Almost EVERYONE is Wasting Money on Dash Cams.
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It’s been YEARS since dash cams hit the market, but it feels like we’ve been stuck at a standstill. Why is it that camera quality is so lacking? Are there really no good options when shopping for a dash cam to attach to the windshield of your car? (The second half of this video is pretty stunning!)
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Intro
1:07 The Back-story
2:37 Thinkware F70
3:26 Biuone A20
3:55 Chortau B-T13
5:00 Iiwey T1 and Pruveeo D30H
6:16 Rexing V1-4K
6:57 Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2
7:34 Rove R2-4K
8:05 Viofo A119 V3
9:12 BlackVue DR750X and Thinkware U1000
10:30 THE REASON THEY'RE SO BAD
15:04 tldr;
17:04 outro
My #1 rule with dashcams: go off the assumption that it didn't capture the license plate so leave the audio recording on and say the license plate.
Nice tip!
That's actually very good advice 👌🏻
This!
In practice you will fail due to adrenaline.
@@MiGujack3 nope
I spent hours researching dash cams a year or so ago and it’s almost maddening how awful, sparse and misrepresented information on dash cams is. I was totally surprised how under developed they are. This is a video that is really necessary.
I feel the same when searching for anything now a days. It's so overwhelming to find something you want and can enjoy.
What did you end up with?
@@seollenda a Tesla 😂
I have a Rexing 1080p. it works just fine and the video is just that: clear, crisp 1080p. Everyone is reacting in the comments like just because LTT called them out a little that they are shit and nothing here is worthy of purchase because they all use the same chip. I don't need to spend 400$ on a camera solution for my car.
Exactly the same for me. My parents wanted one for their car. And after a lot of research I ended up getting them the VIOFO A129 Pro Duo it has a 4K front camera (IMX317) and a 1080p rear camera. I'm kinda happy this video came to pretty much the same conclusion (even if they used a cheaper camera)
Please do this type of review again! You raised the awareness that most of these suck - I'm hoping some company heard that and realizes there is tons of money to be made by hitting one out of the park!
From what I've seen the review just made companies adjust their pricing lol
Little late to the party but I'm a police officer who handles hundreds of crash investigations a year. Dash cameras are great for helping to determine fault in a crash, but they are not great for getting specific identification information of the offending vehicle/driver. I have had dozens of hit and run crashes and the video quality generally does not get us the information we need to get the offender. That said, I still HIGHLY recommend people get a camera. It can be very helpful during a crash investigation and, from what I've heard, for insurance (you may even get a discount for having one). Since I know camera quality can be poor for identification I also recommend to people they narrate vehicle makes/models, license plates (be sure to also say the state!), vehicle markings, driver description, streets, etc. Should the camera end up recording an event you will have audio information which can be helpful. I have a Garmin Tandem in my personal car as I'm already in the Garmin ecosystem (I have a Garmin Fenix and fish finder), so it's not a big deal for me.
What about a GoPro ?
Do you perhaps recall what camera the individuals were using on the cases that it managed to capture good details?
@@silverfishofdoom1312 Haven't had anyone provide video from a GoPro yet.
@@kevindelgado7083 Sorry, I don't know what it was. I believe it was just a random one they bought off Amazon.
THIS is the kind of content that we need. Calling out trash markets and helping people find honest answers, doing the side-by-side comparisons they can't do. Thanks for this! Glad to know the Rove R2-4K I got as a gift is not far from really the peak in the market and is "good enough" if not overpriced a bit.
@@deadzio in the UK viofo is pretty popular still
@@deadzio 11:03 ??
Yeah more of this please
Wish they would review the camera quality on tesla''s
is your profile pic from Invent Animate?
This is the kind of vids the world needs. Amazon reviews and specs are almost useless, something that applies to a growing number of categories of products
agree. even the non-paid reviews are often written by idiots who don't know the technical details of why a product is good or bad. it's exhausting reading half a review just to figure out the writer is clueless. then going on and on. i almost always search for professional reviews instead.
Your channel is great for those, at least for flashlights. I only wish your reviews covered bicycle lights. But I think bike lights are more legit.. at least I hope.
Sounds like brick and mortar stores aren’t so useless after all lol. Even videos can be faked or reviews can take years to update by a reliable channel (cause you know, other topics to cover). Want quality now? Show up in person.
@@CNe7532294 Brick and mortar stores are even worse. There you get even worse suggestions by the staff who know nothing, and then you get the privilege of paying more because you have to pay the wages for the unhelpful staff. And most brick and mortar places won't let you return an item unless its broken, unlike amazon where if the video quality is crap you can just return the item, no questions asked.
Wow didn’t think I’d see TTC comment on an LTT video. Love your channel
THANK YOU, this is video is really helpful. It's a big headache trying to find a dashcam because of all the confusing options, and this just made it so much easier.
Thanks for the in-depth review. This was extremely helpful. I'm glad someone actually bought and went through each one. Very nice video.
I think the problem here is that people run Dashcams for liability purposes, not to read things like license plates. People just need to see what happened. Almost every car accident devolves into a he said she said issue, and having video proof to back up that you're not at fault is worth a million words.
Exacly
True dat, but what about hit and run? Somebody may have hit you and quickly disappears. You think, no biggie, got the camera running. Only then to find out, that the plate was not readable in any frame. Just an example, but one thing is definately true: Even a bad dashcam is better than no dashcam.
@@marcfuchs6938 yeah but you can get the description of the vehicle, color, make and model for sure
Yep as a motor insurance claims adjuster it’s an invaluable tool. Personally think it should be made a requirement of most insurance policies.
It's still a very useful video letting us know that image quality doesn't increase with price. He's saving us $$$
If there was ever a reason for LTT labs it's this kind of in depth content that I think justifies it. It's a damn awesome public service.
Damn right it is. I’ve been thinking about getting the blackvue dashcams since a lot of people worship this dashcam but I trust Linus on this one.
