GROUP 5 wp7 dash cam

[Jackey]

I am considering purchasing a
Group 5-WP7 Compact Vehicle Camera and Video Recorder Full-HD 1080p/30fps with Ambarella A5 processor
this Camera looks good to me but I have not seen it reviewed or talked about anywhere.
it is available at amazon.com there is a company website http://www.group5usa.com
amazon has a cheaper price. Does anyone have this camera ?

 

[Johny]

If you look at their website they have video samples and on the image of the camera it says Vacron. So it looks like its actually a Vacron brand that has been relabeled.

 

[Jackey]

If you look at their website they have video samples and on the image of the camera it says Vacron. So it looks like its actually a Vacron brand that has been relabeled.

Yes, I see the name Vacron on a picture of the other camera they offer, model ( cbn11) thanks for pointing that out. I am interested in their model (WP7 ) I don`t see a Vacron lable on that one but its a possible indication as they only offer the two cameras.

 

[Johny]

It all looks as a Vacron relabeled products. I would ask people that know Vacron brand what they think of it. Russian and Taiwan consumers seem to be happy about it. I would definitely look at warranty service that is offered by this site, because I would spend money on a camera from a seller with a reputation for good service. You better look at USA sellers that have good feedback and your purchase experience will make you happy knowing that if something happens you will be taken care of.

 

[Jackey]

I looked at the Vacron site, they do have the ( cbn11 ) model there but they do not have a ( wp7 ) or any camera that looks like it.
I don`t think the ( wp7 ) is a vacron product.

 

[Johny]

The WP7 looks like Garmin, Panasonic, Blaupunkt, Mio and Flexmedia/Vosonic. Look at their dashcams and they all seem to share same specs and I will not be surprised if they all come out from same factory but licensed under different brands. Look at them too and their price differences. They seem to share more similarities as if you talk about the Toyota/Lexus differences.

 

[Jackey]

I noticed some similarities with a couple of different cameras mainly a square body but I have not seen one with the same type of lens or a lens located on the same area of the camera.
Have you seen the night video sample on their site? http://www.group5usa.com/video/

 

[Jackey]

Ok, I think I found out what the wp7 is, I read the users manual from the group 5 website pdf. and seen a review of the
Mio Mivue 388. the menu screen, buttons and ports on both sides of the cameras are the same.
the mio mivue 388 has gps and a 120 wide angle lens, the group 5 wp7 has no gps but a 130 wide angle lens, this seems to
be the difference between the two except for a slightly different appearance.

 

[niko]

@
Whistler WP7 Ambarella A5, WDR, F2.0, 7G lens, Op -20+70C

 

[Jackey]

Well, I purchased the group5 wp7 dash cam. it came priority mail signature required. it came with a 8 gig scandisk sdhc card but I am using a samsung 32gig sdhc card instead. samsung has faster speed / better reliability for now from what I have seen in reviews. my first thoughts on this camera are that it is smaller then I thought, ( its a little smaller then a CB mic ). the usb cable will connect to a computer but for power only, there is no data transfer capability through the cable you must remove the card from the camera then connect it to a computer. you need a card reader and make sure the reader can see SDHC cards I had an old card reader that would not see the card but worked fine with a standard SD card. I had to buy a new usb card reader, I got one that can see SDHC and SDXC cards and usb3.0 capable. it works. the camera plays back the video files on its screen with sound, the battery will last long enough to record outside the vehicle or to take with you to show someone a few videos if you want. there is a screw mount for a tripod on the bottom of the camera, I did not notice this from its pictures, could come in handy. the suction cup mount is very strong and sturdy, ( I have trouble removing it from the wind shied ) the power on/off button is flat with the body of the camera and looks weird. you must use this button to turn the camera back on after you disconnect it from the power source. the first time I used the camera I forgot to pull the thin plastic film cover off the lens, there is one on the screen too. ( too much in a hurry ) . I am surprised at how stable the video is ( even in a bumpy big rig ) here is a night video I posted on youtube the video is better then the ugly looking picture you see below but in a lower res then the original file. ( thats what youtube does to it when they process it )

 

[Johny]

Post original files because even though YouTube does downgrade some details it should not be so grainy.

 

[Jackey]

these are RAW video files as produced by the GROUP 5 WP7 camera, I left WDR off for both day and night videos see http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/wdr-is-for-daytime-use.4588/#post-55225
here is a link to a 28 page users manual http://www.group5usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/User-Guide_WP7.pdf


DAY VIDEO File "WP7day.mov"

NIGHT VIDEO File "WP7night.mov"