Home Reviews ,,,,,Dashcam is the contraction of dashboard camera, in other words “dashboard camera”, a camera that is basically designed to film what happens outside the car to which it is applied.
These particular cameras are now much more widespread than in the past: some now consider them indispensable, some insurance companies even recommend their installation.
Macitynet, which has already had experience in this category of product with some tests carried out in the past, has recently tried a latest generation model that guarantees use at three hundred and sixty degrees. It's called Cacagoo CA07 and looks like an easy-to-use video camera capable of operating all day, both while driving and when the car is parked and left unattended.
Why buy a Dashcam?
In short, this specific camera allows the driver (who very often is also the owner) of the car to protect himself in every area. From the administrative , as in the case of fines to demonstrate for example the absence of signs, to the civil , for spurious and illegitimate claims for damages, up to criminal , for example in the case of personal injury or road homicide to prove the state of affairs. It is therefore clear that the advantages of any dashcam are amply repaid by the small investment that the purchase entails: in the case of the camera in question, the protection is practically complete.
What is there in the box
The dashcam is sold together with a practical suction cup holder that allows you to fix it to the windshield, the charger with cigarette lighter plug for charging / powering through the car battery and two microUSB cables of different lengths (the longest measures about 3.20 meters ).
How it is made
Aesthetically it can almost be confused with an action camera. In fact it is slightly larger, specifically it measures 6.3 x 5.5 x 3.2 cm (1.3 cm at the thinnest point) and is made entirely of good quality satin plastic. The front lens, type wide angle (170 degrees) is very wide and is surrounded by a metal ring: the convex cover of the lens is made of glass and has a diameter of about 2.5 centimeters.
The internal battery (370 mAh) is recharged via microUSB while files are recorded on a microSD (not included in the package) and one of at least class 10 and up to a maximum of 64 GB of space must necessarily be purchased; according to our tests 16 GB may however be more than enough to cover the most common needs. The camera also integrates a mini HDMI output for connection to an external monitor which, however, is not essential since, on the back, there is a LCD TFT display. 2 inches.
How does it work
The camera must be fixed on the windscreen – in order to guarantee excellent visibility of the road – only through the suction cup support in the package as it uses an uncommon hooking system. Once you have found the most suitable position for your use, you will have to turn it on by keeping the side ON / OFF button pressed for about three seconds: at the end of the start you will have to activate the video recording using the button located on the lower area below the screen .
The use of the dashcam is much more intuitive than any action cam. In fact, on the back there are 4 buttons: the first from the right, marked by a video camera, starts and stops the video recording ; the second, symbolized by a camera, takes a photograph , the third allows to access the recorded files and the last (or the first from the left, whichever you prefer) opens the Settings .
From the latter it is possible to adjust the video resolution , from HD to 4K @ 30fps, passing through Full HD also available in HDR. Among others, you can also choose whether to activate the cyclic recording of the videos of 1–3–5 minutes each, activate the recording automatically at the motion , enable / disable audio capture from the built-in microphone , enable or hide registration information (date, time, etc).
Parking mode
Among the various options there is the parking mode which, as confirmed by our tests, allows you to record what happens to the car in our absence. In practice, the dashcam incorporates an accelerometer (G-Sensor, whose sensitivity can be adjusted by the settings) and which, at the slightest movement, activates video recording.
In practice, when the driver of another car, for example, collides with our parked car, the camera “recognizes” the event and records a video. It is not even necessary to connect it to the power supply: the built-in battery can keep the camera active even a whole day with enough energy to record one or more videos in the event of an accident. From this point of view it could almost be interesting to buy two, placing one also on the rear window.
How are you doing
The recording quality is excellent: in 4K one minute of recording corresponds to about 220 MB of video, however even shooting in Full HD is sufficient for the sole purpose of driver protection but in comparison it requires less than a quarter of the storage space necessary. The plates are in fact still perfectly legible with a zoom on the affected frame: below we show you an example obscuring most of the plate of the framed subject for privacy reasons.
The camera automatically deletes older files , so there is no need to remember to format the microSD card before traveling. As for autonomy , the battery ensures enough energy to record about 30 minutes of video in 4K; in Full HD you get almost 40 minutes: it can therefore be an alternative to the cable connection when traveling short distances, however we always recommend connecting it to the power supply to keep it charged at 100% while traveling and thus have maximum energy to power the dashcam at the end of the move, when it is in parking mode.
From the point of view of everyday use it is worth activating the motion recognition mode ( Motion Detection ) in combination with the Park mode. In this way we will no longer have to remember to start video recording: the dashcam will in fact always be on, in “standby” mode during parking, automatically awakening at the slightest movement of the car, while when we get into the car and get back on track. trip, the camera will recognize the movement of the car and automatically start continuous video recording.
Conclusions
To date, that in question has been the best dashcam we have had the opportunity to try. Not so much for the video quality, superior to many others thanks to 4K (although it is not essential), but rather for the methods of use and the functions offered. Thanks to battery power, it works even when the vehicle is off and can protect the car for days when it is left stationary in a parking lot; during the race it does not require any interaction and when the memory is full it automatically deletes the oldest recordings to make room for new shots. In short, it is a very valid solution for those who want to protect themselves both on the road and in a parked car, without investing in expensive systems perhaps offered by the manufacturer which, on the other hand, have the only advantage of being less visually invasive.
Pro
Parking mode, useful when stationary Movement recognition mode, useful during travel Built-in display Battery powered also Easy to use
Against
Suction cup support with uncommon attachment
Retail price
Cacagoo CA07 is on sale on Amazon for 89.99 euros.
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