I do a lot of highway and city driving, and there are millions of stupidly bad drivers out there. In the past 30 years, I have been in 15 automobile accidents, and in *ALL* of them, the police charged the other driver and in *EVERY CASE* the police cleared me of any wrong doing. In two other cases, I was hit and run with no one found to be charged.
So I decided to get an in-car camera. I ordered a different model and returned it (see my separate review on that product: CarProCam(TM) HD 1080p Car Dashboard Camera Car Accident DVR with LCD, LED LIGHTS, HDMI OUTPUT, CYCLE RECORDING. Model z06). I got serious, and purchased the VC-250 Dash Cam with GPS. It is expensive ($300+), but it is a completely different product compared to the under $100 market, and therefore a direct comparison between the two product types is not applicable. My review for the VC-250 Dash Cam with GPS follows.
PROs:
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Easy installation
Clear high resolution daytime pictures
3 suction cup feet holds tight to the windshield very well with no noticeable camera vibration
Two color cameras record both the exterior view out the front windshield as well as the interior cabin
Infrared lighting permits clear B&W cabin interior recording at night without distracting lights
GPS enabled position and speed encoded in recording
Separate G-force sensor records acceleration and jerk
Continuous recording no gaps between segmented files, and no delays when the SD Card is full and the camera starts recording over old files
Intuitive and informative PC software, but see CONs
Bundled with Micro-SD to regular SD adapter, and SD-USB adapter
CONs:
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Unclear instruction manual leads to misunderstood PC software function
External night images only adequate
ISSUES (Neither Pro nor Con):
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Proprietary video recording format not recognized by Windows
Must use the included PC App to view recorded video and to create .AVI files
RATING:
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3.75/5 stars (rounded up to 4)
1 star penalty for barely adequate night recording a product this expensive should have better night imaging
0.25 star penalty for unclear PC playback app instructions
REVIEW
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The device comes with an 8' power cord, allowing you to place the camera virtually anywhere in the vehicle. It is plug-n-play both in the car and in the PC. In fact, the PC utility does not actually need any installation in Windows it runs as-is without installation.
The daytime playback on the PC is crisp and clear, and adjusts well for lighting changes. So far, I have not noticed any failure modes or hiccups it just records.
The PC playback is both interesting and information rich. Not only do you see the out-the-windshield view, but you also see the synchronized interior cabin view, with a soundtrack. A separate window shows a live-update Google map of exactly where you traveled as it plays back your trip. Another window shows your exact location (longitude, latitude, elevation), your speed, heading, and G-force.
The camera records all this data to the micro SD card in proprietary format that is not recognized by your PC. This proprietary format has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it allows the playback application to synchronize the front camera video, in-cabin video, audio, and data track feeds so they all show the correct data and imagery at the same time. On the negative side, Windows does not recognize the file system, and therefore cannot copy, move, or even erase the files. In fact, when you insert the SD card into the computer, Windows reports the card to be empty, even though it is full of recorded video.
The playback app allows you to back-up files in the camera's native format (in an '.sd' extension file) that is recognized by Windows, but its data can only be processed by the playback app. The app also lets you create '.AVI' video files, and gives you the option of including or omitting the front view, interior view, position, speed, and G-force embedded information as a caption across the bottom of the video.
There is a tricky menu in the app that lets you either format the SD card, or 'Restore' it. Formatting the SD card prepares it for use in the in-car camera, and you must perform this formatting before placing any newly purchased SD Card in the camera. 'Restoring' the card allows the card to be used by a normal PC Windows system, thus restoring it for normal PC use. These actions are very poorly explained in the manual, and it took me hours of trial and error to figure out their true purpose.
I understand the need to record to a proprietary format in order to accomplish the synchronized playback the app does. However I would like to have seen a user option that allows the camera to record directly to a Windows recognized .AVI file instead of the proprietary format.
As far as I can tell, the camera records without gaps. The video quality is good, as mentioned. In my playbacks, the audio quality is poor, but that might be due to the placement of the camera I need to play around with that to render a more authoritative judgement.
The PC playback application is well thought out, and for the most part, easy to use. I really like the live Google map as it plays back, as well as the speed, heading, etc. I also especially LOVE the ability to selectively turn on and off speed, heading, location, etc. in the AVI video file creation.
I like the fact that the system comes bundled with both a micro-SD to standard-SD adapter, AND a SD (micro or standard) to USB adapter. It also comes with 3 extra suction cup feet in case you loose some or they start losing their grip. The manufacturer has put a lot of thought and effort into this product, and it shows in the quality, performance, and yes, in the price.
Overall, I recommend this product for serious users who want more than the $100 market of in-car recorders.
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