Blueskysea B4K Rear Dash Camera Video Test

[rcg530]

I test the recently upgraded B4K 1080p rear dash camera. It has an upgraded Sony Starvis IMX307 image sensor.

 

[kamkar]

IMX 307 for sure a lot better solution.

 

[jlynch]

Hi RetroCarGuy530, great reviews of the rear camera and also the original Blueskysea B4K Dash Camera Review

was wondering if you used the power supply/ammeter to measure the draw in amps with the latest rear camera connected? (with Sony Starvis IMX307 image sensor.)

 

[rcg530]

Hi RetroCarGuy530, great reviews of the rear camera and also the original Blueskysea B4K Dash Camera Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVF95n4_Pu4

was wondering if you used the power supply/ammeter to measure the draw in amps with the latest rear camera connected? (with Sony Starvis IMX307 image sensor.)

No, I have not run that type of test with the new rear camera. I might be able to do that in the next week or so. I just completed my comparison review video for the BlackVue DR900X-2CH Plus cameras vs the older DR900X-2CH cameras (just waiting for YouTube to fully process the 4K video I uploaded). I used video footage from B4K cameras in the DR900X-2CH Plus YouTube video.

You can really notice the choppy 24 fps video from the rear camera. The front 4K 24 fps video is not nearly as choppy as the rear video camera footage. I asked Blueskysea about that issue and I was told that they might be able to reduce the choppiness of the rear camera video in a future firmware release.

 

[jlynch]

great will take a look when its available, you mentioned in the review above that both the new and older b4k rear cameras had jitter/stutter in the playback at 24fps even at 1080p

 

[rcg530]

was wondering if you used the power supply/ammeter to measure the draw in amps with the latest rear camera connected? (with Sony Starvis IMX307 image sensor.)

Since the B4K and its newer rear camera are installed in my car. I ran a quick test using my new multimeter to measure the amp draw of the B4K with the rear camera using the IMX 307 sensor. The multimeter is a newer / higher end unit, so the reported amp draw amounts should hopefully be accurate.

• Normal Recording Mode - WiFi Off
  • Screen on = 400 to 410 mA
  • Screen off = 360 to 370 mA
• Normal Recording Mode - WiFi On
  • Screen on = 450 to 460 mA
  • Screen off = 410 mA

I don't have the B4K 3-wire power adapter for the B4K in this vehicle to run the B4K in parking mode. I don't have mA values for that mode.

I didn't have the Ucam app on the device I had with me to try and transfer files over Wi-Fi to see what extra load that placed on the camera power demands.

If there's interest in this being run in a more formal manner, I can capture my tests on video and put the video on my YouTube channel.

 

[jlynch]

Great so not much extra draw (100-120ma) with the rear camera connected and recording in normal mode.

 

[rcg530]

I ran additional power consumption tests this afternoon. I confirmed that my new multimeter and AC-to-DC 12-volt power supply both report the same power consumption values, so I have some confidence in the numbers reported in this post.

The milliamp values in this post are with Wi-Fi turned off. My testing has found that turning on Wi-Fi will increase the millamp value by 45 to 50 mA.

In my tests, the original rear camera consumes 10 mA to 20 mA less than the updated rear camera with the IMX 307 sensor.

 

[fuzznuts]

Does it bug anyone else that the new rear view cam with the imx307 starvis sensor is still 24fps only? Feels kind of a deal breaker for me esp with fast motion situations such as car accidents

 

[kamkar]

Well 24 FPS is what euro PAL people have been used to at least in regard to TV signals, 30 FPS are uncommon for us,,,, though of course i use 30 FPS if i can with dashcams.

It could be a limitation of the SOC used in this case, in regard to dashcam use i don't feel this have a whole lot to say, of course if you want to capture a accident cinematic or being able to slow it down in post then sure 24 FPS are not enough.
I will also say that sure 60 FPS give you 2 X more chances of detail such as plate capture, but in my testing years back with 2 similar cameras i found extremely little gain in using 60 FPS, so since then i have stayed with 30 FPS for dashcams