Foxcesd Mini Dash Cam (16GB Card Included ) Review

Great little budget dash cam with some great features, my nephew passed his driving test last week and has just bought his first car so I said I would get him a dash cam and he was grateful but asked that I didn’t spend a fortune on it and got a little one he could fit behind the rear view mirror so this looked ideal.

It arrived in a plain flip top box with the dash cam in a little cellophane bag with a protector on the lens, it comes with a 16gb micro SD card another reason I purchased this one and unless you are storing up driving footage I find with my own 16GB more than adequate as it has loop recording which means it overwrites the oldest footage once the card is full, under the camera it had the windscreen fitting and two leads, one for fitting in the car and a USB to mini USB connector for transferring files to a desktop PC or laptop.

The instructions are very clear and easy to follow and I set it up indoors going through the menu settings via the button on the bottom right of the camera, apart from GPS tracking this camera had the exact same features as my dash cam which was well in excess of a hundred pounds and this was only £32.99 at the time of my purchase including the memory card.

I wanted to give all the features a good test before giving it to my nephew as he wanted me to go through how to use it with him and he had already purchased a fitting kit so I had offered to hard wire it in for him a very simple task with a kit and I would certainly recommend doing it, I tested the G-sensor with a bit of hard braking and it locked the files as it should, the wide angle recording quality is superb and captures everything both sides of the road including side roads and the paths. This camera is really small and sits perfectly behind the rear view mirror or down from it should you wish to view the screen, what I really like about the wide angle recording is you can locate the camera any place you like on the screen and you will capture everything.

I have added a video and will also add some pictures showing unboxing, going through the menu and then going on to show some day and night time recording both of which were crystal clear quality but you should be aware the quality does tend to degrade somewhat when uploaded through the optimisation system so it is not really a great representation of the quality of the live recording.

• -Ultra FHD 1080P Video Quality: This vehicle camera record maximum 1920*1080 Full HD Video at 30 frames per second with 1.5 inch compact LCD display, don't miss any interesting moments and any dangerous circumstances while driving.
• -Multi-function: G-sensor powers automatic video recording and video file locking when a collision or crash is detected. Loop recording support automatically record in loop the seamless video to use the memory efficiently, with the earliest unlocked video clips being overwritten when reaching the storage card's maximal capacity. No need to format SD card manually.
• -Wide Angle: Broad 140 degree field of view with grade high-resolution wide Angle lens can capture both sides of the road including side roads and paths, offer useful and requisite details when you zoom in. You shall not worry about shooting leakage along your way, providing comprehensive and superior recordings for future use.
• -Motion detection: The device is turned on and begins recording automatically with the engine ignition on and turned off automatically shortly after the engine is off. It will turn on and record automatically when a collision happens as well.
• -Support TF memory card (4 to 32GB), 16 GB TF Card included, more convenient and buy one get three. 1-YEAR WARRANTY service and professional customer service & technical support.

What I liked
*************
- Tiny and a very discreet dash cam
- Very good quality finishing on the camera with nice push silver buttons
- LCD screen quality is very clear
- Easy to navigate menu system with a multitude of features and settings
- Recording quality both day and night is superb with 140 degree wide angle recording
- Comes with a 16GB micro SD card so it’s ready to use straight out of the box with no additional purchases apart from a car :)
- The price is great

What I Didn’t Like
********************
- If I wanted to be really picky I would say the cigarette connector is the moulded type and I prefer the ones that plug in via a USB so you can have a different connector that takes multiple devices but this is going to be hard wired in so not really an issue

Summary
**********
Overall a cracking little budget dash cam that has the features and settings of a expensive camera, has great recording quality and is ready to use straight out of the box and I have given it a full five stars. If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £32.99
PRODUCT LINK

APEMAN Dash Cam With 1080P FHD 170°Wide Angle WDR Camera

This dash cam arrived in a nice black branded box with the camera part in a separate black box with removable protectors on both the front and back screen and protected with bubble wrap, the second box contained the manual, a short and long mini USB charging cable, cigarette adapter and a choice of two fitting mounts.

