PDATE: To order, or to find out more about the Mini 0806, visit our product page.
We were all hoping it would arrive before Christmas, so a lucky few of us might find a shiny new Mini 0806 dashcam under their tree on the 25th, but it’s not to be. However, the good news is that the Mini 0806 should be available early next year, and it appears to offer some outstanding new features which could make it even more popular than the Mini 0801 and Mini 0803, which have both been among our best selling car cameras for some time.
While it’s currently in the final stages of testing and development, mass production should soon begin and we’ll be able to get our hands on the Mini 0806, with no small amount of excitement. As a long-time user of the Mini series, I’m personally hoping that the Mini 0806 will adorn my windscreen for some time, and judging by the test footage and technical specifications that we’ve seen so far, that looks likely.
One of the first things that makes the Mini 0806 stand out from it’s predecessors, aside from the slight difference in shape, is the number of ventilation holes all around it. Due to the large amount of data being processed by the components inside them, dashcams can generate a lot of heat, and if this can’t dissipate well enough, this heat can cause problems. The Mini 0803 initially suffered from this until additional heat sinks were added, so it’s great to see that lessons have been learned and the Mini 0806 seeks to address that particular problem head on.
Next up, we notice that the camera mounting point can rotate 180 degrees. This might not seem like a bit deal, but combine it with the ability to flip the image in the camera and this paves the way for a multitude of mounting options. Left-handed, right-handed, windscreen-mounted or dashboard-mounted, the choice will be yours. We would always recommend that a car camera be mounted as high up the windscreen as possible, but many of our customers have requested the option to mount a camera on their dashboard, so it’s nice to see the option added.
Aesthetically there are a few other tweaks, but the most useful of which is the new LED set-up and placement. A common confusion caused by the Mini 0801 and Mini 0803, was that two LEDs were visible via one hole in the camera’s body. One blue, and one red, which often appeared purple when flashing together, prompting many questions from our customers. This issue has been addressed by providing individual LEDs to signify power and recording, and a third LED that can possibly be configured to either indicate that a GPS signal has been found or that audio recording is enabled or disabled.
One of the most important new features of the Mini 0806 car camera is it’s ability to use two external memory cards, and the fact that it supports up to 128GB cards in each slot! That means that it offers a whopping 256GB of storage! Wow!! Based on the current cameras, that could mean that the Mini 0806 can hold around 48 hours worth of footage at any one time, making it ideal for anyone who spends a significant amount of time behind the wheel such as long distance haulage lorry drivers, driving instructors and taxi drivers.
It will also offer the ability to use an optional circular polarizing filter (CPL) to reduce glare when recording in the daytime. Particularly in bright conditions. This is a welcome addition to the range and it appears that the filter can be attached quickly and easily by way of a magnet which will make it easy to remove at night so that it doesn’t impair low light recording.
In terms of it’s video recording ability, it doesn’t look like it will deliver the 1440p resolution that the early information hinted at, but it will deliver 1296p video at 30 frames per second and a new option of full HD 1080p recording at 45 frames a second. The improved frame rate will help the Mini 0806 to deliver smoother video which will offer greater clarity. Given that the wide dynamic range (WDR) of the Mini 0803 has been retained, albeit called a high dynamic range (HDR), the Mini 0806 will record well at night, and the test footage that we’ve seen so far looks impressive.
The Mini 0806 retains the safety features that were introduced with the Mini 0803, such as a lane departure warning system (LDWS), but these haven’t been embraced by the dashcam community as much as we’d expected. While they do work, they lack the sophistication of more advanced systems and, as such, may be a touch too crude to be relied on. I’m sure we’ll see these features become more refined in the future and offer a real benefit to dashcam owners.
So overall, the Mini 0806 dashcam promises to be an exceptional car camera. It’s clear that the manufacturer has listened to the dashcam community and developed a product that appears to be raising the bar in many respects. With the level of testing and development that appears to have been down we’re hopeful that the Mini 0806 will launch without as many bugs as the Mini 0803 had, but we’ll reserve judgement until we’ve run our own tests. Rest assured that we won’t be offering the Mini 0806 for sale until we’re happy that it performs as it should.
We’re proud to stock a selection of iPixi dash cams at Car Camera Shop; they have a great build quality, are easy to use and we love their design. We were, however, also extremely chuffed to discover that they’d made it onto arguably the biggest car show in the world – Top Gear!
