Mio Mivue 368 with WDR and CPL Filter, F2.0

niko

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Hi Everyone,
Just want to share my finding: Mivue368 by Mio.

I had in the past Mio 358 and for that price it is very good dash cam. Mostly popular within Russian community with very good feedback from buyers.
About 1 month ago I found new interesting dash cam ( Mivue368) from Mio which is well known company, but I did not had time to share this info here. Also mio.com global does not advertise it yet, but you can find it on mio.com.tw webiste.

First to start selling it on eBay was navi-world.

http://www.ebay.ie/sch/m.html?_from=&_n ... =200&rt=nc

Being following this seller for few month I can say that he is always the first to list most newest Taiwan dash cams and e-mail responding is quick.

It has many nice features:
1080p / 30fps, F2.0, WDR, lens glare filter ( CPL ), EV adjustment, 6G glass lens, Motion Detection, Automatic day / night mode, 360 degree rotation fast clip on bracket, built in battery, and so on, you will find all below.
I am not sure about GPS, it is not mentioned, but from seller pictures I can see MiVue Manger with GPS feature. Maybe he just took it from Mio 388, don't know ?

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Mio-368-MiVue368 ... 33815457f3

Via eBay its 204 usd via EMS.
I asked about price if I will pay via direct PP, answer was 199usd, which is not fair because via direct PP seller saves -9% on eBay fees, so fair deal would be 185usd.
I tried to explain him few time my position about price, but he said that can not go lower then 199usd ( EMS ) - it is not fair calculation from him. Maybe because of no competition from other sellers he is not that flexible with price.
Other seller ( digigomart ) can sell only via eBay, not direct PP.

Being tested already two dash cams with WDR and having very positive feedback from this technology, for me wide dynamic range is a must have feature on the dash cam. Also CPL lens filter on Mio 368 making it very tempting, but form factor puts me off buying, because of the small space between windscreen and mirror in my car. I want dash cam be mounted the way that it blends with mirror if looking from outside. The only way I think is DIY bracket. But I will think about that.

Thank you for reading my post.
 
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niko said:
Via eBay its 204 usd via EMS.
I asked about price if I will pay via direct PP, answer was 199usd, which is not fair because via direct PP seller saves -9% on eBay fees, so fair deal would be 185usd.
not sure about where he is but eBay fees are not the same everywhere, China is 3%, not 9% like most western countries
 
jokiin said:
niko said:
Via eBay its 204 usd via EMS.
I asked about price if I will pay via direct PP, answer was 199usd, which is not fair because via direct PP seller saves -9% on eBay fees, so fair deal would be 185usd.
not sure about where he is but eBay fees are not the same everywhere, China is 3%, not 9% like most western countries

You are right about 3% eBay comissions. Sorry, I ment total ebay & PP fees, where I am sending PP money as a "gift to friend" paying also PP transaction fees, they are tiny if using PP funds ( not credit card funds ). Till now I was always managed to get total -9-10% from eBay listed prices this way, but I do it only with seller that I can trust. The best is of course to buy using eBay transaction, you get more protection.
Most important is that Mio 368 looks to be a dash cam with good specs and high quality.
 
Thanks for the info Niko.
Mivue 368 seems a pretty good dash cam.
With regards to "Motion Detection", is it the thing that requires you to hardwire the dashcam into your vehicle?
And is it better to have a GPS function? What's the benefit?

I just did a quick search, you know that Mio 368 also uses Ambarella A5 chip, not sure about the 388 model though.
While looking at Taiwanese brands, I also found there's a Whistler WP7 which also uses Ambarella A5 and has WDR as well. The price is about $30 more than Mio 368.

By the way does 368 have auto start/stop function? I can't find it written anywhere? And how long is the USB power cable that comes with it?
Sorry for asking so many questions.
 
northsouth said:
Thanks for the info Niko.
Mivue 368 seems a pretty good dash cam.
With regards to "Motion Detection", is it the thing that requires you to hardwire the dashcam into your vehicle?
And is it better to have a GPS function? What's the benefit?