This has a nice glass display screen rather than the plastic ones on a lot of dash cams, I think it depends on your preference and always a bit of a trade-off, with the smaller more covert dash cams you have a tiny display but are easier to tuck behind the rear view mirror and forget about but then you are not able to see the live footage or the larger screen ones good for live footage. This is a bit in between the two, the screen is small but it has a very clear glass display so can go behind the rear view mirror or in a more visible area for viewing.

After giving the manual a good read through it was time to set it up, I added a video going through the menu with day time and night time driving, using the mini HDMI socket you are able to display to a TV screen or monitor which I did and recorded it going through the menu, please forgive the picture being slightly at an angle on the menu and you should also note the video will degrade when uploaded due to Amazons optimisation process with the original footage being of far higher quality. The menu system is very simple to navigate and most of the options are self-explanatory or fully explained in the manual.

This comes with two different types of fitting system, a windscreen sucker fitting system or a base that fits to the dashboard of your car, I decided to fit it with the sucker system although with the wide angle recording you can fit it just about any place you like on the screen and it will capture everything, in the video I show some motorway driving and you have a full view of all lanes including the hard shoulder.

The record quality is superb and I have grabbed a couple of screen shot which give a better idea of the quality, I tested the parking monitor by rocking the car and that kicked in and worked well, I also tested the G-sensor function with some hard breaking which also worked very well and the linking it up to your TV or monitor works great although you should be aware you need a mini HDMI to normal HDMI lead to do this (not supplied).

• High Definition The FHD 1080P definition providing high resolution video,with the superior G-sensor function, supporting insurance claims to prove an incident, preventing disputes.
• Excellent Functions The parking monitor can record a urgent video when it detect movement on the shut down mode and the motion detection helps you to record the video automatically when it detects motion and the loop recording helps you to save the latest video when the SD card is full, avoid data missing.
• Advanced Features The 3 inch LCD allows you to view the clear and bright video in the camera, the 170 wide viewing angle allows you to shooting a wider vision video.
• Qualified guarantee With built-in Lithium Polymer battery, the dash cam can perform better. Both Car charging or USB charging is available for the power supply.
• Easy to use It is easy to use with the external buttons, suitable for all families. When you meet urgent problem you can press the emergency save button to lock the video. Support 4G-32G TF card.

What I liked
************
- Easy to navigate menu system
- A mass of different options and features
- Very high quality footage
- Comes well packed and protected in a bespoke branded box
- Very clear and easy to follow manual
- G-sensor works very well and is adjustable
- Good clear glass display screen
- HDMI output socket
- Wide angle recording

What I Didn’t Like
******************
- The manual could do with being larger print but being really picky with that and more an observation than a flaw as it’s easy to follow.

Summary
**********
Overall this is a very nice dash cam with very high quality capture, loads of features and functions, the glass screen gives a very nice and clear display and with the wide angle recording you can fit this any place you want to on the screen. If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £54.99

PRODUCT LINK

TOGUARD Dual Lens Dash Cam front and rear recording ATST

This arrived in a very nice box rather than the generic brown box you often get so it was clear from the start attention to detail was taken right through to packaging and presentation, after unpacking I gave the manuals a good read, these are very clear and easy to follow with illustrations breaking down all the functions and features all being in English only and no mixed languages between text.

The camera screen is about the same size as an iPhone 5 and is glass, some cameras have plastic screens which I find don’t quite give the crisp display glass does, the menu system is very easy to follow and set up and it has an inbuilt battery but as is normal this is a reserve or emergency battery only and the camera needs to be powered when in use.

The rear camera is a small spy type camera that plugs into the top of the main camera and has a good length cable so you are able to take it to the back of the car with no problem concealing the wire, once powered you get a picture in picture display on screen so you can monitor the rear view while driving.

I found the front recorded footage very good and clear and with the wide angle you capture everything both sides of the road including the paths and side roads, I was especially impressed with the quality of the night vision.

It separates the front footage from the rear footage in giving the rear footage the same by naming them for example 2017_0412_203735_005A.MOV and 2017_0412_203735_005B.MOV so very easy to find the corresponding rear footage. The rear camera as stated records at 720*480P and is a small basic camera so does not give the high quality of the front camera but is clear enough should it be needed and performs very well as a monitor picture in picture.

