demolition_mango
Member
For the first time ever I got asked if I wanted to do a dashcam review, by Vantrue! They sent me an example of a review that listed both pros and cons, so I was glad they weren't expecting a skewed review. They sent me the E1 Pro with polarizer and hardwiring kit in the mail, but I don't have time to hardwire yet so for now I'm just posting my impressions of the camera itself.
Sample videos are on this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyiHYIJnmFJ6EzAJQWl2ubkfurgbL2mMG&si=Ckz3RhkhR8LaVKwa
If you want to view videos without Youtube's compression, the original videos are in this pCloud but may take a few hours to upload. I combined clips using AVIDemux so there's no additional compression: https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZgfO45Zd8XPAUSOTWXnBsRiqqxJxXHxn0Nk
First, the form factor is very unique and has some advantages and disadvantages. It's a taller profile than the typical wedge shape and the lens is in the center of the cube, presumably to accommodate the polarizer. But the increased height and hinge design open up more mounting options. I was able to set mine pretty far rearward on my 2014 Honda Odyssey windshield, yet the camera still has a full view without A pillars intruding. Because of the hinge that can tilt both forward and backward, you can mount it on a horizontal surface. There is room for improvement like the adhesive surface going perfectly vertical for mounting on windshields or windows that are flat like the typical commercial vans and trucks.
The polarizer is a typical camera polarize, not proprietary, and I think this is the main reason for the form factor. By my measurement it seems to be standard 37mm. It's a circular polarizer, which means light goes in the front, gets polarized, then gets circular polarized. This is a design meant for DSLR cameras that can't focus well with linear polarized light. It doesn't block too much light but a simple linear polarizer would save cost and block less light.
Very important! You have to align the polarizer to block light reflected by your windshield and windshields on other cars. The orientation should be the same as polarized sunglasses. So one way to do it is look through the front with polarized glasses and rotate it until it appears the least dark, IE it's in alignment with your sunglasses.
Since it's a standard filter mount, I'd like to try a gradient filter to darken the sky as an experiment. And I bet you could even find telephoto extensions that fit the thread.
Continued below due to 10 attachment limit...
Sample videos are on this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyiHYIJnmFJ6EzAJQWl2ubkfurgbL2mMG&si=Ckz3RhkhR8LaVKwa
If you want to view videos without Youtube's compression, the original videos are in this pCloud but may take a few hours to upload. I combined clips using AVIDemux so there's no additional compression: https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZgfO45Zd8XPAUSOTWXnBsRiqqxJxXHxn0Nk
First, the form factor is very unique and has some advantages and disadvantages. It's a taller profile than the typical wedge shape and the lens is in the center of the cube, presumably to accommodate the polarizer. But the increased height and hinge design open up more mounting options. I was able to set mine pretty far rearward on my 2014 Honda Odyssey windshield, yet the camera still has a full view without A pillars intruding. Because of the hinge that can tilt both forward and backward, you can mount it on a horizontal surface. There is room for improvement like the adhesive surface going perfectly vertical for mounting on windshields or windows that are flat like the typical commercial vans and trucks.
The polarizer is a typical camera polarize, not proprietary, and I think this is the main reason for the form factor. By my measurement it seems to be standard 37mm. It's a circular polarizer, which means light goes in the front, gets polarized, then gets circular polarized. This is a design meant for DSLR cameras that can't focus well with linear polarized light. It doesn't block too much light but a simple linear polarizer would save cost and block less light.
Very important! You have to align the polarizer to block light reflected by your windshield and windshields on other cars. The orientation should be the same as polarized sunglasses. So one way to do it is look through the front with polarized glasses and rotate it until it appears the least dark, IE it's in alignment with your sunglasses.
Since it's a standard filter mount, I'd like to try a gradient filter to darken the sky as an experiment. And I bet you could even find telephoto extensions that fit the thread.
Continued below due to 10 attachment limit...
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