My camera arrived today - unfortunately I was forced to buy it off Ebay. I have completed a quick 10 minute test & I am really impressed with the quality of the video - better than DVD quality! Because I bought it off Ebay, I now have the problem of downloading the appropriate software for the English language. My camera is 100% Korean. Your camera review & instructions have helped tremendously - many thanks for your time in putting this review together. Sincerely, JA.
Best review I've seen. You sold me. I'm retired, so waiting 45 seconds isn't a problem.It takes me longer than 45 seconds to get going. The camera quality is worth the money. I like the size and how well it tucks up under the mirror. I don't want anything on the dash. That's to obvious. I look forward to your next reviews. Good job my friend.
Great review! Thank you for doing a detailed thorough review. People who are interested don't care how long the video is. To help against theft I disassembled my unit and spray-painted the case flat black to make it less noticeable. It was only a few simple screws behind the rubber plugs that are easily taken off with the help of a pin or needle. It turned out great! I also used black gaffer tape and covered up the LEDs from the inside of the unit before reassembling it. Now I have z
Absolutely excellent and compact review. Yes, it is a long review, but this cam' has a lot of features to highlight. I enjoyed every minute - well done!
Thanks for taking the time to put together this review and give all the detail! Added to my list of potential candidates, still searching for others... FYI your audio/video seems a little out of sync...
Very comprehensive review. I thought 25 mins would be too long but no..especially when you are spending close to $300 its best to know the unit is the right one. I live in Australia and am getting mine from Amazon, screw paying $500 here...we get ripped on everything !! Thanks for the review!! Cheers
Great review. May be worth adding blackvue to the video title, as I missed it when I first did a search on youtube and only found it through a weblink after a good half hour of browsing.
really good review, i just get one today from korea and i paid 203.00 with standard shipping i like the option that you can watch the videos on you android phone , thanks for upload this video
I was hoping you would show two more things: 1. Routing the power cable. Is it a messy installation? 2. How easy is it to remove, such as when you want to stash it on hot days?
Yeah that's definitely looking hazy. As a quick check, are your windows nice and clear ? If they are clean your lens might not have been focused correctly. When the camera body is opened the lens actually screws down to focus, I would contact your seller with the uploaded video you made and see what they can do to get your device either replaced or fixed.
thanks for a detailed and thorough review. do you think you can do a follow up with the DR400G-II? i'm curious on a comparison: the improvements and/or changes with version 2. i'm hoping they incorporated the functionality of that parking mode accessory 'power magic' into the unit and that it would be more durable in hot climates.
Very Good Review. I had a wreck in December, my fault I hit him in the rear end, but still would have loved to have a dash camera to see what happened. I saw the other driver, yesterday, wearing a neck brace and using a walker so it makes me wonder if wrecks are his job now. I looked away during rain and slide into him.
Good Review.... Learned Alot Of Things. But I Looked At The Review After I Bought It. LoL. But ALOT Of People Told Me It Was A Awesome Dash Cam. Can't Wait To Get Mine..
excellent and thorough review! I am currently in the market for a car camera. However, I am looking for something within the ~$100 dollar range. I look forward to more videos and any suggestions you have
really well done. Wondering it you have a recommendation for a camera best for surveillance. I've had my tires slashed recently and wondering what would best capture these activities which could happen at any corner of my car?
Great review. I have one of those Chinese cams with front and back mounted cameras. Its alright, but the vid quality isnt clear. I like the options available for the Pittasoft Blackvue DR400G-HD, esp the motion detection mode. What would you recommend with dual cameras (front and back) with gps and with the same options, discrete design and video quality as this one.
great review, long as hell though. If there is one thing I want is a stealth video camera that is imbedded in the rear view mirror. The mount is there already. you don't have to remove the video camera, don't have to run wires because most modern rear view mirrors already have a power source to them from the factory. Write to solid state HD's, sealed backup power source. There is a company that made motorcycle batteries that were sealed. Almost like a modern day LoJack.
