Agie
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2016
- Messages
- 2,162
- Reaction score
- 1,094
- Location
- Perth, Australia
- Country
- Australia
- Dash Cam
- 70mai A510 + S500, A229 Pro + VS1, N4 Pro, S1 Pro, A119 v3
My first review here on DashCamTalk, so let's dive right in. A massive thankyou to @GearBest for providing this review sample. You can buy the Chupad D501 right here:
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Specifications: Sony IMX322 CMOS sensor w/170 degree field of view, Novatek NT96658 chipset, 2.45 inch TFT LCD display, 1GB internal storage and 180mAh battery (no capacitor). Full HD 1080p video recorded at 13.1MBps bitrate with a 512KBps audio recording bitrate (mono at 32KHz).
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Box Contents: Chupad D501 dashcam, instruction leaflet, car charger.
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The final verdict: The Chupad D501 has quite a few functional usability shortcomings, but when looking at the image quality it is a capable performer for the price and is one of the lowest-priced entry points to a decent dash camera. With some attention to detail and camera optimisations, Chupad could have better hits on their hands in the future.
Unboxing video:
My nitpickings: The Chupad D501 comes with a Sony IMX322 sensor which is a tried and true staple that has appeared on many dash cam models. My expectations were thus very high for the output quality from this camera. Unfortunately upon Googling I could not find any firmware updates, and I believe that to cut costs the manufacturer has just taken the sensor and not applied any work in the form of image processing algorithms/optimisations etc. Other gripes:
The positive:
Close-up photos of the Chupad D501 dashcam:
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Specifications: Sony IMX322 CMOS sensor w/170 degree field of view, Novatek NT96658 chipset, 2.45 inch TFT LCD display, 1GB internal storage and 180mAh battery (no capacitor). Full HD 1080p video recorded at 13.1MBps bitrate with a 512KBps audio recording bitrate (mono at 32KHz).
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Box Contents: Chupad D501 dashcam, instruction leaflet, car charger.
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The final verdict: The Chupad D501 has quite a few functional usability shortcomings, but when looking at the image quality it is a capable performer for the price and is one of the lowest-priced entry points to a decent dash camera. With some attention to detail and camera optimisations, Chupad could have better hits on their hands in the future.
Unboxing video:
My nitpickings: The Chupad D501 comes with a Sony IMX322 sensor which is a tried and true staple that has appeared on many dash cam models. My expectations were thus very high for the output quality from this camera. Unfortunately upon Googling I could not find any firmware updates, and I believe that to cut costs the manufacturer has just taken the sensor and not applied any work in the form of image processing algorithms/optimisations etc. Other gripes:
- Lens adjustment also doesn't give as much feedback as to the degree of rotation when you are doing this (like clicks or notches).
- WiFi app provided by Chupad downloaded fine, but froze the camera multiple times requiring a pinhole reset, and also could not transfer the footage to my connected device (iPod touch) / Android smartphone.
- Be careful not to smudge the lens when adjusting as this shows up on footage.
- Would have liked to see and hear audible warnings about instances where a microSD card isn't inserted.
- An extra 3M adhesive pad and mounting clips would have been very handy if provided in the box, in case of changing the mount of the camera (another car, another position on the windscreen). Also the car charger should have a detachable USB-A instead of being hardwired (to enable multiple USB device usage within the car).
- Audio capture can be distorted if captured at loud volumes; lens light flare is too much at night (Star Trek anyone?)
The positive:
- Build quality is durable and nice chrome accents, appears mostly hidden to outsiders looking at the car (save for the aforementioned chrome piece).
- Internal storage is handy in case of card failure.
- Battery also handy for a few minutes of recorded footage after car engine is turned off.
- Menus easy to read and blue accents in the menu give a nice overall look to the interface.
- Some over-processing of objects such as trees, but overall captured detail is very good for the price.
- Loud/medium/soft voices are able to be captured without issue inside and outside the car, which is a must for any dashcam.
- Camera handles exposure changes well, without losing foreground and background details underneath the area of exposure change. Video is therefore not blown out by extreme changes in lighting.
- The dashcam takes in a lot of light during night-time video capture without too much grain, although there is some smearing in the detail.
Close-up photos of the Chupad D501 dashcam:
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