I just did a quick search, you know that Mio 368 also uses Ambarella A5 chip, not sure about the 388 model though.
While looking at Taiwanese brands, I also found there's a Whistler WP7 which also uses Ambarella A5 and has WDR as well. The price is about $30 more than Mio 368.

By the way does 368 have auto start/stop function? I can't find it written anywhere? And how long is the USB power cable that comes with it?
Sorry for asking so many questions.


All questions are welcome.
Yes, Mio is big, strong company and they have been on the market ( mainly car GPS ) for many years.
My experience with 358 was positive, except night vision could be better, but for that price it was fair.

Looks like 368 and 388 share same hardware, form factor is same, CPL lens etc.
From "other forums" I found info that via new Mio 388 update you can add WDR to it.

Use Google translate:
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php ... t=43560289

Last time I checked 388 was only 20usd higher in price then 368.
If you will be able to get 388 with new updage ( WDR ), - then go for it. It has GPS and speed camera detectors ( not sure which countries it will work, but first reports are for Taiwan and Russian markets ).

About motion detection on my 358: worked in parking mode ( stand by ) and yes, you have to hard wire. IF you dont want to cut your original car dash cam cigarette power cable, just buy from eBay car cigarette socket ( female ) and had wire into fuse box ( see Mtz topic ). I did same :

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=439

GPS : Myself personally dont need a GPS. I dont want to expose my "actual" speed if in case of accident I will be showing a video to a police man. Hope you know what I mean. And I dont know if speed and location can be switched off on 388 ?

358 had start / stop recording function , so I assume 368 and 388 has same.

Power cable was around 4m long but I can be wrong, did not measure it, but it was long enough.

About whistler wp7 you read my mind. I have also found it last week and was very impressed by it specs.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1292

The only thing that I dont like on WP7 is yellow ( gold ) ring around lens at the front, but this can be solved using Plastidip.
 
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I think 368 is better than 358 but unfortunately for many users they are using the same too visible form factor.

I see more cameras coming from manufacturers with no more sold products like the GPS manufacturers and radar detectors. But they will need to learn to sell with smaller prices until people will trust them again. Mio seems to be OK with prices but Whistler must forget their big profit from detectors and start again.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
Thanks Niko for all the answers. Tempted buying 368. 388 might be also be a good choice.
Ahh why is it so hard to decide.

And hope to see some 368 sample videos soon. :)
 
I already have 3 mini 0801 camera's or will have when the 3rd arrives... (Yes I know..I'm insane, but have a use for the 3rd one. as I have for this new addition to my collection...lol)

Just ordered the mio 368 with anti-glare adapter lens, from here.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360762657719
No idea if the seller is okay, but other than a few bad feedback experiences, generally most buyers seem content, so will have to see..lol

I don't expect it to be much better than my current cams, but I have a use for that 5secs video retrieval in it's motion detect mode.

A friend bought this camera a couple of weeks ago, and the video clips I received today from him, actually look quite good, certainly better than previous one's I had seen, his night time clip wasn't bad at all
but though the bitrate was slightly less than my current cams his clips did look a little sharper. Someone mentioned that the 358 had a little noise in it's video, but these from his 368 looked quite good to me, though one could just detect a little blocking when he travelled past heavily tree lined roads, but only slightly, other scenes looked great. It did seem to cope with light changes pretty good though, anyway I thought I'd take a punt on it.

As already stated by some users of these mio camera's, the main concern is the suction mount, I actually like the idea of the quick release, but if used in the car I may have to knock up a better discrete mount, which I believe I can do competently, but Jim..my friend said that he has been told that a smaller adhesive mount for this range of camera's is due to be released shortly, It seems a lot of owners have been asking for one for ages, whether that turns out to be fact or BS from his seller remains to be seen..lol
I'm hoping the overall build quality is a little better on the Mio camera's, as the quality of the mini usb sockets on the mini 0801 tho okay they could be much better, as you often have to squeeze in the plug slightly to make the usb plug fit more firmly, as it can cause the odd issue if it's a bit loose, but easily resolved. He also said the next firmware for the 368/388 will allow faster access to couple of frequently used functions, and a slighter higher bitrate. I certainly hope that also turns out to be true, but as is, it still looks pretty decent... one can see see a little improvement on the night video over the 0801 maybe due to WDR, but will report back after I've received it.
 