Seriously, this is one thing that it's better to go to someone in a shop who does this all day everyday..you won't find the good ones on Amazon.. we don't even touch ones people bring from Amazon...all garbage
LTT is not a public service, it is a business that is the business of making money. They are not PBS seeking donations from the public so they can continue making content.
They cold have saved a fortune by just asking Techmoan!
I think this video is totally miss on what is important. It seems main criteria was number plate which is useful for cops and nobody else. So if the labs pick wrong criteria not much use out of them. From the audio talks it seems they will go Sony/Bose headphones best already when it seems it's more mainstream approach than comparing sound.
Best video I’ve found. The humor is light, quick, not distracting. The cut away shots are amazingly informative. Love that is Amazon based. Perfect video
Need new dashCam review in 2024
We need more vids like this, the lack of reliable info about consumer electronics outside the "tech space" is maddening. Well done LMG and shout-out to the writer that helped do all the research.
There is a website that does this in depth. The big problem here is Amazon. They need to stop putting "Amazon's choice" next to obvious garbage.
agreed! Dash cams, drawing tablets, budget phones, headphones, etc. Stuff like this helps us decide, making it something very important for those who are looking to buy that product. These videos are things we can always count on!
@@VanquishedAgain yeah, the problem really is amazon's feedback system that sometimes makes bad reviews 5 stars, lets sellers merge good feedbacks with products that are obviously garbage
@@VanquishedAgain what's the website?
Absolutely, if you try to find legitimate technical info or reviews on consumer electronics or home appliances, it's maddening how hard to find anything for products that are not from huge global brands or are not in the high-end price bracket.
The real question is why are car manufacturers putting so many cameras on cars but don't give people the option to use them as a dashcam
They want to sell it to you as a subscription in the future
@@hrmny_ ikr lol 😑
@@hrmny_ they already do sadly enough, welcome to the Future ....
Tesla and Cadillac does.
Mercedes as well
This is so helpful! The underlying research is robust and thorough. Thank you so much for sharing this info. 👍👍👍
that was great, thanks. I'd like to see a more current version. And I have to say the last few seconds of that video of the camera falling cracked me up. thanks for including in the video
In a society where even reviews and ratings are fake, we need more videos like this
and there are a lot of videos that are fake tooo...
@@vaisakhkm783 Heu ... its not the same at all A texte and a known personality talking to us every week is REALLY MUCH different ! How can you base a value of an opinion of a suposed random personne somewhere that most likely doenst even know how to write a review and is just mad or what ever else or its fake. bit or created by the seller ... (a text and a username) what about a youtuber you are following for many years what about a youtuber having an expertise in what he is showing to us etcetc we see there faces behaviour there smiles and there expression and all you can say easely if someone is bullshiying just yhere for youtube money or like here someone with a passion or a good interest huh ... what about that lol !!!
That's one of the MAJOR reasons I quit buying from amazon. It was one of their best selling points early on. Seeing honest reviews from users and also gaining their knowledge of what to expect and things that might happen with the product. Once they became fake it took away a big reason I even spent money there. Oh and amazon will also remove hundreds or even thousands of real reviews of books for political motivations, so yeah there is that too.
A Cobra SC 200D would have beat any of those cameras in features and image quality at only $140 in 1080p mode. It can do up to 1600p without the optional back camera. I guess that's Canada redtape. I got mine as a gift purchased from the local BestBuy
@tt ww you paid by dashcam companies?
Here in the Philippines,I bought a $150 dashcam and in just 6 months, I avoided paying more than $200 worth of bullshit/fabricated traffic violations by the police/traffic enforcers because I told them I have the incident on record. It has been 4 years since and I stopped counting how much I have saved by not getting extorted by corrupt traffic enforcers and police. Probably much more than $800. Definitely worth my investment.
How are things in the Philippines? Wishing you well and safe travels
@@puertoricanboy100 rn were polluted with so much corrupt government so yeah
Probably saved 3 times more than that in Bangladesh. Corruption is the norm and way to go in police here, so u have to be more careful about them than being afraid of Hijackers or goons. They are government paid goons
This is why I’m not buying one! Just got pulled over for not stopping at a stop sign (which I did) and got a $200 ticket
@@jennifersierzant2152 well then why are you not buying one? seems counterintuitive
I have a Viofo A119 running without a hitch for the last 4yrs+ now in 40°C+ weather. Reliability with decent image quality is what should make your decision. What good are high resolution sharp video specs if the dashcam wasn't running/recording at the time of the incident or saved corrupt video files on the card. Even with CPL filters and high resolution image sensors, there's no guarantee that the dashcam can capture license plate details. Dashcams should be relied upon only to capture the scene as it happened to support the truth. The A119 is a good balance in my experience.
Thanks, that’s the one I’m buying then. Reading a license plate is only useful in the case of a hit and run, which does happen. If it’s super egregious, car is probably stolen anyways
This is an amazingly informative and helpful video and I found it very relevant even in September 2023. Thank you!
Pro tip: get a piece of polarization filter foil and stick it in front of the lens. Removes glare from your own windshield, general reflections (you see the drives behind the windshield) and it helps with contrast.
Good tip! Going to use this for my diy setup
Yes, but what type of polarisation? Circular?
@@EpicBaCkFliPz definitely linear. Linearly polarized light is going to be the main source of “noise” (bright light unrelated to what you’re interested in, throwing off auto-exposure) in a driving situation.
I wondered for a while if this sort of speed camera dodge could work: Step 1: Attach some horizontal polarized film to the front of the speed camera. Go when it's dark or wear a mask if you're worried about being caught. Step 2: Attach some vertical polarized film to your car's license plate. Then when you drive past the speed camera, it wouldn't be able to read your license plate? But to any bystanders or police, you'd still appear to have a regular plate. Would this work?
Along with the Viofo camera, I bought a polarizing filter that attaches directly to the camera. Great thing.
i had someone hit me on the side and when i contacted her company, they tried saying she told them something else. i mentioned i had dashcam footage and the reps whole tone changed and she told me theyre taking care of everything. i got a whole new door and side panel, plus a rental that was nicer than my car for almost two weeks. dashcam is worth it to me.
Bonus points if the rep got breast cancer. :)
Unfortunately, insurance customer service reps are expected to serve their company's interests. It's important to find a good insurance agent that serves your interest.
Anyone in 2024 looking for a updated version of this video ?
Thank you for educating us. That is what we need from YT guys like you. It is tiring to see all the products that are all actually the same, some of them (the same product) renging from $80-120 with slight veriations.
I had to go down this rabbit hole about a year ago. I am a photographer, and been building PC's for about 20 years now. I understand all of this sort of stuff, and I do care about little things like image sensors and FPS, ISO, and apetures. I was asked by a good friend for a good recommendation on something, and I thought "Yeah, sure, I'll look into it and see what I can find". After about a week, my only real feedback was "To me, this entire market looks like a scam, everything seems like junk to me, and no matter what vid you watch, it's underwhelming image quality, and being over hyped by a person that has little to no understanding of what they are showing you". I suspect this is old cheap junk being dumped from another market into this market.
I trust Techmoan on the subject. He is realistic on what is good or not. It's just mainly avoiding those no names.
I think the real problem here is that Amazon is almost useless for buying tech now. It's a race to the bottom with unknown direct from china brands and amazon does nothing to police the descriptions or reviews.
Doesn't help that some of these sellers will try and bribe users for positive reviews.
You've hit the nail on the head
@@godlover9096 not anymore. i work ISS for an amazon warehouse, we make sure you'll get what you pay for and no more. "bribe" flyers are one of the many investigations assigned to us, it should be impossible to find one out in the wild anymore. OP is right tho lmao don't buy tech from Amazon, it's all cheap Chinese crud. + there's the chance someone in shipdock will toss a pristine air fryer into the gaylord immediately after your package, crushing it instantly. maybe try ebay.
If your account is in good standing--simply return if they mislead you with junk.they just tested a bunch of flashlights from amazon and not one under 70 bucks put out the lumens it was quoting--in fact some quotes needed a battery pack the size of a hand vaccuum to even make what was claimed.All it is is this mass marketing crud where people get online stores and fill it with junk--I am not saying it is all junk--but there are many products on there that are and are outright lying about what they can do.also be wary of dones and night vision goggle/binoculars--same thin anything under probably 150 is junk--had to return some night vision binoculars cause not only was it junk--but it required like 8 batteries to function.
@@godlover9096 mainland china seller are the worse at accepting bad reviews.. One of them literally call me and shouted at me to change my review. I don't even know that they can access my phone number from the shopping platform. I literally set my seller option to only local sellers to avoid them. But even at that some escape that shit by using local address even though they were literally not even based in my country. I don't even know that was a thing.
This is a really great video. Really pulled down the curtain for all these dashcams. It's a breath of fresh air for me since I had a $500 dollar BlackVue that died at the year and a half mark. No warranty. No fixing it. Thank you for this information. For all those that care. The Thinkware F70 and VIOFO A119 V3 are both at the same price currently on amazon.
Thanks for this in depth and quality review. You definitely helped me doing the right choice
We need more videos like this. There's so much repackaged crap from China with a "brand name" stuck on it that there needs to be more widespread information showing not only what this stuff is, but how it usually isn't worth the cost either. Excellent research on this one.
But he linked back to cheap Chinese crap he did this for the affiliate links otherwise he would have suggested Vantrue. It's what rideshare drivers use it's what I use after going through all these cheap Chinese cameras.
@@Ceno420This. I never buy through the affiliate link, they will shill whatever shit they think people will buy anyway just to make a buck.
@@Ceno420 hey, stop slapping "chinese" to everything you dont like. Vantrue is chinese, and actually all good dashcams are. The Chinese market is the most developed and they have really good gems. Its just hard to get them imported.
@@astroch my words were cheap Chinese cams I have nothing against good quality Chinese.
its so bad now with all these mega factories. All techy products are the same like microwaves etc. Just brands putting make up on a pig. We need to have less growth and cut China off.
I’m a car insurance claim adjuster and I can say that the quality of the camera has never been an issue for me. Even a really grainy low quality video will show me what this person was doing when the impact occurred - stopped or moving, staying in their lane or changing lanes etc. of course if you spend the time to get a camera you might as well protect yourself from the hit and run idiot if you can but it happens less than you think and half the time someone does a hit and run they don’t even have insurance anyway.
This is all people should be talking about. Proving fault. Even if one had a passenger catch a photo of a vehicle while using a 50MP professional camera and telephoto lens, it doesn't usually prove that the vehicle wasn't stolen, or who was driving. A low resolution analog camera from 20 years ago will prove fault just the same.
Yeah, I just got a camera to protect myself, not to post content online to show shitty driving. The camera does the job.
Exactly. Hell, it's not even so much about what the other vehicle is doing as showing what my car was doing at the time, whether I had a green light, etc.
No insurance Bad or no license Warrants Are usually the reasons I find most people take off although the occasional stolen or being used without the owners permission does pop up from time to time too
@@MarcG7424 Best accident that ever happened to me was when I hit someone, my fault, and they took off. Lol.
Nice review and comparisons of various dashcams helped a lot .
Awesome detailed reviews and analysis. Just what I was looking for. Thank you.
I wish the video explored using alternative methods like the GoPro setup mentioned. How much would it cost? How big is the quality improvement? Is it practical to setup? All of these are left unanswered other than "it should look good"
+1
+2
I'm not even sure what was so inconvenient about it, I'm not opposed to doing something a little "weird" if the end result is a higher quality. The only feature i need is visual fidelity, license plates, faces, etc. I conceal carry too so it's always a good idea to always prove you're being a legal gud boi in case god-forbid something REALLY bad goes down.
