It is not an easy task to buy a dash cam. There are hundreds of dash cams available on the market, and you will have to go through many before you buy one. You will have to consider many factors before buying such as the sensor type, the features, the size of the cam, etc. To make it easy, you can read the best dash cam reviews such as A118 dash cam review given below. Among many brands is the Spy Tec which manufactures some of the world class Dash Cams and one of those are the a118c dash cam. It is a cheap yet very versatile cam. Read the following A118c Dash Cam review to get more idea about this device.
Technical Specifications
- Sensor size: 3 MP
- Screen size: 1.5 inches
- Video Resolution: 30FPS@HD1080P and 60FPS@HD720P
- Supports Micro SD card up to 64 GB
- View angle: 170 degrees
- Capacitor based model
- Loop recording
- Heat resistant up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit
Design and feature
The Skyview a118 has a wedge design. It is very handy and is easy to install. This design shape also does not come in the view while driving. The design is good, but the body is all plastic. So, you may want to keep an eye on it and not let it drop. It is not durable with the plastic body. The front side has the 1.5-inch screen. The screen quality is good. You will find the large bulging buttons for power, recording, menu and microphone. Each button has its function depending on the mode. So make sure that you read the manual carefully before using the unit. On the left side, you will find the micro SD card slot and the MIC hole.
You may not like the placement of the microphone hole as it may not accept the sound clearly. But it works just fine. A great design feature is the knobs for adjustment of the position of the camera. Once you install the camera or attach it to the windscreen, you can use these knobs to adjust the angle or the lens. The camera also has a USB port the GPS input and the A/V out.
The Spy Tec a118 c has an excellent G-Sensor. The sensor works quite efficiently. It will detect smallest of the motions and sudden shifts and start recording. If there is a sudden acceleration or a collision or even sudden braking, the camera will instantly save the video in the lock mode. It is an automatic setting for emergencies. The locking mechanism is available in almost every dash cam available on the market. It is a necessary feature which protects special files on the SD card. It is why the a118 c dash cam is one of the best dash cams for cars.
Pros
The easiest part is the installation of the camera. This camera does not use a suction cup like many other brands on the market. The dash cam a118c uses a sticky plastic chip. The chip uses a 3M adhesive to stick onto the windscreen. It is easy to use when you stick it on the back of the front mirror.
The camera records an excellent high-quality video of 1080p resolution at 30 fps. It records 720p at 60 fps. It is a standard for many cams, so you won’t find it hard to choose if you want a good resolution. It also records a VGA video, but it is of no use as the quality of VGA is not good at all.
A great feature is the length of video recording. You can choose to set the length of video from 1, 3, or five minutes. If you have a 32 GB memory card, you can record 5 hours on it. When you record at the highest resolution i.e. FHD 1080p, the camera uses 90 MBs for one minute. The camera supports a 64 GB SD card, but to use that you will first have to format it through the camera’s settings.
A great thing about this camera is that you will capture the entire road ahead of you. With its 170 degrees wide angle lens, you do not miss anything on the road. The wide angle gives a lot of detail.
The camera also has a built-in anti-shake feature. It allows you to record smoothly even on an uneven road. Just like many other models, it also comes with loop recording. It will overwrite the files once space is running out on the SD card.
Cons
It is a Spy Tec a118-c capacitor edition. It means that the camera does not come with a built-in battery. So, if you lose power, you will lose the recording capability. It means that this is not a good choice for emergencies when you do not have a power source and want to record for a long time.
The camera also has a few issues while recording the night time video. You will notice that the license plates are not easy to read. Also, in the bright sunlight coming direct at the camera, it shows a circular rainbow effect.
The camera does not have a Wi-Fi setting. You may not think of it as a disadvantage, but many users find it useful. The Wi-Fi helps view the live videos on the smartphones and also allows sharing the videos instantly. This camera does not have that feature.
The maximum support for the SD card is 32 GB. For a camera which records 1080p videos, the storage space should be more at least 128 GB.