Is the Roadhawk DC1 really as good as the makers claim? It seem to be very expensive considering some of the poor reports that I have seen . Is there an alternative? BFN
Yes, there are alternatives. I bought one of the fifty quid ones from Amazon, and sent it back because it didn't work. That is, it didn't work properly. It gave a few seconds of smooth(ish) video at a time and then stuck on one frame, missing big chunks of video. Customer reviews of this camera suggested that most buyers had had to return them. The video quality was about the same as the Roadhawk, which I've got fitted now. The Roadhawk has been completely reliable in the three months that I've had it fitted. I'm impressed with the video quality of the more expensive cameras that I've seen on various web-sites, but that's it -- they're more expensive and even buying the Roadhawk was not easy for me. Why have I got it? Got caught with cash-for-a-crash when a gang of hooded youths blocked in my car on the approach to a roundabout and a young asian girl reversed her Renault Clio into me. All the rear-light bulbs had been unplugged from the Clio. Anyway, I agree that the night-time quality is not good, but there we are. I'm sure that as these camera journey-recorders become more popular, they must become cheaper.
One other thing - like it says in the Roadhawk documentation, the GPS receiver can take some time to 'aquire' a signal. It's better with a clear sky, but on a rainy day - well, I drove all the way from Ramsbottom to the centre of Bolton before it gave the triumphal chime and the GPS led turned green!
|