INTRODUCTION

   Driver error is a phrase I’ve heard many times from people who tried with very little luck to convince police officers and insurance companies that they weren't responsible for car accidents. Unfortunately although technology has made it possible for everyone to have a tiny camcorder on the dashboard of their cars to avoid such issues not many decide to do so where i live but judging by the sheer number of people who are currently using such devices in large countries like the USA, Taiwan and Russia i suspect that it will not be long before this changes. Not too long ago the very first next generation 1296p (2304x1296/30fps) SuperHD/XHD Dashcam models were revealed and we had the chance to test the Marcus 3 by Vicovation which was quite good although we did feel that there was room for improvement. Today we will be taking a look at the SuperHD proposal by Rollei the CarDVR-120 GPS Car Camera.

   Rollei’s history goes back to the year 1920 and a workshop in Braunschweig. With the launch of the twin-lens Rolleiflex, a landmark film camera, Rollei quickly established a global reputation for precision engineering. A cult brand, it gave rise to its very own photo style in the 1950s and ’60s. In 2007 Hamburg-based RCP-Technik GmbH acquired the European rights to Rollei and since then has marketed Rollei consumer products with growing success. Rollei products are currently sold in more than 20 European countries. The Rollei product range features digital cameras, camcorders, action camcorders, digital picture frames, slide scanners, professional tripods as well as camera and iPhone accessories. Excellent service is assured for all Rollei products with the all-inclusive package for 24 months. If a defect is found within this time, the product can be returned and a new one received within eight days.

   Much like the Marcus 3 by VicoVation the CarDVR-120 GPS by Rollei wears the A7LA (A7LA50D) SoC by Ambarella which can record up to Super HD (2304x1296p) resolution at 30fps, Full HD (1920x1080p) resolution at up to 60 fps and dual channel Full HD (1920x1080p) at 30fps (ideal for dual camera models). The A7LA SoC includes a high speed 700MHz ARM CPU which is responsible for advanced analytics algorithms such as the lane departure warning, forward collision warning, forward car movement detection and the low light warning systems. It also supports WiFi connectivity, motion sensor, super wide angle recording, high dynamic range (HDR), 3D noise filtering, automotive smart auto exposure, full-resolution over-sampling, dynamic tone mapping and advanced night vision for low light conditions. A 2.7 inch 16m color LCD screen is also present at the rear so you can see exactly what it is you're shooting. Of course once again since video samples will be stored in our server we will only test the CarDVR-120 GPS Car Camera in Super HD mode (not that anyone would get a Super HD model just to use the Full HD mode).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The box in which Rollei packs the CarDVR-120 GPS has a large product picture at the top along with the main features written in German.

The specifications and features lists are also placed around the box in both English and German.

Rollei has placed the device along with the cables in a formed cardboard section beneath the papers and software CD.

Inside the box you will find the CarDVR-120 GPS, dashboard suction cup mount (GPS is placed in the mount), car cigarette power adapter, USB to miniUSB cable, software mini CD, user guide, warranty information and a piece of paper pointing to the Rollei website and social media pages.

THE CARDVR-120 GPS

The CarDVR-120 GPS car camera by Rollei is surprisingly small and measures just 87mm in length, 47mm in height and 14mm in width (weighs just 62g).

Rollei has used 135 degrees wide angle lens for the CarDVR-120 GPS which aside being able to record video with resolutions up to 1296p (2304x1296) it can also take 3MP (Megapixel) quality stills.

Here we see the microphone which can record stereo audio (normally for stereo we should see 2 microphones placed on the two sides of the device but this also works surprisingly well).

At the top of the CarDVR-120 GPS we find the HDMI output, suction cup mount connectors and the miniUSB port (PC connection).

We were all quite surprised to see that all of the navigation buttons (and the on/off button) are placed at the base of the device and thus not very easy to access while the camera is mounted.

Here we see the 2.7 inch 16 million color LCD screen, microSD card slot (left side) and the emergency button (makes files more secure in case of an accident).

The suction cup mount is quite unique not only because it also has a build-in GPS transmitter but also because you connect that to the cigarette power adapter.

USING THE CARDVR-120 GPS

Rollei has placed quite a few settings in the menu of the CarDVR-120 GPS including the ability to change the video resolution (WVGA/HD/FULLHD/SUPERHD), set the time lapse, mute the microphone, set the time split (1/3/5 minutes), enable the camera to override previous recordings when there's no space in the microSD card, enable/disable the motion detect feature, enable/disable WDR, configure the still resolution and quality, set the power off delay time, enable/disable the LCD auto shutoff feature, enable/disable the timestamp on the video, set the sensitivity for the G-Sensor, set the time & date, format the microSD card, reset the device to its factory state, check the current firmware version and place a password for file playback.

Rollei bundles the GPSplayer program with the CarDVR-120 GPS Car Camera with which you can playback the recordings (as you can with media player) to see where you've been from Google Maps and at what speed (a G-Sensor indicator is also present).

AUDIO/VIDEO QUALITY

As always to test this dash camera i used my car both in day and night conditions which as always we uploaded on our own server and not YouTube in order to preserve the exact same quality. To download the two short clips (still roughly 70MB were required for both) directly just right click on the above images and then save target as.

CONCLUSION

   Once again the Ambarella A7LA SoC may offer a very good resolution of 1296p which at least on paper is better than 1080p but on one hand the differences between those two resolutions are not very easy to spot while on the other it's quite easy to notice digital noise especially when watching the recordings on a large screen. Of course we do expect Ambarella to eventually introduce a 4k compatible SoC for use in car cameras since they already have one for regular camcorders but until then the A7LA is their best offering so we can just hope that they see to removing some of those artifacts with a FW update. The one feature that the CarDVR-120 GPS by Rollei has that we haven't seen much lately is the internal rechargeable battery pack which can give it up to 2.2 hours of recording so chances are that you will not need to recharge it or use the cigarette adapter during the course of a normal road trip. A very good surprise were the microphones of the CarDVR-120 GPS since even with the car radio at high volume levels we came across no issues during our tests (you should be able to tell from our video clips). The sole problem i can think of about the CarDVR-120 GPS is the placement of the navigation buttons since accessing them while the camera is mounted is not easy. True chances are that you may use the menu just once and never again but still a touch screen would be a far better solution.

   The CarDVR-120 GPS by Rollei is not the first product we've received from them so it didn't come as a surprise that we were unable to locate it for sale anywhere inside the USA. However if you happen to reside in the EU you can get it both from the official Rollei page and from Amazon.co.uk (if you live outside the UK the Rollei page is a better offer since it includes free shipping). Overall Rollei has released a car camera that scores very good across the board from video and audio quality, to features, design and size and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size
- 1296p30/1080p60 Recording
- Image Quality (Sharpness/Color Reproduction)
- Audio Quality
- Built-In G-Sensor/GPS/Rechargeable Battery Pack
- 2.7" LCD Screen
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No Built-In WiFi (For Some)
- Digital Noise (@1296p)
- Navigation Buttons Placement