The Stig vs.. The Stig
This footage, courtesy of an iPixi dash cam (the V300HD) recorded every second of this indoor test of the BAC Mono in 2012 where The Stig smashed the current speed record held there by over 10 seconds. It also gave us a rare and valuable insight into what he sees behind the wheel and how he drives. Check it out below:
Car Camera Shop Reviews
We presently stock two iPixi cameras, and we’ve reviewed both in detail, which you can click to read, awarding them an aggregate score of 4.2/5 stars and a high recommendation:
Read the iPixi Winycam review here: (4.3/5 stars) X100FHD. Read the iPixi Winycam review here: (4/5 stars) V200HD.
To see our own footage of how the iPixi X100FHD records, you can watch the video below:
To shop iPixi dash cams, check out their brand page.
Being a daily cycle commuter, I had been wanting to review the Replay XD 1080 for some time and so was especially pleased when the new Replay XD 1080 Mini was released and I managed to get my hands on one. Smaller and lighter than it’s predecessor, it manages to cram the same performance into it’s tough aluminium housing.
Key Features
Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
120° wide angle lens with a 5MP CMOS sensor.
Tough aluminium body.
Waterproof to 3m.
Vibration feedback for easy control while wearing a helmet.
A range of adhesive mounts.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 4GB card supplied.
When people think of cameras for their bicycles or motorbikes, many consider the costly GoPro range, but for me, the asthetics of the Replay means it’s much more suited to the job. The Replay XD 1080 Mini’s barrel design – which has helped this type of camera to become known as a bullet camera – means that it’s much more aerodynamic and compact than the GoPro, especially when it’s waterproof housing and mounts are taken into consideration.
The first thing you notice about the Replay XD 1080 Mini is it’s exceptional quality. From the camera itself and it’s array of mounts, right through to the instruction booklet, stickers and packaging, the entire bundle is very impressive. Within the smart perspex outer packaging, Replay have included a fabric ‘ballistic’ case to store everything in when not being used and another smaller microfibre sleeve to protect the camera itself. Some Replay stickers complete a very neat package indeed.
The camera is very well put together and the fact that it’s waterproof to three metres without the need for an additional housing means that it remains neat and compact when in use. With double o-ring threads at either end of the camera protecting the lens at the front and the memory card slot, switches and power connectors at the rear, the camera will be more than weatherproof for use outdoors in rainy conditions.
The mounts are well constructed and very sturdy. While the LowBoy mount simply the camera in one, fixed position, the HeimLock mount offers the ability to move the camera slightly, by using a quick release mechanism. Both of these mounts allow the camera to be twisted throughout 360° to be positioned as required and small lines around the camera help with alignment.
Once clipped into any of the SnapTrays provided, the mounts become very sturdy indeed. Three of these SnapTrays are included, and the Flat, Tripod and Curved SnapTrays are each designed for for a slightly different purpose. I used the Curved SnapTray on my cycle helmet and it stuck well, thanks to the 3M adhesive used. I would say that I was slightly concerned that the mount wouldn’t adhere to my helmet well, as the adhesive pad would have to sit across a vent hole. However, it has remained stuck very well and I have no concerns as to it falling off. On a motorbike helmet, where it would have a much better contact, it would stick extremely well.
The camera only has two external buttons with which to control the camera which are also waterproof to prevent moisture getting inside. The simplistic control system works exceptionally well and makes it easy to control the Replay XD 1080 Mini without having to look at it. The two raised buttons either turn the camera on/off or start/stop recording and can be felt easily through gloves. While the camera has small LCDs that tell you what the camera is currently doing, each button press in also accompanied with a vibration alert which can be felt through your helmet to ensure you know that you’re recording. By adjusting the cameras settings, it can be made to start recording with the touch of just one button, but more on that later.
At the front, the impact-resistant polycarbonate lens offers a 120 degree field-of-view, enabling the Replay XD 1080 Mini to capture significant detail without the image distorting due to a wide angle fish-eye lens. This lends itself well to the purpose of capturing footage in the case of an incident on the road as all aspects of the image will be clear. Recording at either 1080p at 30 frames-per-second, or 720p at 60 frames-per-second the video quality is excellent. A simple switch, hidden behind the rear bezel, changes between these two main recording options but others are available via an ‘advanced’ set up solution.
