Blog - Page 5 of 6 - Car Camera Shop

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Our guide to parking protection with real life footage

Parking protection is a popular feature on many dash cams but we’re often asked, just exactly, “what is it?” Does it help you park the car into a tight space? Does it record whilst you’re parked? Read on for our beginners guide to parking protection or watch our video for an overview by the lovely Katie.

If you’ve ever returned to your car in a car park and noticed a dent in the door or even worse, dented and scratched panels, you’ll immediately see the benefit parking protections can bring.

In a nutshell, parking protection is a mode on the camera which continues to record whilst you have parked and left your car. When the camera detects movement in front using motion detection or a shock using a built-in g-sensor, it will record and lock a file so you can play it back later should you need to.

If you’re new to car cameras, they use loop recording so that when the memory card fills up it starts to over-write the oldest footage first, to keep the camera recording. However, a locked file is a video file which won’t get over-written when the card fills up. Generally speaking, parking protection video files are locked so you don’t lose the footage after a few hours of driving. Many cameras also lock files when you experience a sudden change in direction or shock.

Depending on the camera, they usually save the video around 30 seconds before and after the motion/shock was detected. This ensures you have enough video of what happened at the time of the incident. Most cameras will automatically enter into parking protection mode after a few minutes without moving or when the car ignition is switched off but some require you to press a button to manually turn on parking protection mode as you leave your car parked.

Parking protection gives you peace of mind that if your vehicle is damaged when parked up, you can identify and bring the guilty person to justice and avoid claiming on your car insurance or paying for the repairs yourself. The footage can be used for tracking the driver down with the DVLA, making an insurance claim, or reporting the incident to the police. Of course, there is no guarantee that you’ll capture the culprit on camera but you never know. We know at first had how important parking protection can be – check out this video from a camera installed in one of our cars:

For cameras with multiple lenses such as a BlackVue DR550 or the Mi-Witness, the motion detection works for both the front and rear of the car and both angles are recorded and locked for playback later. This can help improve the chances of recording the incident and finding the person at fault.

For parking protection to work effectively, you will need a permanent power supply to the camera rather than connecting via the cigarette lighter socket. Some cameras do have internal batteries but at best they’ll only last an hour, so your recording time will be limited. By hard-wiring the camera to the car battery using one of the hard-wiring kits available you’ll be able to provide permanent power to the camera whilst protecting the battery from discharge.

Depending on where you park, the camera may record lots of footage so you will need to be mindful that the memory card doesn’t fill up with locked files. Some cameras will simply stop recording and others will start to overwrite the oldest locked files first so make sure to check the camera regularly and unlock any files which you do not need.

To sum up, parking protection offers video surveillance around the car when the camera detects movement or shock which can be vital in giving you the evidence you need should something happen to your car whilst parked up. There are lots of camera which offer parking protection so browse our full range of dash cams with parking protection.

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

BlackVue DR550GW-HD Car Camera Review

Posted by Car Camera Shop on Tuesday, 14 January 2014

We’ve tested a lot of dash cams here at Car Camera Shop, but never before one with a rear-facing camera. So when Pittasoft offered us a BlackVue DR550GW-HD to review, their first two-channel camera, we jumped at the chance. Having the ability to record behind your vehicle, as well as in front, greatly increases the chances of you capturing any activity that could lead to you needing to claim on your insurance.

Key Features

Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
139° wide angle lens with a 2.4MP Sony Exmor CMOS sensor.
Multi-lens to capture video from front and rear.
Wifi enabled to connect to a mobile app.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Photo mode.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 16GB card supplied.
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.

Upon opening the well-presented packaging, the build and design quality of both cameras is the first thing you notice, certainly in comparison to some of the budget range of cameras available in the market today. Continuing the sleek, barrel design of the existing BlackVue cameras, these are constructed of tough, beautifully finished plastic, with smart little design features, from the subtle placement of status LEDs to the touch-sensitive audio on/off sensor on the front camera. Even the air ventilation holes complement the design beautifully!

There are also some nice finishing touches such as the BlackVue logo on the lens cap and even etched underneath the adhesive pad on the rear camera that, while not strictly necessary, really do paint the picture that this is a premium quality product. The camera isn’t cluttered with buttons which helps retain its sense of style, but that doesn’t mean that it’s short on functionality either. At one end, a touch-sensitive panel enables you to turn audio recording on and off easily while driving and at the opposite end, alongside the power and rear camera connectors, a single button engages the DR550GW’s own WiFi hotspot. This enables you to access a wealth of setting and options via your smartphone, but we’ll talk more about that later!

