BlackVue DR900S-2CH
Superb quality and dripping with features, but you’ll pay a lot to make the most of it. $770, www.blackvue.com
BlackVue’s DR900S is very much the premium product in this month’s test thanks to its 4K resolution, elaborate features, and eye-watering price tag. The barrel-shaped camera looks very sophisticated and will subsequently suit more-swanky cars. Setup requires an elaborate process of connecting via an app and your smartphone’s Wi-Fi, but it’s relatively straightforward. Because there’s no screen, your phone will be the primary way of accessing settings and videos although everything is still stored on an internal SD card.
Primary video is easily the best on test thanks to its 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, which contributes to the very wide 168o-viewing angle. The rear camera is Full HD but still very crisp and clear. Contrast is also very good and it handled scenes with simultaneous bright and dark areas very well. Low-light performance was excellent and audio was particularly high quality.
Blackvue is the only manufacturer to have “Desert-tested” its camera for overheating, which will please those who drive in the hotter parts of the country.
Despite the image quality, the price is exorbitant if this is all you’re looking for, but Blackvue goes above and beyond... if you’re prepared to pay even more.
You can also buy additional parking kits (and batteries) which keep the camera operating when you’re away. These can enable constant motiondetection-based recording in addition to impact recording. However, the pièce de résistance is Blackvue’s cloud service, which allow the camera to be connected to a Wi-Fi Hotspot (yet another expense) and accessed over the cloud. A free plan allows you to access 10 minutes of Live View each day, replay 100 videos per month and store 5GB of data, which is plenty for personal use. However, the plans scale to cater for fleet management and you can monitor the location of up to 29 different vehicles and connect live to any of them.
Naturally, much of this is overkill for most, casual dashcam buyers, but if your car’s your pride and joy the added security will bring high-value peace of mind.