Xiaomi C500 Pro review: the camera that monitors animals in 3K format
The C500 Pro is equipped with a 5-megapixel sensor that produces images with a resolution of 2960 x 1666 pixels. The application allows you to select definitions of 1920 x 1080 or 640 x 480 pixels to view live broadcasts in areas with low coverage. It doesn't seem possible to take advantage of these low definitions to smooth out recordings, but that doesn't really bother us. Since they have to be able to recognize a person, they had better be of the best quality available.
Xiaomi also offers an HDR mode to improve the quality of images in the case of backlighting, for example, in addition to an infrared mode for darkness. It is also possible to mitigate distortion.
Per day
Thanks to its 5MP sensor, the C500 Pro delivers great image quality in good lighting conditions. The level of detail is excellent for a security camera, much better than with the Eufy's 2K Pan & Tilt, at the top of the indoor cameras in our two-year comparison. There's nothing wrong with the show either. Here we have our new champion in image quality, during the day at least.
night
Once immersed in darkness, the Xiaomi camera can automatically switch to infrared vision. The changeover takes place in less than 2 seconds and the image quality is again very good. The C500 Pro captured our scene with rare finesse. To quibble, let's say the image is slightly overexposed, but this is also the case with the Eufy camera and dark areas appear more clearly and readable.
Unfortunately, our identification testing doesn't necessarily reflect the good image quality observed in our test scene. The C500 Pro certainly doesn't stand out, but its images don't allow you to recognize a face longer than 3 metres. So it works just like the Eufy camera and the infrared LED array is certainly responsible.
On the other hand, this camera from Xiaomi offers effective motion detection. In our laboratory, its range exceeds 9 metres, even in the dark. The AI certainly doesn't see that far, but it can spot a person at a distance of up to about 8 metres, which is still very honorable, especially for an indoor camera. The Eufy's 2K Pan & Tilt camera had difficulty recognizing people taller than 6 metres.
“Incurable web evangelist. Hipster-friendly gamer. Award-winning entrepreneur. Falls down a lot.”