Thinkware F750 surveillance camera
MSRP $299.99
“Despite the narrow view, the Thinkware system is one of the clearer dual-camera setups we’ve tested at this higher price point.”
Avg
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High 1080P video quality
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Intuitive mobile application
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Dual save backup feature to micro SD card
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Lane departure and frontal collision warnings
Against
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Higher price
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There is no GPS or speed display on the video
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The roadside warning system can become a nuisance
Thinkware is one of the latest innovators in the dash cam market and wants to protect and record your driving with its F750 dash cam. The camera includes roadside alerts and a variety of safety features that will set it apart from the growing number of competitors. We spent some time with the F750 and the Thinkware Rearview camera to see if the combination is any good.
In the box
The Thinkware F750 system comes with a main camera unit, a 12v car charger, adhesive mounting tape, a 16GB MLC Type MicroSD memory card and a MicroSD card adapter. The MicroSD card is a proprietary device sold by Thinkware and has dual 512MB flash memory support to save a backup of any emergency recording. The F750 camera body is made of hard plastic with a rotating metal cylinder that houses the camera lens. On one side of the unit there is a place to plug in a DC power source and a micro USB port for the rear camera. The only buttons on the device turn it on and off, start and stop recording, mute the sound, format the MicroSD card and turn Wi-Fi on and off. The system is about four inches wide and two inches deep, but it mounts flush with the windshield. You can also enable a white LED on the front of the unit that displays similar to the lights on the KITT Knight Rider so that all intruders know that they are being recorded. The Thinkware rearview camera, which can be purchased separately for $90, is small, cylindrical, and includes a 21-foot micro USB cable that allows even those with longer vehicles to mount it to the rear window.
Initial camera setup
Attaching and detaching the F750 camera to the front windshield is easy using a removable plastic mounting plate that adheres to the glass with the included 3M tape. Once the unit receives power from the 12-volt car charger, it will light up and give a voice reminder to format the memory card regularly. The unit will fully power on and start recording in about 30 seconds and will give you a voice alert that “continuous recording” has started. The F750 will also give a voice and LED alert when the device finds a GPS signal and tracks your location.
To check video alignment, you’ll need to first press the Wi-Fi button on the unit and then connect the camera to your smartphone. The Thinkware Dashcam Viewer app is available for Android and iOS and is essential for viewing clips and adjusting camera settings on the go. While Wi-Fi is on and connected to the smartphone, it will stop recording video. The system will display both the F750’s front and rear cameras if they are connected. For the front camera, you’ll get guidance to help you place the camera in the right place for features like Lane Departure Warning and Forward Collision Warning.
Video recording quality
Despite the extra cost to add the rear camera accessory, both the F750’s front and rear cameras film in high quality 1920 x 1080p at 30 fps. Generally, other manufacturers such as BlackVue or Cobra will make a lower quality rear camera so the advantage of the Thinkware camera is obvious. Video clarity is also slightly better with the F750’s front-facing camera, thanks to the beautiful Sony Exmor sensor, which helps in brighter images and brings out more detail in low light. The biggest complaint about both the F750 and the rear camera is the relatively small viewing angle of only 140 degrees. Most of the other popular front dash cameras have a viewing angle of around 160 or even 170 degrees and sometimes the view through the “keyhole” is noticeable.. Despite the narrow view, the Thinkware system is one of the clearer dual camera setups we’ve tested at this higher price if you combine the F750’s $250 price with the $90 rear camera.
Parking mode is usually a standard feature, but the Thinkware F750 requires a $30 wiring harness kit.
Both the front and rear cameras record simultaneously, and clips are limited to one-minute segments without any options to change the duration. Although the system records GPS and speed, these numbers are not listed on the video and are only visible in the Thinkware PC Viewer desktop program. Instead, the video timestamp only shows the date, time, and seemingly useless information like the camera’s power supply voltage (update: the latest firmware update shows the speed on the video). The camera defaults to a continuous recording mode that captures one-minute clips and simply discards older clips when you run out of space, saving only the important clips if an emergency recording is triggered, but the G-sensor. While most other surveillance cameras have parking mode as a standard feature, the Thinkware F750 requires a $30 wiring kit. Only with this kit will the system record while you are away and allow motion sensors to be activated on both the front and rear cameras.
Security features
The Thinkware F750 surveillance camera also includes a variety of systems to help you stay alert on the road. Within the Thinkware mobile app, you can enable/disable each system and change the sensitivity to ensure you don’t get too many false alerts. The lane departure warning system will beep twice if it detects that your vehicle is drifting out of the intended lane. This particular warning worked well, but it can’t detect if you’re changing lanes on purpose and can get annoying over time. Forward Collision Warning aims to warn you if an object in front of the car is approaching too fast and give you time to hit the brakes. This warning seemed to be too sensitive in congested traffic, even at the lowest sensitivity setting, and would often go off when the car merged at a relatively safe distance. The last warning is a general safety camera warning that is meant to alert drivers to oncoming speed cameras or red light cameras. This particular alert seemed to be responsible for various beeps throughout the city with little indication of what was going on. While all of these systems seem like neat features, we found over time that we would disable them entirely on longer drives to avoid distractions.
Our example
The Thinkware F750 surveillance camera offers a reliable and clear video system without many of the complicated setup issues we’ve seen with other competitors. While the extra safety features seem like a good selling point for the higher price, they often fall short of their usefulness.
Is there a better alternative?
If you’re looking at a higher-end dual-camera setup, then the F750 is less complicated than the BlackVue of similar quality. But for a single on-board camera unit, there are much cheaper, better quality alternatives.
How long will it last?
Dashboard cameras have stuck around 1080P for a while, and the F750 offers enough quality and features to remain relevant to most buyers even without major updates.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you’re willing to spend the extra money for road safety features that the cheaper competition doesn’t have. Do not buy if you are looking for the best quality at the best price.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn