EufyCam S3 Pro Review: seriously about night vision

The best security cameras for smart home offer two things: solar charging and color night vision. 4K video is a nice addition, but in most cases 2K will do the job. My personal experience with nighttime home security camera footage (providing nighttime footage to the police after I was the victim of a robbery) shows that color in low-light footage is particularly useful for identifying car or clothing colors.

So a camera like the EufyCam S3 Pro checks everything. No need to visit the charger every two months (which my Google Nest cameras require) thanks to the built-in solar panels. And then there’s the new improved color night vision, which Eufy calls MaxColor, and 4K as the cherry on top. But is the S3 Pro worth the $500+ price tag for two cameras and a base station?

Selection of personnel

EufyCam S3 Pro

8.5/10

The EufyCam S3 Pro is one of the most powerful security cameras I’ve ever used, combining a really useful AI feature set with stellar color night vision and crisp 4K daytime video streaming. Best of all, you can use all these features without a monthly subscription. (However, some require a home base.) These cameras are an expensive but powerful solution.

pluses

• Sequential facial recognition

• No monthly fee

• Detailed, vivid night vision

minuses

Price, availability and specifications

The EufyCam S3 Pro requires a Eufy HomeBase to work, and the smallest kit available is the $550 two-camera-one-base kit. The three- and four-camera kits jump to $700 and $800, respectively, while another trim option includes a 1TB hard drive. Additional optional cameras are available for $220.

One of the easiest places to buy the S3 Pro is Eufy’s US site, but other major electronics retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy, also have the camera in stock.

Technical characteristics

resolution

3840 x 2160 (4K)

Sight

135 degrees

Connection

2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

Power source

Battery powered by solar cells

A hub is required

Yes

Dimensions

69 x 143.5 x 82.4 mm

Limits of exploitation

-4 to 122 degrees F

Night vision

MaxColor night vision

IP rating

IP67

Siren

100 dB

Digital zoom

8x

What’s good about EufyCam S3 Pro?

Useful AI features and excellent night vision

My EufyCam S3 Pro test kit included two cameras, two mounts (and related hardware), and one HomeBase S380. Installation is painless and typical of any other solar camera; the cameras and base connect to my app after pressing a button and scanning a QR code.

Choosing an installation location can increase installation time, depending on your familiarity with the best locations for direct sunlight. If these locations conflict with where you want to install the cameras, there may not be enough sunlight to charge the batteries (in which case you must lower the cameras and charge them via cable).

Despite the fact that the Argus 4 Pro is not inferior in 4K performance and overall video quality, some details push the S3 Pro to a narrow lead.

The location I chose for the S3 Pro received about three to four hours of direct sunlight and another four to five hours of indirect sunlight each day. I didn’t fully charge the device before installation, so the camera started with 80% battery and the panel had no problem charging it to a full tank on sunny days and to about 95-97% on overcast days. . In my experience with the S3 Pro, using it at moderate notification and recording settings, the device used between 7 and 15% of its battery reserve each day.

Before the S3 Pro, the last 4K security camera that impressed me was Reolink Argus 4 Pro. Despite the fact that the Argus 4 Pro is not inferior in 4K performance and overall video quality, some details push the S3 Pro to a narrow lead. First, the S3 Pro’s integrated solar panels work better for my setup than the separate panel used by the Argus 4 Pro. There are probably circumstances where independent solar panels are more useful, if you need a camera in the shade but have a sunny location nearby, the Argus 4 Pro may be better suited for such a design.

The Eufy companion app is also easier to navigate than the Reolink app, with generally nicer English and more fleshed out menus and features. Neither comes close to Arlo’s companion security app, but I’ve never been disappointed in the Eufy app over the years.

Daytime footage on this 4K camera is beautiful and clear. In my garage where the S3 Pro is installed, people usually don’t come within 10-15 feet of the camera, but it still consistently recognizes familiar faces. Its long-range performance is about on par with the Argus 4 Pro.

The best feature of this camera is its night vision thanks to what Eufy calls MaxColor, which describes the camera’s f/1.0 aperture, 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor, and AI digital image processing. EufyCam S3 Pro offers four different night vision modes: standard, day, floodlight and infrared.

The daytime image, while a bit grainy at times, is excellent at capturing space, light and color even in low-light conditions. Infrared night vision looks exactly as it should. Spotlight mode keeps the image sharp, but illuminates only part of the frame. Standard mode is what I ended up defaulting to, though it was a happy medium between viewing my driveway in full midnight light and losing detail due to graininess.

Eufy uses AI to work in S3 Pro. Its MaxColor night vision, for example, is backed by digital color enhancement with artificial intelligence, while Eufy’s local AI detects faces, differentiates between strangers and known residents or visitors, and minimizes false alarms. As a CCTV camera tester who has seen cameras confused by snowflakes, bugs and swaying tree branches, the reduction in false alarms is particularly impressive.

Another of Eufy’s AI features will be especially useful for people with large homes, swimming pools, outbuildings, or other spaces on the property that may need another camera. If you’re using multiple S3 Pros and someone walks down your driveway, through your backyard fence, and into your shed, Eufy can connect all of that person’s images to every S3 Pro in the system to create one complete video of the person’s movements . .

What’s wrong with EufyCam S3 Pro?

There is no shortage of more affordable options

You get what you pay for a two way saying. Usually, higher prices indicate a greater overall value of the product. That’s what we hope for, anyway, but it’s not always the case, as technology infamously knows.

However, the EufyCam S3 Pro doesn’t break the rules in this regard. This camera lives up to its price, but that price still hangs around. Some people need everything the S3 Pro has to offer: great night vision, AI face recognition and clip stitching, a home base that can add terabytes and terabytes of local storage, but others may need no more than a lone quality security camera .

Eufy has few competitors in this mid range. Wyze, SwitchBot, Reolink, and Arlo are great security camera options under $200.

Aside from the price, there’s basically nothing to complain about with the S3 Pro. Its face recognition is consistent, the solar panel keeps the battery level as expected, and the app is very easy to use.

Is it worth buying?

Easy to recommend

Most users simply won’t want the EufyCam S3 Pro unless more advanced features like FTP transfers and motion tracking are on your wish list. I’m usually skeptical that a device’s AI features will be a gimmick to drive up the price, but the EufyCam S3 Pro is a rare example where the features are actually worthwhile. That, combined with easy installation, a home base with expandable local storage, stellar night vision, and no monthly fee, puts Eufy’s latest camera in my top spot for consumer-grade video surveillance.

On the other hand, you can spend a lot less than that and get a decent security camera with a lower resolution like SwitchBot Outdoor Spotlight Cam 2K.

If money were no object, I would recommend the EufyCam S3 Pro Dual Camera Kit to anyone who is into home security, especially if you are in a large home and need to upgrade your setup. While multi-camera systems can be overkill for small homes, Eufy’s new MaxColor night vision can’t be beat.

Selection of personnel

EufyCam S3 Pro

8.5/10

The EufyCam S3 Pro’s night vision is its crown jewel, but there’s a lot to enjoy about these cameras, including a scalable system, no monthly subscription, and useful AI-based tracking features.