Zenfox T3 Triple channel dash cams free test invitation, limited quantity

Remoted cams are the way of the future for many reasons. I think there's a reluctance from some manufacturers to invest in making them because it's nearly an unknown market. The cam heads can be made quite small and the CMOS doesn't add heat to the processor unit which can stash anywhere. The K2S cams are amazingly small I can't see any way to make things more discreet. Another plus is that those small cams can mount wherever you like in almost every car so instead of compromising for mirrors and sensor modules you can get a perfect location. When 4-channel cams become more common I think they'll mostly be all-remote lens models just to remove the limitations of form-factor.

Phil
 
And as there are no size limit on the main unit, you almost can do anything for cooling.
Personally i would not mind if a main unit was 5 X 2 X 8 inches in size, cuz i am not going to put in anywhere in sight.
 
there's a lot of added complexity to remote units, and some limitations also, they'll exist but I don't see them become the dominant form factor anytime soon
 
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True it is probably more easy to just stick to the old ways, even for Chinese which once renounced the concepts of old customs - old ideas - old culture,,,,,,,, and one more thing i have forgotten and cant bother to google.
But it will probably pop up if you google red guard + cultural revolution + China.

:) Funny how some things change, and other things do not.
 
there's a lot of added complexity to remote units, and some limitations also, they'll exist but I don't see them become the dominant form factor anytime soon
I agree. Affordability is a driven factor and creating such advanced units wouldn't be cheap. I can imagine a camera as small and as good as those in the Galaxy s20 or the iphone 11. but that requires enormous processing power and such processor should be designed specifically for dashcam use.
Also I used to wonder why DJI hasn't produce dashcams using those cameras that they use on the mavic drones, But then I see why they wouldn't make any money off of it since the market is not there yet. Maybe there will be room for such demand in the future.
 
The old ways still sell, but that will change over time same as dashcams and cars do. You can still find G1W and A118 type cams for sale, but that doesn't mean they're a good choice or that their manufacturer is making the sales and profit numbers they could reach. And as more and more cars get sensor pods around the mirror, the market for old style cams will fade away as there will be no good way to mount them anymore. The best cam in the world will flop if people don't like how it fits their car or if they can't fit it at all. Even the T3 which this thread is about has shown a few complaints about the way it had to be fitted compromising it's use or performance. All the 'Uber' cams have fitment issues of one kind or another. And as far as price, the K2S is $179 for the standard version at full retail price, which is not a bad deal when you consider that the A129 Duo is $170. That's the bottom end of the price range for good 2-channel cams so even going to the K2S Pro isn't a stretch at $200. Thinkware and Blackvue buyers pay a lot more for little if any better cams, so I don't see any problems with price.

Phil
 
The old ways still sell, but that will change over time same as dashcams and cars do. You can still find G1W and A118 type cams for sale, but that doesn't mean they're a good choice or that their manufacturer is making the sales and profit numbers they could reach. And as more and more cars get sensor pods around the mirror, the market for old style cams will fade away as there will be no good way to mount them anymore. The best cam in the world will flop if people don't like how it fits their car or if they can't fit it at all. Even the T3 which this thread is about has shown a few complaints about the way it had to be fitted compromising it's use or performance. All the 'Uber' cams have fitment issues of one kind or another. And as far as price, the K2S is $179 for the standard version at full retail price, which is not a bad deal when you consider that the A129 Duo is $170. That's the bottom end of the price range for good 2-channel cams so even going to the K2S Pro isn't a stretch at $200. Thinkware and Blackvue buyers pay a lot more for little if any better cams, so I don't see any problems with price.

Phil

You can always mount a camera to the windshield, so I doubt T3 style cameras or other brands will be placed into obsolescence. I have a lidar sensor around the mirror and the T3 still mounts ok with a good view of the cabin.

Honestly, I think most people just need "proof". So reliable and decent video are the main factors. We aren't shooting 4K cinematic movies. Very few people ever bother watching their videos unless there's an event of interest or an accident. Where even if there is an accident, low quality proof of how someone hit you is better than no proof. Not that I am advocating for dumpy cameras, but the argument remains valid that video quality need not be perfect. On that note though, you do need reliability. I wouldn't ever get a low end camera where quality control is questionable.

Sure the A129 Duo is 1080P, and 4K is far better during the day, but 1080P is generally sufficient to capture very good video, to include plates. Absent plate readability, it will capture what happened. My A129 Duo has captured one accident where it made a huge difference. While there was no dispute of fault, the insurance company tried to make excuses until I provided video. And after that they went dead silent and had to pay all my expenses for repairs, etc. Due to my tinted window and rear camera on suction cup, Plates were extremely hard to make out. Now, rear camera is mounted flush to windshield. Front cameras (T3 and A129 Duo) are on suction cup but aren't constrained by same issues. As the front tint is much lighter. For the T3, suction cup extends life before overheating. On the A129 Duo, I wanted to be able to pivot camera in case I needed to record interactions with someone at my window.
 
I have tested my dji Osmo action on my windscreen, it is actually not that good a dashcam, it sure as hell dont capture any plates my dedicated dashcams dont catch too.
 
I have tested my dji Osmo action on my windscreen, it is actually not that good a dashcam, it sure as hell dont capture any plates my dedicated dashcams dont catch too.

You miss my point though. People could use a low quality cam (long as it is reliable and doesn't freeze, error, or miss video) and still be better off than nothing. Many people often pick one up from a store or google and find one on amazon without knowing how good the unit really is in the field. Even when this happens, it is still better to capture a low resolution video of the car hitting you, than no proof at all.

