BlackVue Elite 8 - Unboxed & Review

[Dan-UK1415]

I decided to try out the new BlackVue Elite 8 to see how BlackVue have progressed since the prior DR970X Plus model (aside from the mid-model update of the DR970X Plus 2).
It's an upgrade from 1080p/1080p to 2K/2K from DR770X Plus, but not up to the 4K of the DR970X Plus, but I am still curious to check it out, as I can't get away from the convenience of BlackVue's remote view/Cloud Access and now the addition of low power parking mode.

This will be replacing my DR970X Plus LTE due to the smaller size (although separate CM100GLTE module), but addition of low power parking mode for prolonged use.
To run along side my Viofo A329T for video quality - and BlackVue for remote view, location tracking and creating in car WiFi hotspot.

I purchased this dashcam myself - this was not a review/test unit.
I bought the dashcam in the pre-release sale on 18th July.
It was shipped out on 30th July and I received it today, 1st August.


This is just an initial unboxing review at the moment as I've not had any time to even plug it in or test it out. That will hopefully be over the next few days, depending on family commitments.


First impressions - BlackVue has completely redesigned their retail packaging.
Gone is the previous brown box with black/blue printing on it.
We now get a white box with full colour. This actually reminds me of Viofo's packaging.

I also note the smaller box size means the reduction of included items.
The dashcam only only comes with 1 form of power supply, the 3 pin jack connection to USB-C cable with cigarette lighter adapter.
**Gone is the normally included hardware cable**

Here is the box and what's included;

The pre-release brochure of the Elite 8 also stated that they're changing the rear cable to (CC6G-6) high speed rear cable.
On first impression, the cable looked identical to previous cables, so I reached out to BlackVue for clarification.
They confirmed that they've upgraded the rear cable for better interference protection and higher speed.
They sent me this comparison to note the newer cable is marked with a '6' on the front end of the cable (no marking on the rear end).

The good news is that the previous rear coaxial cables still work, so if you're replacing an older setup - the cables are interchangeable - but for better protection against interference or rear camera dropouts, they do recommend upgrading to the newer cable.

 

[Dan-UK1415]

Here are some screenshots of the dashcam settings.

Things to note;
- Parking Modes, now included low power parking mode - the camera must be hardwired for parking modes to kick in - although no hardwire cable is supplied with the camera
- There is currently no 'hybrid parking mode' like Viofo offer, where you can set one type of parking mode for a set period (ie, time lapse for 2 hours), then switch to lower power parking with non-buffered impact detection. I have suggested this to BlackVue and their R&D are considering in a future update
- WiFi hotspot has now been increased back to 3 local hotspot connections (it was reduced from 3 to just 1 in BlackVue prior model range).

 

[Dan-UK1415]

After a couple days of initial testing, here are my thoughts and some sample images compared with the current industry leader, Viofo A329S/A329T.


I've had a couple of issues out of the gate, which is a bit disappointing - but hopefully can be resolved quickly.

First issue;
The GPS didn't register at all first the first 2 days of setting up the dashcam.
I've had GPS issues with the last 2 BlackVue models and I've had multiple RMAs and queried them on hardware changes between the DR900X and newer models. It's very sensitive to anything nearby. However, plugging in the external LTE module (CM100GLTE), and moving the dashcam slightly seems to have fixed that issue.
BlackVue released a firmware update for the previous DR970X Plus, due to GPS issues to now also use the external LTE module's extra GPS antennas. They seem to have done something similar with the Elite 8 to also allow the GPS module in the external LTE.

The second issue; (UPDATED WITH BLACKVUE RESPONSE)
The dashcam will not go into ANY parking mode state when using an external battery pack and connecting the camera to it using the standard power cable/cigarette lighter adapter.
I wondered if this was a change due to the new power cable/separate adapter - but it's exactly the same with the older cable from the X series dashcams.
For some reason the camera is not going to sleep/timing out when stationary and going into parking mode. It continues to record at full recording state continuously.
All prior BlackVue camera would auto switch to parking mode, even when powering with cigarette port after about 15 minutes of the vehicle being stationary.
Hardwiring the dashcam switches it to parking mode instantly.

Unfortunately, the Elite 8 does NOT come with a hardwire cable, so I've been unable to connect this up to the battery pack as hardwired - and I don't have a spare from previous, so I've had to order a new one separately.

I've reached out to BlackVue about this issue - and they confirmed that the Elite 8 does NOT use G-sensor for parking mode detection, so it MUST be hardwired for it to have any parking mode.

Previous BlackVue cameras using g-sensor to trigger parking mode after about 15 minutes of the vehicle being stationary - whereas the Elite 8 will only use ignition (hardwired by either OBD hardwire cable, or fusebox/battery pack hardwire cable).
Whilst I was disappointed with this initially, as previous models did have this feature, and the dashcam does not come with a hardwire cable - after thinking this over, I can understand the logic behind it - as being ignition based is the only accurate way of entering parking mode - as oppose to being stuck in traffic and the dashcam thinking it's parked.



Aside from those - I'm actually very impressed with the dashcam.

I have this set up side by side with the Viofo A329T, so I've been able to get some good comparisons, and even though this is a 2K/2K dashcam, against Viofo's 4K/2K dashcam - there are some instances where is actually beats the Viofo.

@Vortex Radar - you'll be happy to see BlackVue added back in the 3 hotspot connection, and the GPS issues/LTE module now being used too, as I know you also had GPS issues on the previous models too.

 

[Dan-UK1415]

So here are some sample comparisons.
The BlackVue Elite 8 Vs Viofo A329T
(Obviously it is unfair to use the actual telephoto camera as comparison, so I've just compared the front and rear cameras.
(Please ignore the times displayed in the separate dashcams, the Viofo weren't set correctly due to pulling out the SD card in parking mode and plugging the camera in without the card rest the time to 00:00 and I hadn't noticed to set to correct time - which I've realised after the fact, and the Viofo HDR modes which turn on/off at certain times - whereas the BlackVue has HDR on all the time - so I'm having to re-do the night time footage for a fair comparison).
Please also note the Viofo A329T has CPL filters on both fronts and rear - but the BlackVue Elite 8 doesn't have CPL filters fitted - so some of the slight differences may be exacerbated by the filters/lack of filters.


Daytime;

Early evening;

 

[Dan-UK1415]

A little frustration about the BlackVue logo in the top left of the footage - they need to put a white border around the edge to make it clear.
Currently in blue sky daytime - the logo just says "Black"
And in black night time, the logo just says "Vue"...



I'm currently unable to test the parking modes due to the issue mentioned

I'm waiting to hear back from BlackVue on some things, and will update this thread

 

[Dan-UK1415]

Some general things to note;

- the dashcam mounts for the Elite 8 are different to all prior models (both front and rear), so they're not interchangeable with prior models, so you'll need to replace the mounts too if upgrading.

- the power cables from the X series dashcams are the same on the Elite 8, so the same cables can be used (CL-3P1 & CH-3P1)

- the rear coax cables are interchange - which helps not having to rewire the full vehicle if upgrading. Although recommend for best results to replace with the upgraded cable for less interference and dropout risk.

- Front camera is compatible with the CP-2 CPL filter from the DR970X Plus LTE model. The rear is not yet available.


BlackVue do appear to be listening to customer feedback and trying to fix things they removed thing it would benefit customers but had backlash (HDR modes, WiFi Hotspot limits, GPS issues & requests to allow external module be used to support when available).

Hopefully the Elite range will mark a turning point for BlackVue and a focus to get back to being a great manufacturer with great services - rather than churning out slightly upgraded but outdated hardware removing features that people use.
We can hope....

 

[Vortex Radar]

Thanks for all the detailed testing and notes!

For the nighttime comparisons, it looks like HDR is off on the Viofo. Are you able to try with it enabled?

 

[Dan-UK1415]

Thanks for all the detailed testing and notes!

For the nighttime comparisons, it looks like HDR is off on the Viofo. Are you able to try with it enabled?

I noticed as I was adding the post about the time issue and realised HDR wouldn't have turned on with the Viofo - so I'll redo the night time tests.
I've removed the unfair comparisons and tried to tidy it up a bit.



I've also heard back from BlackVue about a number of things;

They've confirmed that the dashcam does not use g-sensor for parking mode detection, as that gave false parking mode issues (in traffic and enter parking mode, or taking too long to enter parking mode when actually parked) - so they opted for ignition only based parking mode, meaning the camera must be hardwired - so either hardwired to a battery pack, the vehicle's fuse box or OBD2 port.
I can understand the logic behind it - just disappointing coming from previous models that did use g-sensor parking detection, and also included hardwire cables, whereas the Elite 8 does not.

They also confirmed the rear coaxial cable has been upgraded - although previous cables are still compatible.
The cable has been upgraded for better interference protection and higher speed.
This is to help progress to future models that have higher data pass-through, so as a 4K/4K model.

The CPL filter from the BlackVue DR970X Plus LTE (CP-2) is compatible with the front camera, but no mention of the rear yet.

I've suggested a 'hybrid parking mode' similar to Viofo - where you can set the parking mode to timelapse for 2 hours, then it goes to low power parking mode for example. They've taken this onboard and their R&D team are considering it in a future update (no promises).

 

[Julian23]

Please also note the Viofo A329T has CPL filters on both fronts and rear - but the BlackVue Elite 8 doesn't have CPL filters fitted - so some of the slight differences may be exacerbated by the filters/lack of filters.

If you do a new comparison, please have the same CPL setup for both units.
I've seen that the CPL will slightly decrease the plate capture at night. This goes for nearly any brand. It would be fair for the A329T to have equal settings.

 

[Dan-UK1415]

I currently don't have CPL filters for the Elite 8, so I will remove the filters from the A329T to make it a fair comparison.

(I did have DR970X Plus LTE with CPL filters, which BlackVue say use the same front CPL - but I recently sold so having to buy new filters again).


I'm not expecting this to be an even shootout between the two cameras as they're 2K vs 4K, so it's more for reference points, but yes - I'll try and make it the most even comparison between the two.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

fair comparison

Testing / comparing dash cams can be fun, and also a pain in the @$$. lol
I applaud your enthusiasm, and effort, it’s really great.
But here’s one more fly in the ointment.
Whenever I’m comparing two different dash cams, (especially competitors) it’s mission critical I gather / film test footage on an even playing field.
If any aspect of testing / comparison is not on the up, and up, (apples to apples & oranges to oranges) it’s unfair to the cameras, manufacturers, and any potential customer that makes an informed decision based on test footage I gathered, and presented.

I’m talking about camera lens angle adjustment.
We all know what it looks like when the camera lens is misadjusted but in case anyone forgot here’s a demo.
When the lens is misadjusted it affects the camera’s light metering capability.
This means the months, and months of man-hours the manufacturer spent fine tuning image quality firmware is all for not because the camera cannot function to its full potential.
This is not a case of “good enough” or “best effort”.
I must strive for 100% perfection to provide the best opportunity for the cameras to do their work.
Anything less is a disservice to the camera, manufacturer, and any potential customer that makes a decision after viewing my test footage.

Here’s an example.
Whenever I’m preparing to film test footage to be used for comparison with a competing camera I start off by trying to line up both cameras, (or 3, or 4) with “identical” horizon lines, (50% Sky & 50% Road).
In these two screenshots I have the Viofo around 51% Road & 49% Sky.
The Vueroid is around 49% Road & 51% Sky.
I readjusted the Vueroid to “match” the Viofo, and the next click / detent adjustment resulted in a huge mismatch of around 60% Road & 40% Sky so I went back to the original adjustment because that’s as close as the camera will allow.

Of course there’s always exceptions like a manufacturer recommendation.
The BlackVue recommended lens adjustment is 60% Road & 40% Sky.
As far as Viofo’s recommendation, well there is no “official” recommendation, but I’ve been informed by people smarter than me to set it at 50/50.
Except for telephoto, (60% Road / 40% Sky).
Let’s look at your daytime screenshots.
Based on my Kentucky Windage I’m seeing;
BlackVue: 48% Road & 52% Sky
Viofo: 45% Road & 55% Sky

It looks like 12% Road needs to be added to obtain BlackVue’s recommended 60% Road & 40% Sky.
Now comes a decision for you to make about the Viofo.
Should you “match” the Viofo to BlackVue’s 60/40, or should you run the Viofo at 50/50?
What would be fair?
What would be apples to apples & oranges to oranges?
This is why I said testing / comparing can be a pain in the @$$. lol
Oh yeah, once the customer buys the dash cam the manufacturer's recommendation can be thrown out the window because it all comes down to the customer’s application, and what works best for their specific use.
This includes factors like the color of their hood, (dark or light), are they filming meteor showers, do they only drive at night, etc.
This rant of identical horizon lines only applies to comparing test footage from two, or more dashcams simultaneously.
-Chuck

 

[Dan-UK1415]

I have now adjusted both front and rear cameras so they're between 50-60% road vs sky as per your recommendation. I thought that was a fair balance between the two.
Both cameras have HDR enabled
Both cameras have NO CPL filters on


I live in a very rural area with very little street lighting and county lanes - so not the usual city night time footage where everything looks nice and bright and crisp.


Things I note;
The BlackVue Elite 8 - 2K rear camera has a wider field of view compared to the Viofo A329S/A329T - 2K rear camera.

Despite very poor lighting conditions where plate reading is at almost zero - both camera are reasonably close in comparison.

These are probably going to be some of the extreme night footage samples you'll see as they're pretty much mainly black - but here they are for comparison anyway....

 

[Dan-UK1415]

 

[lufa6977]

Perhaps it is how the pictures were saved and posted, but that first set night photos look like the glass needs cleaning. Looks like to me, the headlamp beams are scattering their light off a thin film on the glass.

 

[Dan-UK1415]

It had been raining on and off, and I'd used my wipers prior, but the windows were clean when I set off - but all the images where whilst it wasn't raining.
You can see the clear glass in the car park images.
There are only 8 minutes difference between all the various examples.

 

[bbmertz]

@Dan-UK1415 thanks for posting these detailed tests of the Elite 8 dashcam I’m debating between the DR970X LTE Plus II and the Elite 8. Which would you recommend since you’ve owned both?

 

[Chuck McCoy]

I have now adjusted both front and rear cameras so they're between 50-60% road vs sky as per your recommendation.

Not "my" recommendation.
The manufacturer's recommendation.
Nice work putting those screenshots together.

I'm confused, usually it will display "HDR" in the text stamp at the bottom of the recorded footage when HDR is enabled, and be absent when it is not.
Have you disabled the HDR logo on the Viofo footage?

 

[SC@AU]

Great effort and work putting all this together @Dan-UK1415 , thanks!

There does seem some compelling aspects of the new Elite range…slightly smaller cams and especially the new parking mode option – I agree with your suggestion of a time setting option to flick between the modes, makes total sense..!
I also wonder whether this new extended Parking Mode could/will be added to the 970 Plus cameras via firmware..?

Tempted by the Elite 8…Yes, 4K would be nice, but as ever re quality, a good 2K image is likely more worth than a poor 4K….

Unfortunately, the Elite 8 isn’t likely to be available here in Australia for a few months I’ve been told and I sort of need a setup soon….Apparently, the Elite 9 (yes, it’s a thing!) is due for mid next year…Could be dealer hearsay, but certainly is going to a while – I guess ROW may be a bit sooner…..
So….Its looking like the 970 Plus Box for me at this moment….! 🤔

 

[Dan-UK1415]

Not "my" recommendation.
The manufacturer's recommendation.
Nice work putting those screenshots together.

I'm confused, usually it will display "HDR" in the text stamp at the bottom of the recorded footage when HDR is enabled, and be absent when it is not.
Have you disabled the HDR logo on the Viofo footage?

View attachment 83775

Yes sorry - I have 'Resolution' display marker turned off, so it doesn't show the HDR or 4K marker on the screenshots.

I prefer a minimal look on dashcam footage, and I normally turn off the company logo, GPS marker display, and camera name stamp.

I had turned some of these back on so it's clearer which camera is which in the images above - but I'd forgot to turn on the resolution image marker on the Viofo. (3rd screenshot, 5th option from the bottom).

Here are the settings on the Viofo.
HDR is set to Auto on all 3 cameras (front, rear and telephoto). HDR timing is set to turn on at 5pm until 7am (Viofo's recommendation).


There is no option to turn the display marker off on the BlackVue.


VIOFO A329T camera settings

Another rookie mistake from a testing point of view having the display marker turned off - but as you can see the BlackVue HDR display marker is turned on and the footage samples are almost identical between the two cameras - whereas you'd expect a difference between the two if one was on and the other off.

