There's two things we can all agree on about dash cams. [music]
First is that they are absolutely necessary if you've ever been in or
witnessed an accident, which statistically [music] speaking is you
and everyone you know. The second is that regardless of the price, they all
look pretty terrible. Even when I picked a winner 3 years ago, there were
absolutely edge cases where [music] it clearly fell short. And I know short.
But, technology marches ever onward, right? So, we bought today's
best-selling and most highly reviewed dash cams [music] to see if finally I
can be satisfied. Are there features other than image quality that'll make a
difference to our top choice? Do you basically get what you pay for or are
there some diamonds in the rough? And how is it that this one costs 30 times
as much as this one? So many questions.
Like, how will I segue to our sponsor? Like this.
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>> [music] >> As you might expect, deploying 10 dash
cameras at once for a review means we needed a large windshield and [music] a
good power source. We settled on our work truck, a Ford F-150 with a Sabrent
16-in-1 USB hub plugged into a Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro. [music] Due to the
long wiring runs and the importance of not losing power to any of our cameras,
we used nine of our new 4-meter LTT cables, available now at lttstore.com.
Now, it is worth noting that some of our dash cams included additional rear or
interior cameras for multi-channel operation. These can be super handy for
rear-enders and passenger-related incidents. However, they're always lower
resolution than the front camera, so our image quality comparisons are going to
[music] focus on the primary. With that out of the way, our first three contestants are oh lordy.
How am I supposed to pronounce this?
Maybe it doesn't matter. All three are attractively priced around $50 to $100
on promo, so I think I can forgive them for being a little lighter on the
features and a little higher on the jank and weird names. Like this box.
To YI VIM's credit, they do at least have a website, but the box for their
two-channel camera system includes instructions that appear to be for a
completely different brand. Janwold.
Stepping up a little bit in price, we get the three-channel Subcon. Aside from
an additional camera, its main standout feature is the inclusion of HDR or high
dynamic range, but at this price using a low-tier image
sensor, it may be combining multiple exposures to better capture the
brightest and darkest parts of the scene, but it's unlikely to be doing so
well. Finally, there's the four-channel
I really Its main claim to fame is lots and lots of cameras. Front, back, and two of
these funky flexible ones that can pan and tilt 180°.
Since the main unit is so wide, we had to mount it a little lower on the
windshield, but for anyone who isn't running 10 dash cams, that probably
won't be a problem. It's the first to include Wi-Fi, and it also ships with a
128 gig card helping propel it to the fourth best-selling dash cam on Amazon.
If only that were an indication of quality. It claims to have WDR, but dash
cam manufacturers use terms like HDR and WDR pretty loosely. So, why don't we
talk about what they mean? Newer tech, like Sony's Clear HDR on their Starvis 2
sensors, captures two different images, one high gain and one low gain for
post-processing, which can add a little bit of noise and clarity loss, but can
produce an overall more detailed image. The Starvis 2 also supports digital
overlap HDR, which uses sequential short
and then long exposures, which can add motion blur. Which of these
implementations gets used can significantly affect quality, and we've
also found cases where HDR claims are made with
absolutely no evidence of them doing either of those things.
Then there's WDR. In theory, it performs the same function as HDR using hardware
and software to capture and combine multiple near simultaneous exposures for
a more balanced image. This is to help preserve detail in both the highlights
and in the shadows. However, many vendors use digital WDR, a cheaper, less
effective solution that uses only software to adjust shadows and
highlights. So, we're not going to pay too much attention to these feature claims
because real-world image quality is what matters. Let's take a look. All three of
our under $100 cameras are pretty much equal at reading license plates in
motion. Equally bad. If I had to choose one,
maybe the IV has the better overall image quality. The sky isn't quite as
overexposed, and the power lines are more visible here. The Subcon manages a
pretty pleasing image with a vibrant blue sky and green grass, and they all
look pretty equal to me for the legibility of the van's letters here.
Moving on to twilight, the IV has the best static focus with the 198 sign
being the most clear out of the three. [music] But, while the Yian Vim's lack of even
pretend HDR results in the sky being darker than the other two, it comes out
ahead on the readability of the truck's letters here when it drives by, and
that's because of its higher 30 FPS capture. The Subcon, meanwhile, is
unremarkable [music] in our twilight test. Moving on to nighttime, this
footage is very interesting. Again, the Yian Vim with its higher frame rate wins
the day with the clearest image. The 151.9 price on the street sign is more
legible than the others. And as for the Sub Con, it's definitely the loser here
with out of focus and blurry video. After testing all the lower tier and
cheaper cameras then, our top pick kind of depends on your needs. For capturing
motion video, we recommend the YI Smart Dash Cam. However, if your main priority
is parking surveillance mode, the AUKEY is substantially more expensive, but
likely a better fit recording with merely 360° coverage. Both use a sticker
style mount though, and if you prefer a reusable suction cup, then the Sub Con
might stand out for that reason. Realistically, none of them wowed me
though, raising the question, could I just get the basic functionality
that I need for less? Let's find out by tightening our budget
and taking a look at the $19 Meikuails
dash cam. It's >> [music] >> not especially well reviewed. It's not
especially popular. But 19 bucks is 19 bucks. So, if this thing is any good, we
could save our viewers anywhere from three to four happy meals. Unfortunately, it's not [music] good.
