USDashCamera
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone,
I have been testing both the new Blackvue 490 models, one with the classic cylinder form factor, and one with an LCD screen. The 490L was sent to me by DashCamBros.com and the 490 was sent to me from Blackvue for review. Both use the Starvis image sensor and have the same 1080p30 Front and Rear with the buffered automatic parking mode Blackvue is known for. Whats nice about these is even in parking mode the bitrate front and rear is 11-13 mbps (Blackvue says 11, some of my files were 13) with full 1080p30 front and rear. So you don't lose quality in the parking mode like previous blackvue or thinkware cameras.
Besides the obvious LCD screen on the 490L model, the LCD model has the voltage protection built in so you don't need to buy the power magic pro like the 490 non-LCD model. It comes with the regular cig power cord and the hard wiring cable. For some reason the 490L comes with the installation tool and the 490 doesn't. Overall the 490L seems like the obvious value because when comparing them side by side both had virtually the same video quality. the 490 is of course for people who want a more discrete form factor, while the 490L is for people who really want to ability to watch clips and change settings on the camera itself.
Speaking of settings and watching clips, neither have wifi, so that means if you want to change the settings on the 490 non-LCD model you must insert your memory card into your PC or Mac and use the blackvue software.
The video files on both are saved as one file, so you need the software to also export the front and rear as separate files.
Neither have GPS either, but it is a cheap optional external unit if you want to buy it separate.
With the drawbacks some people might be disappointed, but the price I think is great, about $200-220 for the 16gb bundle including the power magic pro for the 490. I always recommend getting the 16gb bundle and buying a bigger card separate because its cheaper that way. These both support up to 128gb.
Check out the full review below, and remember youtube does degrade the video some:
I have been testing both the new Blackvue 490 models, one with the classic cylinder form factor, and one with an LCD screen. The 490L was sent to me by DashCamBros.com and the 490 was sent to me from Blackvue for review. Both use the Starvis image sensor and have the same 1080p30 Front and Rear with the buffered automatic parking mode Blackvue is known for. Whats nice about these is even in parking mode the bitrate front and rear is 11-13 mbps (Blackvue says 11, some of my files were 13) with full 1080p30 front and rear. So you don't lose quality in the parking mode like previous blackvue or thinkware cameras.
Besides the obvious LCD screen on the 490L model, the LCD model has the voltage protection built in so you don't need to buy the power magic pro like the 490 non-LCD model. It comes with the regular cig power cord and the hard wiring cable. For some reason the 490L comes with the installation tool and the 490 doesn't. Overall the 490L seems like the obvious value because when comparing them side by side both had virtually the same video quality. the 490 is of course for people who want a more discrete form factor, while the 490L is for people who really want to ability to watch clips and change settings on the camera itself.
Speaking of settings and watching clips, neither have wifi, so that means if you want to change the settings on the 490 non-LCD model you must insert your memory card into your PC or Mac and use the blackvue software.
The video files on both are saved as one file, so you need the software to also export the front and rear as separate files.
Neither have GPS either, but it is a cheap optional external unit if you want to buy it separate.
With the drawbacks some people might be disappointed, but the price I think is great, about $200-220 for the 16gb bundle including the power magic pro for the 490. I always recommend getting the 16gb bundle and buying a bigger card separate because its cheaper that way. These both support up to 128gb.
Check out the full review below, and remember youtube does degrade the video some: