Best image quality dash cams End of 2018

[ddavidd99021]

Hi all,

I'd like to hear some opinions (and preferably backed up by samples) on what is currently the best dash cam out there in terms of image quality.
I currently own two dash cams myself, a Blackvue DR900S-2CH and a Viofo A119S.

Aside from the fact that I ran into several issues with my Blackvue (WiFi issues, videos missing GPS track, or videos with partly missing GPS track) I would call the image quality of the Blackvue DR900S-2CH camera decent. In some lighting conditions it's great, in other it's mediocre at best.
To me, it seems that the A119S has a more 'stable' image quality overall. I'll add some sample stills from the Blackvue below, the stills from the Viofo will be added later (don't currently have them on this pc)

In short, 4K (which equals to roughly 4 times Full HD 1080P) doesn't mean 4 times the image quality. We all know that more megapixels doesn't necessarily mean better image quality.

So my question to all of you (and hopefully we can help some people that don't know what to choose) is:
What is currently the best dash cam out there in terms of image quality.

When making suggestions, please include the following things (if possible):
- Dash cam brand / model
- Price

Please only attach raw stills or video, as Youtube and/or other similar websites compress the video, so there won't be a fair comparison.

I wonder if there is a dash cam out there that is able to record in such a high quality that you could read all license plates and traffic signs without problems.

For all of you looking to buy a new dash cam, also take a look at 'The list of shame' with "fake 4K camera's". It's a nice thread to warn people about fake marketing stories some of the companies in the industry come up with. This thread can be found here.


Images were too large to add so I added them to my Google Drive here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zpYU8jW31MNShDNms0SAQHY5jbRAsvKy

- EDIT - Mods: I might have posted this in the wrong category, but I'm unable to move it. Please do so if appropriate, thank you.

 

[SawMaster]

Anything from Street Guardian will be good to excellent. The A119 does quite well, and extremely well using one of the modified firmwares. It can be nearly as good as the A119S at night and much better daytime. Ditto for the A129 Duo front cam. These are all I can think of ATM on my first morning's coffee, and some aren't "new" for the year but are recent.

It must always be remembered that capturing license plates cannot be counted on under any conditions with any cam, and that cams which do this best usually trade off some other part of video quality to achieve this. Those other things lost may be important, so you have to judge the overall situation based on your own preferences.

Back to my coffee
Phil

 

[Nigel]

Not sure this is right, but it is something to argue about...

Front wide angle view : Viofo A129 with firmware mods.

Front narrow angle view (for catching number plates) : Gitup F1 90°? (Not much else with a narrow angle lens.)

Dual camera rear view: Viofo A129 rear camera (only rear camera with a Sony Starvis sensor).

Interior camera: Viofo A129 interior infrared camera, wins by miles at night!

Side views: Not seen a good camera for this yet, Blueskysea B1W is nice but not the best image quality and not the fastest sensor to overcome the motion blur of passing cars, I would make do with a 2nd Viofo A129 Duo.

Front 4K view: There is not much choice currently, only 4K camera not known to overheat is the Gitup F1, but I'd rather have a Viofo A129 FHD camera with it's Sony Starvis sensors. However there is/are something(s) on the way, wait till next year...

 

[Nigel]

Images were too large to add so I added them to my Google Drive here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zpYU8jW31MNShDNms0SAQHY5jbRAsvKy

They are not very good!

I've got some Viofo A129 frame grabs in this thread: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/a129-under-trees-with-some-big-frame-grabs.34305/
And some fireworks to show low light ability: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/a129-fireworks.35645/
And to show it's suitability for movie making: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/viofo-a129-and-the-flying-scotsman.36510/

 

[jokiin]

They are not very good!

not great, but that's what Blackvue considers to be class leading

 

[Nigel]

not great, but that's what Blackvue considers to be class leading

Well, maybe they are currently leading the 4K dashcam class (I'll exclude the Gitup F1 since it is really an action camera). They will have to do a lot better if they want to stay in the lead...

 

[jokiin]

Well, maybe they are currently leading the 4K dashcam class (I'll exclude the Gitup F1 since it is really an action camera). They will have to do a lot better if they want to stay in the lead...

not hard to win a one horse race, even with a nag

 

[TonyM]

Well, there is also the Nextbase 612 in the 4k race, but it too seems to be limping along