Installation was easy, and we were impressed with the quality of the cables provided. Every connection felt made-to-measure, particularly the AV in/out cable connecting the two cameras which clicked into place firmly. All cables were long enough to route around the car, completely hidden from view behind the trim and beneath the carpet. The only complication we encountered was the amount of slack cable required to allow our hatchback boot to open. This loop of cable couldn’t be hidden as well as we’d have liked when the boot was closed, but it didn’t cause any visibility issues in the slightest and wasn’t very noticeable.

There’s definitely something very comforting about having a car camera installed. The peace-of-mind that comes from knowing you’ll have footage if anything happens on the road is appreciated. So catching sight of the additional rear camera in our mirror was very welcome. Its subtle white LED let us know that it was powered up and recording.

On powering up the camera for the first time we’re welcomed with a voice message, “BlackVue for your safe driving”. These voice prompts give you updates as to the status of the camera to make sure you it’s all working properly. While they’re a novelty at first, we eventually turned them off, preferring our camera to be seen and not heard. With this in mind, and despite the DR550-GW-HD being bigger than some cameras on the market, the main unit was discreetly hidden behind our rear-view mirror.

Using the free BlackVue app, available for iOS and Android devices, you can adjust just about anything you could wish to on your camera. From the video brightness and g-sensor sensitivity to the length of videos being recorded and which voice alerts you wish to hear. It also lets you view a live feed of what the front and rear cameras are viewing which is invaluable in positioning them in your vehicle. More importantly, the app is one of the key ways in which you can view the videos that your camera has recorded and we were impressed at how easy it is to use. The video files are easily identified as either ‘normal’, ‘event’ or ‘parking’ and by being either front or rear facing videos. They can be easily filtered so you can access the files you want quickly and easily.

Once playing, the videos streamed well from the camera and the image looked sharp. The view could be switched from front to back seamlessly at the push of a button. Depending on the device you’re using, you might not quite be able to make out registration plate numbers, but rest assured that the detail will be there once you view them on a bigger screen, such as on your PC or Mac.

The software provided is also intuitive and uses the same filtering system as the app to let you find the videos that you’re looking for easily. Using a smart picture-in-picture mechanism, you’re able to view the front and rear-facing footage simultaneously giving you a complete picture of activity around you at the time of any incident. To view more detail, the videos can be viewed at full screen size.

The only issue we found with the footage was that at speed, areas of the video became blocky and pixelated which was disappointing. When stationary, both the front and rear images look very sharp but they quickly deteriorate as the cameras struggle to process the images. This issue is caused by the low bitrate that each camera has. Even updating the camera to the latest firmware, which improved the video quality, we still noticed issues with the image quality. We’ve contacted Pittasoft for comment and will update this review once we hear from them. With the dashcam community happy to feedback to manufacturers to help them develop their products, we’d like to think that future updates will help to resolve this issue.

We also missed the ability to be able to lock video files of our choosing if, for example, something happened on the road around us that we wanted to keep a record of, but that we weren’t directly involved in; for example, a near-miss between other cars on the road or some anti-social behavior. With other dashcams, you can press a button to create an ‘;event’ file which won’t be overwritten by the camera and will be kept safe. It’s purely down to personal preference but we’d like to see this feature on the DR550GW-HD as we regularly use this feature on other test cameras. With so many people sharing video files of their experiences on the road nowadays, this is a very popular feature.

And so, in conclusion, the BlackVue DR550GW-HD really does set the bar high in terms of build quality and features, but has improvements to make in the video quality department. We genuinely hope that future firmware updates will rectify the issues that the camera currently has, at which point this camera has the potential to become one of the best cameras on the market.

Sample footage: Front view

Sample footage: Rear view

Sample footage: BlackVue HD Software

Note: the software footage above appears jerky due to our screen capture software. On-screen the footage is perfectly smooth.

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

Monitor your kids behind the wheel

If you’re a parent, handing the keys to your precious car over to your 17 year old son or daughter can be a tough decision – especially if you love your car.. and your child!

We all know that statistically drivers under 25 are at a higher risk of being involved in a car accident. There are many reasons for this including lack of experience and attention, excessive speed, poorly maintained cars, night-time driving, and perhaps a false sense of confidence.