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Just had a Parceforce letter, with a link to pay £41.83 total in import duty, made up of 28.33 import vat, and a £13.50 clearance fee. So had to go online and make the payment before they will deliver, it states it'll be delivered Tuesday.

This is the first time I've ever been stung for import duty.. ah well.. I've had a good run I suppose...lol One thing for sure... it does'nt look such a good deal now. :-( I just hope the damm thing works. ;-) as I could have picked up the older model 358 up from Halfords for £149, where the total cost of this 368 +anti glare filter works out about £163.
I phoned my mate a few minutes ago to ask he had been stung for import duty on his 368, and apparently he wasn't charged any.. typical of my luck. :-((
 
Just had a Parceforce letter, with a link to pay £41.83 total in import duty, made up of 28.33 import vat, and a £13.50 clearance fee. So had to go online and make the payment before they will deliver, it states it'll be delivered Tuesday.

Sorry for your loss (of cash). Did you buy through eBay or Amazon? If so, they may be partly or wholly liable for your extra outlay.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Sorry for your loss (of cash). Did you buy through eBay or Amazon? If so, they may be partly or wholly liable for your extra outlay.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Ebay .. They do mention the buyer is liable for any import duties, I think it's just one of those things, and also depends how they marked the package, but won't know until its delivered on Tuesday. I suspect customs don't bother if the item is fairly cheap, but maybe once it starts go over £100 it attracts more attention perhaps. Or maybe if sent from certain countries.
 
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Well although the motion detect does work well on my Mio 368, it can only be used when power is removed, meaning it'll only run for about 1hr, so probably okay for a trip to the supermarket etc, but I've found no way to run the motion detect with power applied, as if motion mode is enabled in settings, it will only enter motion detect when power is removed, so rather disapointing as I had a few uses for the motion detect too, but would need it to run much longer than 1 hr so a bit of a body blow to discover it wont work when power is on.
 
That's a very odd setup to only have it work from battery

I agree it does seem wierd, but assuming motion detect is enabled in the settings, when power is switched off it puts up a message on the screen saying 'Entering Motion Detect Mode in 10 seconds' or press OK to close down. Not found a way of making it go into motion detect mode while power is connected. If you manually close it down while power is on and motion detect is enabled, it immediately comes back on again and starts to record immediately. Very strange behavour indeed..lol, you can tell if it's in motion detect mode because it puts a vertical bar on the screen that shows the motion sensitivity.

So can't be done with power on.." UNLESS I'M MISSING SOMETHING BIGTIME..lol... If it's possible to use Motion Detect Mode while powered, I'd love to know how it's done..;-)

Pretty much behaves the same as the review techmoan did on the Mio 358, though that one mounts totally different, The mount on the 368 is the same as the 388 which uses a slot in the top of the camera in which the mount clips into. On the 358 you cannot fit any filter lens as it doesn't have the thread on the front of the lens to screw one on, but the camera itself is almost the same except the 368 supports WDR, plus a couple of tweaks, bitrate is a little higher etc.
This is techmoan's review of the older Mio 358.
 
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Having used this Mio 368 camera for a few days, mainly in my wifes Ford Mondeo, as my own cars in having some warranty work done, my conclusion is that there are better camera's available for the price, and indeed in view of the fact I ended up paying £162 due to the 41.83 import duties I had to pay, I would'nt recommend people to buy it.

