My first impressions

[Paul Iddon]

Firstly let me say when the unit arrived, the firmware straight out of the box seemed buggy, so I have waited to do my clips with the an updated FW.

The B4K is now running FW Version V008.

Specifications for the dashcam are:

Processor: Novatek 966670
Image Sensor: IMX415 8MP Sensor
Lens: F 1.6
Video resolution: 4K
Video codec: H.265
Video format: TS
LCD display: 3.16 inches
Wi-Fi: Yes
GPS logger: Yes
Working temperature: -20°C - 70°C; -4°F - 158°F
Measurements: 3.6x1.5x0.9 inches
Input: 5V 1A

Features include:

Buffered Parking Mode
3.16'' IPS Screen
Built-in GPS
Smart APP Control & Built-in WiFi (UCam app)
Loop Recording, G-Sensor protection & 256GB Max. Storage

My unit is the single cam model. The package included:

1 x B4K Dashcam
1 x Car Charger
1 x GPS Adhesive Mount
1 x User Manual

Optional accessories for B4K Dashcam:
1 x Hardwire kit (compatible with B1W dash cam)
1 x 1080p Rear Dashcam (Version A--Cube)


I don't use parking mode or collision detection (because I have several dashcam installed and I ain't gonna compromise any, or my battery!).


So, on to the point of the thread...

On opening the box, it has little in it - just the camera, power lead, GPS Mount (3M) and an instruction booklet. Nothing fancy then, but this is being marketed as a budget 4K dashcam.

The first thing is the nice dark colour to help keep tings a bit more discreet, and the next thing is the very wide screen, which isn't very tall...

And now a look at some footage - please note, the first one (at night) is using the original firmware though all the remainder have V008).

I will add some more videos in due course.

Onto the things I noticed;

On my PC, the focus is not 100% though I can only view in 1080p.
I noticed the dashcam picked up the heating elements in my windscreen all too easily, rather than seeing beyond them where I would expect the focus to be, so this needs addressing.
The exposure struggled on some occasions - the bright sunlight seems harsh and the sky doesn't have much detail.

These issues will certainly improve as the BlueSkySea tech team get their feedback and are able to make adjustments.

I also saw some stuttering when played back on my computer using different media players, though with Firmware V008 this has improved significantly.

There are I believe some dropped frames, though only one or two that have been detected.


It's early days yet, and there is room for improvement. Remember this is aimed at a budget market and as such does a reasonable job, albeit with some caveats.

One thing I should mention, is that when I played the footage back on my 4K television, the video quality was nicely sharp though not yet in the league of premium models running 4K.


Enjoy if you get one, for the projected price point this is a decent entry level camera that can and will improve.

Paul.

 

[Nigel]

I noticed the dashcam picked up the heating elements in my windscreen all too easily, rather than seeing beyond them where I would expect the focus to be, so this needs addressing.

I think that is a result of it not having the most compact of mounts, the lens is far enough from the glass for the heating elements to be nearly in focus. It is not a bad mount, and pretty stable, but it is not the best either. Going to be hard to address that.

The exposure struggled on some occasions - the bright sunlight seems harsh and the sky doesn't have much detail.

Yes, but that is largely due to the time of year, in the UK the sun is always low down at the moment, and without a CPL we are also seeing a lot of road reflections off the wet roads which make things worse.

On my PC, the focus is not 100%

I think that is partly the bitrate, it is using a bitrate used by most 2K dashcams, but is recording 4K detail, so something has to give. It is a real 4K dashcam at a budget dashcam price. It does a decent job for the price, and records a lot of detail, much better than the fake 4K cameras that only have 2K sensors. We can't expect it to compete with the top 4K dashcams at this price.

One thing I should mention, is that when I played the footage back on my 4K television, the video quality was nicely sharp though not yet in the league of premium models running 4K.

For anyone who wants to play 4K dashcam footage on a 4K TV it does a good job at a low price, and for a low price 4K TV is is probably a very good match. For those with top spec 4K monitors, there are significantly better 4K dashcams, at much higher prices.

Looking forward to seeing how it does when the spring arrives and the sun climbs a bit higher in the sky!
Or maybe someone in Australia has one?

 

[SawMaster]

On FW V008 here too as of today. Playback stutter is not much improved for me though is better than before. I'm beginning to wonder if my low-spec laptop isn't part of this issue, but it plays the higher-bitrate A139 files flawlessly on several player platforms so I'm not sure. Not wanting to publicly post my vids with the stutter but exposure and focus seem OK here, will review more of today's vids shortly.

Phil

 

[Nigel]

but it plays the higher-bitrate A139 files flawlessly

The A139 records in H264 by default, the B4K uses H265. Can make a big difference to playback, depending on what you are using for playback. Apple products seem to prefer H265. If you don't have an Apple product or a TV for playback, try converting it to H264.

Not saying it is perfect, I'm still testing the new firmware...

 

[kamkar]

Indeed.
Back in the M2 days i changed mine over to H.265, and it of course worked just fine on my computer, but my sisters dual core Laptop, well it was almost where a little white surrender flag om a pole came out of it
Playback did not happen and TBH it felt like the laptop was about to crash, so only tried that the one time while i was house sitting and tied to my sisters laptop.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Here is a short drive with both the B4K video, running at the same time as a Viofo A129 Pro.

You will see the variance if you watch all (or most) or even just some of it, between the two cams, showing where each one is under their current firmware versions.

Top video is the Viofo A129 Pro 4K.

Lower video is the Blueskysea B4K.

Paul.

 

[Paul Iddon]

I am seeing some flickering in the video - both day and night? @estore009

RAW Day Flickering

RAW Night Flickering

Paul.

 

[Nigel]

I am seeing some flickering in the video - both day and night?

Do you mean when the exposure adjusts suddenly?

 

[Paul Iddon]

Yes, every few seconds

 

[Arium]

I think that is a result of it not having the most compact of mounts, the lens is far enough from the glass for the heating elements to be nearly in focus. It is not a bad mount, and pretty stable, but it is not the best either. Going to be hard to address that.


Yes, but that is largely due to the time of year, in the UK the sun is always low down at the moment, and without a CPL we are also seeing a lot of road reflections off the wet roads which make things worse.


I think that is partly the bitrate, it is using a bitrate used by most 2K dashcams, but is recording 4K detail, so something has to give. It is a real 4K dashcam at a budget dashcam price. It does a decent job for the price, and records a lot of detail, much better than the fake 4K cameras that only have 2K sensors. We can't expect it to compete with the top 4K dashcams at this price.


For anyone who wants to play 4K dashcam footage on a 4K TV it does a good job at a low price, and for a low price 4K TV is is probably a very good match. For those with top spec 4K monitors, there are significantly better 4K dashcams, at much higher prices.

Looking forward to seeing how it does when the spring arrives and the sun climbs a bit higher in the sky!
Or maybe someone in Australia has one?

Im in Australia and contemplating on getting one however i cant see many available with both rear camera and wiring kit.

 

[estore009]

Im in Australia and contemplating on getting one however i cant see many available with both rear camera and wiring kit.

Contact eBay.com.au seller for help!

 

[Arium]

I am seeing some flickering in the video - both day and night? @estore009

RAW Day Flickering

RAW Night Flickering

Paul.

anyone else experience this? do you think you may have a faulty unit?

 

[Nigel]

anyone else experience this? do you think you may have a faulty unit?

I think it is normal, it is adjusting the exposure, normally you don't notice this happening, but the fog makes it more visible. I hadn't noticed it on the non-foggy video, although having noticed it, it can probably be seen on many others.

Some cameras seem to adjust exposure more often and in smaller steps than others, if you have a fast and expensive processor then you can probably do a better job, but this is a budget 4K dash camera, not a movie camera.

 

[estore009]

I think it is normal, it is adjusting the exposure

If we can get the IQ log details, I think we can do some job to tune its Gamma better?

 

[Nigel]

If we can get the IQ log details, I think we can do some job to tune its Gamma better?

That will not help with the flicker.
Gamma looks OK to me, some of the dark areas maybe could be a bit brighter, but it will depend a bit on your monitor.

The fog video is always going to be difficult to get the exposure right, there is not much contrast in fog. Looking at the car headlights, and other lights, it was quite dark, the time says 08:00 and sunrise was at 08:21 that day at Paul's home, but there is a bright area of sky above the mist.

Maybe the darkness makes the flicker more visible, depending on how the sensor works it may adjust in bigger steps in dark conditions.

 

[Paul Iddon]

I may be a bit critical as I am looking for things that may not be there to a certain extent.

For the price, as mentioned, this could be a very good seller.

 

[34Ford]

The A129 looks sharper to me.

 

[ErieGT]

Hi, I'm a newbie to this site. I've been researching the heck out of dash cams for the last few weeks and think the b4k is my best bet for my price range. I reviewed the above video of the A129 and the b4k, pausing quite a bit to look at the details through the 7+ minutes of video and when paused I can see text clearer with the b4k but the video seems to be overexposed... My question is: Are there settings to adjust the contrast, brightness, and color saturation?

 

[Nigel]

My question is: Are there settings to adjust the contrast, brightness, and color saturation?

There is an EV setting, but adjusting it is not going to improve things much.

Remember that it is set up for recording evidence, not movies. For that, the standard setting is pretty good, the image quality of bright sky is not very important.

 

[ErieGT]

Unless you want to capture the meteor video... LOL!! I understand though. So between the B4K and a Viofo A119 V3, which would you choose?