Gearbest.com Dome G90 Ambarella A7LA70 review and comparison against A7LA30

[ReteX]

Can anyone explain what LDWS, FCWS and FCMD means?

 

[jokiin]

Lane departure, collision warning etc, waste of time on these cameras

 

[Sunny]

Lane departure, collision warning etc, waste of time on these cameras

New cars are coming with those functionalities.
I wonder if the technology is same based on camera.
If it's camera based and they work, why shouldn't the dashcam work for it?

 

[Sunny]

This G90 doesn't seize to amaze.
Great quality videos even in not perfect conditions...
Not good day for scenes today due to haze and smog in front of the mountains but still, really good.
I drove near my home specially for @reverend to show some mountains but not much clear yesterday evening.




Video coming later...

 

[reverend]

It's certainly an amazing area where you live mate

 

[Sunny]

It's certainly an amazing area where you live mate

Yes, it's a lovely state and considered healthiest state in US due to a lots of outdoor activities that's possible with all these mountains... hiking, biking, skiing, camping, fishing, hunting etc... so lowest obesity in Colorado.

And here is the video that took a long time for youtube processing.
There is a herd of deer in the beginning and you can see how good G90 changes exposure near the red rocks.
I have it on Average mode so little bit overexposed, need to change that to center.

It'll look even more beautiful once those trees have leaves and flowers... in few months.

 

[DeLorean]

I must agree with Sunny
At 1080p @ 30fps my G90 displays almost no motion blur whatsoever and it's fantastic at handling all light conditions.
I'm not sure about heat yet, but the camera can certainly handle being frozen to minus heaven knows what in the depths of a Central European winter.
P.S. The feint vertical fuzzy lines are the heating elements in my front windscreen

 

[Sunny]

I must agree with Sunny
At 1080p @ 30fps my G90 displays almost no motion blur whatsoever and it's fantastic at handling all light conditions.

Your screenshots don't look wide like mine.
At what resolutions are you taking the videos?

 

[DeLorean]

Oh yes they are
From the stills you've posted you're currently recording at 1920x810 (unless you've edited them) whereas I'm recording at 1920x1080 with HDR
I have the G90 A7LA70 with GPS.
Are you using HDR?

 

[Sunny]

Oh yes they are
From the stills you've posted you're currently recording at 1920x810 (unless you've edited them) whereas I'm recording at 1920x1080 with HDR
I have the G90 A7LA70 with GPS.
Are you using HDR?

No, I'm at 2560x1080p that's why it's wider as yours is 1980p so not as wide.
I'm not using HDR.
I don't like HDR during daytime, it makes videos not as sharp.

 

[DeLorean]

Ahhh... the images you've uploaded must have been resized.
I find the HDR on the G90 amazing whether day or night, different firmwares can make a difference to how the HDR in your camera functions.
My car is is an MPV so sits quite high and wide and the dash is very deep obscuring the bonnet etc, but it is recording in full 170° wide angle.
The difference in resolution may be giving the impression of a narrower field of view.

 

[Sunny]

Ahhh... the images you've uploaded must have been resized.
I find the HDR on the G90 amazing whether day or night, different firmwares can make a difference to how the HDR in your camera functions.
My car is is an MPV so sits quite high and wide and the dash is very deep obscuring the bonnet etc, but it is recording in full 170° wide angle.
The difference in resolution may be giving the impression of a narrower field of view.

Just click on the images to see full size.
It's not resized but just displayed to fit in the screen size of your PC/laptop.

 

[DeLorean]

Nope they're 1920x810!
I guess the forum has automatically reduced them by 33%

 

[Sunny]

Nope they're 1920x810!
I guess the forum has automatically reduced them by 33%

That sucks.
I thought it uploads full size.
Looks like forum's max pixel size is 1980 and automatically scales height accordingly.

Here is the full size hosted outside, click to view full size: Compare the one above...

 

[Mandami]

@Sunny the last image is not resized. I think using a CPL (or an UV) filter may improve image quality. In my case I have a lot of reflections and during very sunny days the colours are quite affected by reflections.

Me too I record at 2560x1080p and it works quite well.

 

[Rene Sorreda]

Wow! those are super clear images from your G90 dashcam... And beautiful outdoor sceneries

I noted you are using different record settings but still producing stunning images in both summer and winter time.. so what is the best over all setting for G90 in a tropical country like Philippines?

 

[Sunny]

Wow! those are super clear images from your G90 dashcam... And beautiful outdoor sceneries

I noted you are using different record settings but still producing stunning images in both summer and winter time.. so what is the best over all setting for G90 in a tropical country like Philippines?

Either 2560x1080p or 1980x1080p HDR.

I don't like HDR in daytime as it makes videos grainy but good for night time.

 

[Rene Sorreda]

Thanks Sunny, i guess i will have to make trial settings first to get the feel on how the cam will behave on a given environment... Appreciate your selfless act of sharing valuable learnings from your own experience to help newbies like me... Will definitely pass it forward in due time.

 

[DeLorean]

Hi Rene Sorreda,
As you implied, no one configuration is perfect for everyone; it's a case of playing around with the camera to find the settings which best suit your particular application.

As most G90 users will tell you, trying different firmware’s will change the available options, functionality and performance of the camera... but they can also introduce bugs and make the unit erratic.

I have 2 cameras (front and back) which are prominently used to protect my vehicle against hit and run drivers and also to protect my car whilst parked.
As I regularly drive long distances across Europe my cameras may be running continually for several days at a time through all sorts of weather conditions day and night.
For me good 1080p @ 30fps with HDR works very well without the need to change any settings on the camera and allows for approximately 9½ hours recording on a 32GB card.
As you can see from the screenshot the footage is perfectly acceptable should you wish to upload video onto YouTube etc.
HDR definitely improves the cameras ability to record at night and in low light conditions, which is essential if your looking for admissible footage should something happen.
Although at first I though having GPS was an unnecessary luxury, it’s actually very useful for pinpointing events caught on the camera and possibly providing an alibi should you be unfairly charged with a road offence.

If you need the best quality possible (track day, road trip etc) , then configuring the camera alternatively will result in higher quality video but will consume more memory.
As you can see from the stills, the G90 does exhibit some purple fringing (chromatic aberration) but the speed at which it captures frames is extremely good with no CMOS wobble and very little motion blur.

My G90 has been permanently fitted in my car since the beginning of October 2014 and has probably been running 50% of its life and has been 100% reliable using my chosen firmware.
The only downside to the G90 is the mount which can fatigue and break, so it needs to be treated respectfully.
Also reattaching the mount back on your windscreen can be problematic, but somewhere on the forum is an earlier post from me which details how to remount reliably.

As my G90 permanently lives on my windscreen, it's endured very low temperatures this winter whilst in Central Europe with no ill effects... but does anyone have feedback regarding how the G90 copes under a scorching summer sun in a hot car?

 

[Sunny]

Not sure how well it behaves in extreme hot conditions.
I think another user had out of focus issue when it ran hot.

The only reason I don't want G90 on the rear window is sometimes it prompts to recover file from last run that it could not save properly because battery ran out.
When that happens, you have to manually press yes or no otherwise it won't do anything.
That's another thing that needs to be fixed in firmware so it automatically recovers and starts recording.

However, if you drive long each time, then shouldn't be a problem as it'll have enough charge to save last file.
It's when you do frequent stops.