BlackVue DR650S-2CH vs. Thinkware F770

[EsthersDoll]

Hi All,

I've been poking around reading about various dash cams for almost a year. Very informative site here - someone referred me to DASHCAMTALK from a Cadillac owner's forum.

Anywho, I'm definitely in the market for a dash cam, and I've narrowed it down to these two.

I would like to have a 2 Channel Dash Cam, one front and one rear, with a good parking mode and the best video quality possible. I would prefer to only deal with one camera, because managing two (one for front a separate one for rear) is just too much for me to manage right now.

From what I've read here on this forum, some users are having difficulty getting usable footage from the Thinkware F770 during parking mode when needed ie: after being hit, but it clearly has the better video quality. Has anyone had good luck with the Thinkware's parking mode after an incident when they needed it?

Blackvue's customer service probably isn't as good as Thinkware's, but their parking mode seems to be more reliable. Their video quality also suffers since they have the 720 for the rear camera.

I live in So Cal, so high heat in the car will be an issue for at least 4 months a year.

I'm going to have the cameras professionally installed - and I'm going to go with the Cellink B for either one.

I'll not be using the road safety features from the Thinkware model - my car already does all of that.

It seems that the Thinkware F770 also has a lot of audible alerts every time the car is turned on. Can anyone tell me whether the BlackVue DR650S also does that? Seems to me that it would get annoying after a while, and I'd rather "set it and forget it" as much as possible (I realize I'm probably going to have to format an SD card every few weeks.)

Also, I see that some people are peeved that BlackVue came out with a new model instead of just providing a firmware update.

Is there any sense that Blackvue will be coming out with a 2 CH 1080 front and rear model any time soon?

If you can think of anything I'm missing, or give me any advice about which model I should choose, I would greatly appreciate it. I would especially like to hear from people who own one of these two models, so if you do, please let me know that in your post/reply.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mms1361]

I dont have any personal experience with either camera so take my information with a grain of salt. Both are pretty reputable and have similar specs and pricepoint. The biggest factor would be that since you are looking for a 2channel parking setup the blackvue takes a big hit with the 720p rear facing camera. I didnt read anything about the f770 having unuseable footage from parking mode when i was researching it. Both have effective parking modes. Both have similar operating temperatures for the heat in socal, but the f770 additionaly has voltage and heat protection. When i asked a retailer they told me that they have had a few returns due to heat issues on the blackvue, since i live in az it was a concern for me. The f770 has a lower max sd card size at 64gb while the blackvue has up to 128gb. For 2channels the thinkware gets a maximum recording time of 7.5 hours on a 64gb card. Which would mean the blackvue would get a little more than 16 hours? on the 128gb card. Both have similar software with various settings to adjust things like audible alerts. The f770 wins with better video quality and the super night vision parking mode. Although I do like the design of the blackvue a little bit more. However when i was looking for a 2channel parking setup i ultimately chose neither.

I decided that dashcam technology as it is now is not that great for its pricepoint. Youd be looking at $400 cam, 225 battery, 30-60 sd card, +wiring, +install/diy. For me it wasnt worth it for the chance of being bumped on the sides only to find out my camera didnt catch anything because it only covers the front and rear of the vehicle. However it didnt seem like price was any factor from your post. If you want the best quality possible you will likely only achieve it by running two seperate 1ch cameras. Opia 2 is a good choice if you go that route. Only cons is that its a little bulkier but it also has "the best" heat rating out of any camera and a fully rotatable base. I know you stated that managing two cameras would seem like a hassle but there isnt really anything to manage once the cameras are set up. Unless youre planning on frequently saving funny/stupid driver videos i dont think it will be an issue.

If i HAD to chose one id go with the f770.
I ultimatedly opted to lose out on a 2ch parking setup and run two 1ch cameras without parking modes.

 

[EsthersDoll]

Thanks for the reply @mms1361!

I was looking at the Opia 2 and it definitely made me consider a 1 CH set up, or using a 2 camera set up. I just don't want to have to reformat 2 SD cards on a regular basis due to health reasons/ I have a disability that would just make that really difficult to have to go to the back of the car and futz with it. I wish the Opia 2 had a 2 CH option. It's my understanding from reading about dash cams online, that all of them require that their SD cards get reformatted 1-4x per month due to how many read/writes they have which can corrupt them over time/use.

I have read that a lot of people who own Tesla's are installing 4 CH set ups to cover all angles of their cars, but then that makes the price twice as much! And at that point, you're still dealing with a 2 camera set up.

I do wish that I got more bang for my buck considering how much these things cost and how many/what kinds of features they offer, but it's just where the technology is right now, these are my choices and I don't want to wait any more. I was in a really bad wreck a few years ago (which is why I'm disabled now) and I feel strongly that having a 2 CH dash cam covering me while I'm driving will help alleviate my anxiety on the road. Many people in Los Angeles, where I live, are just horrible drivers who just do whatever they want on the road when it conveniences them. At this point, I wish moving were an option!

 

[Maddog1974]

If you turn the volume down to zero on the F770 that stops most of the noise! You will need to format the memory card every 2 weeks but that's just holding a button on the back of the camera for 5 seconds.

There is also an entry level 2 ch camera coming very soon, the H100 however this does only have a 720p rear camera to keep the cost down. Other than that there is the F800 Air coming in a few months however that will be more expensive and require a 'Hotspot' in the vehicle to use all the features.

 

[EsthersDoll]

If you turn the volume down to zero on the F770 that stops most of the noise! You will need to format the memory card every 2 weeks but that's just holding a button on the back of the camera for 5 seconds.

There is also an entry level 2 ch camera coming very soon, the H100 however this does only have a 720p rear camera to keep the cost down. Other than that there is the F800 Air coming in a few months however that will be more expensive and require a 'Hotspot' in the vehicle to use all the features.

Thank you! This information is SO, SO helpful! I didn't even consider looking at CES releases. I am now thinking more seriously about the F770 and the F800... I think waiting a few months for the F800 might be well worth it.

 

[mms1361]

If i were you id get a viofo a119 or a119s right now just to cover yourself in case anything happens. They run under 100 dollars and have one of the best video qualities out right now although they do lack a proper parking mode feature. Im hoping they crankout an optional "base" model of the f800. Some of us dont want to pay or need all those fancy features they add in.

 

[EsthersDoll]

If i were you id get a viofo a119 or a119s right now just to cover yourself in case anything happens. They run under 100 dollars and have one of the best video qualities out right now although they do lack a proper parking mode feature. Im hoping they crankout an optional "base" model of the f800. Some of us dont want to pay or need all those fancy features they add in.

I just ordered the F770 and will upgrade it to the F800 when it's available.

Thanks for all the help, everyone who replied!

 

[Cornetti]

I just ordered the F770 and will upgrade it to the F800 when it's available.

Thanks for all the help, everyone who replied!

@EsthersDoll Why did you decide on the F770 over the similar spec'd BlackVue dashcam? I am also considering buying the two cameras and can't really make up my mind on which one to choose. Thanks.