With this, it’s possible to alter many technical aspects of the Replay XD 1080 Mini, to tailor it exactly to your specific needs. While it’s not the most intuitive process, by manually altering a text file found on your memory card, you can tweak features such as exposure, sharpness and contrast, as well as various recording functions. In my case, I activated loop recording and one touch recording, so that it started to record automatically as soon as I turned it on. This meant that during my daily commute, I simply turned the camera on as I started my journey and it would start recording, recording over the oldest footage when the 4GB memory card (supplied) was full. This took around 40 minutes, and I wanted to retain slightly more footage than that so I eventually upgraded to a larger card.
With about a two hour battery life, the Replay XD 1080 Mini offers enough recording time for many journeys, but it’s not going to last for a full day’s cycle ride by any means. With this in mind, there are a range of power accessories available, from three and six hour battery packs to hardwire kits. These open the door to many different applications for cyclists and motorcyclists and all offer the same high level of build quality throughout. Other accessories include a ReView monitor to view footage while out and about and a mountain of mounting options for almost every conceivable eventuality.
Overall, the Replay XD 1080 Mini is a great camera, either for the daily commuter, or for the more ‘extreme’ user. I found that when I had the camera mounted on my helmet the constant movement suited the 720p setting better, due to the higher frame rate, and produced a smoother picture. I also experimented with the WindBreaker stickers that came in the package and found that they do an effective job of cutting out wind noise, especially if travelling at high speeds.
I feel confident that in the case of any incident I will have a detailed record of the events leading up to it which I can refer to if necessary. The footage quality is good enough to capture vehicle registrations and other details, even at speed, and by mounting the camera on my helmet it meant it was almost always focussed on danger areas. For more recreational activities, such as snowboarding, I look forward to experimenting with the many other mounting options.
UPDATE: Due to the number of requests we’re getting for the Mini 0803, and the fact that we’ve been testing it for some time now and understand it better, we’ve made it available on our site. It’s clear that the manufacturers are listening to the dashcam community and they appear keen to make firmware improvements as soon as possible. These should rectify some of the issues that we’re currently experiencing with the Mini 0803. That said, even in its current state, the Mini 0803 performs well and has the potential to offer exceptional image quality, especially in low-light situations, once the firmware has been refined to make the most of the hardware available.
We’re huge fans of the Mini 0801 here at Car Camera Shop, along with thousands of other dashcam users all over the world, and so we were excited to receive samples of the newly release Mini 0803, for testing. As with all newly launched cameras, we like to put them through their paces before making them available for sale, as we feel that they need to deliver a certain level of quality before we feel that they’re fit for our customers.
After a week of rigorous testing, we’ve decided to hold back on making the Mini 0803 available on our site as we feel that there are some teething problems that we need to understand in more detail before we’re able to offer the appropriate level of support where this camera is concerned. We’re speaking to the manufacturer directly and gathering information from other users in a bid to understand the camera, its current limitations and to establish a timeline for any improvements. There has already been one firmware update since it’s launch (at time of writing) so we hope to see more shortly.
As an example, we don’t feel that the Mini 0803 currently delivers as good an image quality as the Mini 0801, despite it recording in 1296p, rather than 1080p. We’ve run side-by-side tests and, as you can see from the footage below, the Mini 0801 offers a sharper, more detailed image and the Mini 0803 suffers from a soft-focus effect, particularly when pausing the video, making registration plates difficult to read. While is appears that the 0803’s wide dynamic range (WDR) does enable to camera to capture marginally lighter videos at night, albeit with a yellow hue, again the important detail is lacking.
There also seems to be some minor bugs in the firmware effecting the audio recording and some other menu options, and the instructions provided don’t include many of the new features, including it’s lane depature warning system, which will leave our customers struggling to use their camera without support.
Rest assured that we’re keen to make the Mini 0803 available as soon as possible but hope that you can understand the rationale behind our decision. For the sake of delaying it’s availability for a short time, we can ensure that our customers receive a product that meets their expectations and that we can support them fully with.
If you have any questions regarding the Mini 0803, please feel free to contact us here.
Given its multi-award winning status, we were excited to receive the Mi-Witness HD for review recently. In recent times this popular dashcam has been awarded a lofty 5-star rating by the Sunday Times and scooped ‘Product of the Year’ at the Vehicle Electronics Professional awards, so we’re were especially keen to see how it performed.
Key Features
Full HD quality video (1280 x 720) at 30fps.
120° wide angle lens with a 2MP CMOS sensor.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Photo mode.