@@bobbybologna3029 I'd say the inconveniences with a GoPro would be that you have tu turn it on and start recording manually every time you start your car, as well as having to periodically empty it yourself to free up storage
Alternatively, I wonder if they could have dove into somewhat DIY solutions (raspberry pi with camera module perhaps?) and see if it could work in terms of expenses and real-world usage but that would perhaps be a video in itself (and take a lot of time and research)
GoPro not entering the dashcam market will forever be the most perplexing thing about that company. They already have pretty much everything they need.
Any action camera manufacturers for that matter. Not just gopro. I think it will be easier to market the action cams too if people know they can double as dashcams. They should just add a dashcam mode on their softwares
It won't matter they went bankrupt so go pro camera's will be a thing of the past once stock runs out.
@@Bigdog1787 no they haven't. What are you talking about?
@@Bigdog1787 They are selling 2.5M+ cameras per year. They arent bankrupt.
@@Bigdog1787 lol source?
Thanks. One of the best review videos I’ve seen for any product!
After years of budget dash cams, I bit the bullet and bought the A119 V3 six months ago after watching this video. It has not failed me once although I failed it by using the wrong SD card at the beginning. If you plan to buy one of these then SanDisk 256GB Extreme microSDXC card is my recommendation. Thanks, Linus, where would we be without you.
This is not only reviews. This is Public service. You guys rock.
I would absolutely LOVE if you would do something similar to this for HOME CAMERA'S!! There are so many and image quality, security, privacy, etc are all so important and make it difficult to decide! Thanks for such an informative video!
I personally like Ubiquities 4k lineup. Easy, good to great quality, many reviews out there.
Or Wyze as a cheaper and simpler alternative. Ubiquity is definitely better, but you have to be willing to get your hands dirty and pay a bunch.
I've tried them all and Eufy is the best by far!
They're good, but way overpriced for what they do (and what they should but don't do). I do security cameras and access control systems for a living...and while I'm all in with unifi equipment for my network, I refuse to pay $450 for a 4k camera with some of the issues they have. For just a few buck more, I could get a 4k Avigilon with advanced analytics that would put the G4 Pro to shame. The unifi 4MP ones are actually pretty sharp and work well...and the G3 flex (1080) is actually really good for only $80. But 4k? nah....absolutely not worth it.
@@rezenclowd3 too bad you'd need thousands in disk space to store all that 4k footage
Brilliant review - humorous, informative and useful. Many thanks - do keep up to date with later releases though Linus, technology changes so fast these days!
I am impressed by your very thorough work, and expertise of knowledge. Thank you for sharing all of this with us, and giving us the truth!!!!! Ken- Troutdale OR.
Pro tip: if you get hit and have a camera already recording or if you can hit record on your phone fast enough, yell the plate number and any car details you can make out; color model names and makes. Even partial plates with a specific car model will be enough to catch someone 👍🏽
What about people who don't know cars at all and the best they can come up with is "blue car" or "green car"? Most people don't even know the difference between a sedan and a coupe, and a lot of people aren't able to identify most manufacturer logos, so they can't even tell if it's a Honda or a Jaguar.
@@agentzapdos4960 cars have badges and names 🙂 if someone can’t stay focused enough to take a quick mental note then what can you do
@@V8dadmartin An automobile collision happens to be one of those times when people have difficulty focusing in on details.
@@agentzapdos4960 what about someone who lived in the wild and only lived in civilization as a grown adult? They wouldn’t even see the car, they’d be focused on the demon light beams.
@@agentzapdos4960 can probably just review the footage with somebody and point at the screen, then be like, "that one." If you cant figure out what kind of vehicle it is, someone else will.
When you proved that all the manufacturers of the cameras were basically the same that LITERALLY had me shouting out aloud "nooooooooooo!" great vid!
VERY well put together video and presentation .. thank you!
that is really great content linus! amazing info! damn blown my mind and made my research so easy!
I feel like GoPro should just make a $150 dashcam that would literally crush everything else. That's about what the Hero Session went for in the end, right?
Sadly the Herro Session lineup died a quiet death. In the drone and MTB area cameras like the Session is worth more than gold. I still don't get it why they stopped seling them.
The problem with batteries in dashcams, is they bloat and fail with heat. This usually causes the dashcam to fail or in worst case scenario is to catch fire. A capacitor based dashcam is absolutely necessary. I tried a GoPro and is became insanely hot and shutdown 30 minutes into the first drive. If GoPro made a dashcam specifically with a capacitor, they would own the market hands down. But it would be $300+.
@@Uberragen21 first up: bon appetit. i feel like this should be easy for a big brand like gopro. Otherwise hack it together, diy go pro with heatsink coming up? :P And i feel like IF you feel its necessary to buy a dashcam it shouldnt matter too much whether it costs 100 or 300 bucks. I mean filling your gas tank is 100 bucks nowadays.
@@Uberragen21 You do know that capacitors also bloat and possibly explode with heat?
@@Uberragen21 Even good action cams don't have a good low light quality, because almost all of them use a small sensor and /or have a small aperture due to the small form factor. My DJI Osmo action can capture the license plates of cars zooming by during the day without problems, but during the night even slow cars are a problem. To counter that, you need to catch as much light as possible, but that means bulkier cams.
This might be the best video LTT has made in years. More of this please. Like actually a whole series just on "everything in this category in online retail is garbage, but this one is the least garbage" would be excellent.
I just wish Go-Pro could make the Insurance-PRO likeup that could include up to tesla like alarm system with 4 cameras, 2x normal angle of 90-100 degrees 1440p front and back , and 2x ultra wide 180 degrees cameras for the sides that have ultra ultra wide 1440p that is equivalent to 4k) that have smart compression of 3 decent frames followed by one picture perfect frame that is the equivalent of 6 decent frames for one singular frame , having a total of 60fps with 45fps decent + 15fps of picture perfect images. And also a console screen that acts as the tesla screen with cameras, that you can also press a button to focus on 1 or 2 or 4 cameras at once, while the screen can also have a backup ssd/SD card with the combined image of all the cameras and other usefull information/metadata.
Kudos. I gave up on image quality. Just looking for a 3 channel that functions properly. I expect that I’ll give up on that soon too. Thanks for the video.