Again, I don't believe anyone should be buying Dash Cams less than $150 USD / 130 Euro. Below that price point is a lot of questionable products. However, some proof will still be better than no proof. The insurance company only wants to know what happens and doesn't care about crystal clear hd so long as the video captured is "viewable".

Still, Plate readability is important if the accident revolves around hit and run circumstances. Something lower end cameras will struggle to capture.
 
Don't worry, the government will mandate all cars have them, like the rear view camera. I mean, the rear camera is there, the screen is there, the front looking avoidance cameras are there (don't worry, they'll become mandatory too), and they could upgrade the mirror sensors with cameras. Then there's the cabin camera, lol.
 
No i think we agree completely here, i just said i have tried that camera in my car and with its current tuning it is not a super good dashcam, but if i was to make a new drive video it are still that camera i am going to put in my windscreen for that job alone.

But i am not sure even if you tuned the hardware in the OA more towards dashcam it would be much better.

Personally i dont care one bit about plate capture i have never heard about anyone i know that have been involved in a hit and run, but i do use it as a parameter in my testing of cameras, but to be honest i have yet to find a camera that fail that where other succeed
 
You can put the T3 off to one side or the other, but then you have to choose which half of the interior you want to see. The IR reflection off the mirror doesn't seem to affect my unit too badly, but I'll probably put some tape over the emitters on that side to get rid of the bright spot. On a positive note, it even captures exterior images clear enough to read the license plate of cars next to me.

Z3.jpg

KuoH

I would never buy a sysstem like the B2W i have also tested and the T3, they are simply too not stealthy, i still dont have my cabin mirror in the car, cuz if i put it in where i have put the T3 it would more or less only film the head of people in the car and the backside of the mirror ( maybe blind itself at night with IR LED's hitting mirror plastic )
Viofos approach of offering a cabin camera with IR LED's for their A129 duo are much better, a little camera unit like that i could put all over my windscreen or as i would in my car on the stalk of the mirror ( roof mounted mirror )
 
Don't worry, the government will mandate all cars have them, like the rear view camera. I mean, the rear camera is there, the screen is there, the front looking avoidance cameras are there (don't worry, they'll become mandatory too), and they could upgrade the mirror sensors with cameras. Then there's the cabin camera, lol.

No they won't. Car manufacturers by no means want to be liable if the camera fails to record an incident. Tesla has them in their vehicles though. I imagine there's a long ass disclaimer, but with places like the United States being litigious, I'm sure some attorney would try and sue for big money.

Can't imagine there's much incentive for manufacturers to expose themselves to potential liability.
 
You can put the T3 off to one side or the other, but then you have to choose which half of the interior you want to see. The IR reflection off the mirror doesn't seem to affect my unit too badly, but I'll probably put some tape over the emitters on that side to get rid of the bright spot. On a positive note, it even captures exterior images clear enough to read the license plate of cars next to me.

KuoH

I have mine mounted on the windshield (posted photo on here earlier) it captures the ENTIRE car no problem. And I can even see out the sides just fine. More passenger than driver. But the drive still gets about 60% coverage as passenger. It's just the angle I have camera, due to my level of comfort with running 2 cameras. I need to have sufficient visibility.
 
It's very dependent on each car's interior design. I could move the camera higher and get a good view of all passengers, but the sunvisor and headliner blocks the rear window and most of the sides. It can see everything if directly in front of the passenger, but I felt that was an eyesore given the size. Directly under the mirror also presented too much of an obstruction, so that's why it ended up where it did in my car.

KuoH

I have mine mounted on the windshield (posted photo on here earlier) it captures the ENTIRE car no problem. And I can even see out the sides just fine. More passenger than driver.
 
It's very dependent on each car's interior design. I could move the camera higher and get a good view of all passengers, but the sunvisor and headliner blocks the rear window and most of the sides. It can see everything if directly in front of the passenger, but I felt that was an eyesore given the size. Directly under the mirror also presented too much of an obstruction, so that's why it ended up where it did in my car.

KuoH

Ya I agree, even make and model car is different. Luckily, I can put my camera to the passenger side ofdead center on my slanted Volvo S60 windshield and get a fantastic view. Just wish the camera was made properly and didn't overheat. Still, it works sufficiently for 75% of my needs. I figure I'll keep it mounted on a suction cup (front camera) because that gets it off the windshield and prolongs parking mode. It's a secondary camera to my Viofo.
 
Is there something wrong with the Zenfox App? I have formatted my SD card and reset to default settings. I can turn on camera wifi but whenever i connect with Zenfox app, it shows no live view and it gives me a 192.xxx.xxx.xxx port xxx error. It won't let me view my files or see any video feed.

Is the zenfox app broken? or is my camera screwed?
 
Can anyone post the stock firmware? I want to flash back to it and see if the problem I'm having resolves. I doubt it but worth a shot.
 
It's very dependent on each car's interior design. I could move the camera higher and get a good view of all passengers, but the sunvisor and headliner blocks the rear window and most of the sides. It can see everything if directly in front of the passenger, but I felt that was an eyesore given the size. Directly under the mirror also presented too much of an obstruction, so that's why it ended up where it did in my car.

KuoH

@kuoh or @EGS @SawMaster

Do either of you happen to have the original firmware that went with the Zenfox T3? I want to try flashing my unit downward and then upgrading again. Either Wifi went bad (my guess) or firmware corrupted something (unlikely but would like to try).
 
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