Hi Andrew- great review, thanks! I just received the DR400G-HD II and can't wait to install it in my car. One concern, when I go into setting to re-adjust the time zones, it will not save. Any suggestions? Regards, pz
what a great review.as a truck driver i am looking for something to protect me.i was also looking at the Zetronix zBlackBox-500HD.was wondering if you could see if that one is any good?thanks again for a great review
It's the newer blackvue drg400 hdII, with the latest firmware I think i figured it out though.. the shock sensor is just really sensitive so it triggers the event recording mode frequently - and when it does that it seems to have a 1 or 2 second overlap. Ive not set it to the least sensitive setting, but it would be good if they had an option to completely turn off the event recordings
When in parking mode (motion detect) the camera is constantly running, it just doesn't store anything permanently unless the motion detection algorithm decides there's something going on worth storing. So the startup time is not applicable since it never actually shuts down.
Great detail review. Excellent job. Because these things changes so frequently, and you always want to get the newer and the best one, can you please review a cheaper dash cam that can be ordered on ebay for less than $100? Thanks!
If you wire it directly into the fusebox so it will work in parking mode won't that disable the feature of having it turn on and record without any manual intervention when the car is started? Do you have to push the button on the end to start and stop it each time you go driving then?
If it takes a microSD card and plays HD video it's compatible. Unfortunately iPhones don't have a card slot. If you aren't able to show video roadside you may have to address these matters at the police station or even court. Depending on severity it may be wise to contact legal counsel before talking to police to avoid accidentally incriminating oneself. Would you mind doing a quick q&a on your roadside experience? I would love to get stories where having a camera made all the difference.
Great review! It really helped me out with me DR400G-HD camera I got, but the problem is its in Korean (which I don't understand). Could you please tell me how I can switch to english? I tired to do it but got lost in the Korean settings. Thanks!
Thank you for this great review. It seems to be a real cool install-and-forget device, so drivers won't miss great journeys (or great accidents). But I'm wondering about two things: Is the effective speed archived into the video stream? That could be annoying because we do have some roads with a speed limit here in Germany. And second: How comes that there is a limit of two hours for a 16 GB storage card. Is there no video compressor used (like h264)? Anyway: it's cool and I'll buy it. Thanks!
Thanks for the reviews, I just subscribed, I actually ordered the blackvue few months ago, since I use to have few cams before, this was by far the best in video quality, shape, everything. Unfortunately it not working anymore, it keeps on turning off and on randomly by itself and when I go to check the SD card there's nothing there. I might send it back since it's under warranty but it gonna cost me some fees, I do recommend it though I was going to order another one for .. tbc (1/2)
When you turn the side LED off in the options does it also turn the status lights off on the back? What about while driving and recording does it have the option to turn all lights off. I would like to keep the camera as stealth as possible so no one really notices and so it will not be stolen.
Hey man, I bought the camera after watching your review. Very well done btw. Unfortunately mine came with a blank SD card which means I cannot install the PC viewer. I tried looking for the installation file but cannot find it anywhere online. Do you have any ideas? I would hate to have to return the camera... Thanks, Dmitry
A number of reviewers on Amazon dot com gave this model only 1 star because they said it overheats and only works in Korean but yours seems to be using English and you never mentioned overheating so how did you overcome these problems?
Just received a DR400G-HD Version II. Was hoping you could help me load the English version of the firmware. The seller I went with hasn't sent me the English version of the firmware and manual.
Good job on the review but..... Is this dash cam good for smi trucks? If you have other recommendation for heavy duty smi trucks please let me know. Thank you.
did you had to send your old one back to them. And do you know where they're from? I bought mine from Ebay(S. Korea) and I had to pay $20 for custom. So it wouldn't make sense if I have to pay for shipping and custom again.
it's about 4 inches in length and 2 in width, it's really light so it holds well. Just Mount it on top of the windscreen next to the mirror, and it wont be visible at all.
