Blackvue DR600, decision tree, box opening and first impressions.

So, I spent a few months ( no need to rush these things !) on and off
comparing models & reading numerous reviews on the available dash cameras.

A simple google search reveals a multitude of reviews ( and forum threads ) on all manner of Dash Cameras,
and in the main they tend to focus price, usability & picture quality. None seem to consider
aesthetics, which to my way of thinking is a major oversight and borderline incompetence.

If you are going to have something attached to your windscreen, either as a permanent feature or
just to be fitted whilst you are in the car, then surely you would want something that is a work of art
and note something that is mounted using a bracket that looks like a broken appendage of a 1970's Dalek.

It was this that led me to the Blackvue devices, and ultimately the DR600.
edit : I did consider the dual camera versions, but many reviews that I read suggested that the bitrate was shared between the 2 cameras, and as such this does impact the quality of the recordings. I wanted highest possible bitrate so the single camera version was for me.

No issues thus far with GPS and heated screen, though TTFF can vary from 20 seconds to 5 minutes, which is not unusual for GPS devices


You cannot imagine how happy I was when the package arrived, it really is a work of art
and note some Jackson Pollak piece of $*%!.

Not only is it visually very stylish and easy on the eye, it really is a design masterpiece when
compared to lesser cameras and their mounts which very often look like road kill.
The mounting system to remove the Blackvue from the screen mount is so simple, effective and in my mind
has no equal. If you are considering buying a camera you really must see one of these in the flesh!.
Even the switch to enable / disable on board audio recording is well thought out. Its a simple capacitive ( touch sensitive)
panel covering the end of the DR600, finished in matt black and almost mirrored. Its surface only broken by the blue led
to indicate when the built in Wireless is active.
The attention to detail and design continues with the power lead, which is plenty long enough and made with
very good quality cable and has a robust, easy to grip tiny 12v accessory plug. Again, so many lesser cameras
come with the cheapest possible power leads.

Even the included PC Software which is used to review your recordings and configure the DR600 ( device settings are stored on
the MicroSD Card) is very good, Normal or event driven recordings are clearly identifiable. Playback
is smooth and seamless when moving between time sequential recordings. Obviously you get a map view as well.
The mobile Android software is almost as good, though using the builting WiFi on the DR600 downloading
recordings to your mobile device is painfully slow. Live view is very useful you get a much lower resolution
image - but this is almost real time, and allows you to position your camera optimally.
One missing ( well I couldn’t find it ) feature on the mobile software is the ability to review event driven recordings
and see the G sensor readings that caused the event. This would allow you to better tune the event recording and fine tune the sensitivity.
My event tuning is still a work in progress........

Obviously video quality is a major factor when deciding which camera to buy, and the DR600's is very good - for the most part.
It does suffer ( along wih many other cameras) a small issue with the automatic brightness / contrast in certain circumstances, which results in recordings which are too dark, or flick between dark and acceptable all too frequently.
Specifically, if your camera is angled too high, it will record the sky but none of the cars bonnet. If this is the case
you should re angle the camera to record all of your bonnet, part of your Dashboard and as little sky as possible. This ensures that the largest
part of the recorded image is the road and NOT the sky. Using this approach the quality and brightness of my recordings improved dramatically.

I have also seen the odd instance when the recorded image went very low res / blocky, this only occurs very rarely in very
specific circumstances - Ie when the recorded image is very "busy", by this I mean, for example, when a large portion of the skyline
is not actual sky, but a continuous line of trees without leafs. I suspect this is caused by codec / bandwidth issues within the device.
So, if you do live in a very rural area with lots of tree lined lanes, then this may be something for you to check immediately post Installation. Angling the camera downwards a little more cured this in my installation.

In summary, I am very impressed with the DR600, and shall be keeping it. I may even purchase another to use as a rear camera.

I installed mine without using the included power magic device, which is up for sale on this forum.
Edit : I fixed it to the screen next to the rear view mirror on the black dotted area, so it is very discrete, and I can still
see the recording / GPS LED's whilst driving.
It is so discrete, I leave it in the car at all times

Pros.
====
Exquisit overall design
Perfect Mounting system
Great image quality
Looks good in the car
Very reliable ( so far )
Excellent PC Software
Plenty of features

Cons
====
Android App slow over WiFi
Android App could do with more features
Built in Card format feature very poor (Even Blackvue recommend using SDformat instead)
Not cheap
Edit Missing menu option for Memory storage overwrite, I assume it is automatic 

Last edited by pcheaven on 21st Jan 2015 10:37 am. Edited 5 times in total

Excellent write up PC, a word of advice, if you have connected your phone to it, via wifi, then each time you get in the car it will connect and stop emails etc coming through.

Aesthetics, yes it looks ok, for a black plastic tube

Top work though, looking forward to some video now

I have the 550 (front & rear) Is there much or any difference? I didn't have any supplied software, I have to put the little card in a USB thing & plug it into the laptop then it downloads what is required. (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.

the 550 and 600 are very similar, however the 600 has a newer camera, which is supposed to be superior but has a slightly narrower viewing angle, also the 600 supports 64gb cards, the 550 supports up to 32gb

there may be other differences that I am not aware off. 

Been considering a dash cam , looking at the Blackvue DR600/Roadhawk HD , any issues with GPS and heated front screen ? .
Just as a side my boilerman came to service our heating system at the weekend and he was involved in a fail to stop accident recently and was able to trace the offending vehicle from his dash cam footage .

yes good review, I am thinking of buying one too.

how easy are they to transfer from car to car as required ?

Iain

No issues with gps and heated screen noticed.

Easily transfered between cars if u purchase a second mounting bracket and power lead.
Otherwise transfer is possible but not easy as the stick on mount does its job well. 

Thanks for the response .

I've got a 500 version and find that the field of view is too wide leading to too few pixels on most number plates to make out the registration so the narrower field of view will be an advantage.
A polarising filter helps with reflextion from the screen. One of the forums on dashcamtalk led to a nice 3d printed mount for a magnetic polarising filter and another gave a method for adjusting focus.

great tip re the filter - I see these can be made with a 3d printer....

I need a new toy  

I have been concidering one of these but the only thing stopping me is the fact that if I have to take it out of the car each night, as I probably wont put it back.

Are they quite visible in the windscreen and is it something that thieves tend to target?

Mine has been in the window for 2 years, it is visible but maybe they think twice?

I think the fact you place it up near the rear view mirror (mines stuck to black dot area) it's not that visible and they just think it's part of the car

Unlike a satnav bracket that stuck on dead centre of the screen Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I have my dr500gw mounted on the dotted area to the left of the mirror and it stays in the car 24/7. The polarising filter hides the silver trim but the camera is still visible. There is an option to turn off a 'security light' visible from the front which I've taken. Leave the camera in the car when it's serviced. Not to catch them out as the camera is obvious, but to do an emission test after leaving the car idling for 30 minutes makes you wonder if they wanted it to fail! (It passed )

What is the standard card that comes supplied in the box of the two units in terms of Giga-Bites? What benefit do you get by putting a bigger one in? (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.