The cheap plastic mount broke before we could even install it, and the packaging is so generic that it literally says
brand on it. What the hell is 1296p?
As for the image quality, ooh, I mean, I know it's cheap, but like
remember how there was text on the side of this van here? And this is our
daylight clip. Moving on to twilight, it's even worse. That doesn't sparkle at
all. As for night time, no wonder they call it brand.
In conclusion, there's a minimum floor for what you should probably spend on a
dash cam. But is there a maximum? Let's juice up our budget and see if this trio
of 4K cameras is worth the extra money
or not? Extra money? See, in theory, [music]
these are priced anywhere from $100 to $200, but all of them were available on
a discount, putting them pretty much in direct competition with the AUKEY. Bad
news for the AUKEY, >> [music] >> because instead of mystery meat image sensors, all of our next tier cameras
boast a Sony STARVIS 2 sensor. With that [music] said, not all STARVIS 2's are
made equal. So, it's kind of like saying a gaming PC uses GeForce.
Which one? Well, Red Tiger wouldn't tell
us, but it doesn't seem to be holding back their sales. The F770P is the
number three best seller on Amazon with [music] dual channel recording oops and
a front camera that boasts up to 4K 30 or 1080p 120 [music] FPS. However,
despite achieving 4K 30 FPS during our daylight test, our camera automatically
and without warning drops to 25 [music] FPS for twilight and night time shots.
More like Red Kitten. Our second hundred plus dollar model was the ROAV R2-4K
Dual. This was Amazon's second best
selling dashcam when we bought it [music] and despite its confusing name,
it is not in fact a dual 4K camera. The
rear camera is only 1080p. But on paper, the value is still there with an IMX 675
primary sensor, not to mention some nice extras like a free 128 gig microSD card.
The final camera in this group is the JAZON's [music] V630. It also claims to use a STARVIS
IMX 675 and is the only three channel
camera in this group, which could be a nice extra value. On top of that, they
claim to have a lifetime warranty. But
good luck with that everybody. [music] Right away, these cameras stand out from
our budget options with the ROAV achieving better daylight [music] performance with clearer license plates
than the Red Tiger. The JAZON's, meanwhile, seems overexposed here.
While the ROAV shows sun flare, it manages to keep the van's letter
slightly clearer. In our twilight video, the ROAV again comes out in front with a
still image that has little flare and better detail in dark areas.
It even focuses well on the smaller text next to [music] the 198 on the street
sign. We can clearly see the YAC letters on
the side of the truck with the [music] ROAV, but the Red Tiger and the JZones
struggle to give us a clear picture. At night, however, the Red Tiger wakes up,
beating the Roav in sharpness on the gas price sign.
With that said, >> [music] >> none of these are miracle products, and all three of them can't seem to focus
well on the license plates [music] here. The JZones seems to particularly
struggle at night. Once again, then, the right camera is going to depend on your
needs. If nighttime is your top priority, or if you like a nice compact
camera unit, Red Tiger [music] might be worth a look. But, we like the
Roav overall better for its well-rounded performance, and its inclusion of both a
sticker and suction cup mount. If an additional recording channel is a
must-have for you, and you absolutely can't spend more, >> [music]
>> then the JZones isn't terrible, either, but it didn't really stand out. Now,
it's time to move up in the world. We're getting to the big dogs. Not in
terms of price, but in terms [music] of reputation. The Viofo A119 Mini 2 costs
just $10 more than that last trio, and
was named best bang for your buck by Dash Cam Talk in both 2024 and 2025. And
I can really see why they like this thing. It is super compact, just like
the name says, which is [music] great for minimizing distractions, and it
features a tiny 1 and 1/2 in diagonal screen, and records at a
middle-of-the-road 2592 by 1944 resolution, which is, in my opinion,
more than enough. But, with competitors doing 1440p60,
I am a little disappointed to see it limited to just 30 frames per second.
Also, it's just single channel, and neither of the Viofo cameras that we
checked out come with SD cards, so you'll need to adjust your budget
accordingly. With all of that said, the image quality is just obviously better
than anything we've seen so far. In our daytime shots, there's no overexposure
on the sun and clouds, and the power lines are totally visible. The truck's
writing is quite clear, too. The squarish 4x3 aspect ratio is
probably going to be a love-it-or-hate-it thing, but I personally think that it's pretty cool.
Clarity is great at dusk, too. The 198
street sign is legible, and the letters on the side of the truck are very
focused. Not much to complain about here, but just be aware of where you
install it. Maybe avoid the side of the windshield where we had ours, and you'll
likely get even better results. Finally, this is a very clear night video. The
signs are focused, and the license plate on the car in front of us is a little
challenging to read, but it isn't overexposed. This is pretty much a
best-case scenario. We really like this camera and can comfortably recommend it
if you want a quality single camera solution, and you don't need some of the
extras that we saw earlier. Also, Viofo Viofo They might have a gibberish Amazon
brand name, but they've been around long enough to build a reputation for actually having post-sale support, which
is easily worth a few bucks extra to me.
