Hikvision DS-2CD5526G0-IZHS versus Dahua 5442-ZE-S3 (aka T54IR-ZE-S3) for Watching Grass Grow

The Watching Grass Grow domain was registered on May 28th, 2005 and the whimsical website went live sometime shortly after that.

The first camera was D-Link DCS-6620G wireless webcam (704x480 resolution!) that actually was mounted inside my Master Bedroom ... looking out! In late/2011, it was upgraded to a Vivotek FD8362 dome (1920x1080 and much better IQ and low light capability) which was placed outside. I maintained the 704x480 aspect ratio (cropped a 1408x960 image and then resized) for the website. After reviewing several cameras in 2018, I went with a Hikvision DS-2CD5526G0-IZHS and increased the website image size to 1280x720. In late, 2023, I then upgraded to a Dahua 5442-ZE-S3 (aka T54IR-ZE-S3) and per the pictures below, you can see that's a nice improvement! Maybe in a couple of years, I'll upgrade to 4K - or even 8K - so you can see individual blades of grass! ;-)

Both cameras are currently running (gotta have a backup!) with the HIK above the Dahua, so slightly different view.

Pretty nice improvement!