The only disadvantage I see to this camera is lack of a rear camera as well. I want a camera that is able to record front and back at the same time, as I like to be fully covered in both directions. The rear option is only available on one consumer model that I noticed, or else you have to start looking at police cameras, which can be several thousand dollars. Other than that, it's perfect.
hi and thanks for that great review.. have you tried out the new BlackVue DR500GW-HD? or have you heard anything about it? please let me know, cheers :)
(2/2) my other car but thought this time I want a cam with a double view (front and back), I got a DVR with a wired rear camera but the quality is no match to the Blackvue, any recommendation for what I'm looking for?
hey man! i need your expertees pls. i need a dash cam thats decent (performance and price) and runs mostly on batteries ( not plugged in if only to recharge). any recommendations? you rock dude! thanks!
I have been looking around and am looking for a camera that I don't have to plug in all the time and ideally is integrated with my new 2012 Camry. I wouldn't mind spending a little more money on it. Any suggestions?
Hi, I have a blackvue and one thing ive noticed the clips overlap a few seconds This is really frustrating trying to export them (i have to do that for each little clip) and then merge them together with a program - but the clips overlap in between! am i missing something? or is there a work around at least?
Hey, If you want a really good YT channel then you need to comment on people asking questions. With that said. Could you include the voltage for the dashcam. Thanks
Will this act as an "inside the car, rear-mounting, rear "viewing" camera? - Either Back window mounted, or velcro for "car-carpet" mounting available? - Audio is not necessary for this application!
+Emil Borchert Yes you could. Pittasoft normally includes a 12.5" cable. I would make sure it's long enough to reach your rear windshield. Otherwise you would have to buy your own cable. You'll also need a "power bar" for your cigarette adapter. The other option is to get the dual channel Blackvue DR650. It's more expensive but makes installation easier.
My camera arrived today - unfortunately I was forced to buy it off Ebay. I have completed a quick 10 minute test & I am really impressed with the quality of the video - better than DVD quality!
Because I bought it off Ebay, I now have the problem of downloading the appropriate software for the English language. My camera is 100% Korean.
Your camera review & instructions have helped tremendously - many thanks for your time in putting this review together.
Sincerely,
JA.
Buddy you have done such a good job at reviewing this camera. It's hard to imagine how it could be improved. Thanks for doing such a great job.
Best review I've seen. You sold me. I'm retired, so waiting 45 seconds isn't a problem.It takes me longer than 45 seconds to get going. The camera quality is worth the money.
I like the size and how well it tucks up under the mirror. I don't want anything on the dash. That's to obvious.
I look forward to your next reviews. Good job my friend.
Great review! Thank you for doing a detailed thorough review. People who are interested don't care how long the video is.
To help against theft I disassembled my unit and spray-painted the case flat black to make it less noticeable. It was only a few simple screws behind the rubber plugs that are easily taken off with the help of a pin or needle. It turned out great! I also used black gaffer tape and covered up the LEDs from the inside of the unit before reassembling it. Now I have z
Absolutely excellent and compact review. Yes, it is a long review, but this cam' has a lot of features to highlight. I enjoyed every minute - well done!
Thanks for taking the time to put together this review and give all the detail! Added to my list of potential candidates, still searching for others... FYI your audio/video seems a little out of sync...
Very comprehensive review. I thought 25 mins would be too long but no..especially when you are spending close to $300 its best to know the unit is the right one. I live in Australia and am getting mine from Amazon, screw paying $500 here...we get ripped on everything !!
Thanks for the review!!
Cheers
Great review. It convinced me to purchase the Blackvue DR400. Just ordered it from Amazon, thanks for all the information.
Excellent, well detailed review! That camera's got a lot more to it than I imagined!
DR400G-HD II I just got it on ebay for $159.00, plugged it in and works great! Comes with everything!
