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5 Reasons To Upgrade Your Dash Cam

DVR camera on the windshield of the car close up

If you already own a dash cam, you’re likely familiar with its fantastic features that enhance driver safety. However, what you may not know is that your current dash cam could be outdated, with newer models offering better features that make it easier to share footage with loved ones, provide evidence to insurance companies or the police, and more.

Here are five reasons why it’s the perfect time to upgrade your current dash cam:

Enhanced Resolution

Like any video camera, dash cams record using specific video sizes, and higher pixel numbers indicate better video and image quality. Older dash cams may record in 480p or 720p, which is considerably lower than the capabilities of newer models. By upgrading to a higher resolution camera, such as 1080p, 1440p, or 4K, you’ll enjoy sharp, crisp images that won’t suffer from display issues. This ensures that the footage retains important details, such as license plates or faces, even when objects are far from the camera.

Improved Night-Time Recording

Driving at night can be more dangerous due to reduced natural light. While most dash cams offer low-light features to record in the dark, older cameras may produce grainy and barely visible footage that’s of little use to authorities or insurance providers. Investing in a dash cam with enhanced low-light recording capabilities allows you to capture more details in videos, even when driving on unlit roads. Brands like BlackVue, Nextbase, and Garmin offer excellent options with light sensor technology or Sony STARVIS image sensor technology for unrivalled night-time video recording.

Wi-Fi and Better Connectivity

Modern dash cams come equipped with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to effortlessly view footage on your smartphone or computer and transfer videos without removing the SD card from the dash cam. Some models, like those from BlackVue, take connectivity to the next level with the BlackVue Cloud. This suite of app-driven Live services enables users to remotely connect to their dash cams, check their cars, play video clips, back up data, monitor live journey progress, and access real-time location data.

Parking Mode and Hardwiring

If your current dash cam is older, it probably lacks a parking mode feature, meaning it won’t record when the engine is off due to power constraints. Newer dash cams typically include parking modes with features like impact detection and motion detection. This ensures continuous recording even when you’re away from your vehicle, providing peace of mind in capturing any unexpected incidents. To optimize the dash cam’s parking mode and ensure constant coverage, consider having it hardwired into your car. Hardwiring prevents the dash cam’s battery from draining and eliminates messy wires, freeing up your 12V connector for charging other devices.

Front and Rear Cameras for Expanded Viewing Angles

Leading dash cam brands now offer options for both front and rear cameras. Installing a dual-camera system provides a full 360-degree view (depending on the model), ensuring you never miss what’s happening ahead, beside, or behind you. BlackVue offers several models that include front and rear cameras as standard, making them an excellent choice for comprehensive coverage. Nextbase also offers rear cameras that can be combined with their front cameras, providing a broader perspective of the road. With these options, you’ll capture every important moment.

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Is The Thinkware F200 Better Than The Nextbase Duo HD?

We often get asked ‘which is the best dash camera?’. This is a hard question because it will always come down to personal needs and preferences. That being said, a comparison over at Auto Express did a good job of deciding which is better: the Thinkware F200, or the Nextbase Duo HD.

Thinkware F200-2CH

       

The Thinkware F200-2CH is a great front and rear dash camera system, providing high quality at a low price. Coming in at £169.99, while boasting HD recording from both ends, built-in WiFi, and a time lapse feature, it is a pretty impressive camera.

Features

Video Quality – 1080p HD Front, 720p HD Rear

Price – £169.99

WiFi – Yes

GPS – Optional Antenna

Time Lapse – Yes

Viewing Angle – 140°

Parking Mode – Yes

Screen – No

SD Card – 16GB Card Supplied

Memory – Up to 64GB

Nextbase Duo HD

          

The Nextbase Duo HD is also an affordable front and rear dash camera, with impressive specs. It records at 1080p HD from both lenses, hasbuilt-in Wifi, and a GPS magnetic mounting system. However, is slightly more expensive, at £199.99.

Features

Video Quality – 1080p HD Front and Rear

Price – £199.99

WiFi – Yes

GPS – Yes

Time Lapse – No

Viewing Angle – 140°

Parking Mode – Yes

Screen – Yes

SD Card – None provided

Memory – Up to 32GB

What Was The Result?