The aiofo a 139 is amazing, actual 4k quality in the front and good 1080p in the rear for 330 dollars on Amazon, got it for 271 on cyber Monday. Best dashcam by far
So, so, so glad you made this. It was DESPERATELY needed. Whoever’s idea it was deserves some serious praise.
This is my suspicion with most things honestly. A premium price doesn't ever equal quality, no matter if it's a car or an accessory or a house or anything really. The more research I do into a product or service I want, the less I want to buy whatever it is, and most of the time I just end up buying nothing because it's all a crapshoot anyway.
Stop buying stuff, return to monke
I can confirm this, it's particularly true of large electricals. I used to work in a factory making tumble dryers for the UK and Europe, we made several top named brands as well as budget ones. Price differences between brands was around 150-200 - the actual difference? The ink on the control panels. Just that and nothing else. Same parts, same assembly structure, same people.
I have a Steelseries APW but why not make a headset that works on all platforms, PC, Android and IOS and all Consoles, but no kinda have to buy a headset for each platform why? money that's why or am i missing something?
@@Mohegan13 Canned food is the same, it's all shipped unlabeled to the labeling factory where it becomes it's new brand :P This was decades ago and I can't imagine why anything would've changed.
Yes, a high price usually just means a lot of bells and whistles. Which also means more things to break.
this was a very helpful/much needed honest eval. thank you very much!😀👍🙌
I too tried a couple of Amazon dash cams with similarly disappointing results so I wound up trying my old GoPro Hero 7 (wasn't using it anymore) and it works brilliantly. Yeah it's a little big for many vehicles but it's barely noticeable in my Yukon. I also mounted an ancient Hero 5 in the back for a rear camera.
Do you hit record every time you get in the car? How do you manage that?
One of my biggest gripes is that we are in 2022, and it isn’t a thing yet to have a discrete power source for dash cams that doesn’t require ugly cables run all over the car
I suspect car manufacturers are scared to establish a precedent that undermines their ability to sell integrated camera solutions in the future. They tried to tie us to integrated GPS (and failed, because everyone has a smartphone). They'll try with this too. And it'll flop once a decent dashcam app for smartphones renders it obsolete.
It depends on how creative you are- I’ve got a dashcam/radar detector combo in my mustang, and it has a wiring harness that goes into my rear view- you can’t see any wires in the car, and you can’t really notice from the outside either
@@boiledelephant There are already plenty of decent dashcam apps
some of the new MG EVs have a USB port next to the rear view mirror to address this :)
It's pretty easy to tuck your cabling under your car's headliner and dash to keep it out of sight.
It’s been about a year since this video came out. I think we’d all appreciate an update on new products that have hit the market and good options since last year.
YES PLEASE
Came here to say the same thing
It's all the same players and same games
@@johndeerekid167 Yes, but it might be nice to get new recommendations on which dashcams are the best value and quality now, even if it’s still the same players and the same game.
Came here to find the good one and order it 🙃
Thank you!!! Still very useful especially for me after moving to a city. 🙏
Amazing video, explanation and quality. I really appreciate this video.
So the main takeaway is we need to start a petition for GoPro to start making decent dashcams? 😅
sounds like a good idea
@@ljadf is that the loop recording?
Go Pros are $400-500... so I feel like they're technically in a different league
Sounds like a job for custom firmware.
I just wish Go-Pro could make the Insurance-PRO likeup that could include up to tesla like alarm system with 4 cameras, 2x normal angle of 90-100 degrees 1440p front and back , and 2x ultra wide 180 degrees cameras for the sides that have ultra ultra wide 1440p that is equivalent to 4k) that have smart compression of 3 decent frames followed by one picture perfect frame that is the equivalent of 6 decent frames for one singular frame , having a total of 60fps with 45fps decent + 15fps of picture perfect images. And also a console screen that acts as the tesla screen with cameras, that you can also press a button to focus on 1 or 2 or 4 cameras at once, while the screen can also have a backup ssd/SD card with the combined image of all the cameras and other usefull information/metadata.
There's a lot of product categories that have this dynamic going on, wireless earbuds being another example (tons of superficial brand differences shelled over the underlying identical commoditized components)
“Capitalism drives innovation”
@@TAP7a innovation halts when consumers become uninformed and lazy
Yeah but other factors like driver tuning, battery life, ANC effectiveness, transparency/call quality, usability of tap/app controls, reliable connectivity, and latency matter a lot as well. But alas yes studying the Chi-Fi market and poking around the Hi-Fi community will tell you that almost every brand sources components from a combination of half-a-dozen suppliers & manufacterers.
@@TAP7a there is no innovation thanks to copyright law.
Speakers are similar
You are the MAN! Thanks for sharing your expensive research
Thanks so much Mr. Linus for the reviews. As always, we can always rely on your point of views. Best.
The proliferation of dash cams has provided endless entertainment here on the KZheads!
It's because of tik tok too
Most of it from Russia filmed on VHS quality gear. Still entertaining though.
I'm pretty sure entertainment is all anyone buys them for really. Anyone with half a brain would've done the research and seen they are useless at catching license plates
@@brendanssound i think they’re especially useful for people trying to commit insurance fraud
@@brendanssound You're assuming every case is a hit and run. That's not reality.
Oh god, I went down this rabbit hole over 5 years ago. Good (or bad?) to see that Linus came to the same conclusions I did. My Viofo from 5 years ago is still going strong and has just about the same image quality you guys demo'ed on the newer one. The dashcam can only do so well when it has to look through your windshield, which often gets a bit of dirty on the outside. Some dashcams have polarizing lens, which can also improve image quality. However, none of them will catch a moving license plate easily. Regarding features, they actually can be pretty important. One main feature is to make sure your dashcam has a temporary power store (prefer capacitor based, but battery based works) to finish saving the latest video clip when the input power turns off. You never know if your car power doesn't suddenly die after an accident. Also, some brands out there did have poor longevity performances based on the reviews I saw. If you're in the southern half of the US, surviving the extreme heat and cold ranges are very important.
One major ommision on this video and its recommendation is the qa on each brand. Dont know for sure but it sems to me on the thinkware you can get a great device, a medium or a mediocre one equally because their qa is all over the place, while the viofo is more reliable, maybe 20 people buy 17 get a good one, 2 a meh and 1 a lemon.
I’ve had the Vantrue S1 4K ($155) and the X4S Duo ($225) for nearly 2 years now. They both have very high quality video and audio.
We need a 2nd vid on this. A little yearly update would be noice 😜❤ the vidz !
I have a Thinkware dashcam and the lack of a screen was actually a feature I was looking for. I don't want a big bulky thing taking up windshield real estate when the only use for a screen is the initial mounting & aiming setup, and reviewing footage, both of which can be done through the app, and the latter can be done on a computer.
Yeah unfortunately I recently chose the x1000 which has a big screen. Not sure why because it is the newer model, so I would have figured it would be more likely to have app integration. Not only does it take up windshield space, but I do worry about it making my car more of a target because of its lack of discreetness. It just happened to fit into my price point and I liked that the included rear camera was of the same quality of the front camera
I also bought the F70 for the same reason. It is tiny and easily hides behind the rearview mirror.
I bought one of the full featured Garmin GPS with dashcam and my conclusion was it was too large of a screen. I generally use via audio only rather than mount it to the windshield. I'm afraid if I did I would get pulled over and ticketed by the police for obstructed windshield view.
It amazes me that, despite the U1000 lacking a screen, it still manages to be so much bigger than something like the Viofo. I get the benefits of not having a screen, but it's kind of negated when your dashcam is still the size of a wedge of cheese big enough to furnish a charcuterie board for a family of 4
One thing to add about dashcams that upload to the cloud is that there is almost always a delay of multiple seconds before the content gets uploaded. So if your dashcam is destroyed in a crash, the last few seconds won't be saved. Also, MicroSD cards are quite robust anyways.
Mine does both and backups to phone at the same time. Nexar is king.
Regarding robustness of MicroSD cards, given the thousands of hours that will be written and rewritten on these cards, if you don't want to discover your SD card is failing at an inopportune time, my opinion is you should get Samsung Pro Endurance cards which seem to offer the most rewriting ability.
The problem with a lot of these cameras is their choice of video container. When I got into an accident that put me at fault without footage, I struggled for a few days trying to recover the video that apparently didn't get saved properly on my viofo a119v2. I did manage to recover it enough that it proved I wasn't at fault, but the video had messed up audio and visible glitches. mp4 is convenient but it's bad for this kind of continuous recording because if the file isn't properly "closed out", you end up dealing with what I did. That said, while it was a problem, because I had similar trouble finding a replacement, I ended up just getting a viofo a129 pro duo when I got a new car.
@@dtemp132 Endurance cards are a waste of money. Their only benefit is the manufacturer will honor the warranty if it fails, which is very rare. The max storage of endurance cards is only 256gb. For the same price you can get a 400gb sandisk ultra, which has been the backbone of my sd card "fleet' which I've put through numerous cycles recording 100mbps gopro video. sandisk ultras are also available up to 1tb, on a typical 30mbps 4k dashcam that is more than 50 hours of video
getting a used gopro could be a great option. i paid about $50 for a lightly used gopro hero 7 white. if you buy them used you can get great deals and a rugged camera that can handle rough housing and water.
I bought the Viofo thanks to this review, very pleased with it so far
Thanks, this was VERY useful! Good work, guys!
i never figured the dashcam would be able to read license plates but it would at least show that I wasnt at fault in an accident and prevent attempts at insurance fraud
I think that's the major reason people get these and that might be why they don't upgrade the quality that much sinceit's not necessary for them. I guess.
Yup. Nailed it. Not sure about other countries but a plate number is just this side of useless in the US. Drivers are issued citations, not vehicles, which is why the police don't give a rip about your frantic 911 call reporting a license plate that cut you off. Now, you get into a fender bender and the other party is blaming you? A quick dashcam playback for the cop is priceless and can save you a world of headaches.
That’s the biggest thing I don’t really care about trying to get someone else in trouble I have good insurance my main concern is protecting myself showing the police and my insurance that hey I don’t who they are but they hit me there was nothing I could have done to prevent it
@@3d0g Who gets the citation is irrelevant in the United States. The owner of the vehicle is liable for the damages caused by the driver of their vehicle unless it is stolen, in which case there would already be a police report and an insurance claim with their insurance company. I have had cops follow up on license plates and go to the owner of the vehicle's house to verify the damage to the vehicle, which is noted on the report for the insurance carrier to then determine fault.
@@wanderingmercurymarauder761 Ouch. Might want to run that one past a cop when you see one.
This is like, review technology mixed with like legit journalism. I basically got to the "why do they all seem the same and suck" months ago when I searched for mine, but you guys took the extra step to actually answer the "What gives?" that most of us just stop at. This video is so extremely helpful for a multitude of reasons to me, and I thank you
I find it odd you missed out Nextbase. There's dozens of examples of their footage capabilities on KZhead and last I looked were considered the best. I have a 622GW and will probably pair it up with a rear view now that I'm happy with it. Wired in its a very tidy setup. I would 100% recommend getting an auxiliary battery plumbed in too.
His budget was $100 US. I doubt that the image quality is worth over $300 US more.
@@AlmostDailyRider I suppose its one of those, you get what you pay for scenarios.
Anything and everything I needed to know about the dashcam I currently have and and dashcams in general. Meticulous, comprehensive and funny,
The deep dive into how they are all the same is super helpful. This needs to be done with more consumer items. It really helps to differentiate the differences between brands.
That would be a good youtube channel, deep dive into consumer items across brand and spec and performance..
@@killjoycola theres a youtuber called project farm that does a lot of comparisons
AMAZON - THERES YOUR PROBLEM!