 

[Dan-UK1415]

Great effort and work putting all this together @Dan-UK1415 , thanks!

There does seem some compelling aspects of the new Elite range…slightly smaller cams and especially the new parking mode option – I agree with your suggestion of a time setting option to flick between the modes, makes total sense..!
I also wonder whether this new extended Parking Mode could/will be added to the 970 Plus cameras via firmware..?

Tempted by the Elite 8…Yes, 4K would be nice, but as ever re quality, a good 2K image is likely more worth than a poor 4K….

Unfortunately, the Elite 8 isn’t likely to be available here in Australia for a few months I’ve been told and I sort of need a setup soon….Apparently, the Elite 9 (yes, it’s a thing!) is due for mid next year…Could be dealer hearsay, but certainly is going to a while – I guess ROW may be a bit sooner…..
So….Its looking like the 970 Plus Box for me at this moment….! 🤔

Recommending between the BlackVue DR970X Plus and the Elite 8 is a different question.

I originally owned the DR970X Plus on release, and had issues from day 1. Very poor GPS which rarely worked. There were design changed from the DR900X which meant the GPS antenna was a lot more susceptible to interference. Due to having a right-hand drive vehicle in the UK, and wanting the wires are away from view, I have the front camera upside down - which also made the issue worse.
I ended up having 4 RMAs due to it, with the 4th being the most improved.
They sent me the DR970X Plus LTE in addition as a 'sorry and thank you for your patience'.

The DR970X Plus LTE version didn't suffer the same GPS design issue - although it's signal wasn't perfect either.

The DR970X Plus does suffer from noise on the footage (image graining, not sound) and previously had no HDR mode.
It's since had HDR mode enabled in v2.01+ firmware, but I never actually tested that out as I kept mine on v1.08 due to reported issues with the firmware.

Having the A329T and the DR970X Plus LTE was overkill, so I sold the DR970X - but missed the Cloud/remote tracking functionality of BlackVue.

Because of the new Elite 8 with 2K front and rear as well as HDR from day 1 and low power parking mode - I thought it would be a good idea to buy one to test out if BlackVue have made any improvements over previous models since they're promoting the Elite 8 for 'clarity'.


(On a side note, I've seen all the BlackVue promo footage on YouTube that are all 20 seconds, 30 seconds and a minute long - and I don't like their sneaky promo techniques.
They rarely show the camera model marker at the bottom of the screen in any of the footage, so you've no idea what camera they're actually showing - and the examples between 'other cameras' always have different horizon lines (up or down) so that alone will give differences. Another annoying one is the CPL promo video which shows a bright yellow toy reflection on the 'off' video, but on the 'on' video the toy isn't on the dashboard - which makes it look 'wow, look at the reflection reduction')...


Anyway, back on track.
The DR970X Plus is a long standing camera having been out over 12 months. It's recently had an update to HDR, but current firmware still shows it to having teething issues.
I'm unsure if they'd add in low power parking mode as a firmware update - in the same way that Viofo haven't done that between A329 and A329S/T as it's a sale technique for newer models. Maybe a year down the line they may add it if possible.

The Elite 8 on the other hand is still on the factory shipped firmware (arrived with v1.02 on it), so you'd hope for further improvements over time.

The rear camera is a definite improvement on the Elite 8 over the DR970X Plus, as it's 2K over 1080p and has a wide field of view (wider than the Viofo's 2K rear).

The front camera doesn't have the 'zoom in' clarity of 4K but is a solid camera at 2K - a definite upgrade from the DR770X Plus.

BlackVue confirmed there is a 4K version of the Elite in the works, but no timeframe they willing to commit to yet.

The Elite 9 name is out there, but BlackVue wouldn't confirm if that's the name of the 4K version, or if that's the LTE version of the Elite 8.


If you're waiting on recommendations, then I definitely wouldn't buy a product just solely on my comments.
I appear to be the only person on this forum that has one at the moment, so I'd say it too early to tell.
I'd wait for the excellent and thorough testing that @Chuck McCoy @Vortex Radar @SafeDriveSolutions @rcg530 (and others) do. Much respect to them.


Waiting for a newer model is always going to be the case. Then when that newer model comes out, the next one is then going to be round the corner, so it's a never ending cycle.