mixed feelings about my new lk-7900 ace (video sample inside)

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vtt

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hi , first post here.

just installed my new lukas 7900 and not sure if its good as it suppose to be,
the video seems to be a little soft .

my camera is set to highest quality 11M , sharpness is set to 1 (default makes it loose details) and noise filter is set to 1 (again, strong noise filter = lost of details)

maybe my expectations was set too high.
here is a link to a video i have uploaded to dropbox so you can download it and review the original file without additional compression.

please let me know what you think.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v54f7qpv09yvbt4/alwa_20140116_161152.avi
 
vtt said:
hi , first post here.

just installed my new lukas 7900 and not sure if its good as it suppose to be,
the video seems to be a little soft .

my camera is set to highest quality 11M , sharpness is set to 1 (default makes it loose details) and noise filter is set to 1 (again, strong noise filter = lost of details)

maybe my expectations was set too high.
here is a link to a video i have uploaded to dropbox so you can download it and review the original file without additional compression.

please let me know what you think.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v54f7qpv09yvbt4/alwa_20140116_161152.avi
Click to expand...
I agree. One thing that will help is a polarizing filter -- you're getting a lot of reflection off the dash. But that is not likely to help with the softness/out of focus. The video and audio on this clip is from my 7900. Hoya polarizer and I think I had brightness 1 notch above the default. (yes, there is a good bit of noise and segmented straight lines).

[have to select 1080p in the player]
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B69PP31KQqZUSkNMSXZTOERhSnc/edit?usp=sharing
 
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Comparing it to my Mobius, it seems a little soft.
 
thanks for your comments guys, now i need to decide if i leave as it is or go through the hassle of shipping it back to Korea (will have to pay taxes again when it returns).
 
update ,

since i didn't want to go through the hassle of shipping the camera back i have decided to open it up and see if i can adjust the focus.
my findings were:

1. it opens pretty easy once you know where the screws are hidden.
2. taking it apart should be done with care because there are delicate connectors between the 3 layers of pcb's .
3. the lens is secured at the factory using hot glue which can be removed easily and refocusing is possible.
4. the gps module is hidden inside the base of the camera.
5. if you care about warranty forget this post :)

its now midnight so its too late for a test drive. tomorrow I'll post a video which hopefully show an improvement.
 
id did some more tests in daylight and in several lighting condition and it seems like my refocus did some good but overall I'm kinda disappointed.
also noticed that the right 30% of the image is very blurred compared to the left side. the optics in this camera is not great.

i guess it is what it is. will use it until better generation of cameras arrive.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h6jetvnqbm8l7mt/VideoOut.avi
 
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That does look a lot better. Again you have the sun coming from the left with a lot more reflections of your dash on the left.
I haven't followed other dash cams much but, in general, I would expect a good bit of quality control variation in devices like this at this price point. The main problem (at least for us in the US) is lack of local distribution and service. Shipping costs and time almost make a $200 item a throwaway -- unless it's totally non-functional it's almost not worth it to send it back for service.

What is your evaluation of the image quality of the clip I posted above?
 
What is your evaluation of the image quality of the clip I posted above?
Click to expand...

first of all , nice bit of driving :)
what do you drive ?

it looks quit nice but seems like it was post process (other than the obd2 layer) not sure what it is , maybe aggressive noise reduction.
anyway it has the same quality across the screen which is a lot more than i get from my camera.
 
Hello there, I'm new to the site and the Lukas 7900 is my first dash cam.
I am not impressed either, the video quality is dark and grainy and not very sharp at all! :( I have emailed Green Sum the ebay people who I ordered it from and they have asked me to send a video clip to them.
Fingers crossed they have a solution or are able to replace it. I will have to pay import tax too as I am in the UK.

Such a disappointment
 
vtt said:
first of all , nice bit of driving :)
what do you drive ?
Click to expand...

Actually not so good... my rotors need turned and I had street pads on. really bad judder so I was braking way early and going slow through the corners :(
06' Magnum SRT8

it looks quit nice but seems like it was post process (other than the obd2 layer) not sure what it is , maybe aggressive noise reduction.
anyway it has the same quality across the screen which is a lot more than i get from my camera.
Click to expand...

I don't know much of anything about video files.
Used Allok Video Joiner to stitch together the 3 min Lukas .avi files and output in .mp4
Then used RaceRender to add the OBDII and gps overlays and output in .wmv
Then uploaded to Google drive. Don't know if google converts it but it seems to look a whole lot better playing the .wmv file on my pc.