Excellent review. You speak very well, which is a pleasant change from most yt videos. :)
Great review. May be worth adding blackvue to the video title, as I missed it when I first did a search on youtube and only found it through a weblink after a good half hour of browsing.
really good review, i just get one today from korea and i paid 203.00 with standard shipping i like the option that you can watch the videos on you android phone , thanks for upload this video
I was hoping you would show two more things: 1. Routing the power cable. Is it a messy installation? 2. How easy is it to remove, such as when you want to stash it on hot days?
Yeah that's definitely looking hazy. As a quick check, are your windows nice and clear ? If they are clean your lens might not have been focused correctly. When the camera body is opened the lens actually screws down to focus, I would contact your seller with the uploaded video you made and see what they can do to get your device either replaced or fixed.
thanks for a detailed and thorough review.
do you think you can do a follow up with the DR400G-II? i'm curious on a comparison: the improvements and/or changes with version 2. i'm hoping they incorporated the functionality of that parking mode accessory 'power magic' into the unit and that it would be more durable in hot climates.
Very Good Review. I had a wreck in December, my fault I hit him in the rear end, but still would have loved to have a dash camera to see what happened. I saw the other driver, yesterday, wearing a neck brace and using a walker so it makes me wonder if wrecks are his job now. I looked away during rain and slide into him.
Good Review.... Learned Alot Of Things. But I Looked At The Review After I Bought It. LoL.
But ALOT Of People Told Me It Was A Awesome Dash Cam.
Can't Wait To Get Mine..
excellent and thorough review! I am currently in the market for a car camera. However, I am looking for something within the ~$100 dollar range. I look forward to more videos and any suggestions you have
really well done. Wondering it you have a recommendation for a camera best for surveillance. I've had my tires slashed recently and wondering what would best capture these activities which could happen at any corner of my car?
Thank you very much. I'll remember. I think having one day change is not a luxury but a necessity.
Great review. I have one of those Chinese cams with front and back mounted cameras. Its alright, but the vid quality isnt clear. I like the options available for the Pittasoft Blackvue DR400G-HD, esp the motion detection mode. What would you recommend with dual cameras (front and back) with gps and with the same options, discrete design and video quality as this one.
Can you make a tutorial/review on how the "Power Magic PRO" works? and how to use it?
Thank you!
great review, long as hell though. If there is one thing I want is a stealth video camera that is imbedded in the rear view mirror. The mount is there already. you don't have to remove the video camera, don't have to run wires because most modern rear view mirrors already have a power source to them from the factory.
Write to solid state HD's, sealed backup power source. There is a company that made motorcycle batteries that were sealed. Almost like a modern day LoJack.
Hi Andrew- great review, thanks! I just received the DR400G-HD II and can't wait to install it in my car. One concern, when I go into setting to re-adjust the time zones, it will not save. Any suggestions? Regards, pz
Great review, thanks for taking the time to give valuable input.
what a great review.as a truck driver i am looking for something to protect me.i was also looking at the Zetronix zBlackBox-500HD.was wondering if you could see if that one is any good?thanks again for a great review
GREAT REVIEW. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
Excellent Review, covered everything needed and very clearly, Thank you
It's the newer blackvue drg400 hdII, with the latest firmware
I think i figured it out though.. the shock sensor is just really sensitive so it triggers the event recording mode frequently - and when it does that it seems to have a 1 or 2 second overlap. Ive not set it to the least sensitive setting, but it would be good if they had an option to completely turn off the event recordings
When in parking mode (motion detect) the camera is constantly running, it just doesn't store anything permanently unless the motion detection algorithm decides there's something going on worth storing. So the startup time is not applicable since it never actually shuts down.
Have you seen the size of the Dash Witness? Don't fancy that on my windscreen.
Great review! The best I have seen. Thanks!
Good review! Could you also review the Xdreme 1080p Action Camera also called the HT200A? Thanks.
Whats with the bootup time? 45 seconds is actually quite long for a camera these days. Did that ever get improved?
Great detail review. Excellent job. Because these things changes so frequently, and you always want to get the newer and the best one, can you please review a cheaper dash cam that can be ordered on ebay for less than $100? Thanks!