“The F200 takes it here… it has a better field of vision, which will be more important when capturing incidents.”

“We put the two devices head to head, focusing on recording abilities and quality, ease of use, plus price.”

“We captured a good amount of detail with the front camera; it adjusted for exposure well and we could read licence plates and road signs easily.”

“The lens picked up licence plates from a good distance , and offered a better field of vision than the Duo, so we could position it anywhere we liked in the rear window.”

If you would like further advice or book an installation, please click here, or call 01865 957191 to speak to one of our experts today.

 

 
 
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The Best Dash Camera For Driving Instructors

The Best Dash Camera For Driving Instructors

It has become increasingly common for driving instructors to have dash cameras in their vehicles, not only to ensure they have increased safety when on the road but to use as a teaching aid during lessons. However, for a dash camera to be used by a driving instructor there are a couple of special requirements. The first is a camera that has Wi-Fi, this allows a Wi-Fi enabled mobile or tablet to connect to the camera allowing you to review previously recorded footage. This can help the instructor explain what a student did wrong and how to improve. Another must have feature is the ability for the camera to run silently. This is to ensure that learners are not distracted or disturbed during lessons and tests by the camera beeping or ‘talking’.

These requirements rule out most dash cameras as although Wi-Fi connectivity is becoming increasingly popular, it is still not a feature the majority of cameras have. Even fewer cameras can be configured to run completely silent, with the camera producing no noise what so ever. Due to these requirements, the BlackVue DR750S dash camera is what many driving instructors purchase due to its ability to meet these specialist requirements. This camera can come as either a front only or front and rear camera system.

BlackVue DR750S FeaturesBlackVue DR750S-2Ch

Both the front and rear camera record in 1080P Full HD, meaning the footage produced will be crystal clear. The DR750S has built in GPS and Wi-Fi for use with the smartphone app and comes with cloud compatibility allowing you to view your camera remotely. The GPS allows the vehicles location and speed to be overlaid onto the footage. Alongside these features, the cameras sleek cylindrical design means it is very discreet and will not be an eyesore for the driver.

When connected to your camera over Wi-Fi, you can change camera settings, review previously footage and watch the camera live. This can be useful if you want to use the dash cam in driving lessons, as you can easily find the footage and play it back to the learner.

The DR750S also has the availability of parking mode recording when hard-wired. This will result in the camera recording when either motion or an impact is detected after the ignition has been switched off, offering you peace of mind when you are not in the vehicle.

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Audi Q7 Dash Camera Installation

Audi Q7 Dash Camera Installation

Every installation we do here is done to the highest possible standard. We only use fully trained auto-electricians who are then tested on dash camera installations before going out in the field. By doing this we ensure only the best engineers are able to work on your vehicle, we will also ensure the engineer has suitable experience on your vehicle or similar vehicles before being assigned to your installation.

Recently we had an enquiry of installing a camera system into a new Audi Q7. The customer required the camera system to be as discreet and high quality as possible with all wires hidden, an additional battery was also needed to ensure the vehicle is protected overnight. After hearing this, our experienced team decided that the Lukas Qvia AR790 was the most suitable camera system, with the Cellink B battery pack also being used. The AR790 is one of the most discreet camera systems available, with a sleek cylindrical design. Both the front and the rear camera record in 1080P full HD which makes it one of the best cameras available today.  

After showing the customer the camera system and battery pack combination , along with images of previous installations of this system that we have completed, he decided that this was the system for him. The order was then placed via our online shop and our booking team then called him to arrange a suitable date, time and location for the installation to take place. The kit was then sent out to the customer ready for the engineer.

Lukas AR790 Installation

Lukas AR790 Front Camera Once on site, the engineer completed his pre installation vehicle checks, to ensure the vehicle is working correctly before carrying out any work. The front camera was positioned out of sight behind the rear view mirror and the rear camera was placed in the top middle of the rear windscreen. All cables are then run through the trim of the vehicle, using existing grommets so no cable is visible. The cameras power cable was then connected to the battery pack, which is installed using a relay. This means the battery pack is charged when the ignition is on and will power the cameras in parking mode once the ignition is switched off. Once the installation was completed, the engineer performed his post-installation checks, ensuring both the camera system and vehicle are working as expected before leaving.

