Review of the Thinkware F750-2CH?

[niko]

Hello Everyone!

I just received my F750 as a gift and am a little lost. My cam videos look nothing like what several of you posted here and what i've seen on youtube. I'm thinking it has to do with the firmware that I've upgraded to (v 1.00.15). Can someone post firmware v 1.00.06, so i can reflash and see if that fixes my video quality issues?
I'm not quite sure how this works so I will tag a few users who posted nice reviews and were on v. 1.00.06
@drewzh
@niko
@Adam020
@jpm
@Pier28

Welcome to the forum @Kbezie
Can this FW be found on Thinkware website ?

 

[Kbezie]

Thanks! Unfortunately, they don't have older versions of the firmware on their download page. I've emailed them and will hopefully get a response by the end of the day. *cross fingers *

 

[Dippy]

I have v15 and I think my camera came with v12 or v13, so I don't know what v6 was like. What do you think is so bad about your videos?

 

[Kbezie]

Here is a youtube link to a clip that I recorded.
In the video, you can barely make out the license plates and everything starts getting pixilated whenever i go over 24kph (15mph).

I have v15 and I think my camera came with v12 or v13, so I don't know what v6 was like. What do you think is so bad about your videos?

 

[niko]

Here is a youtube link to a clip that I recorded.
In the video, you can barely make out the license plates and everything starts getting pixilated whenever i go over 24kph (15mph).

Its is expected result from this solution used on F750.
The maximum I was able to read numberplates on similar solution dashcams was 45-50km/h on the nice sunny day. It's a limitations of solution vs performance, hence the result.

 

[Kbezie]

Its is expected result from this solution used on F750.
The maximum I was able to read numberplates on similar solution dashcams was 45-50km/h on the nice sunny day. It's a limitations of solution vs performance, hence the result.

I understand that there will always be a balance of performance and expectation, but when I'm comparing apples to apples (f750 vs f750) the difference shouldn't be this big.

 

[niko]

I understand that there will always be a balance of performance and expectation, but when I'm comparing apples to apples (f750 vs f750) the difference shouldn't be this big.

A lot depends on in which conditions recordings are made. Even in nice sunny day for exaple driving alongside of trees or other shadows may affect result. If both f750 has same FW and videos made side by side then there should not be a difference.

 

[Kbezie]

A lot depends on in which conditions recordings are made. Even in nice sunny day for exaple driving alongside of trees or other shadows may affect result. If both f750 has same FW and videos made side by side then there should not be a difference.

Precisely. Once I get my hands on a different FW, I'll run some tests and will post the outcome.

 

[Kbezie]

Just got an email from support. They were able to send me FW for 1.00.06
Will post later with the results!

 

[Wytwolf]

It's also hard to tell the quality when you have it uploaded to youtube @ 720p.

 

[TurBIce]

This is a video i recorded a week ago in a underground carpark, latest firmware

 

[canadianelbow]

Kbezie, I noticed alot of reflection off your windshield. Maybe this is related to your quality issue? How and where do you have it mounted?

 

[Kbezie]

Hmm...It looks better than my quality (using v 1.00.15), but then you are driving in a garage. Do you have any outdoor shots?

This is a video i recorded a week ago in a underground carpark, latest firmware

 

[Kbezie]

Kbezie, I noticed alot of reflection off your windshield. Maybe this is related to your quality issue? How and where do you have it mounted?

I have it mounted behind and to the left of my rear view mirror. However, I've noticed some significant improvements running v. 1.00.06 at night. I'll try and get some morning shots and will post results.

 

[TurBIce]

Hmm...It looks better than my quality (using v 1.00.15), but then you are driving in a garage. Do you have any outdoor shots?

I haven't uploaded to youtube. i will try grab some to upload. but from looking at your video sample above. My video looks a lot better. i can read number plates easily.

 

[Kbezie]

I've finally been able to throw together some clips using RegistratorViewer (which was a pain to figure out how to solve the "out of memory" and audio issue but is worth the trouble and WAY better than the ThinkWare Viewer). Comparing the 2 versions, I've found that older FW performed better, at least in my case. I contacted ThinkWare and will be getting a replacement unit and will see if it preforms any better running the latest FW.

Night Driving

Day Driving pt.1

Day Driving pt.2

 

[Giblet]

Hey up folks. I'm changing cars soon and I'm in the market for a dual camera setup after having my car damaged in a shared work car park recently. I've been a long term reader/watcher of Techmoan and initially had the K1S in mind but after doing some more research the Blackvue DR650GW and then the Thinkware F750.

The Thinkware looks to be the best of the bunch (in my view) in terms of specs, reliability and support. I have a few questions about the device though. How long does it take for the parking mode to kick in after parking up? On average how many hours of footage do you find you can record in parking mode before the circuit protection kicks in and cuts off power to the camera?

For any UK based folk did you have your camera installed professionaly or did you have a go at installing it yourself? The install prices I have found from a quick search seem to vary from £120-180. I'm tempted to have a go at running the cables in the car myself and then getting a sparky to do the hardwiring. The car in question is a saloon (Lexus ISF) so hopefully it won't be too hard.

 

[Dippy]

Hi @Giblet - my install is detailed here.
I haven't timed it but it takes slightly longer than I'd like for the parking mode to start, so usually I am out of the car and walking away when the voice says "parking mode..." However it is reliable so I suppose it doesn't really matter. What is your concern about how long it takes?
The time to end parking mode varies. If I have driven a lot so my battery is 12.6v, then the 48 hour timer kicks in first. However certainly in my case this is uncommon as I don't drive my car daily and many journeys are short. If I set it to 12v then it typically lasts between 18 and 24 hours. However since I don't really need that long I currently have it set to 12.2v and it often turns off after less than 12 hours. It really does depend on the individual car so you probably won't know until you try it yourself.

 

[Giblet]

Thanks for the reply. I was reading your install thread after I posted on here, it is very informative and helpfully, cheers.

My concern with the time it takes to switch to parking mode is based on my current car being bumped into in the shared works car park recently. Unsurprisingly there was no note left which annoyed me somewhat.

My car will be driven daily and I usually spend 3-4 hours parked up before I head out for lunch and then another 3-4 hours when I return before I head home. The battery was changed on the car recently so hopefully I shouldn't have any issues. I'll wait till I have picked up the new car before I take a closer look at trim pieces and assess how difficult the install will be. Do you have any links to the tools you used to make your own angled micro usb connectors?

 

[Dippy]

I bought this plug assembly and this socket assembly. I couldn't find an in-like socket assembly but since it is hidden in trim it doesn't matter. I also bought a cheap micro-USB to USB cable just so that I could cut off the plugs and use the cable. I looked to buy the cable separately but couldn't find any and of course I may have needed to buy more than I needed so butchering a cable was the easiest option. You need a fine bit soldering iron and good eyesight. I don't have the latter so I have a big illuminated magnifying glass. Although I used to be an electronics engineer I don't think that gave me any advantage, however if you've never used a soldering iron before then you might need to practice a bit. That's what I did when I had a go at solder-ring plumbing - a bit of practice and then I was able to do the real job.