Chace R. – Page 13 – Car Repair Life

If you are thinking of buying a new dash cam, the new Cobra Dash Cam offers a ton of great features, such as Super HD 1296p video, iRadar, and an ultra-wide 160-degree lens. And all for an affordable price!Looking at the features and specs included in the Cobra Dash Cam suite, the closest competition to the Dash Cam, and the pros and cons you’ll come across when using the Dash Cam will help you make up your mind whether or not this product is right for you.The All-New Cobra DASH Cam[amazon fields="B01D1VLNWS" value="thumb" image_size="large" image_align="center"]Whether you’re looking for a dash cam to prove your innocence in traffic mishaps, or to enjoy capturing the scenery of your road trips, the Cobra Dash Cam has you covered. The camera mounts right to your windshield to record everything that happens around your vehicle.The DASH series is the latest series of dash cameras released from Cobra, a brand well known for their reliable electronics. The series is comprised of two sets of cameras:First, there's the DASH 2308 and its dual-view counterpart, the DASH 2316D, which come with iRadar compatibility. This feature connects your camera to GPS and iRadar alerts.Then there's the DASH 2208 and the dual view DASH 2216D, which come without iRadar.Cobra Dash Cam FeaturesWhen looking over the features of the Cobra Dash Cam, you find it comes with just about every major feature you would want from a high-end dash cam.Super HD resolutionFor starters, the Cobra Dash Cam comes with 1296p Super HD resolution. The Super HD resolution is a nice balance between 1080p and 1440p. You get better resolution than 1080p, but you don’t have to deal with the unreasonably large file sizes of 1440p video.The Super HD makes the Cobra Dash Cam a great pick if you’re looking for a camera to record road trips with. Even in low lighting conditions, you’ll be able to get crisp, high-resolution footage that you can’t get with a 1080p camera.As a side note, know that if you’re thinking about picking up either of the dual-view models, the front-facing camera records in 1080p when recording in dual view mode.Wide-angle lensesTo complement the Super HD resolution, the front cameras come with a 160-degree lens angle, which is an angle that is wide enough to capture anything that happens in front of your car. The rear cameras have a 130-degree lens angle, which is still a very generous angle. With the wide lens angles for the front and rear cameras, you’ll have just about the entire surrounding of your car covered. The only downside of this to consider is that the wide angle of the front camera will create a minor “fish eye” effect in the footage, making close objects appear more distant. Nothing major, but again worth keeping in mind.G-sensorsTo cover your back, the series includes internal G-sensors for all of their cameras. The sensors automatically save the footage around the time a collision is detected. The footage is then locked, so it doesn’t get overwritten by the looped recording feature included in the cameras. This is always an essential feature to have, as it will allow you to stay focused on the things that truly matter during an accident.Touching back on the looped recording, there is another vital feature that’s always great to have in your dash cams, and the Cobra DASH series has it. As the camera records, it’s constantly deleting old footage, ensuring your storage doesn’t fill up the moment you need to have your camera recording. And again, the collision detection keeps the footage around your accidents from being overwritten, eliminating any negatives that could arise from the overwriting.iRadarThe DASH 2308 and the DASH 2316D come with iRadar compatibility. iRadar is a unique addition that connects to your phone to embed GPS, speed, and G-sensor information into your video. This information allows you to back up your case during liability disputes further. It could be the difference that proves your innocence in traffic mishaps. What makes iRadar unique is that it also connects with the Cobra iRadar community to provide you with alerts about red light cameras, speed cameras, police locations, and hazardous areas. Something you don’t find in too many other dash cameras.Parking modeTo add to the massive list of features, the Cobra Dash Cam comes with a parking mode that uses a motion sensor to record any time motion is detected. The dash cam also has extreme temperature protection. Therefore, even if you live in extra hot or frigid climates, you can still be certain any your camera won't fail when you need it.Advanced Driver Alert SystemFinally, the Cobra Dash Cam suite comes with an Advanced Driver Alert System that notifies you when you’re unintentionally changing lanes or about to collide with something. It’s a useful feature to have the option of using. It's also able to be turned off if you’re someone who finds it’s more distracting than useful.As you can see, the Cobra Dash Cam series has just about every important feature you’d want out of a dash cam! Now that you know all of the fancy features included with the Cobra Dash Cam suite let’s talk about the nitty-gritty. What are the more in-depth specifications of the cameras?Specifications[amazon fields="B01D1VLNWS" value="thumb" image_size="large" image_align="center" image="2"]According to Amazon, the cameras' dimensions are 6.7 x 4.9 x 3.4 inches. The input is a Micro USB port, and the output is an HDMI port. The rearview cameras of the DASH 2216D and DASH 2316D have a resolution of 720p.You'll find an 8GB micro SD card in the solo cameras, the DASH 2308 and DASH 2208. They can be expanded up to 64GB. The DASH 2216D and DASH 2316D dual cam models come with 16GB micro SD cards and are also expandable to 64GB.The small storage sizes are okay if you’re going to be primarily using the looped recording option. If you’re looking to capture long, scenic car rides you’ll definitely want to upgrade to a 64GB card though. When getting a new card, the website recommends getting Class 10 SD cards.For the power supply, the Cobra Dash Cams run on a 5VDC, 1A adapter. This is included when you purchase the Cobra Dash Cam, as well as a low profile adhesive mount. The Cobra Dash Cams are configured to run right out of the box.The dash cam also comes with a two-inch LCD screen on the Cobra Dash Cam, providing a clear view of what your camera is recording as you drive.Moving onto pricing, surprisingly the suite is quite affordable for all of the features stuffed into it.[amazon link="B07HPBP3JP" title="Cobra Electronics CDR 840" /][amazon box="B07HPBP3JP"]specificationsDimensions6.7 x 4.9 x 3.4 in.Front Video Max Resolution1296pRear Video Max Resolution720pFront Lens Angle160 degreesRear Lens Angle130 degreesCard SizeUp to 64GBPower5VDC, 1AVideo FormatMOVPicture FormatJPEGLCD Screen Size2”PricingYou can choose your preferred model of the Cobra Dash Cam directly from Cobra’s website.The models without the iRadar run at around one forty dollars for the DASH 2208, and a little more of two hundred dollars for the dual view DASH 2216D.The models with iRadar are thirty dollars more than the ones without, with the DASH 2308 coming out to one hundred seventy dollars, and the dual view DASH 2316D running at two forty.If you’re looking to use your Cobra Dash Cam for accident liability protection, I would definitely recommend spending the extra thirty dollars to get the iRadar GPS feature.For all of the included features of the Cobra Dash Cam, the prices of the models are very competitive. Speaking of competition, let’s see how the Cobra Dash Cam squares up against the big players in the market.The CompetitionThe three closest competitors to the Cobra Dash Cam are Thinkware’s F800, the Street Guardian SG9665GC V3, and the Garmin Dash Cam 55.These brands are all in a similar price range, and all have very strong features and capabilities. At the end of the day, your preference will depend on which features you find most important.[amazon link="B074K9VXVT" title="Thinkware F800 Exclusive" /][amazon box="B074K9VXVT"]This dash cam is praised by BlackboxMyCar as having one of the best two-channel parking modes available due to its low power draw and low profile design. Its Super Night Vision 2.0 feature gives the cam remarkable clarity for night time footage. It does, however, lack an LCD screen, forcing you to configure it through a smartphone.Name:Thinkware Dash Cam F800Resolution:1080plens angle:140 degreescard size:Up to 64GBLCD:NOGPS:YESCollision detection:YESParking Mode:YESbuild quality:4/5Ease of use:3.5/5Night video quality:4.5/5 starsdimensions:3 x 4.2 x 2.4 inches[amazon link="B00U0OJMYG" title="Street Guardian SG9665GC"/][amazon box="B00U0OJMYG"]This dash cam is highly loved by the dash cam community, rocking a 4.4/5 star review on Amazon. With a low price point, it’s probably the best bang for the buck you can get. It lacks certain features such as a parking mode and driver assistance. It makes up for the lack of features though, through its excellent build quality, affordability, and customer support.name:Street Guardian SG9665GC V3resolution:1080plens angle:120 degreescard size:Up to 256GBLCD:YESGPS:YEScollision detection:YESParking mode:NObuild quality4.5/5ease of use:4/5night video quality:4/5 starsDimensions:4 x 4 x 4 inches[amazon link="B06XG27N5L" title="Garmin Dash Cam 5" /][amazon box="B06XG27N5L"]DashCamTalk rates this as the “best brand name camera.” It comes with a hefty load of features, including a “Travelapse” mode that creates a time lapse of your road trip. With voice control, 1440p resolution, and a competitive price on Amazon, this camera is a very close competitor to the Cobra Dash Cam. The only gripes reported are that it has average night time video quality, and sometimes the video quality lacks detail for its high resolution.name:Garmin Dash Cam 55Resolution:1440plens Angle:122 degreescard size:Up to 64GBLCDYESGPS:YESCollision Detection:YESParking mode:YESbuild quality:4/5Ease of use:3.5/5night video quality:4/5 starsdimensions:2.2 x 1.6 x 1.3 inchesPros and ConsThe Cobra Dash Cam comes at a very competitive price compared to the closest leading brands. The features that beat the Cobra Dash Cam’s is the Garmin Dash Cam 55’s voice control capabilities and the Thinkware Dash Cam F800’s tremendous night vision abilities. Besides that, the Cobra Dash Cam stacks up very well against its well-established competition.ProsAll must-have features1296p Super HDUltra-wide lensCompetitive priceCons“Fisheye” effectSmall stock storageList Element[amazon box= "B07HPBP3JP,B074K9VXVT,B00U0OJMYG,B06XG27N5L," template="table"]The VerdictThe Cobra Dash Cam stands up strong against the leading competitors in the dash cam space. It checks off just about every major feature you would be looking for in a dash cam. It then bundles all those features up at a price that compares well against the competition.There are certain individual features that other dash cams do better. However, if you’re looking for an affordable, dual channel jack of all trades, the Cobra Dash Cam will be your pick of the litter.