Wifi enabled to connect to a mobile app (via optional Wifi dongle).
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 8GB card supplied.
Combine all that with our fondness for front and rear dashcam set-ups and we were delighted to receive the Mi-Witness Driver Special bundle to take a look at. As well as the main Mi-Witness HD camera unit, this package also includes a neat little rear camera along with some other goodies including a wifi dongle, a hardwire kit and a smart little protective case.
Upon opening the package, we were pleasantly pleased with the main, front-facing camera. Largely black, to help it remain inconspicuous when installed, it finds a good balance between simplicity and functionality. With just one main button on the left-hand edge (looking from a drivers point-of-view), which also acts as a light so you can tell how the camera is working, the camera doesn’t invite interaction, and nor should it. The Mi-Witness is designed to be set-up, installed and forgotten about unless absolutely necessary.
Elsewhere on the camera, there are two small indicator lights that tell you if the camera has power and whether the GPS signal has locked in. Just above these is a USB port hidden beneath a sturdy rubber cover which is where the wifi dongle is attached. By offering wifi functionality as an optional extra, the Mi-Witness HD becomes a package that can be tailored to an individuals needs. The USB slot will apparently also be used for other functions in the future which may offer even more customisation options.
Around the camera are ventilation holes to let heat escape and on the right-hand end, there are two sockets for the power cable and the rear-camera cable to plugged into, along with a slot for the Micro SD card, again covered by a rubber guard, to stop and unwanted dirt getting in. Overall, the camera feels like it’s built with quality in mind.
Installation was a breeze with just two cables to worry about. The first was the power cable which I could easily run along a well-worn route in my car due to installing cameras quite frequently. However, the cable is easily tucked behind trim and under carpets so an expert-looking installation is easily achieved in any car. The second, longer cable, connects the front and rear cameras so needs to run the full length of the car. Yet again, this was easily hidden, apart from a small connector a metre or so away from the rear camera which needed some creative thinking! However, this connector could also be useful should the rear camera need to be disconnected, without having to remove the whole wiring system.
Both cameras stick to their respective windscreens with adhesive pads and held firmly in place. Each allows for up and down adjustments so it’s important to align them straight in the first place. This is one of the benefits of the Mi-Witness’s smartphone app. By plugging in the wifi dongle, the camera can connect to your iOS or Android device and stream live images via the free apps that are available to download. While this particular benefit may only be useful during installation, the apps also allow you to manage the cameras settings and view your recorded footage. This can be very useful if you’re involved in an accident and wish to review the footage at the scene.
Upon turning the camera on, it burst into life with a cheery voice message and a flash of red light from the main button. At night I found this light to be a bit too bright as it flashes while recording but it can be turned off. From then on the camera would record faultlessly each time, switching between the normal ‘continuous’ mode and it’s ‘parking’ mode as required. It would also detect ‘events’ using it’s internal g-sensor and store these video files away for safe keeping.
One unique feature to the Mi-Witness is that you can allocate space on the memory card for use with each particular type of video file that the camera can record; normal, event, parking and manual, which are videos that you trigger yourself by pressing the button on the camera if you spot an incident in front of you. While this feature might be slightly too advanced for every user, it does mean you can adjust the way that the camera stores data, allowing you to put heavier emphasis on capturing specific types of videos. Leave your car parked for long periods? Then increase the amount of parking files that it can hold before overwriting itself. Don’t feel the need to manually record? Then reduce this portion to give space to the other videos.
Footage can be viewed on the Mi-Viewer software, which I think is one of the better pieces of dashcam software that I’ve used. It’s well designed and very intuitive, but I do use a lot of these programs so maybe I’m just more used to them! All of the relevant information is laid out in a way that makes it easy to see and a range of icons let you navigate through the various tools available to you. I particularly like the ‘zoom’ tool which lets you hover your mouse pointer over a particular area of your video and you see a smaller zoomed in picture, helping you to make out finer detail, such as number plates. It’s also easy to view the footage from the rear camera, either on it’s own, or alongside the front camera video in a slightly smaller window.
The Mi-Witness HD records in 720p, which isn’t the highest specification available in a dashcam, but it still delivers good image quality. The footage portrays a clear view of the activity around you and, while the finer detail isn’t always easy to make out, it would enable you to establish the cause of any incidents you were involved in. In the age of ultra high-definition, it’s easy to forget the purpose of dashcams and get obsessed with being able to see every tiny detail, rather than just being able to establish a timeline of events leading up to an accident, which the Mi-Witness enables you to do.
