Looking for back up and recording dash cam for my old car and found this. It's keep recording when I parked over night, it keep me feel safe if hit and run happen. One more thing make me give it 5 stars is the screen and video quality really bright in the dark. Love it.
To set the record straight on motion detection and motion sensor, this does not come with a motion sensor you think, i.e. infrared motion detector that would turn the camera on when someone moves past. No. It is a shock sensor. Let me explain. The "motion sensor" here is when the camera shakes (because the car got hit), it will start recording (there is a good 10 second lag for camera to wake up, FYI). I am okay with it cos I don't want it to wake up and alarm strangers every time they walk past and record them, I live in a "could be better" neighbourhood and I would prefer not to record what strangers may be doing in the neighbourhood as long as my car is untouched. So I prefer this shock sensor instead of camera turning on and who knows I will end up with a smashed windscreen and camera stolen because it filmed something some stranger got paranoid about. I set it to turn off after 5 seconds (not a big fan of recording when I am not driving) and leave "motion sensor" on in case someone hits the car it will record what happens.
Because this has both front and back cam (took me about half an hour to hide the wires: look for "How to Install a Dash Cam and Make it Look Clean" by Offbeat garage, that guy gives key pointers for easy hiding of wires with just fingers all under 4 mins (disclaimer: nothing to do with them, just an intro to a quick install).
It does not come with a manual but the options are intuitive and easy to understand and use. Somewhere in amazon this dashcam supposedly allows maximum 32 GB but that is not true. I use 16GB and it is fine, I don't drive much, data gets overwritten after 5-7 days so it is fine. Part of me wish I could get a 128GB which some reviewers say this dashcam is compatible with, but I am a big fan of robustness when it comes to electronics under constant move- smaller GB, lesser sector problems, and my memory card is specially made for dashcams (shock and heat resistant).
Last but not least, I am writing this review because I want my free gift (not gonna tell you what it is- buy it to find out haha). The gift does not require me to leave a positive feedback, but I am giving it all 5 stars because previous dash cams begged me to. Seriously the dash cam industry needs a wake up call, this cam should be the standard, I won't even call it impressive by my ideal standard of what a dashcam should have, but compared to the other offerings at this price at this moment, both the quality and value is stellar.
EDIT: Got my 16GB from my video. The video is great. Take a look.
No still videos of parked car for more than 3 min, so that is great. I tried tapping the camera while parked with engine off and dashcam completely off, and it recorded the event under "emergency" folder. I guess if someone did bump into my car it will record.
I also found out that dual dash cam at 1080p means it eats a lot of data and yes, I tried 16GB, but 16GB is too small. Learnt my lesson. Having an overwrite loop about every 2-3 days for 30 min of driving per day isn't the kind of assurance I was looking for. It was too short. A 16 GB card will store 60 blocks of clip every 3 mins, front and back so 30 clips of actual events recorded. That would mean 30 x 3 min - 90 min for a 16GB card, so 128 GB will give 720 min or 12 hours of recording before overloop begins. That would even cover a small road trip. So I got a 128GB Samsung Endurance card (5 year warranty! That is crazy) for only $40 and if my calculations are right the data will be overwritten every 20 days or so. That is a good three weeks so I should be well covered. 2 weeks into the purchase and I am very satisfied.
Installation couldn't be simpler - take it out of the box, stick it on your window, attach the power cable, and off you go. If you want to use the rear camera, you connect it to the camera and mount it in the rear of your car. The camera comes with an extremely long cable with which to attach the rear camera, so unless you have an extremely large vehicle, you should have plenty to work with (I have a Nissan Leaf). I used a combination of hook and loop tape and duct tape to do a quick and dirty install of the rear camera and it took me about 20 minutes total to install the whole system. Obviously running the cables behind pillars and/or headliner would be better, but I wanted function over form.
If I have any real issues with how the camera installs, it's that the USB ports for both cameras are on top of the camera and this means that you have the cables coming up from the tops of the camera. What this means is that they hit the window unless you bend them and while it's not a huge deal, I think it would have made more sense to have the ports at the bottom. I have another mount coming in the mail that I am going to use to mount this camera to my rear view mirror, so that will fix the front camera's problem, but not the back. Since both cameras are extremely light, the cables bending can create some unwanted tension on them, etc.
Functionality - the camera is relatively easy to use and you access and adjust the camera's settings through four buttons on the rear of the camera. The top button is the main menu button, but also acts as a "SOS" emergency record button. Basically you just push it and the camera will automatically start recording in the event of an emergency. My only issue with this is that when you first power up the camera, this button defaults to the SOS function (you will recognize it because there is a yellow triangle with an exclamation point inside of it) and you need to wait a few seconds for the SOS icon to disappear before it switches to the menu function. Not a big deal, but on many occasions I wanted to access the menu and got the SOS function instead because I didn't wait long enough. Once you're inside the menu, the options are very straight forward and you use the up/down arrows to scroll through and use the check mark button to select, etc. You can change the frames per second (30, 60, etc.), whether the camera's rear display shows the front, rear, or picture in picture (both front and rear), auto time off limits, impact sensitivity, etc. You can use the front camera by itself, so you don't have to have the rear camera connected if you do not want to.