If you wire it directly into the fusebox so it will work in parking mode won't that disable the feature of having it turn on and record without any manual intervention when the car is started? Do you have to push the button on the end to start and stop it each time you go driving then?
Great video review, I will keep this in mind for a dash cam on my new vehicle.
If it takes a microSD card and plays HD video it's compatible. Unfortunately iPhones don't have a card slot.
If you aren't able to show video roadside you may have to address these matters at the police station or even court. Depending on severity it may be wise to contact legal counsel before talking to police to avoid accidentally incriminating oneself.
Would you mind doing a quick q&a on your roadside experience? I would love to get stories where having a camera made all the difference.
Great review! It really helped me out with me DR400G-HD camera I got, but the problem is its in Korean (which I don't understand). Could you please tell me how I can switch to english? I tired to do it but got lost in the Korean settings. Thanks!
Great stuff. Looking forward to the magicbox voltage thing review.
Awesome review, very professional. Cheers.
Thank you for this great review. It seems to be a real cool install-and-forget device, so drivers won't miss great journeys (or great accidents).
But I'm wondering about two things: Is the effective speed archived into the video stream? That could be annoying because we do have some roads with a speed limit here in Germany.
And second: How comes that there is a limit of two hours for a 16 GB storage card. Is there no video compressor used (like h264)?
Anyway: it's cool and I'll buy it. Thanks!
Thanks for the reviews, I just subscribed, I actually ordered the blackvue few months ago, since I use to have few cams before, this was by far the best in video quality, shape, everything. Unfortunately it not working anymore, it keeps on turning off and on randomly by itself and when I go to check the SD card there's nothing there. I might send it back since it's under warranty but it gonna cost me some fees, I do recommend it though I was going to order another one for .. tbc (1/2)
When you turn the side LED off in the options does it also turn the status lights off on the back? What about while driving and recording does it have the option to turn all lights off. I would like to keep the camera as stealth as possible so no one really notices and so it will not be stolen.
Hey man,
I bought the camera after watching your review. Very well done btw. Unfortunately mine came with a blank SD card which means I cannot install the PC viewer. I tried looking for the installation file but cannot find it anywhere online. Do you have any ideas? I would hate to have to return the camera...
Thanks,
Dmitry
9.43 - what's the camera? Liked the dual front and back facing lens.
Good job on the review man , like other people if you know of a good camera for semi trucks , please review iiii .
Any news on the V2 ? Will we see a review soon ? :-)
Very informative and very good review,thank you for helping me to make up my mind.
A number of reviewers on Amazon dot com gave this model only 1 star because they said it overheats and only works in Korean but yours seems to be using English and you never mentioned overheating so how did you overcome these problems?
Can you please do a review for DR350 of Blackvue?
Could you review the iTronics iPass ITB-100HD and compare the two?
Just received a DR400G-HD Version II. Was hoping you could help me load the English version of the firmware. The seller I went with hasn't sent me the English version of the firmware and manual.
Great job on the review!
sorry i could not watch the whole video, so dose it need to be connected to the power supply by a cable, or it has a chargeable battery, thanks
What am I missing here?At 3:45 you say "there is no audio transmitted. it's video only"And at 13:08 you're testing the audio.
thanks for the in depth review. im buying the camera
Good job on the review but..... Is this dash cam good for smi trucks? If you have other recommendation for heavy duty smi trucks please let me know. Thank you.
did you had to send your old one back to them. And do you know where they're from? I bought mine from Ebay(S. Korea) and I had to pay $20 for custom. So it wouldn't make sense if I have to pay for shipping and custom again.
I would appreciate if you could review the following dash cams:
Itronics ITB-100HD
FineVu CR-500HD
Great review thx. One of my neighbors is scratching my car I need a camera with motion sensor and about 8 hrs of battery life what do you recommend ?
it's about 4 inches in length and 2 in width, it's really light so it holds well. Just Mount it on top of the windscreen next to the mirror, and it wont be visible at all.
