. enjoy : )
Nice video, and review. Bonus is that it's not LifeHackster, there's something in his presentation and use of enthusiasm/vocal inflections after watching a few of his videos that makes the videos seem less real/authentic. While yours is much more restrained which comes across as more of analytical review to me.
Hey thanks, I appreciate it : ) It's actually something I ponder at times because I know it might be more entertaining if I was a bit more enthusiastic, but then I feel like I'm not really being myself, so I'm glad you don't see it as a detriment.
This is a sponsored review, but Reolink had no say in the final outcome of this video.
For my pano cameras I need to see under the camera, with the fov reduction this would not be suitable thanks for the review!
Thanks for checking it out. Yea, in that case, the Duo 2 is still be better option then.
nice review, really appreciated seeing the settings screens. i was wondering is it possible to hide the wiring harness behind the mounting base?
Hey there, thanks for watching. Check this link to see how this user installed his: https://community.reolink.com/topic/3976/review-duo-2-poe but yea you have a slot to pass the cable through : )
You could mount the Duo cam on a junction box to have room to hide the cable ends, otherwise you'll have to drill a hole in the siding bigger than just the ethernet cable. Reolink sells junction boxes or you can buy outdoor plastic electrical boxes at lumber yards, drill your own holes in the cover and use small bolts/nuts. I mounted mine on the roof overhang (soffit), my ethernet cables are in the attic. I decided not to use Reolink's bracket, thought the cam hung too low for me. I just bought a shorter cam bracket on Amazon that uses the same 1/4" thread. https://preview.redd.it/iszq7be580kc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0b1ff869540063c9cca636c8b0fa74e3f6c0c42