So, in summary, it’s easy to see why the Mi-Witness HD has received such recognition in recent times. With excellent build quality and a host of accessories available for it, the Mi-Witness HD is an outstanding choice, whatever your specific dashcam requirements are. Mi-Witness are engaged with their customers via their online forum and, along with the community of users that they’ve built up, offer a level of support that other manufacturers would do well to emulate. While the camera’s image quality has room for improvement in comparison with some other dashcams, it is a highly capable unit.
If you’ve read our review of the BlackVue DR550GW, you’ll know that we’re big fans of 2-channel dashcams here at Car Camera Shop. To you and me, that’s a dashcam that features both a front and a rear-facing camera. There’s no denying that having footage of activity on the road behind you as well as in front gives outstanding peace-of-mind. So we were excited to review the iPixi/Winycam V200HD and see how this smart looking dashcam performs.
Key Features
HD quality video (1280 x 720) at 30fps.
120° (front) and 140° (rear) 2MP CMOS sensor.
Multi-lens to capture video from front and rear.
3” LCD touch screen.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 16GB card supplied.
Aside from the rear-camera, the other stand-out feature of the V200HD is the LCD touch screen. At 3″ in width, it’s the largest screen of any of our dashcams and is unique in offering touch screen capabilities. Despite the screen size, the front-facing camera unit isn’t too bulky. Larger than some other cameras, but still small enough to be concealed behind the rear-view mirror.
As you may have seen from our unboxing video, the V200HD comes well packaged with all the necessary components to get it up-and-running, including a memory card. The main unit is as small as it can be considering the 3″ screen, and is largely black, with ventilation holes around the sides to help disperse heat. On the front of the camera is the lens, surrounded by an LED ring. This glows red when the camera is recording but this can reflect in the windscreen, particularly at night, so thankfully this can be disabled in the menu settings. Apart from that, things are left simple, with three small LEDs on the rear to show you that the camera is powered up, recording and that the GPS has a signal. There is also a microphone and one solitary button that can be used to record manually, which is placed in a convenient position.
The touch screen is impressive and makes navigating through the cameras menus a breeze. It’s not as advanced as today’s smartphones, but the basic touch functionality works very well as is very well suited to the dashcam market. I powered up the camera before installing it to have a play with this unique feature and was flicking in and out of the menus in no time at all. Using straight-forward on-screen icons, navigation was intuitive and there was very little lag, meaning it wasn’t frustrating to use. It’s a minor detail, but some of the menus have spelling mistakes and grammatical peculiarities in them which hint at the V200HDs foreign heritage, as Winycam originated in Korea.
The rear-facing camera is small and neat and connects to the main unit by a long cable. This enables the front, main camera unit to process images from both cameras. This means that when watching your videos, either on the LCD screen or using the software provided, the image can be flipped from front to back easily. This makes it easy to track activity around you as you either pass something of interest, or you get overtaken, for example.
Installation was easy, but slightly more time-consuming than some other cameras, due to there being three cables to find homes for. The first cable is for power, and this was simple to run around the windscreen, down the side of the dashboard and under the passenger seat to the cigarette lighter. The second cable was to connect the rear camera, and in my car, a Ford Focus, this was easily hidden behind the edge of the roof liner, the door surrounds and various bits of interior trim. The only minor complication came with leaving enough slack cable for the hatchback to open, but that didn’t look messy when the hatch was closed. The third cable is for the GPS unit which is, unusually but not uniquely, separate from the main camera unit in the V200HD. While some people prefer this as it allows the GPS receiver to be positioned where it can get the best signal, it does mean it’s an additional unit to mount in your vehicle. I tried this in several positions and it performed perfectly in all of them. Even when completely hidden behind the roof lining, it still captured my location accurately.
Mounting the main camera unit was also simple. The adhesive mount features a small ball joint and a tightening ring so it can be secured in place once it has been aligned. Once I had positioned it, neatly behind my rearview mirror, the adhesive stayed in place with no issues at all. The only problem I encountered was that the angle of my windscreen meant that the camera couldn’t point downwards as far as I would have liked. This meant that I captured slightly more of the sky than I would have liked to. This didn’t limit the amount of on-the-road action that I recorded, but it could have impacted the cameras brightness settings as it dims the overall image to compensate for the light from the sky, resulting in darker footage.