The significance of commonality is going to very quite a bit. 4 rest is fluff. Other times, particularly with higher end security cams, it's all about proprietary algorithms that enable features like auto tracking, scene change, facial recognition etc. And as touched on in the video, how robust is the post processing hardware? That makes a difference in the saved quality, as poor post processing performance means dropped frames.
Project farm Consumer reports
Vids like these are definitely a service for looking out for everyone to avoid buying crap and hype in dashcams. Well done in the research! Thanks LTT!
Opps cap lock I WOULD JOIN YOU IN PRAISING THIS MAN... BUT HE IS REALLY SUPPORTING THE ugly Corporations more than anything. he is part of the problem....
Generally people want dashcams for the insurance discounts (which would in my experience fund 2.5x the budget mentioned here in the first year) and with the GPS speed monitor to be able to prove whether or not they were speeding. Most of the criticism Linus mentions is completely irrelevant to that. The ideal consumer camera for people buying in this market is a decent brandname, GPS encoding to show speed and precise location for each frame, continuous recording so you needn't remember to periodically download the recorded video and free up space (the shock sensor automatically tags the surrounding video to be preserved permanently and generally the cameras that come with the continuous recording will do the same and have a button the driver can push to trigger it). If clear license plates and excellent camera quality is what's desired a DIY setup with a Raspberry Pi, Raspberry Pi HQ Camera and some software will offer extremely high quality images and very easily not just make it possible to view the license plates, but have a side function of ALPR just like police cars use. This is such a weird video from a channel that's usually a lot more useful in their content.
@@nochannel1q2321 sounds like you know a thing or two, it would be nice if you explained how to do it👍
Current dashcams are perfectly fine for showing whose at fault in an accident. You will only need to be able to read a license plate for a hit and run, not the most auto insurance claim.
I've been using the Viofo A129 Duo for awhile now and I love it! Video quality is pretty good and clear for daytime video. I haven't had a need to access any night time video yet. A129 for the win!
Really good reviews thanks for the hard work!
One word of advice is when you have a microphone-enabled model, read the license plate number out so you have it even if the video doesn't show it clear enough.
It is not credible in court, if you cannot make out the lic. plate in video. Because you can of course tell any letters or words you can think of. This kind of video is just a 'youtube' material or for your own private use that is just information.. not for any legal use.
@@LooNeYlv If the car is the same color and looks like the one in the video one could argue that the witness could be right
@@ZaHandle "could be" sounds like reasonable doubt to me. That is no bueno.
Good tip!
@@LooNeYlv There is more that it allows you to do, though. If you can get the plate on voice and not video, you can submit that as evidence, along with the damage to the vehicles/property/etc. All of this together provides a much better scope, and less possible doubt.
I've been using an A119 v2 for going on 5 years now. It's been great, imo. It's captured everything I've needed it to with decent detail. The mounting system and formfactor was really my initial deciding factor when I bought it. It hides behind my review mirror so well, sometimes I forget I even have a dashcam.
If anyone lives in a a place with hot weather, I absolutely recommend the A119! I have had mine for 4 years now, and I have gotten out to my car in a hot parking lot when the temperature is reading over 120F in my car and it has no issues.
I'm still running a A119 V2 as well, and it's survived 4 years of Iowa weather which I find quite impressive. The only thing that I had go wrong with mine is the left/right camera adjustment went loose at one point, but that was fixable by cutting up a piece of a business card and its stayed put since. It looks like they did away with that on the V3 so that's a non-issue now.
@@connorPiper0 Yup even in UK had a battery expand as forgot to remove from my windscreen, don't need to worry and have a v1 A119. Capacitor > Battery if left on the windscreen
Im using cheap Sencor actioncam (something like cheap GoPro) which has own removable battery that lasts for 2 hours and can also be powered by USB. Screen switches off after few minutes. Cost cca $20. OK enough for most purposes. Attached with suction cap. It has standard tripod thread and can be attached everywhere. 120° FOV. Shooting at night is challenging even for proper large sensor camera ($500+) with fast lens.
I’ve been looking for a video like this. Very helpful. Could you please do other one up to date? Thank you!
Every once in a while I stumble across videos like this that remind me why traditional journalism is dying. Your team investigated and revealed the truth hidden behind almost all dash cams looking like crap and you did it in an interesting way too. That's more energy and fun than I normally see from them.
Journalism is activism now. If it doesn't have a political outcome, there isn't a need to go after it. Dashcams are boring, but if those dashcam companies were exposed giving money to republicans you can bet you'd see them trashed with far less investigation as you see here. Look at the 1/10 reviews for the new Harry Potter video game and you know what journalism is about.
@@Bonzi_Buddy Well said.
True. Journalism was never that great. But today it’s all propaganda and lies. Woke is stupidity
U sure?
@@BGB17 yes
Seriously though, seems like a great market for gopro to enter. They would just have to change the software a little bit.
I am using action cameras for years as dashcams. Perfect quality and stabilisation.
How does it record at night?
just mount your phone
Their mounts come installed on some Toyota Tacomas! 👍🏼😎✌🏼
You would just have to somehow conceal that it is a "go-pro" to avoid broken windows.
I have owned many, and the Rove is my favorite. Wifi connect to download video to my phone, never have to pull the sd card or remove from the windshield. I have 4 of them, never an issue. I leave them on when I leave the house until I return home. Often catches some interesting chit, including wrecks of others, and a deer I hit one night that totaled my truck.
Great vid for the entertainment factor alone, Linus ! I found you because I am currently researching dash cams. Now I probably won't bother !!
I would love if there were a certification LTT made for products. With labs coming out, I think it could be done as well as having another source of revenue for labs, and incentive for more consumer electronics to actually try and be good, vs E-waste upon arrival.
This could quickly backfire though. Manufacturers could start using cheaper parts after launch, like those ram makers did
would introduce conflict of intrest.
akin to gn's "at least it's better than dell"
@@tannermccoolman4647 true, I’d they retested after a certain period of time it’d be more reliable. Can’t remember which one but there’s another certification for home appliances that does it
@@Flaimbot lol, would love a tech jesus badge too 😉
I ran into these frustrations a few years ago, glad ti know I wasn't missing anything. We need more research breakdowns like this.