Our experienced team are happy to help recommend the best camera system for your needs, so please contact us if you have any questions. Alternatively, you can check out our extensive range of dash cameras

 

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Dash Camera Parking Mode

Dash Camera Parking Mode

When searching for a dash camera, people often want a camera that can record when the ignition is off. The majority of the cameras we offer have the ability to enable parking mode once they have been hard-wired into a vehicle. To save space on the SD card, the majority of dash cameras will only save footage in parking mode after motion or an impact has been detected.

After the ignition is turned off your camera will automatically go into parking mode, it will then stay in this mode until the vehicles voltage drops to a pre selected level or the vehicles ignition is turned on. We typically find that a camera will record for 2-4 hours after the ignition is turned off. However, this can be extended with the use of additional battery packs.

How can I use parking mode?

BlackVue Power Magic proThe first thing to check is that you have a camera that is capable of parking mode, brands like BlackVue, Lukas and Thinkware will all go into parking mode automatically when hard-wired. To be able to hard-wire the camera you will need the correct cable, Lukas and Thinkware cameras come with this hard-wire lead as standard in the box, however, BlackVue cameras need an additional piece of equipment called the power magic pro to be able to hard-wire the camera and enable parking mode.

Other cameras such as the Nextbase range have internal batteries. The battery is charged when the vehicles ignition is on. Once the ignition is turned off, the camera will be powered by it’s own battery. Depending on the model of camera, you may have to manually enable parking mode before you leave the vehicle.

Extending the duration of parking modeCellink B Battery Pack

For those who want their camera to record over night, an additional battery pack is available. By purchasing a battery pack, you can significantly increase your parked recording time. When the vehicle is on the battery pack is charged, for a full charge you need to drive for approximately 1.5 hours. The most common battery pack is the Cellink B, which was designed specifically for use with dash cameras and will give you around 15 hours of parking mode with a front and rear system or 30 with a front only camera.

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How to change the Mobius camera settings

How to change the Mobius camera settings

The Möbius range of cameras can be configured to suit your needs. With settings such as resolution, recording mode and clip size being able to change. We have created a simple step-by-step guide on how to change the settings of yur mobius, this guide works for all Möbius variations.

Step 1: Download the Möbius software onto your laptop or PC, this can be done at: http://www.mytempfiles.info/mobius/index.html

Step 2: Plug your camera (with the SD card inside) into your laptop/PC’s USB port.

Step 3: Once you computer recognises a device has been inserted you will need to open the software that you just downloaded. When it loads you will be met by a screen similar to the one below. Click on the memory card at the top to screen to access the settings. You can now go in and out each tab and change the settings to your preference.

Step 5: Click set parameters, once you have done this you will be notified that the parameters have now been saved. Your Möbius is now ready for use.

If you experience any problems whilst trying to change the settings of your camera please contact us, one of the team will be happy to help.

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Do dashcams make good vehicle CCTV systems?

Do dashcams make good vehicle CCTV systems?

It’s a saddening (and maddening) state of affairs, that many people see fit to needlessly damage other peoples vehicles. From tyres being slashed to paintwork being keyed, we’ve spoken to many customers who are suffering at the hands of vandals, and who are looking for a solution and we get asked almost daily whether dashcams can offer protection against this type of problem.

Just recently, as you may have seen in the mainstream media, the driver of an Aston Martin Vantage innocently parked their car in a Tesco’s car park, only to return to find their car scratched, with a reported £9,000 worth of damage. Fortunately on this occasion, the driver had a BlackVue dashcam installed and images of the vandal quickly went viral, resulting in a 48-year old man being questioned by the police.

So that’s it, case closed, dashcam footage helped to catch the vandal, so they work, right?! Simply choose a product from our wide range of cameras which offer parking protection and your troubles will be over, right?!

Well, yes and no. Dashcams are definitely an option if you’re looking to protect your vehicle and capture footage while it’s parked, but they do have some limitations and there are some things to consider, depending on what you’re hoping to achieve, which we’d like to highlight to ensure that you find the correct product for your needs.