One other minor comment at this point would be that the adhesive pad was white, meaning that it was very visible from outside the car. Using black, grey or clear adhesive would have meant that the install was more discrete. The rear camera also mounted easily and neatly at the top of my rear windscreen and didn’t block my view at all when looking in the rear-view mirror.
Of all the cameras that I’ve tested, the iPixi V200HD was one of the most reliable and I never had any doubt that it would be working faultlessly. Upon starting it up, a voice message prompted me that “normal recording would now begin”, referring to the regular recording mode, as opposed to parking mode for example. At first I would check to see that all the correct functions had kicked in and that the camera was working as I wanted and it always was. Some other cameras, particularly budget cameras, work perfectly and then, for some reason, can throw a tantrum and stop doing what you expect. These complications can almost always be resolved, but they can sew a seed of doubt in your mind. With the V200HD, I never had that. I used the camera daily for over a month, as we feel that to really put a camera through its paces you need to use it over a prolonged period, and never had any issues at all. This peace-of-mind is compounded by the V200HDs ‘cut off voltage’ feature which means the camera can be left powered while you’re away from your vehicle for a long time, but eliminates the risk of it running your battery down completely. It will continue to record, in parking mode, until the voltage of your battery drops to a pre-defined level at which point it will turn itself off.
During everyday use, the V200HD recorded my speed and location very accurately with its GPS receiver, identified moments of significance such as heavy breaking or bumps with its G-sensor and switched automatically between the appropriate recording mode depending on whether I was driving or parked. To me, a good dashcam is one that can be installed, and largely forgotten about until the footage is required. I feel that this dashcam is a good example of that.
I would say that V200HD isn’t designed to be removed from your vehicle once it’s been installed. With three cables to disconnect and a mounting bracket that’s slightly tricky to reconnect in situ, this camera doesn’t lend itself to being taken out of the car overnight, for example. This will suit some people, who see the presence of a dashcam as a security measure, while it will be off-putting to others who may feel that a dashcam is an invitation for a smash-and-grab opportunist thief. Fortunately however, the Micro SD card slot is easily accessible and the card was easy to remove so that footage could be viewed on my PC.
Image quality is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important factor with any dashcam and the iPixi V200HD scores well in this area. It’s not the best, and seems to struggle particularly in areas with rapid lighting changes, such as driving though tree shadows for example, but it’s perfectly adequate. At standstill, number plates are crisp and sharp but while in transit these can be more difficult to make out, depending on your speed in relation to other vehicles. This is often the case with dashcams and there is a trade off between cameras excelling is some areas of image capture but struggling in others. I think the V200HD has reached a good balance.
Most dashcams capture footage at thirty frames per second (fps), delivering smooth video that most people would be very happy with. The V200HD, splits this frame rate between the front and back cameras, meaning that the front camera delivers 20fps and the rear camera, just 10fps. To a tech purist, such as myself, this is a shame, as the footage appears every so slightly jerky. However, it doesn’t necessarily have a hugely detrimental effect on the cameras ability to capture the necessary footage in the case of an accident.
In order to view your footage in more detail than the LCD screen can offer, you’ll need to transfer it to your computer. The iPixi ‘WinyBBViewer’ software is only compatible with Windows so if you’re a Mac user you won’t be able to benefit from its features. You can still view your footage, but you won’t be able to access the location, speed and g-sensor data that your V200HD has gathered as easily. The software is simple to use and makes it easy to access all the data that you’ve captured. Videos can be easily flipped between the front and rear view, which really helps to paint a clearer picture of the activity around you, and simple tools for tweaking the image for the best view and for extracting incriminating videos and stills, make it really useful in the case of any incident.
So, if you’re after a dashcam with front and rear cameras, which limits you to just a handful of options, you could do a lot worse than the iPixi Winycam V200HD. While the image quality could be better, its many other features mean that it’s a very capable unit. The 3″ LCD touch screen is a unique and well implemented feature than makes the camera very user friendly, despite the complex featured that it offers, and once it’s been installed it can be largely forgotten about without any doubts as to whether it is performing as required.
Sample iPixi V200HD Videos
Unboxing Video
iPixi X100FHD Downloads
iPixi V200HD Software
iPixi V200HD User Manual
iPixi V200HD Installation Guide
Buy the iPixi V200HD Camera Online
The iPixi V200HD is available to buy online for only £249.99 which comes complete with the rear camera all the accessories you need to install it in your car and get up and running.