You obviously want your child to be safe and to reduce the likelihood of them being involved in an accident, whether this be a small bump in a car park or a serious high-speed crash. We’ve found that many parents are turning to car cameras as a way to help improve their children’s driving and reduce the risk of an accident.

Aside from saving on car insurance and providing irrefutable evidence in case of an accident, it has been proven that having a car camera actually makes you a more safety conscious and better driver – ideal for young drivers. Of course, if they do have an accident you’ll have video evidence of exactly what happened to help with the insurance claim. Young drivers are vulnerable so this evidence could prove vital in determining the party at fault in an accident.

It’s up to the parent on how they introduce the dash cam but many parents offer their car (or buy a car) providing they use a car camera which can be viewed at any time. As the parent, you can view the footage of their driving and even see their speed and location on a map, providing your camera comes equipped with GPS. You can also see the g-forces being applied so you can identify quick and dangerous moves on the road! Quite a powerful tool for a parent!

You could argue that this is all rather big brother but if you love your kids and want them to be safe, this is a very effective way to ensure they drive safely and reduce the risk of having an accident.

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

10 tips for getting the best dash cam footage

Congratulations on owning a car camera! You’re now fully enjoying the benefits they bring and probably can’t live without it any more? Now you’ve got your camera, you need to make sure you’re getting the most out of it and record the best quality footage you can. We’ve put a simple list of 10 things you can do to improve the video quality and get the most out of owning a car camera.

1. Position the camera in the centre of the screen

It may sound obvious, but we’ve seen plenty of videos where the camera is mounted in the corner which tends to distort the footage making for a less clear picture, especially when driving at night. The camera should be positioned in the centre of the windscreen near the top, ideally behind the rear view mirror.

2. Reduce the amount of sky in the picture

Everyone loves the sky but, unless you’re trying to capture the next meteorite landing, you should limit the amount of sky you capture as you drive. The more sky you have the more sunlight you get which results in more glare, reducing the quality of the video. The camera will also try to compensate for the brightness of the sky, darkening the video, which can make the detail on other vehicles harder to make out. It doesn’t matter if you record more of the car dashboard – as long as you capture the road ahead.

3. Adjust g-sensor sensitivity settings

Many car cameras equipped with a g-sensor automatically lock a video clip if it detects an accident. Sometimes, the camera will lock a file by mistake when you go over a bump or take a sharp turn. You can usually tweak the sensitivity of the g-sensors to prevent your memory card filling up with locked files. Adjust to a setting which works well for you – some cars, particularly performance cars, require a less sensitive g-sensor.

4. Mute/unmute the audio

This is down to preference of whether you want to record sound. Personally, I prefer to mute the sound so I don’t record my dreadful singing or telephone calls on the video. The important thing is the video so sound is an added bonus.

5. Clean your windscreen

It’s vital that you keep your windscreen clean. Aside from being able to see where you’re driving, you’ll have clearer footage should you be involved in an accident. Try and clean the inside with window cleaner every month and make sure you keep your windscreen washer fluid topped up – especially in the Winter.

When driving in the rain or wet conditions make sure to use your wipers to not only see where you’re going (very important!) but to clear the windscreen for the camera. If you have muck or light drizzle on the windscreen the quality of the video footage will be significantly worse.

6. Adjust video quality and frame rate

All cameras provide the option to change the resolution (Full HD, HD, VGA etc.) and possibly the frame rate. Generally speaking, there is no real need for 60fps for a car camera and we recommend the highest resolution possible. When we get a new camera we always experiment with the different resolutions and frame rates to see which works best during the days and equally at night.

When it comes to night time driving, many cameras come equipped with a WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) mode. This mode improve the light for night time driving but does tend to add noise to the footage which can reduce the quality of day-time footage. Generally speaking, if you drive a lot at night then it’s worth using, otherwise, leave it off. Try the settings and see what works for you.

2. Reduce the amount of sky in the picture

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

Mini 0801 Car Camera Review

We’ve been road testing the Black Bullet Mini 0801 car camera for some time now. Putting it through its paces and seeing how it fairs over an extended period of time. So often dash cams are reviewed after only a brief test, but we feel that to give a truly informed opinion you need to use a camera for a significant period.

Key Features

Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
135° wide angle lens.
1.5″ LCD screen.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking (optional).
Photo mode.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Adhesive windscreen mount.
Micro SD cards up to 32GB.

The first thing that impressed us about this car camera was the size. At just 2.8″ wide it’s ultra compact, but it’s bullet design ensures that it makes use of the space well; squeezing a 1.5″ LCD screen in along with the regular features such as the lens, a speaker, a microphone, a status LED and the usual controls. Build quality might not be to the same level as some of the more premium cameras, such as the BlackVue DR550GW-HD, but it’s perfectly acceptable given the cost. A power button on the end of the camera has a distinctly plasticky feel to it, but continues to work perfectly.

Once installed, it’s hidden completely behind the rear view mirror and remains very discrete when viewed through the windscreen, which offers peace of mind when leaving it mounted in your vehicle. The mount is another pleasant surprise; not only is it very small, but the power cable plugs directly into it, meaning that if the camera is ever removed from the car, as we choose to do sometimes, the power cable remains neatly attached to the mount, rather than dangling aimlessly.

The mount houses the GPS unit (optional), which brings us to the first issue we’ve had while testing the Mini 0801. Sometimes the GPS unit either doesn’t record our location or registers it incorrectly. However, this could be due to the heated windscreen in our test vehicle. This can sometimes impact a dash cams ability to locate a strong GPS signal.

The screen, while small, enables you to manage the camera easily and view your videos and photos. While you might not be able to make out the finer details on this size screen, it’s often enough to give you on indication that you captured the incident you’d hoped to. From this point it can easily be viewed on a computer using the software provided. The quality is impressive and at full HD 1080p it delivers sharp, crisp video which captures details such as registration plates well.

In low light conditions it struggles slightly, but in built-up areas with adequate street lighting, it still picks up a good level of detail.

The menus are easy to navigate but aren’t immediately intuitive and the manual supplied gives instructions in the most basic form. But, given that this is a budget camera, supplied from the Far East, it’s better than most that fall into this price bracket. With only three buttons to control the camera, it makes use of single and extended button presses to navigate various options that might not be as obvious as they could be. Having said that, we had our camera set up as we wanted in no time at all. We had to tweak the G-sensor sensitivity a few times to find the desired level but that is the case for all dash cams we’ve tested.

Overall, it’s easy to see why this camera proves to be so popular. It’s compact yet fully functional, delivers full HD video and, available from just £89.99, makes a great entry-level car camera. It’s not without its faults, and is lacking slightly in terms a build quality, but these issues can easily be overlooked for the cost.

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

Mi-Witness HD – Product of the Year 2013

Mi-Witness HD - Product of the Year 2013

This month, the popular Mi-Witness HD car camera won Product of the Year at the inaugural 2013 Vehicle Electronics Professional (VEP) awards. The awards, hosted by Pollyanna Woodward of The Gadget Show took place on the 19th November and is a ceremony that marks the achievements of the vehicle electronics industry.

The Mi-Witness dash cam is one of our most popular cameras, partly due to the range of options available from a 2nd rear camera, WIFI, case, and integrated smart power.

We’re currently running a Winter Special on the Mi-Witness camera which includes the camera, additional 2nd camera, soft case, smart power, and the WIFI dongle – all for £299.99 (saving you £64.99).

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

Dash cams make for safer drivers

It’s long been thought that when being filmed, you change your behaviour – whether you realise it or not. We’ve found this to be true when you have a dash cam in your car. For some reason, when you know that your driving is being recorded you become a more safety conscious driver.

There appears to be no real explanation for this but perhaps it’s because you want to make sure you weren’t at fault should you need to rely on the footage – there’s no hiding from video evidence! Remember, when you submit your footage of an accident you want to be sure that you’re not left open to any blame.

You may also be aware of the noises you make in the car from belting out the latest chart topper to swearing at other drivers and even on the phone (using built in car bluetooth technology of course!). It’s for this reason that most people tend to mute the sound on their dash cameras with most cameras offering a single click mute option.

For parents, adding a dash camera to your car to monitor your offspring’s driving would certainly result in safer and far less reckless driving – you could even watch the footage back together!

There are lots of good reasons to purchase a car camera from saving money on car insurance to providing irrefutable video evidence. The fact that they tend to make you a safer driver is just one of the many additional benefits they bring you.

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

We’re supporting Movember with every order!

We're supporting Movember with every order!

It’s that time of year again, when girlfriends and wives up and down the country have to endure their men with fluff all over their faces. Movember is becoming more and more popular since it started back in 2003 but if you don’t know what Movember is all about here’s a short intro.