Pretty sure that was with all the default Lukas settings and brightness up one notch. The Hoya polarizer doesn't seem to darken it much. One notch up on brightness is a little too bright and normal is maybe a little bit too dark. I'll have to try it again with noise and AE at 1. I did that once and it didn't look good but I didn't really give it a chance in some different conditions.
 
vtt said:
hi , first post here.

just installed my new lukas 7900 and not sure if its good as it suppose to be,
the video seems to be a little soft .

my camera is set to highest quality 11M , sharpness is set to 1 (default makes it loose details) and noise filter is set to 1 (again, strong noise filter = lost of details)

maybe my expectations was set too high.
here is a link to a video i have uploaded to dropbox so you can download it and review the original file without additional compression.

please let me know what you think.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v54f7qpv09yvbt4/alwa_20140116_161152.avi
Click to expand...


Worst camera ever!!. I bought mine on ebay from gree-sum, I installed yesterday and after a test drive I downloaded the video to my PC and WTF!! it was out of focus!! and the video quality is awful.. this is a sample video: http://sharesend.com/7pk1nak8

So I searched on google and I found out there is several people with the same problem. Today I opened a case on ebay in order to get a refund, but even if I get it, I already lost 150USD on taxes plus handling (thanks DHL!). I trusted the comparison and review on this site but now I'm very disappointed and I don't recommend this camera to anyone, please don't buy it.

This is not my first camera, before this I had a BlackVue DR400G-HD II which after a year had several overheating problems, so I decided change it for the Lukas LK7900, but the blackvue's image quality was a lot better, the Lukas video quality is like a 30USD generic camera.
 
instead of just losing the money you might do better to open it up and correct the focus, this seems to be a common issue on this model, I'm not sure why
 
instead of just losing the money you might do better to open it up and correct the focus, this seems to be a common issue on this model, I'm not sure why
Click to expand...

i agree , out of frustration this is exactly what i did and now its usable (not perfect but i can leave with that).
there are 2 screws behind the ring where the logo is. the ring is cemented with double sided tape and needs to be removed to access the screws.
from that point is pretty straight forward.
 
jokiin said:
instead of just losing the money you might do better to open it up and correct the focus, this seems to be a common issue on this model, I'm not sure why
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if I open it and try to fix it, the camera would work as it should (some user in this very same forum said it doesn't work for him) and if I open, I void the warranty and any chance the seller respond. I rather lose 150 usd (handling, taxes) than 380 usd (230+150). The ebay seller reviewed the sample video I sent him and he agreed there is a problem so I have to send it back to him and he will issue refund as soon as he receive the item. I'll post any news, but until then, I encourage to anyone who read the forum to not buy this camera and I hop someone update the review which indicates it don't have any known problem.
 
Thanks for sharing the videos and this problem. Seems to be occurring more frequently now. Perhaps their quality control has declined. I will try to update the page with this info and remove it from the Best Bang for your buck page within the next 24 hours.
 
Not only QC has declined, but customer service as well. I gave up trying to get any satisfaction from Lukas regarding the poor focus on mine. Haven't gotten around to disassembly so I can properly focus it. Rather sad that a $52 camera outperforms the Lukas (at least in video quality) by a substantial margin.
 
If the problem seems to be general why has greensum not withdrawn them from sale and raised the issue with Lukas.Perhaps then something might be done about it its in no ones interest least of all Lukas Qrontech to have disgruntled customers and adverse publicity .........Lukas and Greensum look up and take note @ mjyoon an Email with your thoughts on the subject would be very welcome you have my email address....I am aware there is a national holiday on the 30th 31st jan and february 1st to coin an english phrase get your finger out ..........with respect Ipol
 
4-5 days no reply from my reseller yet, I'm sure they replied within a few hours when I was buying.

Oh well at least I have some time to get it sorted.. I really want it 100% for a road trip in August, hoping to get some good footage of some nice scenery. Having said that my dashcam's view is a little obstructed by the LASER box on my windscreen so I might be as well to have a Mobius on top of the dashboard for that trip.
 
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I have been using mine for nine months now and haven't experienced any serious problems. One thing to note is that a portion of the frame becomes soft when the unit is running hot, for instance when you leave it under the sun. For optimum image quality, try 1 level up for brightness, and 1 level down for sharpness and noise filter, from the default.
 
Apple CT have replied at last and I'm arranging to send mine back ☺

Problem with adjusting the focus yourself is it looks like it could be hard to get the target at the correct distance with the camera in bits. Mount it in the car and it's wrong and you have to drop it to bits again. That connector is possibly not to be rated for to many insertions eg 10.

I'd rather send it back and have it replaced whilst under 12 months old, guess its going to cost me around £10 in shipping. Only problem is what are the chances of receiving an out of focus camera in return : 10%, 50%?

Mine is standard brightness I think, sharpness and noise filters turned down. Its not hot here and the car is garaged so it isn't sun causing the issues in my case.
 
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