First Impressions.......

[johnboymmxv]

I received my new G1WH today, my first ever dash cam 🙂 I have added the place of purchase onto the Sellers list thread. Choosing which make/model of dash cam to opt for, let alone where to actually buy it from, became really confusing for me 😕. As you all know, the choice on offer is vast. My head was telling me I should spend a bit more on a known and recognised dash cam, and to make my purchase from one of the well established retail park/High street retailers, with the hope of avoiding any possible pit falls, as well as providing me with some peace of mind regards future customer support. However in the end, and being the tight fisted sort of person that I am, I decided that the number of positive reviews which I had seen or read on the G1WH, for its performance and value for money, should not be ignored. So that is what I have purchased. First impressions are that the G1WH does seem fairly well constructed, especially considering the price. I have read of concerns by some owners over the design and possible vulnerability of the window mount bracket and/or fixing slot. It seemed OK to me, although perhaps a little tight to slide on/off, but a smear of silicone helped, and now that the window mount is fitted to the camera, I will simply leave it in place.... However the real test comes on its first trial run in the morning. With regards to the memory card .... I already had a spare unused 32GB Sandisc class 10 card which I have put in the camera. It will be a fairly long drive tomorrow so I will look forward to seeing the results. My brother is also buying his first dash cam in the next day or two, although he is looking at cameras costing twice the money of a G1WH 😱 It will be quite interesting to see who, if indeed either of us, ends up having any regrets, but hopefully we will both be pleased with our choices....🙂

 

[Sunny]

Format the card in the camera to start with.
Also, set date/time and plate no. New firmware should have the plate no. option.

 

[johnboymmxv]

Format the card in the camera to start with.
Also, set date/time and plate no. New firmware should have the plate no. option.

Thanks Sunny. It does have the plate option so all looks good that it is the latest software.

 

[johnboymmxv]

So what are my first impressions of the G1WH?
Well.....Mixed results after todays first outing with it .
I didn't drive as many miles as expected, however still enough to form an opinion.
The camera started up and began filming each and every time, as it should on the turn of the key, and then shut back down every time I stopped the engine.
All the settings chosen seemed to work well, and the overall quality and clarity of the footage is of a very high standard.
Around 70 3 minute packages were created during my drive.
The 140 degree Wide Angle lens shows a lot of what's happening in front of you and your car.
Much of the early part of the journey was spent driving into the morning sun. The camera got caught out on a couple of occasions, but overall the G1WH coped pretty well and I am quite impressed with the results.
The sound quality is a bit of an issue. Not so much quality, but the volume, or rather lack of it.
However today was just a test run to try all of the functions. I'm not really interested in anything other than visual evidence of my journeys, so any low volume issue will not prove a problem for me, as the setting in future will be on mute.
The windscreen mount did a decent job with no noticable vibration during playback of the footage.
So far so good, but now for the dissapointing part.
Unfortunately I have only been able to watch around half of the total footage.
The first half or so of the journey played back without any problems whatsoever, but that was all I could watch.
All files after that point would not play back...It appears they are corrupted.
Having read of some other users and reviewers experieces, I am wondering if the problem could possibly be due to the card being a class 10.
A number of reports have suggested a class 4 or a class 6 card, rather than a class 10, may be the way to go with some cameras.
I have formatted the class 10 card again in the G1WH, and I will have to see what happens on my next outing.
If the problem remains, then I will purchase a class 6 card and hope that does actually sort things out.
So all in all, despite the corrupted files, I am very very impressed with the quality of the footage etc. and, providing the corrupted files problem turns out to be a 'one off', or can be rectified with an alternative card, then I will be more than happy with my decision to go with a G1WH. I'll report back.
By the way...My brother did purchase his dash cam today. He really splashed the cash, opting for a Nextbase 402G. Halfords are currently selling them at £134.99.

 

[Sunny]

Did you format the card in the camera?
If not try that first.
Another option is to try a different firmware, maybe from DOD LS300 and see if the file issue is resolved.
I've used class 4, 6, 10 and no issue but different card brand may give different results.

 

[DT MI]

...I am wondering if the problem could possibly be due to the card being a class 10.
A number of reports have suggested a class 4 or a class 6 card, rather than a class 10, may be the way to go with some cameras.
I have formatted the class 10 card again in the G1WH, and I will have to see what happens on my next outing....

What brand is the camera and what brand is the card? I'm using PNY class 10 cards in both my G1W-H cameras without any issues. If you're using the Sandisk card you mentioned in your first post be aware that they are the most counterfeited/faked brands. If you should happen to have one of these that could be the root of your problem.

 

[johnboymmxv]

Did you format the card in the camera?
If not try that first.
Another option is to try a different firmware, maybe from DOD LS300 and see if the file issue is resolved.
I've used class 4, 6, 10 and no issue but different card brand may give different results.

Hi Sunny, Yes I did format the card in the camera.... I've done so again tonight and so am hoping that may resolve the problem.
I'm a real dummy when it comes to technical issues so don't fancy updating the firmware....especially on a brand new camera, just in case I need to return it.
If the problem continues, I'll purchase a different make and class of card to try.

 

[johnboymmxv]

What brand is the camera and what brand is the card? I'm using PNY class 10 cards in both my G1W-H cameras without any issues. If you're using the Sandisk card you mentioned in your first post be aware that they are the most counterfeited/faked brands. If you should happen to have one of these that could be the root of your problem.

Hi DT MI, The camera is badged as a Monkon, and yes, it is the Sandisk card currently in the camera.
I've reformatted it again tonight and will give it another go tomorrow......if no joy, then I'll purchase a different make and class of card to try.

 

[DT MI]

Hi DT MI, The camera is badged as a Monkon, and yes, it is the Sandisk card currently in the camera.
I've reformatted it again tonight and will give it another go tomorrow......if no joy, then I'll purchase a different make and class of card to try.

I assume you have a computer so you could test the card to insure it is what it says it is in regard to capacity, and to also do a 'surface test' to make sure the entire card is accessible.

 

[johnboymmxv]

I assume you have a computer so you could test the card to insure it is what it says it is in regard to capacity, and to also do a 'surface test' to make sure the entire card is accessible.

Yes I've tested it and and it all shows as a genuine card. I purchased 2 together a few months ago and i've been using the other card in my tablet with no issues at all.

 

[Skyva]

I had issues with my new G1wC from gearbest recently where it kept locking up and just showing the welcome screen. I was using a Kingston 32gb class 4 card which I fully tested with h2testw and the memory was fine, write speed just of 4MB/s which I thought was enough. I thought the locking up issue was the camera, but after leaving the camera for a few days and restarting it, I have been using a 8gb sandisk class 10 and a 16gb Samsung class 10 and no issues so far. I believe all cards are genuine.

It may be that the pcb in the camera has a fault that is caused by heat or static or something, so I will keep testing.

An issue I have is that I would like to record my movements over a week, but I go through 3.5gb just getting to work so a full day is around 8gb. I would like to use a 64gb card but not sure what might be best. Might try the Samsung after my fail with the Kingston. I do have a Kingston 64gb in my smartphone that works flawlessly though, so compatibility rather than quality seem to be the issue.

 

[johnboymmxv]

I had issues with my new G1wC from gearbest recently where it kept locking up and just showing the welcome screen. I was using a Kingston 32gb class 4 card which I fully tested with h2testw and the memory was fine, write speed just of 4MB/s which I thought was enough. I thought the locking up issue was the camera, but after leaving the camera for a few days and restarting it, I have been using a 8gb sandisk class 10 and a 16gb Samsung class 10 and no issues so far. I believe all cards are genuine.

It may be that the pcb in the camera has a fault that is caused by heat or static or something, so I will keep testing.

An issue I have is that I would like to record my movements over a week, but I go through 3.5gb just getting to work so a full day is around 8gb. I would like to use a 64gb card but not sure what might be best. Might try the Samsung after my fail with the Kingston. I do have a Kingston 64gb in my smartphone that works flawlessly though, so compatibility rather than quality seem to be the issue.

Hi Skyva, Frustrating isn't it.....Never had these problems with film cameras! 😀
How many miles do you have to travel to work?
If I do need to try another make/class of card, then I will probably get a Transcend which I understand to be a good bet.
I hope you manage to get sorted.

 

[Skyva]

It takes me 30-40 minutes, about 20 miles and translates into 8 x 5 minute files, each of 480MB. I have also had issues with other webcam devices which are also picky about microsd cards. I believe it is the way they are used in these constantly recording devices, as opposed to just being static storage in phones and cameras.

Apart from recording an actual incident, I was hoping these type of cameras could be used to record my driving should someone complain about me a day later, so if it takes several days for the complaint to get to me I still have the evidence.

 

[johnboymmxv]

It takes me 30-40 minutes, about 20 miles and translates into 8 x 5 minute files, each of 480MB. I have also had issues with other webcam devices which are also picky about microsd cards. I believe it is the way they are used in these constantly recording devices, as opposed to just being static storage in phones and cameras.

Apart from recording an actual incident, I was hoping these type of cameras could be used to record my driving should someone complain about me a day later, so if it takes several days for the complaint to get to me I still have the evidence.

Let me know how you get on will you?

 

[Skyva]

will do, hoping to get a 64gb card and try to format it and test. It will take a few days though.

 

[johnboymmxv]

My 'First Impressions' Follow Up.......
Since purchase I had noticed one or two sellers and reviewers were suggesting the use of a class 6 memory card in the G1WH, and following on from my own experiance, when some files would not play back, I went ahead and replaced the Class 10 card with a Class 6 Samsung 32GB. I wanted to make sure that I had a genuine card and decided to buy the new one from Tesco which cost £22.
I've been out in my car a few times since putting the new card in, and am very pleased to say the camera has performed faultlessly.
I do need to experiment with the exposure settings, as playback occasionally and as expected, can be a little dark when driving into certain bright and sunny conditions.
Other than that, all of the various functions of the camera are operating as should, and the overall quality and end results are far better than I had expected, especially when considering the price of this camera.
So would I buy this camera again? Absolutely, yes I would.

 

[petepete]

The g1wh is bulletproof if....

people buy off amazon uk address for quick return if there is an unlikely fault and, ( why buy from china with the risk of long delays and its not as if they are cheeper ! )

I ve had a Kingston 32g class 10 off ebay uk supplier for a £11 having paid £15 for one from a legit shop and both are pefect...