Night. B40 / A118 vs Street Guardian SG9665GC ( Aptina AR0330 vs Sony Exmor IMX322 )

niko

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Location
Dublin
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Dash Cam
Street Guardian UK / EU / EEA Distributor
2015-03-01 12.54.42.jpg
From Left side:
Street Guardian SG9665GC
Below that is Mirror DVR
Next is Street Guardian SGZC12RC / Panorama X1
Last one is B40 / A118

Please Note Firmware version below. Developers may release new firmware in future with different video performance.


Both units have default EV value "0", WDR / HDR On.

Raw / Original video files for both dashcams can be downloaded HERE

P.S.
Due to too many wires and other gadgets in my car, you can hear some vibrations, depending on car engine revs and how loud music play. It's not dashcams fault if you hear "cracking sound" !


First video is compilation from long 15min night test drive, to show scenes with very little or no street lights.

Top: Street Guardian SG9665GC. FW: SG20150210.002. SONY EXMOR IMX322 CMOS
Bottom: Tiesfong B40 / A118. FW: 20141204. Aptina AR0330 CMOS
Sound ( Microphone ) is from SG9665GC


Next video is full length of 15min Night test drive


Individual videos



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Edit 21.07.2015
Latest side by side Night Comparison is HERE
 
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O my :eek: that was literally like night and day.
How do they compare on prize ? the B40 / A118 need to be a whole lot cheaper to "compare" at least thats how i see it.

If "SG" can make that camera 10 - 20 % better with furture firmware upgrades that would be astonishing in my eyes
 
Yeah niko is a good little worker, some might even call him a dashcam minion, faitfully serving us all with dashcam facts.
 
WOW! The difference is pretty amazing.
Jokiin did well with the design of the SG.
 
Yeah this cam has the potential to be THE DASH CAM
 
Cameras are constantly evolving and I think there will always be room for improvement, as long as we keep moving in the right direction is the main thing
 
Fantastic Niko, thanks for the extra effort to showcase what the new SG9665GC with Sony Exmor IMX322 Sensor, and superior quality lens is capable of.

This and your other side by side videos are most excellent as always.
 
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O my :eek: that was literally like night and day.
How do they compare on prize ? the B40 / A118 need to be a whole lot cheaper to "compare" at least thats how i see it.

At the moment Street Guardian website has SG9665GC with RRP of $289 (Australian dollars). There is no street price available in Australia yet, guessing might get it for $250 at some stores when it is released. For A118C (capacitor version, not the cheaper battery version as tested here) + its external GPS module, you can get it from Foxoffer for $120 (Australian dollars). So yes, A118 is a whole lot cheaper than SG9665GC. Both are valid choices depending on your budget. You get what you pay.
 
The B40/A118 is still a valid choice for someone on a budget, prices aren't directly comparable when you're talking ex China versus buying locally, any product will vary then, also more comes with ours, 32gb card, card reader etc, all costs money
 
Thanks guys, I do my best.
I do agree with @kamkar1 in some way, where harsh judgement can not be made between generic version and fully upgraded SG9665GC, because they are from different price- and quality built classes, but because many people wondering why such price difference between "same-looking" dashcams, so with this test I try to explain, where are differences coming from.

As per formfactor vs performance vs price a generic B40 / A118 is still considered one of me favourite dashcams ( along with Mobius ) and within it's present price I can highly recommend to people with limited budget. Its doing its job well for the price you pay. Of course if you want something more out of product, then need to pay more, thats the well known rule. I would compare it to two almost exactly same looking cars: Ford Focus ( standard ) and Ford Focus RS, VW Golf ( standard ) and VW Golf R32, BMW ( standard ) and BMW M3/M5 series, Mercedez Benz ( standard ) and Benz AMG or Brabus. If you buy a "standard" - you get good value for money, but if you can afford to pay much more for "same looking", - you getting much more. Of course comparison with cars is not fully 1:1 with dashcam world, but its first thing came to my mind how to explain it in "guys-language" ( @ car world ) :)
 
Thanks guys, I do my best.
I do agree with @kamkar1 in some way, where harsh judgement can not be made between generic version and fully upgraded SG9665GC, because they are from different price- and quality built classes, but because many people wondering why such price difference between "same-looking" dashcams, so with this test I try to explain, where are differences coming from.

As per formfactor vs performance vs price a generic B40 / A118 is still considered one of me favourite dashcams ( along with Mobius ) and within it's present price I can highly recommend to people with limited budget. Its doing its job well for the price you pay. Of course if you want something more out of product, then need to pay more, thats the well known rule. I would compare it to two almost exactly same looking cars: Ford Focus ( standard ) and Ford Focus RS, VW Golf ( standard ) and VW Golf R32, BMW ( standard ) and BMW M3/M5 series, Mercedez Benz ( standard ) and Benz AMG or Brabus. If you buy a "standard" - you get good value for money, but if you can afford to pay much more for "same looking", - you getting much more. Of course comparison with cars is not fully 1:1 with dashcam world, but its first thing came to my mind how to explain it in "guys-language" ( @ car world ) :)

Well said, that's a perfect analogy
 
The lower spec model is still decent bang for buck, they'll probably sell more of those than we will ours but that's the nature of spending where people will opt for the cheaper version of something and that's where the volume sales are
 
Based on my own personal experiences in the past - I always try to remember this quote from Benjamin Franklin “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”.

Not that I am saying that the lower spec model is poor quality - but you do get what you pay for;)
 
Wanted to say thanks as well. A lot of people on the Legacy GT forum run the B40/A118 and a lot of people in Amazon Answers ask why get a B40 or SG9665GC over a G1W, and this is just want I needed to be able to point them to.
 
The SG9665GC is probably pretty future proof for the next two to three years. So on a yearly cost very attractive. Like many people I have to save and cut corners to buy just like I did with my Blackvue (Thank God for Alexsoll and his custom firmware) otherwise would have been a huge regret. I have dabbled in the past with cheap ones off Ebay but their low survival rate convinced me to go premium. This forum has been awesome for helping me tick the boxes on what would suit me. The SG9665GC is it.
 
Thanks for the nighttime comparisons Niko. What about daytime? Is there a similar difference?
 
Well said, that's a perfect analogy
Just like the comparison between a smart car and a Ford Ranger, the difference is huge (literally speaking) :p
 
Based on my own personal experiences in the past - I always try to remember this quote from Benjamin Franklin “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”.

Not that I am saying that the lower spec model is poor quality - but you do get what you pay for;)

Sigh, the reality is not everyone can afford the best in the world, otherwise almost everyone would like to live in a mansion, drive a Mercedes Benz S-class, own a large cruise boat and a private jet.
 
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