The iPixi X100FHD (also called the Winycam X100FHD) is a unique camera with many features which make it stand out from the others. At £199.99 it’s priced at the top end of the range and has full HD, GPS mapping for speed and location tracking, a g-sensor to monitor impacts, parking protection, and a unique swivel lens allowing you to point the camera inside the car – a feature particularly useful for taxi drivers and driving instructors.
Key Features
Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
130° wide angle lens with a 2MP CMOS sensor.
Rotating camera for front/rear recording.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Photo mode.
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 16GB card supplied.
The first thing we noticed when opening the box and unpacking the camera was that is felt like a sturdy and well built unit. The materials oozed quality and it was firmly put together. You get all the essentials in the box but no spare adhesive pads means there’s no backup in case you want to move the camera later. You can always get spare adhesive pads from eBay though if you need to.
The camera contains a single record button which is used to change the camera modes and manually lock a video file. There are 2 LED lights at the rear of the camera which are visible to the driver, one for power and another to signal it’s recording. The SD card slot is underneath the camera and there’s a front facing LED which flashed as you drive along. This light is very bright and overbearing at night but you can turn it off in the camera settings.
The installation process is simple. In our test we stuck the camera behind the rear view mirror so it’s tucked out of the way from the drivers’ view. Of course, this means that when you rotate the lens it will record the back of the mirror so if you need this feature you’ll need to mount the camera further down the window or to one side. However, always be mindful that you mount your camera in a safe and legal position.
Once installed, the iPixi X100FHD camera can be adjusted both up/down and left/right to make sure you get the best footage possible. The camera cannot be taken out of the car once it’s installed which means you can’t tuck it away when you’re on holiday or even taken it into the house to view the videos or change the settings. This means you need to take the memory card out of the camera and plug this into your computer instead which can be a little tricky, especially when it’s dark.
The camera has a nice voice guide system which tells you when it starts and ends recording, amongst other things. It’s nice to get the re-assurance that the camera is on and recording rather than having to check the LED lights to make sure it’s definitely working.
Like many cameras, the software and user manual is supplied on the camera itself, and accessed via the SD card. The software that controls the camera settings and allows you to view the video footage GPS and g-sensor data is only compatible with Windows. Therefore, we don’t recommend this camera if you’re not a Windows user since you won’t be able to change any settings (including the date and time) or view this additional video content.
The iPixi (or Winycam) X100FHD camera is very easy to use and setup. It automatically enters into parking mode once the camera hasn’t sensed movement for a few minutes and it automatically locks video clips when it senses an impact or sudden shock (via the built in g-sensor). If you want to manually lock a file as you’re driving along, simply press the one and only button on the camera. It really is very simple to use – once it’s in it just runs itself.
The most important factor when it comes to car cameras is the quality of the video – this is what ultimately counts when you need to rely on the evidence. The iPixi X100FHD records in full 1080p HD at 30fps. The video quality is on a par with other dash cams in this price range.
The rotating lens which allows you to flip the camera to face inside the car is a great feature for taxi drivers and driving instructors that would find recording inside the car useful. You will of course need to make sure to mount the camera in a position that will see in both directions. Normally, you would mount the camera behind the rear-view mirror to keep the camera out of the way, however, this will mean you won’t be able to make use of the rotating lens.
Changing the settings on the camera needs to be done with the supplied Windows software. You take the card out of the camera and insert it into your computer to load the software. Then, insert the card into the camera again (the camera will be in the car at this point) and the camera will update itself when you turn it on. This can pose a problem when updating the date and time of the camera. Firstly, you set the time using the software on your computer for a time in the future that you will insert the memory card into the camera. You then need to insert the memory card into the camera in your car at this set time.
At around the £200 price range, this iPixi/Winycam dash cam has a unique rotating lens and is very easy to use, it’s Windows only software and limited portability may limit its appeal to some.
Sample iPixi X100FHD Videos
Unboxing Video
Sample Footage
iPixi X100FHD Downloads
iPixi X100FHD Software
iPixi X100FHD User Manual
iPixi X100FHD Installation Guide
Buy the iPixi X100FHD Camera Online
The iPixi X100FHD is available to buy online for only £199.99 which comes complete with all the accessories you need to mount it in your car and get up and running
