Thinkware F770 Dual Channel Dash Cam (Long Term Test)
 

Hello everyone. I've had this camera for about 16 months now, and I wanted to share my experiences with it. For those of you considering a dash-cam, it is definitely a worthwhile investment!
A few silly crash videos of things I've captured are included at the end of my blog post :)



I finally got around to installing a dash cam in my car. This is something I had originally meant to do right when I purchased the car, but priorities shifted and I never got around to it. Finally, after a few close calls recently, I decided to bite the bullet. There are several reasons I wanted a dash cam:

1. The sports car effect. When you drive a sports car (much less one that has been obviously modified), one of the things you have to contend with are boy racers driving like complete morons. I swear this is 90% Mustang drivers for whatever reason, but these people will randomly start trying to race you on the highway, and drive like complete morons to demonstrate their superiority. I even had someone do a massive, stationary burnout next to me at a red light in traffic once (yes, it was a Mustang.)
   No thanks, random person. I have no intention of racing you and your lowered Civic with the massive wing and the obnoxiously loud exhaust. Needless to say, I don’t want to be pulled over for “street racing” just because a cop happens to see me in the same vicinity as someone driving like a complete moron. At least with a dash cam, I’ll be able to show that I wasn’t doing anything.
   
2. The young driver effect. This is fairly self-explanatory. Even when people aren’t actually trying to race you, or show off, they still drive like complete morons. Especially in a major city such as Chicago. Needless to say, if I wind up involved in an accident that isn’t my fault, I want to be able to prove it. When you’re a young driver in a sports car, people [rightfully] assume it was probably your fault. I’m not the perfect driver, but I definitely don’t want to be blamed for something that was the result of someone else’s stupidity.
   
3. Fun. Let’s be honest. We all see crazy stuff when we’re driving. In Chicago, you see it even more frequently. I’ve seen so many things that I wish I could have captured on video, and now I can!

Thinkware F-770 Dual-Channel Dash Cam

It took me a while to decide which camera to buy. The first decision I made, though, was that I wanted a two-channel system that would record the view out of both the front, and rear windows. Too often, road rage incidents start when you accidentally cut someone off, or intentionally do because they don’t want to follow the zipper-merge rules, etc… I want to have that context too, if necessary. This decision at least narrowed the potential playing field, and in the end it came down to two cameras: The BlackVue DR650S, or the Thinkware F-770 (both being the latest cameras offered by their respective companies). The BlackVue was the more popular of the two cameras, with lots of positive reviews, but the reviews on the Thinkware were good too, and I eventually settled on the latter merely because I preferred the form factor. The BlackVue is a cylinder that mounts to the windshield with a bracket, which places the camera body back from the windshield slightly. The Thinkware is a “flat box” which mounts directly to the windshield itself. This makes the Thinkware a lower profile camera, and a bit stealthier and “cleaner” to install in the car. I wanted something that was as invisible as possible, and something that wouldn’t be an obstruction from inside the car, and this camera fit the bill. It actually looks a bit more OEM too...

Click here to read the rest of the review. (Installation, Experiences, and lots of photos/videos!)

Excellent review. Well written and answered most of the questions that came to mind.

One question I didn't see answered: Can you turn off the speed superimposed on the picture? I can see how it could be beneficial to have your speed recorded and displayed. But I can also see how it might not be, depending on the situation.

Yes, you can disable the speed stamp if you are so inclined :)

I am using Thinkware X500 model with rearview camera for 3rd year now and still runs ok, survived California summer. takes kind of long to load up videos with GPS, also you can change settings and save it on the memory card with the Thinkware software. overall pretty good.