[harishhm74]

Originally Posted by graaja

I have a couple of questions. What size SD card have you installed? 32GB? I read in many other camera reviews that you would get about 5 hours of 1080p recording in a 32GB SD card. With two cameras, how much recording time do you get?

I have a 32gb sd card installed but I haven't driven much after installing. I had taken it for a short drive of 10min and I see that it consumed 0.8gb for both cameras at 720p.

[Angst]

Originally Posted by harishhm74

Hi guys
Bought this dual camera from Ali express - see link http://s.aliexpress.com/nA7niUJz

I got this same model(i1000) in Nov last year from ebay India:http://www.ebay.in/itm/252180750215

Video Quality:
Front Camera
The front camera resolution is not actually 1080p. I doubt if it is even true 720p. There is no noticeable difference in 1080p and 720p video quality. But, the file size is substantially larger in 1080p. Even in good daylight, registration plates are legible only if the vehicle is within 12-15 ft.
But, overall daytime video is good and definitely usable in case of an accident.

Night time video quality is extremely poor and and barely usable (only if the street/highway lights are bright enough). The camera does not increase the gain enough to compensate for the low lighting conditions. In photography terms, the exposure is at least a full 3-4 stops higher than what your naked eye can see (video is much darker than what your eyes can see)!

Rear Camera

The rear camera resolution is VGA. Registration plates are legible only within 5-6 feet. Even though the resolution is much lower, the rear camera does much better than the front cam at night. The rear cam video is brighter than the front cam at night. I think the gain on the rear camera has been boosted (since there won't be headlights to light the rear). But, when you are being followed by a vehicle using high beams, the rear cam video becomes completely useless as all you see are two huge blobs of light.

Memory Usage

I have been using a Transcend 32Gb Class 10 card.
I have set the camera to record 5mins/file. Front camera 720p video takes around 15-18Mb/min in daylight and 19-22Mb/min at night.
Rear Camera 480p video takes around 19Mb/min during both day/night.

Issues

1. An important feature of a dashcam is cycle recording. The camera should overwrite the oldest file when the memory becomes full.
This model does that but with serious errors. The oldest file does get overwritten, but the new video being saved has stutter and gaps in it. Each 5min file has around 10-15 secs of continuous and random stutter (no video, only audio for 10-15secs). This has been the biggest drawback of this dashcam.
Imagine, getting into an accident only to discover later that those crucial secs have not been captured!
To avoid this, I have set the file size to 1min and format the memory in-camera after every 4th day (when the card gets full). In case I want to save any minor or funny incident, I take backups to my portable HDD and then format.

2. Lens flare in bright sunlight and reflections from the dash blind the camera and the video during this time is unusable.

3. Night time quality is just about passable in decent street lighting.

4. The rear cam view cannot be flipped horizontally(in camera) to be used as a reversing camera. Your car's left is the rear cam's right!

5. Not related to this specific model, but, when I park my car in the sun, the rear camera adhesive becomes sticky in the heat and it falls off! I have tried sticking it to the glass as well as the plastic of the CHMSL with no luck.

Conclusion
This dashcam is definitely better than having no camera and the price I paid (4.5kINR) is definitely worth it - front and rear coverage with decent quality in daytime. But, the faulty cycle recording and night time video quality is frustrating!

Had I known these drawbacks earlier, I would have coughed up more and bought two separate units from a reputed brand like Blaupunkt.
This one also looks promising, but is very expensive and not available in India: http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2015/3/...sh-camera.html

[silversteed]

Thanks for the review, @angst. Had set my eyes on it for a dual camera setup in another car. Guess I'll hold my horses.

Originally Posted by Angst

... bought two separate units from a reputed brand like Blaupunkt

FYI, Blaupunkt BP2.0 dash cam has nothing to do with the reputed automotive audio brand Blaupunkt that was once a Bosch subsidiary. It's only as good/bad as any cheap Chinese knock-off.

[couswheels]

Originally Posted by Ramon

Does the GT 300 get charged via the USB cable also? If so can I use a Power Bank to power the camera when the vehicle is parked to use it as a surveillance camera?

If yes, how long will it run with a fully charged 5000mAH power Bank?

5000mAH will last for 12 hours. Have tried during my Chennai Guruvayur trip.

[satan's_valet]

Guys, need your suggestions on dashcams with a budget of 3k..

[thewhiteknight]

I am thinking of getting a video recorder, going by the state of traffic.

What are your opinions on getting a dual camera recorder vs. a front recorder only? Personally, I would like to get a dual but from the videos I've seen, the rear camera doesn't always have good coverage or clarity?

What are your thoughts here?

[samaspire]

Why can't we use a smartphone as a dashcam?

[sjcherian]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Why can't we use a smartphone as a dashcam?

You could use a smartphone but you will have to go through the rigor of fixing it it in a holder, affixing the charger, starting/stopping the app for DVR etc each time. Try it out before you plonk down the money for a dedicated DVR that can be permanently mounted and will automatically record on ignition on and switch off when the engine is off. DVRs typically would be smaller in size(not noticed easily) with wider area of coverage of the lens.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Why can't we use a smartphone as a dashcam?

Tried using my iPhone 4S with a popular dashcam app. Worked fine initially, but started over heating within 15-20 mins. Otherwise I had to switch off 3G during dashcam use.

Could be feasible with more modern mobile phones.

[diyguy]

The ultimate in dashcam experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbXgx_6wDrg

http://business.panasonic.com/arbitrator-bwc.html

We are working on technologies for lane assist technologies, blind spot detection etc. Let me check what cams we use for that.

[lambuhere1]

Did anyone receive refunds on the $6 Dashcam on Aliexpress after the seller's account was frozen ?

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by lambuhere1

Did anyone receive refunds on the $6 Dashcam on Aliexpress after the seller's account was frozen ?

My orders are still showing frozen and I havent received the refund.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by lambuhere1

Did anyone receive refunds on the $6 Dashcam on Aliexpress after the seller's account was frozen ?

Got refund two days after I got the frozen status mail. However the order that has already been shipped did not get a refund so far. I will raise a dispute now and see what can be done.

[earthian]

In my case, i ordered the first one for $19.90, which has been shipped. I ordered two more for $6 apiece, but those orders were not shipped and no refund so far.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by earthian

In my case, i ordered the first one for $19.90, which has been shipped. I ordered two more for $6 apiece, but those orders were not shipped and no refund so far.

Looks like the 19.90$ is a rate at which it is available even today. It is available between 16-20$ at a number of sellers.
GT300