Great video, very helpful and just what I was looking for! you saved me time and money! and you didn't make me fooled by the manufacturers of these dashcams. thanks!
We need either an update on this video to see if anything has changed or a best dashcam period video, best image and sound with whatever the price is
This is some of the best content that's come out for consumer use in months. Well done to the writer and for testing the cameras!
But he linked back to cheap Chinese crap he did this for the affiliate links otherwise he would have suggested Vantrue. It's what rideshare drivers use it's what I use after going through all these cheap Chinese cameras.
@@Ceno420 Vantrue is still on the top of the Amazon best sellers list. It uses very similar components to the rest. There's nothing that really makes it stand out from something like the Viofo A139 in any meaningful way
I've had the A119 v3 for 2 years now and it still runs perfectly. Viofo is the sweet spot for dashcams. Blackvue and the other $200+ cameras are not worth the investment. One thing Linus didn't point out is BUY A HIGH ENDURANCE CARD. You are writing and deleting files every drive, you should not be putting in the cheapest SD you can find. It will fail prematurely and cause you to think the camera itself is going bad.
The SD comment is so important. I went through 2 semi expensive SD cards before realizing I was buying the wrong type for the use.
Despite the usual high quality of Linus videos and the wealth of information already put in this one, I'm kind of surprised it wasn't at least mentioned. I mean even a quick glance at the dashcam subreddit would stress the importance of a hi performance card. This video is clearly aimed at people who don't know much about this topic and as such it should be important to inform of beginner facts
what high endurance card do you use, flightline?
@@junjae. I use the Samsung PRO Endurance 64gb micro SD. Has worked flawlessly. I also recommend formatting the card every month or so for maximum longevity of the card.
A decent dashcam with the reliability of a high endurance card can easily prove 'who did what' and 'who didn't do what.' Seriously, proof of fault is 90% of what people need in after wreck and someone is LYING about what YOU did behind the wheel. Getting clear-enough shots for license plates & decent parking mode detection is the 10% where you'll get lost in $200+ cams that fail at doing everything above average.
The Viofo camera you mentioned and others are getting slammed on Amazon by customers saying they are failing for many reasons ...not the image quality but failure to record , failing completely after months , failing in the sun! etc ..
Thank you for your time and information.
To a large extent it isn't about finding who hit and ran by a license plate number, but instead who actually was at fault. Numerous fender benders in parking lots where he said she said could be instantly resolved, or who failed to stop at a light or stop sign, is more the goal for most motorists.
Ya. License plate also doesn't do a whole lot of good if you can't prove who was driving.
@@caddyguy5369 I'd do a simple license plate lookup and then look up the corresponding name so you could at least get a close enough description of what the owner of the vehicle looks like. Sorry but if they won't fess up to who was driving after being caught then I don't mind incriminating the person who is responsible for what happens with their property.
@@caddyguy5369 Not sure laws in your country but where I am the registered owner of vehicle is responsible unless they can prove someone else was driving, so having the plate number is definitely worth it. Not sure why laws would be any other way tbh, registered owner should be responsible and know who is driving vehicle at all times
@@gillo100 seems like a presumption of guilt which is unconstitutional in a lot of places. You'd probably get a hefty fine if they couldn't prove it was you, because, as you say, you are still responsible for the car, but you wouldn't get the same punishment as if you actually was driving. Usually you don't have to testify against family and close friends so in these cases knowing who was driving doesn't help anyone either.
Exactly, they aren't made to catch license plates, that's just a weird and useless expectation
Actually there are some high image quality dash cams brands being selled for cheap price (at least in Europe) for example 70mai dashcams and as I can see the SOCs they are using are newer than those in dashcams reviewed in this video
70mai is a good brand. You can also find Yi dash cams for dirt cheap that do the job
You literally read my mind! I'm a truck driver and we have great dash cams and I have been looking for a recent one. Thank you Linus tick taps!
13:50 I may be inaccurate, 'cause I'm going back many, many years in my memory, but the image quality can vary substantially depending on how one handles the charges on the sensor. Also, the voltage and current levels supplied (and the quality of same) can factor into it in a big way, as do also how the lenses were manufactured, what coatings were applied to them, and even how thick the coatings were. I remember from a few years in cockpit avionics design, how even microns of difference in lens coating thickness could visibly change the final image quality on cockpit displays. Even quarter wavelength optical anti-reflective filters and protective coatings on the displays themselves made visible differences (fuzziness, lumens, etc). Last one-promise...A much cheaper "etched" screen treatment is often used on computer and automotive displays to reduce specular reflections of sunlight and other light sources, and that treatment also degrades the image a bit. So, if one manufacturer uses an AR treatment and the other does not, their display would LOOK worse...and can appear worse the smaller the display is...even though it may actually be of identical quality...underneath that layer of the display. So even with the same everything else, including processor and processing, the image quality can vary as a function of manufacturing sourcing or process differences, power, temperatures, age of components, etc.
This was a great video Linus. We need reviews and comparisons like this to actually improve the market. The market stays bad because the customers are uninformed due to the void in useful information. Thank you dude
I did not expect to love this video as much as I did... it epitomizes the very best of KZhead in my opinion - a well-made video with a well-constructed narrative, hosted flawlessly and provides a genuinely good service to everyone, even if they are not in the market for these products. Love your work LTT Team!
Especially when reading the customer comments on Amazon or other online website. How many times have you bought something on Amazon and gotten a special offer from the seller for giving them a positive review. (At least 5 stars)
Great video Thank you for spent your time in a importante thing for us
After several years with a Viofo in a service van and a couple incidents reviewed by my employer and PD, I will add one suggestion; get the CPF if your camera offers one. The Circular Polarization Filter cuts down on low angle sun and nighttime glare and makes the image more usable, although license plates are still hit and miss.