But, what if you wanted to spend a lot more than a few bucks extra?
That's where the Thinkware U3000
comes in. This is another Dash Cam Talk recommendation that I just had to see
for myself. $380 for a dash cam? And I need to use their
special snowflake power cable instead of standard USB? This thing better be
pretty special, and it kind of is. It's loaded with features, though it's up to
you whether those features are important. One of the most interesting
to me is the audible advanced driver assistance systems, such as lane
departure warning, which if you have an older vehicle that doesn't include that
Well, this is a pretty low-budget way to add it. And for power efficiency, the
camera uses front and rear radar to monitor motion in parking mode. As for
image quality, it's good, but didn't blow us away, either. Good focus on the
license plates for the cars in front of us, but the sky here is overexposed, and
the power wires are being lost in the sun. There is clarity on the van's words,
though, and the color saturation is surprisingly good, if that matters for
your use case. In our twilight shot, the 198 sign is very clear, as is the
smaller [music] text next to it. However, we have seen clearer shots of
the YAC letters on the truck in motion. It is still usable, though. Finally,
night time quality was pretty disappointing with overexposure on the
signs and license plates. The gasoline price is blurry. It looks like it reads
161 instead of 151. You're giving me nightmares here, you
guys. Overall, this has a lot of extra features, but its video quality is a bit
of a mixed bag, making it pretty hard to recommend for pure dashcam use. I'd
almost rather have one of our budget multi-channel kits plus an A119 Mini 2
for its better forward-facing image quality. That is unless there was a way to have
it all in one kit. That is the promise of the VIOFO A139T.
It is at the very high end of our price range,
but it's unique with two separate front-facing cameras. The main front
camera records 4K at 60 FPS with HDR off
or 30 FPS with HDR on like we recorded.
The secondary camera is a 4X optical zoom telephoto unit, and adding to its
bag of tricks, this camera supports an external SSD for more reliable
recording. But for $600,
I better see image quality that absolutely blows my mind and
All right, consider my mind blown. I can clearly see both license plates on the
cars in front of us. There's no overexposure in the sky, and the power
lines are clearly visible in the bright sun. All the writing on the side of the truck
is legible, even the smallest text, and
this is the telephoto lens. Wow.
That's awesome. I can clearly see all
three of those cars' license plates, [music] and something that no other
camera even came close to, check out the license plate on the van. We could have
aimed the camera a bit higher, but it's still great. Moving to twilight, [music]
Again, this is the clearest video of this intersection we've seen. The 198
sign is super clear and the 56 [music] Avenue cross street sign is also
legible. Wow. The license plate on the truck is almost
legible here, too, but that part of the image is too small. [music] And the YAC
text is blurry here, as well. Pulling out the telephoto, though, look at that
license plate on the truck. This image is so clear that we can see it before it
gets to the intersection. [music] The YAC letters are still blurry with
this lens, though. Finally, at night, we once again get great video capture. The
signs are clear and the license plate on the car in front is totally legible.
That's not even the money shot, yet. Here's the telephoto at night time. Not
only is the gas station price crystal clear, but look at those license plates
at night. It clearly captures all the plates in the same lane as us and we
even get somewhat usable images of plates in the opposite lane. That is
quite remarkable. So, this is one of those times when you clearly get what
you pay for, even if you're paying a lot. In summary,
then, if simply proving fault in an accident is your main concern, an
affordable HD camera will probably do you just fine. If you need to catch key
details, like a license plate after a hit-and-run, you'll definitely want to
spend extra on a 4K resolution dash cam with the highest frame [music] rate you
can get. And if you want extra bells and whistles, like ADAS or cloud storage,
there are some good options out there, but you might end up opening [music]
your wallet more than you might have thought to get one that also offers
compelling image quality. Tell us what's important to you guys in a dash cam and
leave a comment below. Are you looking for image quality first or features? Or
is it just enough video to prove that you weren't at fault? Are you maybe
looking for a Segway? Drive it.
Quickly. Quickly. It's about to start.
Put it down. All the way. The Coding Chronicles.
Uh you know, thanks for bringing me to the realm of boot.dev, but are you sure
this is the best way to learn Python, Boots the Bear Wizard? OF COURSE I'M
SURE. YOU WANTED TO GET RICH QUICK, RIGHT? WE'RE JUST SKIPPING RIGHT TO THE
HARD STUFF SO you can land A HIGH-PAYING JOB FASTER.
DAD! I THINK I SHOULD START WITH THE BASICS.
>> [laughter] >> WHAT, DID YOU THINK LEARNING TO CODE would be fun, YOU PETULANT CHILD? You
will learn to code the hard way.
Like I had to. Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh
uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh help!
Huh? No.
It can't be. Just Wait, you're not Then
how? DRAW.
NO! >> [screaming] >> WHO ARE YOU? MY name
is Boots.
And learning to code is fun with boot.dev.
If you guys enjoyed this video, check out our recent webcam roundup. It's not
the most glamorous of work, but um someone's got to do it.