Don't mis-understand me, it's very well made.. much better quality than some of the cheap Chinese camera's, and I would expect it to be more reliable.
The picture quality is very impressive too, very clean and sharp image HOWEVER, it is susceptble and sensitive to changes between bright sunlight and non bright locations, so much so that often the bright light will close the camera down far too much and the resulting image ends up far too dark, It's just something I've noticed, on a dull day, with no big changes in light it performs outstandingly, and produces some of the best images I've seen on a car camera, they truly are impressive albeit with that caveat I mentioned.

Now.. I hear you say... but doesn't that 368 have WDR ? well yes it does, by default the camera comes with it disabled, but I find with it enabled it stops that radicall changes in light exposure, so thats no longer an issue, however I've also noticed when WDR is enabled the picture while still sharp, it tends to look a little washed out, by that I mean it seems to lose it's contrast slightly, and I can see some noise creep into the image, which is not present with WDR turned off. It does however come into it's own at night, where it's easier to see things with WDR on, but for normal use in the daytime I tend to leave it off in order to get that brilliant quality back. As for that sensitivity to changes in light, dropping the camera lower with less sky helps a little, and increasing the exposure by one notch as made it almost acceptable...lol

On this camera anyway, I think the WDR feature still has some refinements to go before I leave it on all the time, though possibly future firmwares, if any get released may resolve the issue I mentioned.
But imo this camera is not worth the money I paid. Especially as the suction mount means it's easily seen, though the camera itself is quite small, though it would not be a difficult task to knock up some sort of discreet adhesive pad mount, as it has a mounting slot on the top which lends itself to some easy modification for the mount.

A big plus on this camera is the motion detect, it works extremely well, as it always retains the previous 5 seconds prior to activation, however even that has a VERY BIG CAVEAT..lol because you cannot run motion detect while it's powered on, and the battery IME lasts for just over 1 hour (with screen off).

So save your money, and get a mini 0801, these are amzing little camera's for their low price, not the same sort of build quality as the Mio cams, but very good nonetheless, as long as you can get a good one..lol because not all the mini 0801 camera's work as they should, they are made in 3 or 4 factories in China and we assume the quality can vary depending where the seller has sourced his camera's from.
I've bought 3 mini 0801 camera's and the 2nd two have worked perfectly, the 1st one had a faulty switch, which I fixed myself and that too is working great now. IMHO these little cameras for the little money I paid are a far better buy than the much more expensive Mio 368 I bought. It's a bit early to decide on the value of WDR on this Mio 368, but currently as it deteriates the picture, for me, it's a work in progress, it still needs a few tweeks mainly to up the contrast, and reduce noise levels before I would leave it on all the time, which may explain why it's not enabled by default. ?
 
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real WDR is a night time thing, picture is lower quality during the day (that's a dead giveaway for cameras that claim to have WDR but don't do true hardware WDR), it needs a schedule option or similar to manage it for best results

everything mentioned would be fixable via firmware, whether they do or not is another thing
 
Update to my previous post above.
I have since managed to obtain the latest firmware version from the Mio-Russia website, which I suspect is possibly a couple releases later than the one on my Mio368,
and I'm pleased to state that things have improved a lot when WDR is enabled, that issue of visible picture noise has been greatly reduced, and its extremely hard to detect any noise now, so big improvement there, also the contrast is better when WDR is enabled. When I compared 2 clips of same view side by side on the monitor, one with WDR and one without, the better image is still achieved with WDR disabled, but the difference is much less than it was on original firmware.

I did notice with this later firmware that the camera seems to be less susceptible to light changes, IOW it doesn't go quite so dark when it hits bright sunshine, and IMO is much better. I notice that the bitrate has also risen from 13000kbps to just over 14000kbps, which no doubt improves it's image quality even more. I believe it's superb image sharpness is likely due to the 6x glass they are using on the lenses. It is quite impressive, it's just a shame it uses a very noticable suction mount, instead of something more discreet, have to see if i can make something. :)

So definately worth installing to this last firmware version, BTW the UK and European sites don't list the 368, but it is listed on a couple other Mio sites including the Russian Mio site. Links are available from this Russian forum. http://videoregforum.ru/forums/videoregistratory-mio/
 
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