(^1) BlackVue DR900S-2CH
Superb quality and dripping with features, but you’ll pay
a lot to make the most of it.
$770, http://www.blackvue.com
BlackVue’s DR900S is very much the
premium product in this month’s test
thanks to its 4K resolution, elaborate
features, and eye-watering price tag. The
barrel-shaped camera looks very
sophisticated and will subsequently suit
more-swanky cars. Setup requires an
elaborate process of connecting via an
app and your smartphone’s Wi-Fi, but
it’s relatively straightforward. Because
there’s no screen, your phone will be the
primary way of accessing settings and
videos although everything is still stored
on an internal SD card.
Primary video is easily the best on test
thanks to its 3,840 x 2,160 resolution,
which contributes to the very wide
168o-viewing angle. The rear camera is
Full HD but still very crisp and clear.
Contrast is also very good and it handled
scenes with simultaneous bright and
dark areas very well. Low-light
performance was excellent and audio
was particularly high quality.
Blackvue is the only manufacturer to
have “Desert-tested” its camera for
overheating, which will please those
who drive in the hotter parts of
the country.
Despite the image quality, the price is
exorbitant if this is all you’re looking for,
but Blackvue goes above and beyond... if
you’re prepared to pay even more.
You can also buy additional parking
kits (and batteries) which keep the
camera operating when you’re away.
These can enable constant motion-
detection-based recording in addition to
impact recording. However, the pièce de
résistance is Blackvue’s cloud service,
which allow the camera to be connected
to a Wi-Fi Hotspot (yet another expense)
and accessed over the cloud. A free plan
allows you to access 10 minutes of Live
View each day, replay 100 videos per
month and store 5GB of data, which is
plenty for personal use. However, the
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and you can monitor the location of up to
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any of them.
Naturally, much of this is overkill for
most, casual dashcam buyers, but if your
car’s your pride and joy the added
security will bring high-value peace
of mind.
(^2) Dashmate DSH-922 Dual
Channel FHD Dash Camera
Great value and great design,
but its predecessor gives us
pause for thought.
$275, http://www.dashmate.com.au
Dashmate’s DSH-922 is brand new –
which is a good thing considering its
predecessor did not have a good
reputation. It looks near-identical to the
very expensive Blackvue thanks to a
similar chassis and has a similar setup
and mode of operation, but the lens and
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motion-sensing features are missing,
but this makes it more straightforward
to operate. We’re not great fans of not
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less cheap than other competitors,
which snazzy car owners will care about.
Video quality is very good thanks to
high contrast and sharp Full HD footage.
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important action and logs the GPS
location. Frankly, it’s our pick of the
bunch in terms of features, quality and
value. However, we want more time with
it to establish that the reliability issues
that plagued the previous version
have been eradicated before we
recommend it.
FEATURE
Best Dashcams for Australian drivers
2020
EDITOR’S
CHOICE
2020
EDITOR’S
CHOICE
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singke
(singke)
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