TonyM
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Messages
- 6,767
- Reaction score
- 6,863
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Dash Cam
- Many dashcams over many years
Vantrue invited me to test their new E360 dashcam, complete with the 4G LTE module which has just been enabled here in the UK. It arrived just before New Year's Eve, so I've had about 3 weeks getting to know its features, performing a range of tests and recording sample footage for evaluation.
The E360 appealed to me with the prospect of all-round coverage from a single camera. My old car had a conventional 2CH front+rear dashcam setup, plus side-facing cameras mounted on fixed side windows. My new car does not have any side windows suitable for mounting a dashcam so I have been without side-facing cameras for a few months. Is the E360 a do-it-all dashcam, or will I continue using separate cameras for the front and back, and keep looking for a way to add left & right coverage?
The E360 is a 360° dashcam that features a pair of Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 image sensors and a pair of ultra-wide fisheye lenses that face front and back from the square-shaped body. Each lens captures slightly more than 180° in a horizontal plane, and when stitched together they provide complete coverage all around the camera. The stitching is done in-camera to generate a 5.2K panoramic video (5184x1944 pixels). The E360 can also record in other video formats, including fisheye views and separate front and cabin videos at resolutions up to 1440P - more on these later.
5.2K Panorama
1440P Cabin & Front - Separate Files
The E360 clicks into a GPS mount which in turn slides into an adhesive base. The ball socket in the mount permits a range of vertical angle adjustment, in addition to left and right. This is useful when fine-tuning the camera orientation to achieve the best front, cabin and combined 360° views. There is no tension adjustment in the mount, however it feels secure and in testing so far it has shown only a small amount of vibration. Hopefully this continues through long-term testing and hot weather.
Although there is some vertical angle adjustment in the mount, I found that I needed to aim the camera as far down as it would go to aim the lenses horizontally. E360 owners with a shallower screen angle may find this to be a problem, resulting in more sky than ground and a warped horizon.
The E360 is powered via the GPS mount which has a USB-C port on one side. The E360 supports an additional rear camera - this is connected directly to a USB-C port on the top of the camera body rather than the GPS mount. This arrangement is OK if you do not intend to remove the E360 often, but does leave a cable hanging loose which might be an issue for some people.
The Vantrue LT01 is a 4G LTE module that provides cloud services to the E360 (and other supported Vantrue models) in some countries - check yours is supported before buying. The customer needs to provide their own 4G SIM card and a data package. At present there is no cost to use the Vantrue cloud features. (I intend to write more about the 4G LTE features in a separate post later in this thread)
The LT01 requires a wired connection to the dashcam:
- The dashcam power cable is plugged into the LT01
- A captive 50cm long USB-C cable runs from the LT01 to the dashcam, providing data and passing through the power supply. The short cable may limit placement of one or both devices on the screen depending on the car geometry. In my car I have the E360 to the right of the rear view mirror and the LT01 on the left side of the mirror so it is not a problem for me.
Vantrue sent me the E360 Ace package which includes a rear camera and a handheld mount, plus a hardwire kit and a 512GB microSD card.
The handheld mount screws into the top of the E360 and connects to it via the same set of pins as the GPS mount. The handheld mount contains a pair of 18650 batteries that power the camera (there is no battery inside the E360).
The mount can then be attached to the supplied mini tripod, or to any other suitable attachment point with a standard 1/4" screw thread. In later testing, I intend to use the E360 mounted on a full-size photo tripod to bring the camera view up to eye level.
When mounted (upside down) on the handheld mount the E360 doubles up as a 360° semi-action camera, however it is not intended to compete against a dedicated 360° action camera such as the Insta360 or GoPro MAX. The E360 is not waterproof, does not have an internal battery, and does not have image stabilisation, so you can't use it on your ski helmet or attached to a bicycle. However it does work fairly well with steady hand movement, and it's better when mounted on a fixed support. I may use it for occasional short video clips to document my photography trips.
The E360 appealed to me with the prospect of all-round coverage from a single camera. My old car had a conventional 2CH front+rear dashcam setup, plus side-facing cameras mounted on fixed side windows. My new car does not have any side windows suitable for mounting a dashcam so I have been without side-facing cameras for a few months. Is the E360 a do-it-all dashcam, or will I continue using separate cameras for the front and back, and keep looking for a way to add left & right coverage?
The E360 is a 360° dashcam that features a pair of Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 image sensors and a pair of ultra-wide fisheye lenses that face front and back from the square-shaped body. Each lens captures slightly more than 180° in a horizontal plane, and when stitched together they provide complete coverage all around the camera. The stitching is done in-camera to generate a 5.2K panoramic video (5184x1944 pixels). The E360 can also record in other video formats, including fisheye views and separate front and cabin videos at resolutions up to 1440P - more on these later.
5.2K Panorama
1440P Cabin & Front - Separate Files
The E360 clicks into a GPS mount which in turn slides into an adhesive base. The ball socket in the mount permits a range of vertical angle adjustment, in addition to left and right. This is useful when fine-tuning the camera orientation to achieve the best front, cabin and combined 360° views. There is no tension adjustment in the mount, however it feels secure and in testing so far it has shown only a small amount of vibration. Hopefully this continues through long-term testing and hot weather.
Although there is some vertical angle adjustment in the mount, I found that I needed to aim the camera as far down as it would go to aim the lenses horizontally. E360 owners with a shallower screen angle may find this to be a problem, resulting in more sky than ground and a warped horizon.
The E360 is powered via the GPS mount which has a USB-C port on one side. The E360 supports an additional rear camera - this is connected directly to a USB-C port on the top of the camera body rather than the GPS mount. This arrangement is OK if you do not intend to remove the E360 often, but does leave a cable hanging loose which might be an issue for some people.
The Vantrue LT01 is a 4G LTE module that provides cloud services to the E360 (and other supported Vantrue models) in some countries - check yours is supported before buying. The customer needs to provide their own 4G SIM card and a data package. At present there is no cost to use the Vantrue cloud features. (I intend to write more about the 4G LTE features in a separate post later in this thread)
The LT01 requires a wired connection to the dashcam:
- The dashcam power cable is plugged into the LT01
- A captive 50cm long USB-C cable runs from the LT01 to the dashcam, providing data and passing through the power supply. The short cable may limit placement of one or both devices on the screen depending on the car geometry. In my car I have the E360 to the right of the rear view mirror and the LT01 on the left side of the mirror so it is not a problem for me.
Vantrue sent me the E360 Ace package which includes a rear camera and a handheld mount, plus a hardwire kit and a 512GB microSD card.
The handheld mount screws into the top of the E360 and connects to it via the same set of pins as the GPS mount. The handheld mount contains a pair of 18650 batteries that power the camera (there is no battery inside the E360).
The mount can then be attached to the supplied mini tripod, or to any other suitable attachment point with a standard 1/4" screw thread. In later testing, I intend to use the E360 mounted on a full-size photo tripod to bring the camera view up to eye level.
When mounted (upside down) on the handheld mount the E360 doubles up as a 360° semi-action camera, however it is not intended to compete against a dedicated 360° action camera such as the Insta360 or GoPro MAX. The E360 is not waterproof, does not have an internal battery, and does not have image stabilisation, so you can't use it on your ski helmet or attached to a bicycle. However it does work fairly well with steady hand movement, and it's better when mounted on a fixed support. I may use it for occasional short video clips to document my photography trips.
Last edited:
