The rise of the dashcam!
It’s the dawn of the new decade and boy have things changed since 2010. Of course, that is to be expected; A lot can change in ten years. But while some things change, some stay the same. For example, in spite of how far we’ve come with tech, we’ve yet to find a solution for plain ol’ stupidity. As such, you still get reckless drivers, road bullies and even worse, people who drive BMWs.
Admittedly though, it’s tough to change human behaviour. Through the arrival of the car dashboard camera however, there is now so much more accountability on the road. The thing about road accidents is that it tends to be a case of he said, she said and dash cams remove that from the equation. So that dude who swerved into my lane, jammed on the brakes and then blamed me for hitting his car all those years ago wouldn’t have been able to say its my fault because I would have had that moron on camera.. You get the picture.
The Mio MiVue 792
That being said, when it comes to dashboard cameras, there are tonnes to choose from and typically, you’d buy something within the RM150-250 price range. The Mio MiVue 792 is not in that range. In fact, it’s a hell of a lot more expensive, coming in at RM799. Now, that’s a lot of cash to spend on a camera that’s going to be attached to your car 24/7. Heck, you might argue that you may as well buy a GoPro, at least that’s portable, ya know?
So, who on earth would drop that kind of cash on a freaking dashboard cam? Well, after using it for a month, maybe me. Trust me, I wasn’t a believer prior to trying it out, but a month with it and my driving experience has changed quite tremendously.
Before I get to that though, let’s take a look at the camera itself. Out of the box, the damn thing looks like a point and shoot camera. No really, it doesn’t scream dashboard cam and it’s probably never heard of the word subtlety, but when you’re paying RM799 for a dashboard cam, i’m pretty sure you want people to see it. The camera weighs 112 grams, is a solidly built device by any standards, and that’s the most important thing here.
I can’t bring myself to continue writing this without first addressing the massive elephant in the room, which is its incredibly high price point. You see, the MiVue 792 isn’t your conventional dashcam (pretty sure we’ve established this already lol), it comes jam packed with high end features that will actually convince you it’s worth the money.
First and foremost, it comes complete with Sony’s IMX 291 STARVIS video sensor, which essentially makes recording videos in low light conditions look like well.. the opposite of recording in low light conditions. On top of that, there’s a WiFi transmitter, an audio recorder, a GPS location tracker, and a 3-axis G-sensor.
To the review then!
So, all those features are great and all, but how well does it actually serve it’s purpose? The answer is quite plain and simple: Very well. I know, it took six long ass paragraphs to get here but we’re here okay, and the camera is great.
It records in 1080p Full HD at 60fps, which is already great but add to that the STARVIS (which might as well be called StarBoy because it too is a smash hit) sensor and you get crisp and clear low light recordings. This camera’s capability in low light conditions really gave me the confidence to leave my car in whichever dodgy as alley that I would typically avoid, which felt great. Not going to lie, there’s some noise in the recording but it’s minimal and won’t be enough to bother you.
If you’re wondering about the technical details of the camera, i’ll throw it somewhere at the bottom. What you need to know is that its wide angle lens is capable of recording at up to a 140-degree angle, which isn’t as high as some of the other cams out there but it’s more than you can see with your eyes so it’s good enough, trust me.
The video quality the camera provides may be really good, but it’s all the extra features that the Mivue 792 gives users that really makes the dash cam stand out. For one, it offers unparalleled safety with features such as a tyre pressure monitoring system (which requires an additional add on in your tyres that don’t come with the actual cam but its still nice to know it’s there), lane departure and collision warnings, a reminder to turn on your headlights and a driver fatigue alert that can annoy you at two, three or four hour intervals.
Having an in built motion sensor means having features such as the parking monitor mode, which enables the camera to start recording automatically the moment it senses vibrations or motions in front of the camera while your car is parked. It also means that the camera can alert you should you be stuck in traffic and scrolling through Instagram and the car in front of you moves. No more getting honked at by drivers who you know deep down are just as impatient as your are! There are just so many options for you to choose from with this camera.
Having in built WiFi means that touch wood (proceeds to touch my head) should you get into an accident, the camera has the ability to automatically send you the video of the collision directly to your phone via the MiVue app. Didn’t have the chance to test this out for myself, but it’s one feature I hope I never have to. Oh yeah, did I mention the app? The app is pretty nifty and allows you to seamlessly access your videos and stuff should you want to download your photos or videos WIRELESSLY :’)
Okay so of course, nothing comes without its flaws, and the MiVue 792 is no exception. For all the features that the camera is jam packed with, navigating the controls can be quite a hassle. You have to use the buttons on the device, meaning there are no voice commands and what not. Not very intuitive or smart for something that costs so much. Then, there’s the fact that the camera doesn’t pack enough juice in its battery to stay disconnected from your car for long, which is honestly kind of a bummer.
Other than that (and the obvious high price point), the camera is great both in the day and in the night. With so many additional features on offer, the price is somewhat justified. Would I spend my own hard earned cash on it though? Not a chance in hell. But you know, if you’re somewhat well to do, then this is the dashcam for you!