Movember is an event held throughout November each year. The idea is that men (and indeed some women!) sport a moustache to raise money and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health. You start the month with a clean shaven face and grow your moustache (or Mo) throughout the month, promoting awareness and sparking conversations wherever you go.

There are many styles of Mo that one can sport from “The Connoisseur” to the “The After Eight”. Check out the official Movember website for a Mo gallery!

To date, £276M has been raised with an increase of donations every year. More and more celebrities are getting involved to promote the cause and this is making a huge impact. Movember has improved awareness of men’s health issues which is usually just brushed under the carpet and never discussed.

This is why this month we are donating £5 from every order to the Movember Foundation. To find out more about Movember visit the official website.

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

The importance of car cameras for driving instructors

There are currently around 23,000 driving instructors in the UK, each of them blessed with nerves of steel and the patience of angels. Certainly, if my lessons are anything to go by, their days are fraught with hair-raising manoeuvres at the hands of nervous students with less clutch control than a herd of buffalo. But, rather than screaming for their lives, clutching the dashboard with white knuckles, they are always a picture of calm and reassurance, as they invite us to try again (and again, and again).

We receive many enquiries from driving instructors looking for dash cams and, when you spend a significant amount of your time in your car and it’s your primary source of income, it’s easy to see why. The peace-of-mind that comes from ensuring that you have video evidence of your innocence in the case of a crash is invaluable. Not to mention that insurance claims are often processed much quicker when supported by video evidence, meaning that your car can be back on the road as quickly as possible if it was damaged.

We took to Twitter to find out why some of our driving instructor followers had installed car cameras. Geoff Watkins of Geoff Watkins Driver Training said:

“I wouldn’t be without one. Firstly as an insurance policy, as there are too many dangerous and aggressive drivers. Secondly, as a teaching aid to show learners their actions and what they missed in the road and thirdly, as a tool to capture the exceptionally bad and dangerous drivers on video and send to police for prosecution. On top of that, a good system will cover front and rear of car, and acts as a CCTV system when car is parked. Any instructor not with a system is mad, the way things are on the roads nowadays”.

But protection and peace-of-mind aren’t the only benefits of installing a car camera. A quick YouTube search delivers thousands of videos, posted by UK driving instructors, offering training tips, and promoting their services. Using video captured via car camera, instructors are able to produce high-quality marketing and promotional material for very little cost. And, harnessing the power of social media, they are able to target their local market and win new business.

Footage of lessons is also being used as a teaching aid, allowing students to review their performance between lessons, identifying areas for improvement. With many cameras, such as the iPixi X100FHD and the RoadHawk RH-2, able to record the driver as well as the road ahead, they can review their driving style while performing particular manoeuvres. At the end of a lesson the student can simply take home the memory card from the camera and view the footage on their home computer. With GPS and motion data being captured as well as high definition video, students have access to a detailed record of their lesson.

A Driving Standards Agency spokesperson said:

“We expect ADIs to be able to use a range of learner centred techniques to support effective learning. Used appropriately, in-car video-recording can be an effective learning aid, e.g. to replay incidents to the learner so that they can analyse what happened for themselves.”

Adding, “we do not allow any driving tests to be filmed. This is to avoid putting extra pressure on candidates.”

We offer driving instructors a special discount on any of our car cameras. Find out more about this exclusive offer here, or browse our full range of car cameras. If you have any questions or thoughts, we’d love to hear them. You can comment below, call, email or tweet us!

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers — Leave a comment

Driving tips for windy and rainy conditions

Here are a few simple tips for safe driving in the wind and rain. Firstly, ask yourself if your journey is strictly necessary, or if it can be delayed. If not, be sure to check whether there are any delays or incidents along your route.

Driving in the Rain

Wet roads can double stopping distances so allow yourself plenty of space and reduce your speed. If your vehicle hits surface water and loses grip, take your foot off the accelerator rather than braking, and try not to steer too suddenly. If you encounter flooding, drive slowly, in a low gear, while keeping the revs high, making a special effort not to stall. Test your brakes afterwards, to make sure they’re still working.

Driving in the Wind

Gusts of wind are particularly hazardous to high-sided vehicles, but can also knock cars and cyclists off course. Stretches of open road may be susceptible to cross winds and be conscious of gusts when passing bridges, trees and large vehicles such as lorries.

Follow these simple tips to help you stay safe on the roads if you must venture out in the stormy conditions.