I have uploaded some recorded footage of the menus, front and rear camera day footage along with front and rear camera night time footage, please note the footage is somewhat degraded when uploaded to Amazon due to their compression and optimisation so the original footage is of far better quality.

• Full 1920*1080P HD recording at a smooth 30 FPS with 4 LED lights 720*480P rear camera to ensure high quality image even at night.The rear cam video quality require good light surroundings.
• 4 inch IPS big screen with low illuminition 2.0 large aperture lens help you to watch the video recording when driving. Taking photos by pressing the "down" button.
• G-Sensor enabled recording occurs as soon as any sudden braking, impact, rapid acceleration or sharp cornering occurs. WDR functions eliminates glare and dimming. Also supports motion detection, parking monitoring.
• This dash cam comes with 130 degree wide angle and 6 infrared filter glass lens. Built in 500mAh polymer battery. Maximum supports 32G micro SD card(ABOVE CLASS 10) for storage.
• Please note: This camera doesn't support FCWS and LDWS due to new firmware.

What I liked
*************
- Very high quality footage
- Good clear glass display screen
- Easy to navigate menu system
- A mass of different options and features
- Very clear and easy to follow all English manuals
- G-sensor works very well and is adjustable
- Wide angle recording

What I Didn’t Like
********************
- More an observation that a dislike as it’s specifications are clearly stated but the rear view camera gives a very basic recording and if you wanted or required better I think it would really require a second separate system.

Summary
**********
Overall this is a very nice dash cam that gives superb footage, the glass screen gives a very clear display with the picture in picture rear view camera, the dash cam has a multitude of features and functions with a very easy to use menu system. If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £59.99
PRODUCT LINK

CACAGOO CA07 Car DVR Dashboard Dash Cam

This really is a cracking little dash cam, it arrived in a nice custom box with a foam cut out to hold the camera with protective plastic over the screens with all the leads and manual in the bottom. I was really surprised how small it was so after giving it a full charge it was time to give it a test, I already had a 32 gig micro SD card ready so after inserting that I switched it on.

This comes with a multitude of settings so I had a good read through the manual before setting it up and decided to start with 1920* 1080p 45fps with a 3 minutes loop although I have since tested all the other modes these are the settings for this video I have attached, setting it up is fairly simple just cycling and selecting through the onscreen menu. I clipped in the suction holder and fixed it into the car. What I really like about this is the wide angle lens, it makes it so you can fit it virtually any place on your windscreen and get a full wide angle of the road and the paths including side roads so everything is captured.

When I returned I plugged the camera into the computer and transferred the videos, you could of course just remove the micro SD card and use a card reader if you wished, the quality of the videos was superb with very crisp and clear sound quality. I have taken some screen grabs from the videos as the video I have uploaded will not show the true quality due to the optimisation on upload so they hopefully give a clearer representation. I tested the video locking that worked as it should, the motion detect seems to work flawlessly instantly starting the recording as soon as I started the car.

• Super HD - The dash cam with 170°wide angle and HD 1296p, Full HD 1080p and HDR 1080p to clearly capture journey memories or evidences of traffic accident.
• Equipped with video processor - an Ambarella A7L chipset, which ensures higher stability on seamless recording.
• Loop Recording - Enable seamless loop recording and automatically overwrite the oldest video files with the newest when reaching the memory card's maximal capacity (64GB). Please note that TF cards are not included.
• Emergency Video Recording and Locking: Automatically or manually record and lock videos before or after collisions or crashes. Locked files won't be deleted from loop recording.
• Easy Operation: start and stop video capturing with car ignition. After turning on the parking mode and G-sensor, the DVR detects motion and starts recordings automatically in parking mode.

What I liked
*************
- Wide angle view recording
- Ability to place the camera virtually any place on the windscreen
- Nice and compact
- Superb quality
- Start and stop video capturing with car ignition
- Emergency and manual video lock ability
-  Multitude of video resolution settings
- Easy navigation menu
- Auto power off and park mode

What I Didn’t Like
******************
- I normally have something to add to this but I really haven’t found anything to put here I don’t like

Summary
***********
This is a really nice dash cam with a multitude of options and features giving excellent quality recordings.

Price: £79.99

PRODUCT LINK