Dash cams are slowly becoming the go-to accessory for drivers, regardless of the choice of vehicle. They can provide vital proof when protecting drivers from potential scam artists and fraudulent insurance claims.
Their usefulness doesn’t stop there though. Some dash cams have caught ‘bad’ drivers and one even recorded a meteorite lighting up the sky in Russia, a few years back.
ProofCam, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers and distributors of dash cams asked Motor-Vision to put two of their most sought-after devices to the test. So, we did…
PC 105
This forward-facing, entry level, dash cam suitable for first time buyers.
Features
The 105 is suitable for any vehicle and records in HD quality day and night providing you with both security and reassurance to its user. It also comes equipped with a built-in microphone for that extra level of security. The microphone can be disabled at any time by configuring the settings.
The cam comes with a 4GB Micro SD card, allowing up to 6 minutes of footage per 1GB of space used. So, on the supplied card you have a total of 24 minutes’ worth of footage.
However, once full the SD card is full it has a “loop recording feature” which deletes the oldest recording and continue without the need to erase or download any data.
Should an incident occur recovering the footage is very straight forward as you can view the footage in many ways such as; using the LCD screen on the back of the camera or by transferring the video files to your computer/laptop using a mini USB cable or SD card converter.
The dash cam is suitable for any vehicle as it comes with an attachable suction mount which can be easily fitted to your windscreen leaving no permanent marks when removed. The dash cam is powered by a lead which plugs straight into your cars 12v socket. However, can survive up to 25 mins using its internal battery which is charged by the same lead.
What we liked about the PC105:
-Good for value as only £69.99
-Easy to set-up.
-HD Quality – Ensures that all the aspects of your journey are recorded and available in HD.
-Easy to use interactive LCD screen – This allows you to view footage and customise your settings without the need of a computer or laptop.
-Starts recording video in HD as soon as you turn on the ignition.
-Loop recording feature – This deletes the oldest footage and continues recording without the need to erase or download any data, making sure that you are continuous recording your journey.
-Suitable for any vehicle – Comes with an attachable suction mount which can be easily fitted to your windscreen leaving no permanent marks when removed.
-Comes with a free 4GB SD Card
Features that we feel need more attention:
-Large Mount – This can obstruct your view depending where you position the camera. Other ProofCam products are more low profile.
-Date stamp time and date is not pre-configured. This means you must configure it in the settings before setting off for the first time. This is easy to do however can be time consuming.
-The appearance of the camera is a bit of an eyesore, whereas the 106 below has a more sleek and compact design.
Tech Specs
-Camera MP: 1MP
-LCD screen size: 2.0”
-Resolution 1080FHD
-Battery: 25 Minutes
-Memory card: 4GB GB
-TF Card Support: Class 4
-Field of view (FOV): 120°
PC 106
Second one is the next version up, the PC 106. This again is a forward-facing, entry level dash cam suitable for first time buyers.
Features
Again, suitable for any vehicle, the 106 is easy to set-up and records in full HD, providing you yet again with protection and assurance against scammers and fraudulent insurance claims. It also comes equipped with a built-in microphone for that extra level of security. The microphone can be disabled at any time by configuring the settings
The 106 comes with a larger 8GB Micro SD card, again allowing up to 6 minutes of footage per 1GB of space used. So, on the larger 8GB card you can have a total of 48 minutes’ worth of footage.. But the 106 does support SD cards up to 32GB so you can buy and use your own larger cards if you want to store more footage.
That said, the 106 also has the “loop recording feature” which deletes the oldest recording and continues recording without the need to erase or download any data when the SD card has become full.
Should an incident occur recovering the footage is very straight forward as you can view the footage in many ways, such as; using the LCD screen on the back of the camera or by transferring the video files to your computer/laptop using a mini USB cable or SD card converter.
The dash cam is suitable for any vehicle as it comes with an attachable suction mount which can be easily fitted to your windscreen leaving no permanent marks when removed. The dash cam is powered by a lead which plugs straight into your cars 12v socket.
What we liked about the PC106:
-Good for value as only £69.99
-Same as the 105, the 106 is easy to set-up.
-HD Quality – Ensures that all the aspects of your journey are recorded and available in full HD.
-Easy to use interactive LCD screen – This allows you to view footage and customise your settings without the need of a computer or laptop.
-Starts recording video in HD as soon as you turn on the ignition.
-Loop recording feature – This deletes the oldest footage and continues recording without the need to erase or download any data, making sure that you are continuous recording your journey.
-Suitable for any vehicle – Comes with an attachable suction mount which can be easily fitted to your windscreen leaving no permanent marks when removed.
-Comes with a free 8GB SD Card
-Designed and tested by experts to give you added peace of mind on the road.
Features that we feel need more attention:
-Date stamp time and date is not pre-configured. This means you must configure it in the settings before setting off for the first time. This is easy to do however can be time consuming.
-Large Mount – Can obstruct the users view depending where you position the camera. ProofCam have other products which have more low-profile mounts.
Tech Specs:
-Camera MP: 2MP
-LCD screen size: 3.0”
-Resolution 1080FHD
-Battery: Built in
-Memory card: 8GB
-TF Card Support: 32GB
-Field of view (FOV): 120°
105 and 106: Our Conclusion
After putting both dash cams to the test, we have identified the pros and cons to see if they are worth your money or are they just a fad within the industry?
They are both easy to set-up and configure with the help of their high-quality LCD screens. That said, the 106 does offer a slightly more user-friendly design as the buttons are in a more suitable location and has a slightly larger screen which makes it easier to view your footage and manage your settings.
To us, the buttons on the 105 are placed in almost random positions and due to the screen being slightly smaller, it makes it a little harder to view your footage and manage the settings.
They are both easy to install. Having a windscreen suction mount and a power cable which plugs straight into the 12v power socket, scores highly with us. Installing either these would be easy whether you are 18 or 88 years old!
Both the 105 and 106 are valued at the same price of £69.99, which in comparison to market competition is slightly on the dearer side. However, you do get what you pay for with the dashcams and we think it would be £69.99 well spent.
The price indifference did raise a question: why does one offer more than the other?
In fact, the 106 model features a smarter, sleeker design, an 8GB memory, plus it has a low-profile mount. All aspects which make us lean towards the model more favourably than the 105.
One thing that is for sure, is that it feels like dash-cams aren’t disappearing any time soon. We predict the requirement for these types of in-car technology will only increase and Motor-Vision will be here to tell you all about them!
Want to find out more about ProofCam and their products? Then feel free to visit their website here.
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This is just great could save you a lot of money in a accident