Why are dashcams video quality still so bad?

[MiKoK]

I came across this video where the person using a dashcam but it's iPhone 5 from 2012. This is five years ago. I can pause the video at any point and the picture is clearer and sharper than the most expensive dashcams of today. Why is this the case? Why can a 5 year old phone beat out the best dashcams today in regards to picture quality?

 

[thancam]

than the most expensive dashcams of today.

You are meaning what dashcam ?

 

[Dashmellow]

Why not show us the video you are referring to. If you can't do so, there isn't much to discuss.

 

[Ralph2]

Because... the video of the iphone is (I am guessing) stationary.. taking video of something moving. That.. is a lot different than moving...while taking pictures of things that are stationary.. and, moving at the same time. To compare apples with apples.. use your iphone to capture some video through the front windscreen (windshield) while traveling..

 

[jokiin]

Thought he was referring to the video in the YouTube link posted

 

[MiKoK]

You are meaning what dashcam ?

All of them.

Why not show us the video you are referring to. If you can't do so, there isn't much to discuss.

I did. I put the link where I said "this video".

Because... the video of the iphone is (I am guessing) stationary.. taking video of something moving. That.. is a lot different than moving...while taking pictures of things that are stationary.. and, moving at the same time. To compare apples with apples.. use your iphone to capture some video through the front windscreen (windshield) while traveling..

Not entirely sure what you're talking about. I linked to the video I came across, it's in the original post (hover over "this video"), and I explained that it was being used as a dashcam.

I'll link the video with the URL so maybe it's clearer for everyone,

 

[Kip]

I came across this video where the person using a dashcam but it's iPhone 5 from 2012. This is five years ago. I can pause the video at any point and the picture is clearer and sharper than the most expensive dashcams of today. Why is this the case? Why can a 5 year old phone beat out the best dashcams today in regards to picture quality?

I've only watched bits of that video (different scenes to get a broad sample though) and to my eyes at least, it actually looks worse than some of the higher end cameras popular on here. Just my 2p.

 

[CB1100FER]

I agree. Looked worse to me and probably similar to $50 dashcams at best. The iphone5c had 1080p whereas several dashcams now go to 1440. Plus the mount this guy had was useless making the video almost unbearable to watch from all the shaking.
One more thing, at the 3:35 mark had there been an accident, the insurance would have ruled 50/50. The Mustang should have stopped at the yellow but the cammer should have yeilded to any oncoming traffic before making his turn.

 

[thancam]

All of them.

take any samples: any high end dashcam (not count korean dashcam), just name it. I will prove

 

[Dashmellow]

I did. I put the link where I said "this video".

Sorry, missed it. Your link looked looks much like plain text on my screen. I always underline links when I post them for this reason.

 

[Dashmellow]

I came across this video where the person using a dashcam but it's iPhone 5 from 2012. This is five years ago. I can pause the video at any point and the picture is clearer and sharper than the most expensive dashcams of today. Why is this the case? Why can a 5 year old phone beat out the best dashcams today in regards to picture quality?

I absolutely cannot agree with you that the video you linked is "clearer and sharper than the most expensive dashcams of today".

Also, if you want to critically analyze videos you need to download and view RAW footage directly on your computer and not go by stuff you watch on YouTube.

 

[MiKoK]

Can you people show me all of these these $50 cameras with better quality or all these other cameras that aren't as cheap with better quality? I've viewed thousands of dashcam videos, and they're almost all universally not as good of quality. I can pause the linked video and read the license plate of cars, street signs, store signs, vehicle decals a lot easier than almost every other dashcam out. This is all while it's on the worst mount known to mankind.

The F770 looks way worse. The SG9665GC doesn't look as good. etc. etc. etc.

Sorry, missed it. Your link looked looks much like plain text on my screen. I always underline links when I post them for this reason.

Sounds like the admins have a project to do if we need to do that.

 

[thancam]

this one from SG9665GC V2

this one from iphone5
Both at 1080p (you tube setting) from the link you gave.
So: which plate did you read easier ?
Not mention color range, light.

 

[MiKoK]

We can obviously pick and choose certain parts of each, but that doesn't change how one camera is 5 years older than all these new $400 dashcams that are arguably worse.

 

[jokiin]

you'll never get everything in focus at all times, the phone has the ability to change its focal point, dashcams are fixed focus, the phone has way more processing power and much more sophisticated software capabilities so can do a pretty good job in some respects, it can't do it for very long though without overheating so is not really suitable anyway

 

[thancam]

We can obviously pick and choose certain parts of each, but that doesn't change how one camera is 5 years older than all these new $400 dashcams that are arguably worse.

you are kiding me, aren't you ?
i choose the very first frame from the link you gave me. I can show you all day, every frames of SG is better than iphone5.
if you feel image of iphone5 is better than high end dashcam then you should use one. There are some app for iphone and android very good for dashcam using. And the mount for iphone can easier find on amazon.
i am done with you.

 

[Dashmellow]

We can obviously pick and choose certain parts of each, but that doesn't change how one camera is 5 years older than all these new $400 dashcams that are arguably worse.

I'm curious to know if you own a dash cam. If so, which one?

Also, which "$400.00 dash cams" are you referring to in your post?

 

[Nigel]

We can obviously pick and choose certain parts of each, but that doesn't change how one camera is 5 years older than all these new $400 dashcams that are arguably worse.

I think the main reason is that the phone has a much narrower field of view making it much easier to see number plates but meaning that it misses a lot of the action including the car that is about to hit you from the side. If you want wide angle so that you can see who was at fault in an accident and be able to see number plates at the same time then you also have to use higher resolution. It is normally far more important to be able to see what is happening around the car and thus who is at fault than to be able to read a number plate but not be able to prove that that person did anything wrong.

Part of the problem may be that you are looking at the videos at 1080 resolution so are not seeing all the detail recorded.

Here is a frame grab at 1080 resolution from my current "dashcam", the front lens is a wide angle lens and cant read the plate of the car in front, but the rear lens is a much narrower angle and can read the plate of the car behind even though both cars are at about the same distance. With more resolution you would be able to read both plates but if you view at 1080 resolution because of YouTube or because of your computer screen then the phone which has a much narrower angle view than even the rear lens on my camera has a big advantage when it comes to reading plates, but not when trying to prove who was at fault.

 

[thancam]

The iphone gave almost black&white image, and he still deny.
Some people, you simple cant say reason to them.

 

[2000rpm]

I came across this video where the person using a dashcam but it's iPhone 5 from 2012. This is five years ago. I can pause the video at any point and the picture is clearer and sharper than the most expensive dashcams of today. Why is this the case? Why can a 5 year old phone beat out the best dashcams today in regards to picture quality?

Make a screenshot capture of the same scene at the same moment in time, as seen by a dashcam and a phone.
Only then can we make a fair comparison.
It's very easy to think something is better or worse until the two are directly compared.