I have squaretrade on my tv and dual camera DVR. Haven't used it yet
why do you recomend leaving the recording time at 1 minute? woudlnt that create a huge number of files?
Could you please provide full lens unit specification?
Please
I need to replace my lens unit.
Thanks for the awesome review!
Fantastic review, thank you! I wish it had a microUSB charger though, so you could get a custom length microUSB cable and use a USB car charger.
does it record video when the car is parked? I need to find out who is putting pictures in my front window at night...
The only disadvantage I see to this camera is lack of a rear camera as well. I want a camera that is able to record front and back at the same time, as I like to be fully covered in both directions. The rear option is only available on one consumer model that I noticed, or else you have to start looking at police cameras, which can be several thousand dollars.
Other than that, it's perfect.
hi and thanks for that great review.. have you tried out the new BlackVue DR500GW-HD?
or have you heard anything about it? please let me know, cheers :)
(2/2) my other car but thought this time I want a cam with a double view (front and back), I got a DVR with a wired rear camera but the quality is no match to the Blackvue, any recommendation for what I'm looking for?
hey man! i need your expertees pls. i need a dash cam thats decent (performance and price) and runs mostly on batteries ( not plugged in if only to recharge). any recommendations? you rock dude! thanks!
can it be powered by batteries while the car is off in case anyone damaging the car? and if it does then how many hours can it record?
I have been looking around and am looking for a camera that I don't have to plug in all the time and ideally is integrated with my new 2012 Camry. I wouldn't mind spending a little more money on it. Any suggestions?
Quick question, when the memory card is formatted does all the camera settings go to default?
Can you tell me the size of the power lead? I would like to know if i can use a USB power lead instead of the cigarette lighter power lead.
hey
does this camera have a built in battery? ,also is it start record when you start your engine?
Hi, I have a blackvue and one thing ive noticed the clips overlap a few seconds
This is really frustrating trying to export them (i have to do that for each little clip) and then merge them together with a program - but the clips overlap in between!
am i missing something? or is there a work around at least?
is it possible not to record the date ?
By the way, I liked the forum idea, I registered there too, good luck
Hi Andrew, what brand is that dual lens cam u have at 09:45? I can't seem to find your review of it. Thanks.
Great video and very informative. Personally I just use my Samsung galaxy S3 with a screen mount which has a hole in the back so I can use the camera.
Hey, If you want a really good YT channel then you need to comment on people asking questions.
With that said.
Could you include the voltage for the dashcam. Thanks
Is there a camera worth in the range of $ 50 to $ 80 dollars that you recommend me?
I have 20% tint brow on my windshield. Will the camera be OK at night?
Thanks for a great review
Nice review well done
Software setup can only be performed with a PC or Android device? I guess Apple isn't too popular in Korea :)
Should I buy an actual dashcam or should I use 2 gopros?
I wonder in how many years until the dr400, 550, 650 becomes cheap to buy.
How do you aim the camera without a screen during mounting?
where we gonna buy it. i am in toronto. what store name or shop. thanks
Will this act as an "inside the car, rear-mounting, rear "viewing" camera? - Either Back window mounted, or velcro for "car-carpet" mounting available? - Audio is not necessary for this application!
Hi.
In my experience I need a two channel cam. Whats the best one out?
Thanks
AL
is there anyway to turn the voice off?
whats the best cheapest car cam? im looking to spend no more then $80
Could you get a 2nd one and mount it to the rear windshield and run a front and rear camera?
+Emil Borchert Yes you could. Pittasoft normally includes a 12.5" cable. I would make sure it's long enough to reach your rear windshield. Otherwise you would have to buy your own cable.
You'll also need a "power bar" for your cigarette adapter.
The other option is to get the dual channel Blackvue DR650. It's more expensive but makes installation easier.
hai I LIKE THIS......
WHERE THIS BUY THIS....I AM FROM QATAR.....
nice review , good job