Shadow Tec RX270 GPS, F1.6, 140 Degree Lens

[reverend]

Noticed this new Shadow camera on FoxOffer - looks like a smaller GT680W.

More details here:


It's selling for $69 (GPS is extra) so in the same ballpark as the A118 - it's not got the great form factor of the A118 but if it's like the GT680W would have better night performance and similar day performance.

I notice it's also a new bracket mount - guessing the camera is too thin to use the smaller LS300 style bracket the GT680W had.

 

[Derpinheimer]

This looks interesting, any thought on how the video quality should be? Same as the GT680W?

 

[jokiin]

I'd expect it should perform the same

 

[Derpinheimer]

So in that case, its a cheaper 680W with smaller form factor at a lower price? Seems too good to be true.

 

[jokiin]

is it a smaller form factor, looks the same size

 

[reverend]

The GT680W mount is very small as it was - looking at the size of this one I'd say it looks potentially breakable. It could be really strong reinforced plastic though.

Found another pic that would appear to raise it's blingability (think I just made that word up):

I'm still using my GT680w's and have been happy - they're not the sharpest or best cameras at night, but they've been reliable so far and that's always a good sign. The batteries will die in them at some point though for sure but I'll have moved on by then.

It does look slightly smaller to me, but we may be talking mm which according to some women makes all the difference (I never bought into that crap though!)

Keep an eye out for @jokiin's improved A118 type device - that form factor is great the way it sticks straight on the window.

 

[russ331]

Keep an eye out for @jokiin's improved A118 type device - that form factor is great the way it sticks straight on the window.

I think jokiin intends this model for the Australian domestic market, not for Worldwide distribution.

 

[jokiin]

We sell it already in Australia, if a wholesale buyer in another market wanted to do it we could arrange but it's not practical for us to be supplying consumers in other countries directly

 

[Derpinheimer]

What is parking guard mode? Its also listed on the 680W but the dashcam comparison says that doesnt have a parking mode?

 

[jokiin]

these cameras have a motion detect function but it doesn't work well enough for parking mode in my opinion so we don't advertise that functionality, they also have an internal battery so are not suited for this task regardless

 

[Derpinheimer]

Ah. So I dont really understand parking mode in the first place.

Regular mode -> camera records driving, consumes ~3W (??)
Parking mode -> camera only records when movement is happening (3w???)

So what does it do? Why cant I just leave any dashcam on all the time? (I know battery drain is an issue, but I dont see how parking mode is saving battery)

 

[jokiin]

parking mode (done right) only records when movement or shock is detected, it still needs a permanent power supply from the vehicle, the difference in current draw is very minimal

 

[Derpinheimer]

Ah. Is it a legitimate concern that a battery will be drained in <12 hours with one of these cameras? 3w seems so low; a car light would use >100w, and even a bad car battery should last 30 minutes.

so even if the camera uses 5 watts, thats 20x30 = 10 hours

Assuming 3w, 16 hours

Any thoughts on this? Am I wrong?

 

[jokiin]

the current draw would be similar to leaving an interior light on perhaps, not an issue

the issue for constantly powering cameras though is when they have their own internal battery and you are constantly powered it's not good for the battery, particularly if the car is parked outside, hot day etc, the temps can easily exceed what's recommended as safe operating temps for LiPo batteries

 

[Derpinheimer]

Ah, so this is why capacitors are popular. Do capacitor cameras have this same issue then?

Thanks for being so helpful by the way.

 

[jokiin]

Ah, so this is why capacitors are popular.

Yep

Do capacitor cameras have this same issue then?

No

 

[Derpinheimer]

Well this makes picking a dashcam much harder

Was finally thinking I'd pull the trigger on this one, since the G1W-C video quality was unimpressive and the GT300W/LS300W lack of support was concerning (as well as the lens issue with heat)

My phone pushes 60C in about 10 minutes of driving so I can imagine a dashcam will probably do that too. How hard/expensive is it to replace the batteries? A couple bucks I hope heh

 

[jokiin]

G1W-C is not too bad for video, buy the Foxoffer version though is this is the model you like, there's another version around but I don't believe it's the same quality

A dashcam won't run anywhere near as hot as a mobile will for this task

Batteries for most are not much, a few dollars, it's the collateral damage you have to be concerned about when these fail though

 

[Derpinheimer]

I was just comparing the G1W-C to the GT680W raw files
from here
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/thread...-dash-camera-nt96650-ar0330-1080p-30fps.3543/
and here
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/shadow-gt680w.2311/page-2

But to me the 680 looked a lot crisper, even with the wider viewing angle


I think I will get a SquareTrade warrty no matter what camera I decide to buy so I think that would be warrantied

 

[jokiin]

that review by @niko is the Foxoffer version, I don't think there's a great deal of difference between these and the GT-680W, if the videos you've seen weren't filmed side by side then it's very hard to make any comparison as any camera will look better in some conditions than others