Quality - I've attached a few pictures of the camera installed on my Leaf (I know they are a bit dark) and a forward facing video (I could not attach more than one video, so I could not include a rear facing video). To me, the rear camera almost seems to have better resolution than the front one does, but it could just be me. The camera comes set to 30fps by default and I found the quality to be lacking. The video I have attached is set to 60fps and it looks much better, but it is still not the HD quality I was expecting and my phone can make better videos. You can adjust aperture settings and width settings on the camera and I have not done that yet, but I can't see that changing the quality that much. Again, this isn't a huge deal as the quality is more than good enough to establish fault in an accident, whether a light was red or green, etc. But again, the quality of the video from the rear camera seems much better in my opinion (which is a good thing).
The impact setting comes set to medium by default, but I increased it to the max setting after I set the camera up. I found that on the highest sensitivity setting, it was actually too sensitive because even the slightest bump or vibration of the car triggered the camera to turn on. I switched it back to medium and that seems to work best in my opinion.
Recording - the camera makes recordings in three minute increments and saves them, so every three minutes a new video is started. If you are using both cameras, video from both of them is recorded at the same time and when you go back to review the videos, they are identified as "A" & "B" on their file names (A being the front and B being the back) which I thought was great.
The camera supports audio, but the menu seems to be backwards. When I selected audio recording, it shows the mic is not recording (mic icon with a red circle and slash). If I turn audio off, it actually records - so they must have gotten it backwards when they set up their hardware/software. Again, not a big deal, but something pay attention to. The camera is supposed to have auto off functionality, but even though I have it set to one minute, I have yet to see the camera actually turn itself off. So this is either an issue with my particular camera or I'm doing something wrong.
You can also manually record videos (either via the SOS function or simply selecting record in the menu) and you can also take photographs, so that's a nice bonus.
Battery - the camera includes a rechargeable battery, but it does not last long if you do not keep the external power hooked up to it. I got less than an hour out of the battery, however the manufacturer does indicate that the battery is only for emergency file backup, so don't plan on using it without having it plugged into your 12v power.
Accessories - the camera comes packaged nicely and comes with a user manual in multiple languages. The system comes with the two cameras (front and back), two different mounts for the front camera (suction mount and tape mount) and a tape style mount for the rear camera, a 12v USB power cable that attaches to the camera and is plugged into your lighter (the plug includes a USB port on the top of it so that you can plug in another accessory like a phone charger at the same time which I thought was a nice touch) and an LED light indicates it is receiving power, two additional USB cables of different lengths, and a really long USB cable to attach the rear camera to the front.
The camera does not include a required micro SD card, but I bought a 32gb Sandisk one from Amazon for $7, so they are cheap enough to obtain. The camera supports up to a 128gb card.
Value for money - Many of the other cameras that I looked at from other manufacturers (including some of the other Apeman models) seem to offer similar quality at a lower price. I was originally going to buy one of Apeman's cheaper cameras, but opted for this one because it included the rear camera, seemed to have higher specs than their other models, and it was on sale via a "lightening deal". I'm not sure if it's worth the $120 that it normally sells for, but you will have to make up your own mind on that one and again, this is my first experience with a dash cam.
Verdict - Overall, I am happy enough with the system for the now, but given some of the things I listed above, I will not give it a perfect rating.
UPDATE: This company reached out to me soon after I wrote my original review (gave it 3 stars at that time) in order to address my concerns and issues with the camera. I am genuinely pleased that they took the time to speak with me about my review and because of that, I am upgrading my review to five stars to account for their outstanding customer service in addressing my concerns/issues.
Comes with two cameras, the 'brain' is all in the front camera that has the large and bright LCD screen, buttons, SD card, etc, and the rear camera which is small and light. The default settings work exactly how you'd expect, they start recording when you start the car, and stop when you stop. There are more features that I haven't explored fully yet, such as G-force sensitive recording, and resolution adjustments.
The video I included in this review is from the rear camera, which is because I left the protective film on the front one and the video was fuzzy, hahaha.
You will need to pay someone to hide the wires under your headliner, but in my opinion, this setup is completely worth that small install cost.
Feature Product
- 【ULTRA HD RESOLUTION】Single front camera provides you with a crystal clear WQHD 1440P at 30FPS video. 1080P dual lens in both front and rear cameras monitor the roads ahead and behind the car simultaneously in super clear definition. APEMAN Dash camera with 150°wide angle monitors all directions without visual blind zone which makes it clearer to view video.
- 【RECORD LONGER TIME VIDEO】Automatically overwrite the previous recordings with new files except locked files when the memory card is full. It supports 128 GB memory maximally and provides longer time recording than any other products.
- 【EMERGENCY ACCIDENT LOCK】G-sensor means the camera automatically detects shake or collision, then start recording what is happening. These videos will be locked and won't be overwritten by the loop recording feature. Keep you away from driving disputes.
- 【USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN】2.7-inch LCD widescreen, wide field of view, select picture-in-picture mode for real-time playback before and after road conditions. The four buttons on the right side make it feel more comfortable, easier to operate and have a long service life.
- 【PROFESSIONAL AFTER-SALES SERVICE】APEMAN customer service team provides you with the most efficient and professional after-sales service. Regardless of your questions or needs, please feel free to contact us and we will provide you with a solution within 24 hours. At the same time, all APEMAN products support a one-month free return, 12-month warranty. Quick contact：kt.support@apemans.com
Description
1440p & 1080p Dual Dash Camera
One of the highest resolution of Apeman dash cams with rear cam, comes with high quality video, super night vision, and powerful functions, the best companion in your driving journey, keep you and your car's safety.
Functions:
Motion Detection--Auto recording when detecting a motion, less power and less storage space to capture the crucial footage.
Parking Monitoring--Under Parking mode with power off, auto turning on and recording when detecting a vibration, to keep your car's safety.
Gravity Sensor--Detect significant or sudden movement and automatically lock files in the case of an event triggering the sensor.
Loop Recording--24 Hours Loop Recording, create video clips, automatically overwrite the oldest file to save the current file.
Specifications:
Screen Size: 2.7 inch FTF Color LCD Screen
Camera Lens: 150 degree Wide Angle Lens, Full 6G and IR sensor
Compact Mode: H. 264
Video Mode: MOV
Image Format: JPEG
Battery Capacity: 420 mAh / 3.7V
USB Port: USB 2.0
System: Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / 8 / MAC
TF Card: Micro TF card, Class 10, 32GB ( or below) (Not included)
Package:
1 X APEMAN C860 Dash Cam
1 X Rear Camera
1 X Suction Mount Stand
1 X 3M Adhesive Mount
3 X 3M Stickers
1 X Car Charger
1 X USB Cable
1 X Car Charger Cable
1 X Rear Camera Cable
Warm Tips:
1. The internal battery is for backup only. You need plug the car charger while use it;
2. Please format TF card on your dash cam before using;
3. TF card is not provided in the package.
SO happy I bought this Dashcam. I drive for UBER/LYFT and have heard about drivers being put in unsafe situations so wanted to get this dual camera setup to have video on both me and my client as well as on the road.
Surprisingly, I was pulled over and given a traffic ticket in a different county than the one that I was in. I was able to pull the HD video from my SD card and present it to a judge who dismissed my ticket.
I would advise anyone who drives professionally to buy this dual camera setup as a means of self-preservation. You never know what someone could accuse you of and when you'll need a video record to clear your name. There is tremendous liability driving in general, so even for normal people who are conscientious, this camera is a great idea.
A couple other pieces of feedback, the second camera has a very long black USB cable in case you need to extend it to the back windshield (as they recommend; I use it to show me (driver) and passengers). My only advise to people buying this camera: the seller does not include an SD card. In case you need that, the seller did email me about giving me a free one (not sure how long that promotion lasts), but you can also find them on Amazon.
I investigate traffic accidents for a living and m job gets a lot easier when I am able to have camera footage of an accident. A camera never sleeps and is always honest. I wish more people had dash cameras so when I was able to get my hands on this. I had this camera sitting in the box for a few days as I was waiting for decent weather to install this camera, but I could have honestly installed this camera in the cold as the install was a breeze. The hardware install is pretty simple if you have ever worked on a car. It requires a little bit of research and reading of your owner manual, but it provides such a clean installation that I would never go any other way. After successful install, we drove the car around a bit, typical trips to the store to visit family this weekend. I removed the memory card and placed it into this computer. The rear camera would be permanently installed to one vehicle as it is not as mobile as the front camera. Front and rear camera dash cam is a excellent camera and provides good wide range video quality for the front of the vehicle. The quality for rear camer is great. As for recording, the quality is pretty good for both day and night even thought I hadn't removed the plastic film that protects the lens. Overall this is a pretty good unit with a lot of capabilities and features.
The product is easy to install with the window suction. They are pretty strong and holds the front camera in place. I don't notice shakes on the video. I haven't tried wiring the rear camera yet and can't tell the quality of video on the rear. The front camera takes high resolution that when I play back the video, I can easily read out the car plates numbers which is very helpful during an accident. Also the high aperture camera takes good video at night but can be hard to read plate numbers on extremely dark areas.
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