Read on for the full written review, check out the video review on my YouTube channel here or click here to pick one up!
A dash cam is becoming the essential driving accessory and I’ve been using a cheap one off Groupon for a couple of years (which I wouldn’t recommend!).
I would however, recommend the Apeman C860 one! Apeman make a whole variety of dash cams and are becoming one of the go-to manufactures for the top rated dash cams.
The C860 is a dual camera dash cam which means you have both a front and rear facing camera to fit in your car. The front facing camera also has a 3″ screen on the back and the rear camera connects to it.
In the box you get: both cameras, a suction mount for the front camera, a 6m cable for connecting the two cameras, a 9v power cable for the front camera (which even has a USB port on), a spludger for poking cables down the edge of your windscreen, a spare 3m sticker for if you need to reattach the rear camera plus a USB cable for connecting the camera to your computer.
In terms of specification the front facing camera/main unit has:
- 1440p QHD video recording with 170 degree wide angle lens
- Built in 420mAH hour battery which works well for parking mode during that trip to the shops (but not for the whole night!).
- Space for up to 128gb of MicroSD card but even my 32gb one fits plenty of video on.
- A G-sensor to detect crashes and protect the footage
The rear camera also has a 170 degree wide angle and shoots 1080p video
Both cameras have a Sony IMX336 sensor which means you have excellent quality video for both day and night.
Fitting and setup is nice and easy and the menu on the device is easy enough to use once you get your head around the controls. In the settings you can turn on or off parking mode, adjust crash detection sensitivity, set date/time, turn on or off numberplate water marking and a few other things.
The most helpful setting is the ability to let the display sleep even when the device is filming…this stops the screen being a distraction whilst you drive.
The buttons on the device also let you flick between front camera view, rear camera view or dual view (useful for parking).
How easy is it to use?
Actually…ridiculously easy!
The device switches on when you turn on your engine and starts recording. The loop feature (which you can adjust in settings) continuously records video in 3 or 5 minute bursts, deleting the oldest footage when space on your memory card fill up. It records both the front and rear camera footage as separate files.
It also records audio which is reasonable quality but I’ve switched it off because it feels a little invasive to record your passengers conversations.
The quality from the cameras is excellent. Footage is crisp, clear and well lit…even night mode leaves number plates readable. The quality went above and beyond anything I was expecting!
Summary
All in all for £80 you get a lot for your money and a pair of cameras that perform incredibly well, look good and are simple to use!
