Thinkware F770 Dash Cam

[MrNick]

We're picking up our Ocean tomorrow (yay!) and looking to get a decent front/rear dash cam installed in it. My preferred option at the moment is the Thinkware F770 - see http://www.racshop.co.uk/sat-navs-tech/dash-cam/product/thinkware-f770-front-rear-dash-cam.html.

Does anybody have this, and any thoughts on it?

A key requirement of this is parking surveillance as unfortunately I have to park the Cali on the road outside my house. If this camera is wired into the vehicle battery I've read it should be able to do around 48hrs of recording, before powering off to keep the vehicle battery charged. But I was wondering if it would work better wired into the leisure battery instead, which I assume (no idea) has bigger capacity? Is this even possible??

I'd be getting it professionally installed as I can imagine routing the cable neatly to the rear camera will be a massive pain!

Any help/advice really appreciated!

 

[methley]

Yes we have one of these. It's been very good and simply does what it says on the tin. To hard wire it, you'll need an extra cable https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00YAE5JSA/?tag=eliteelect-21

• Enables parking surveillance mode when the vehicle's ignition is turned off so the dash cam can utilise motion detection and the impact sensor to record events

Mine is wired to the accessory power feed on the back of my Kenwood, rather than direct to an ignition live on the van.

 

[methley]

Oh actually we have an F750, but pretty similar!

 

[MrNick]

That's great thanks - do you actually get the advertised 48hr recording time in parking mode, or less/more? Not sure if this would be different due to powering through your Kenwood though, and I suppose it depends on how much movement (and hopefully not impacts!) it detects.

 

[methley]

Do you know, I've never actually checked. I'll have a look and see what's stored! The Kenwood is just used for iginition live detection. Actual power is sourced from the main battery, not the leisure battery.

 

[briwy]

Looks pretty good.
Strange that it seems to only record up to the capacity of the memory card though. Most will continously loop now, ie when the card is full it just deletes the first recordings and starts again so in effect no time limit on recording.
Be interested to know how the speed camera alerts are updated as well. We've got one of the RAC Proofcam cameras which has a downloadable update every month or so.
Just for info our front and rear cameras are hard wired into the leisure batteries and are left on all the time without any problems.

 

[Teejay]

The 770 has two modes for parking. Motion and time lapse, so it takes a picture every second I believe. I've not got one still looking around, I have a nextbase 402G plugged into a cig socket. I'm trying to find out how to access fuses behind the drinks holder to hard wire

 

[T6 CFO]

Might be worth h having a look at this thread from @Loz

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/dash-camera-install.16017/


Mike

 

[AlanC]

I have always wondered if you get to see much on the rear camera if it is integrated into the front facing dash cam on a cali. I would have thought that the gubbins we have behind us, wardrobe, top locker, bike rack etc. would obscure much of the rear window view. Plus the window is a long way back.

Alan

 

[T6 CFO]

Agreed hence the F770 with its 2 cameras. @Loz I believe has stuck his on the wardrobe due to issue of rear blind .


Mike

 

[Teejay]

Might be worth h having a look at this thread from @Loz

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/dash-camera-install.16017/

Mike

Not confident enough to take out the while control panel like he did. So looking to either fuse under the seat or a fuse behind the bottle holder in the dash.

 

[T6 CFO]

Not confident enough to take out the while control panel like he did. So looking to either fuse under the seat or a fuse behind the bottle holder in the dash.

No neither am I.
On that note if anyone has a video of it being done I wouldn't mind seeing it in the event if having to do an emergency lowering of the roof.
Just the link will do as don't want to hijack the thread.

Mike

 

[Loz]

Agreed hence the F770 with its 2 cameras. @Loz I believe has stuck his on the wardrobe due to issue of rear blind .


Mike

I fitted the rear camera on the underside of the rear trim centrally so it looks out of the rear windscreen where the wiper clears the screen at the top.

 

[Trebor]

Hi Nick Day . I've had Thinkware f750 for over a year now and can definitly recommend . Presumably the f770 is even better .

 

[MrNick]

Thanks for all the really helpful replies!

@Loz Do you have a photo of where you've mounted your rear camera? How did you route the cable through to the front? Does the back blind still work?

The installation at the front looks pretty easy from the photos in the other thread. RAC have it at £20 off for camera only, ending today, but by the time you've added a hardwire kit its only about £70 more to get it installed, so might be leaning that way at the moment, especially if the cable routing is hard.

 

[methley]

Footage from last night on our F750!

 

[MattBW]

Wow what on earth were they thinking there?

Its not a bad picture, a little like my cheaper cam you can only read the plates up close? Is it the same in the daytime? The only feature these have that appeals is the parking mode which I understand is based on a battery system?

 

[Teejay]

The 770 has two parking modes, motion and time lapse. I guess they speak for themselves. I have a Nextbase 402 and the detail in the dark is very good. Most of the higher end cams are very good. If I remember I will post one of mine darker ones. Just need to make sure I strip off the singing/swearing ;-)

 

[methley]

Wow what on earth were they thinking there?

Its not a bad picture, a little like my cheaper cam you can only read the plates up close? Is it the same in the daytime? The only feature these have that appeals is the parking mode which I understand is based on a battery system?

The video has been significantly squidged for Youtube. Original is much clearer.

 

[Teejay]

The 770 has two parking modes, motion and time lapse. I guess they speak for themselves. I have a Nextbase 402 and the detail in the dark is very good. Most of the higher end cams are very good. If I remember I will post one of mine darker ones. Just need to make sure I strip off the singing/swearing ;-)

@MattBW
While looking for a suitable clip to post, I've noticed that the registration of the car in immediately front is blown out/over exposed making identification a bit more difficult.

@Loz can you scan some of you nighttime footage and see if the 770 has the same problem. This was never a problem with halogen lights on the Volvo.

..message ends...

 

[Loz]

@Loz can you scan some of you nighttime footage and see if the 770 has the same problem. This was never a problem with halogen lights on the Volvo...

Will do when I get back..