The difference between motion detection and parking protection

Even the most basic dashcams seems to have some motion detection functionality nowadays, and this enables the camera to be switched to a mode where it will monitor activity within it’s view, and if detects any movement, it will start to record. When it no longer detects anything of interest, it stops recording again. As useful as this feature is, it does have some limitations.

Firstly, from when it initially detects movement, these is a short delay while it boots up before it actually starts recording. While usually less than a second, these vital moments could be crucial if you need to refer to this footage for evidence. Secondly, motion detection usually needs to be enabled manually when required, which can mean that you need to remember to do it each and every time you park your vehicle. And you just know that something will happen on the once occasion that you forget to turn it on, right?!

More advanced parking protection modes can detect when you have been parked for a short time and automatically switch to the relevant setting, where upon they continually monitor activity, and create a video file whenever motion is detected. Cleverly, these video files usually start a few seconds before the activity was detected, meaning you get a clear picture of the entire event.

View all of our cameras that offer parking protection

Low light performance

One of the enquiries we receive the most is from frustrated drivers who, for whatever reason, have become the target of vandals, and are looking to catch them in the act with dashcam footage. Unfortunately a lot of this vandalism occurs under the shadow of darkness, so some form of night-vision is a requirement. Unfortunately, while some dashcams feature infra-red LEDs, there are a gimmick, and dashcams simply aren’t designed for use in low-light conditions. During regular use at night, their view is illuminated by headlights and street lighting which means that they’re able to capture good quality images, and some models also feature a high dynamic range which allows them to manipulate this image to improve them even further, but without a significant light source dashcams will struggle to capture any meaningful footage. Even if you park in an area with adequate street lighting, which might enable you to capture a person committing a crime, it’s debatable as to whether you would be able to make out enough detail to identify them.

360 degree coverage

During normal use, a dashcam only really needs to cover the view from the front, and possibly the rear, in order to capture the vast majority of meaningful activity that it needs to. However, in the case of a vehicle being targeted by vandals or thieves, the sides of the vehicle are prime target areas, and so many of our customers are looking for 360 degree coverage from their cameras. While it is possible to add multiple cameras inside a vehicle to cover additional angles, this can cause complications where mounting and powering are concerned, and so isn’t the ideal application for dashcams.

Hardwiring

Hardwiring is the process of connecting your car camera directly to your vehicles electrical system so that it can receive power while your ignition is off. Many vehicles will cut the supply of power to the cigarette lighter socket when the ignition is switched off, meaning that you can’t run dashcams this way if you hope to use the parking features. By hardwiring your camera, you ensure that it has a continual source of power and so it can record while you’re away from your car, but this can mean some extra effort and expense, especially as we’d always recommend the use of a qualified professional when carrying out electrical work.

Memory card capacity

This becomes less of an issue as dashcam technology moves forwards and they can accept larger capacity memory cards, but with the majority of our customers opting for relatively small, inexpensive memory cards with their cameras, this is still worth mentioning. As a rough guide, a 32GB memory card will hold around 5-6 hours of high quality footage in total which, through loop recording and clever space management systems is perfectly acceptable during regular use. However, some customers are looking for a system which will store many hours, or even days worth of footage as a more traditional CCTV would and this simply isn’t achievable without a very high capacity memory card, which are still prohibitively expensive. And even then, only a very small number of dashcam models support this size of card.

Live streaming

The idea of being able to connect to your dashcam, from anywhere in the world, and see activity around your vehicle is one that we’re often asked about, but there simply hasn’t been an answer to. However, that may all be about to change with the development of “BlackVue in the Cloud”. This new feature from BlackVue is only in it’s early launch stages but seems to offer some exciting functionality that may offer a new dimension in vehicle security. The technical details are, at time of writing, still not fully understood, but essentially, if your dashcam is able to connect to a wifi hotspot, it will be able to upload live images that you’ll be able to view via an online portal. While this is largely aimed at fleet managers, to enable them to track their vehicles, it clearly has significant security benefits too.

Summary

So, hopefully you’re now more aware as to the strengths and weaknesses that dashcams have, where vehicle security is concerned. There’s no denying that car cameras can play a key role in protecting your vehicle while you’re away from it, but they might not be the solution in every case.

However, if you still think that a dashcam is something that you’d like to look into further, you can browse all of our models that offer any form of parking protection here. Cameras that have proven popular in this area have been the BlackVue DR3500-FHD, the BlackVue DR650S-2CH and the Lukas LK-7950 which could each be worth a look. The BlackVue DR3500-FHD is a front-facing camera and is their entry-level dashcam, but it still features an advanced parking protection mode. The BlackVue DR650S-2CH and Lukas LK-7950 cameras each offer front and rear recording and will automatically switch to their parking modes when required.

If you have any questions as to whether car cameras might be suitable for your needs, please do get in touch and we’ll be happy to advise.

 

 

 
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Lukas Dashcams – Now available at Car Camera Shop

Lukas Dashcams - Now available at Car Camera Shop

Lukas Dashcams

We’re delighted to have introduced a range of dashcams by Lukas to our website recently. We’re always looking to add top-quality cameras to our site and Lukas cameras are among the best quality available.

If you’re not familiar with the Lukas brand, they have grown a huge reputation in their native Korea since they were formed in 2006. Since then they have developed a range of high-quality, high-specification dashcams that are now among the most popular in Korea; which is no mean feat considering how competitive the market is there.

We’ve added the Lukas LK-7700 and Lukas LK-7900, which offer a distinctive and discreet design which is sure to be popular. But they’re not all style and no substance. Each camera offers full HD 1080p video recording, captures GPS and g-shock data and features an optional 37mm UV filter. The Lukas LK-7900 has an improved sensor – a 2.4MP SONY Exmor CMOS sensor in case you were wondering – which means it captures better image quality.

But if you’re looking for a 2-channel dashcam offering front and rear protection, then we’ve added the Lukas LK-7950 and Lukas LK-9750. Both of these brilliant dashcams record full HD 1080p at front and rear as well as a host of useful features. The LK-7950 features a mobile app which enables you to view footage and adjust settings, while on the LK-9750 this can be done via it’s 4″ LCD touch screen.

All of these cameras offer HUGE memory capacity as they are among the only models to support 256GB cards. This makes them perfect for anyone who spends a significant amount of time on the roads such as lorry drivers, taxi drivers and driving instructors.

We hope you’ll agree that the Lukas range are a great addition to our website. Keep your eyes peeled for more great dashcams coming to carcamerashop.co.uk in the future.

 
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Mini 0806: The Best New Dashcam?

Mini 0806: The Best New Dashcam?

PDATE: To order, or to find out more about the Mini 0806, visit our product page.

Mini 0806 DashcamMini 0806 Dashcam

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.

Mini 0806 Filter

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.

 
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Mini 0806: A Sneak Preview

Mini 0806: A Sneak Preview

UPDATE: To order, or to find out more about the Mini 0806, visit our product page.

UPDATE: More information is now available about the Mini 0806. Read our latest blog post here.

Mini 0806 DashcamMini 0806 Dashcam

After the popularity of the Mini 0801 and Mini 0803, it’s with great excitement that we hear that a Mini 0806 is currently in development! Also referred to as the Mini 0803 Pro, it appears to be in a testing phase so hopefully it will be available to purchase sooner, rather than later!

Physically, if the blurred pictures that have been released by the manufacturer bare any relation to the finished product, the Mini 0806 appears to keep a similar styling to it’s predecessors, but with a few modifications. The rounded end of the 0801 and 0803 looks to have been squared off slightly and on the rear, the LCD screen and buttons look as if they have a new white surround?!

While the exact specification is closely guarded secret at this stage, some YouTube videos showing day and night test footage offer a 1440p video resolution which hints that the Mini 0806 could offer ultra high definition video. Also, the night time footage appears to be very clear, which indicates that the Mini 0806 has retained the wide dynamic range (WDR) of the Mini 0803.

We’re hoping to be a part of the testing process for the Mini 0806 and have contacted the manufacturer to try and get involved. While the Mini 0803 has had a few teething problems, we’re huge fans of this fantastic range of cameras and they’ve been very popular with our customers.

We’ll keep you updated as we get any more information and hope to get our hands on the Mini 0806 as soon as possible.

Mini 0806 Test Videos

Daytime Video
Nightime Video