Dr900s front Dashcam too dark at night and not sharp!

[John B.]

Hi All.
I have a BlackVue Dr900s 2Ch. Front camera view is terrible quality. Rear 1080p camera is great. I pointed camera angle lower but not really much different. Not put any filters on them. Any ideas please?

P.s picture through front 4K camera. Can’t upload both front and rear for comparison as too large!

 

[jokiin]

how does it look during the day?

did you copy the file off the memory card or downloading via the app?

 

[John B.]

Hi All.
I have a BlackVue Dr900s 2Ch. Front camera view is terrible quality. Rear 1080p camera is great. I pointed camera angle lower but not really much different. Not put any filters on them. Any ideas please?

P.s picture through front 4K camera. Can’t upload both front and rear for comparison as too large!

Here is the view from the rear 1080p camera..

 

[John B.]

Rear view 1080p camera on different day!

 

[jokiin]

Rear view 1080p camera on different day!

rear is always going to outperform the front in low light, that's expected

 

[John B.]

how does it look during the day?

did you copy the file off the memory card or downloading via the app?

The pictures are simply live view through my iPhone and grabbing a screen shot. Quality is still terrible in the daylight. Rear 1080p is always sharper and better!

 

[jokiin]

put the memory card in your computer and copy the files off and have a look, Blackvue don't have great video quality but it still should be better than what you see on the phone, they use a lower quality setting for the phone to speed up downloads

 

[John B.]

rear is always going to outperform the front in low light, that's expected

I don’t get it! How can they bring out an updated camera with supposedly sharper pictures but not as good as the one it’s replacing? Am I missing something??

 

[jokiin]

I don’t get it!

me either, no idea why people buy into the Blackvue hype

 

[John B.]

put the memory card in your computer and copy the files off and have a look, Blackvue don't have great video quality but it still should be better than what you see on the phone, they use a lower quality setting for the phone to speed up downloads

Thanks for these speedy replies, we’ll appreciated! I have the Tamper Proof Mount in so can’t get to the card!

 

[John B.]

Thanks for these speedy replies, well appreciated! I have the Tamper Proof Mount in so can’t get to the card without unpicking the setup. Not tried the front camera yet on 1080p but that would defeat the whole point of buying a 4K camera for me!

 

[jokiin]

setting the front to 1080p won't improve things anyway

 

[John B.]

setting the front to 1080p won't improve things anyway

Ok I’ll bin that idea! Should I be looking at getting another Dashcam? And if so, then which one in 4K?

 

[jokiin]

none of the available 4k cameras are well sorted right now, they all have quirks, if night quality is important to you though 4k is not a good choice

 

[John B.]

Ok. I’ll take your advice and hold off for a while. I’m understanding that where I’d need any video evidence from what’s been recorded, then take it directly from the sd card for the possible better quality. Thanks a million for the learning curve. Well appreciated..

 

[jokiin]

yeah you want to check the files from the card directly, the phone version is lower quality

 

[IAmATeaf]

My son has the same setup and in the daytime the front quality is excellent, nighttime it’s pretty mediocre, my V119 V3 outperforms it.

It’s all due to the sensor, it’s sensitivity and the max aperture. The bigger the sensor the more light you need spread over the sensor especially at night time.

 

[Nath]

Part of the problem is, most of 1080p sensors in dashcams now are Sony's IMX291 ("Starvis" series known for nice performance in low light) and DR900S uses Omnivision OS08A10 for the front (cheaper the sensor, more money for manufacturer...).

Look at A129Pro, IMX317 with smaller pixels which outperforms the Omnivision one (image from a bit larger IMX226 looks almost like a night vision ).

 

[Velvetfoot]

Could this also have something to do with the frame rate?
I don't have this camera, but mine does better in the dark at 30fps vs. 60.

 

[Nath]

Yep, there are more factors. More frames means higher shutter speed(less exposure time), less light reaches the sensor.