Reolink E1 Zoom Review

The Reolink E1 Zoom is the indoor camera we recommend when optical zoom is the feature you came for. Reolink specifies a 5MP pan-and-tilt camera with 3x optical zoom and local storage, and many of its firmwares speak to recorders. That is a power-user camera that still plugs into an ordinary outlet. It is not the camera we hand to someone who wants a shutter and a softer night mode. That person should buy the Tapo C225 and skip the acronyms.

Use the zoom on a real subject across the room during the return window. If the wide view was all you needed, return it and save the money. Optical zoom you never turn is a spec, not a benefit.

We trust it as a no-fee camera. Put a card in it the day it arrives. A recorder can come later. A subscription does not have to.

Set one preset on the wide room and one preset on the zoomed door. If you only ever tap the wide preset, you did not need optical zoom and a C225 would have been kinder. If you use the tight preset every day, the E1 Zoom has paid for itself in a way a digital crop never will. Leave RTSP alone until you own a recorder. The app and the card are a complete camera on the first night.

E1 Zoom at a glance

Confirm RTSP or ONVIF on your region's firmware if a recorder is the reason for the purchase.

Who it is for

Buy the E1 Zoom if you want to tighten the view on a door or a crib from across a room and you want that tightness to be optical. Buy it if the words NVR, RTSP, or ONVIF are a plan rather than a rumor. Skip it if you wanted the simplest family app and a shutter. That is the C225, compared directly.

The E1 Pro is the sibling without this zoom. If you do not need the 3x, the Pro may cost less and the Pan v3 comparison shows why we still rate Reolink's pan cameras above older 1080p Wyze pans.

Night and noise

Expect infrared as the polite night mode and a spotlight if you turn color night on. That is a less gentle story than the C225's starlight sensor. In a home office it is fine. In a nursery, test the light before you commit, or choose the Tapo.

The motor and the zoom motor are audible in a quiet room. Place it high, not beside a pillow.

Where to check the current price

Street prices move with sales. These links search a major retailer for the model named in this review. Confirm the exact model number on the listing before you pay.

• See the Reolink E1 Zoom

Questions people ask before they buy

Is 5MP 4K?

No. 4K is about 8MP. 5MP is a strong indoor picture and a step above 2K. The S350's wide lens is the 4K one.

Do I have to run an NVR?

No. The card and the app are enough. The NVR is why some people accept Reolink's rougher edges.

Does it work with HomeKit or Google as a native camera?

Do not buy it for those logos. Buy it for the lens and the local recording. Smart-home live view, if a skill exists, is a bonus to test, not the warranty.