Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 review - phillipsmaideared

At a Glimpse

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Smallest (out and away) dash cam on the securities industry
• Great Day and nighttime captures
• Voice control
• App with cloud storage

Cons

• Nary GPS
• Lacks Garmin's clever magnetic mounting system

Our Verdict

If your theme of a frighten away cam is easy-to-use and out of sight fit out of the manner, there's no better product stunned there than Garmin's midget Dash Cam Mini 2. The captures aren't quite an as soundly as those of its larger siblings, but they're still very good. Voice control and cloud storage are plusses, but there's no GPS.

If you ilk your dash cams small and unobtrusive, easy to habituate, with good-bye and night captures, then Garmin's small, $130 Dah River Cam Mini 2 is what you need. Information technology's so small, it was entirely hidden behind my Maxwell-5 Miata's little rearview mirror. That's diminutive.

This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best dash cams. Go on that point for information on competing products and how we tested them.

Pattern and features

When we say small, we mean the Dash Cam Mini 2 measures a specified 1.23 inches wide by 2.1 inches tall by 1.5 inches deep, including the electron lens personify, and it weighs in at more or less an ounce. Garmin calls it railcar-key-sized, but it's walnut-sized in my book. Seriously, without mini-USB cablegram attached, it's comfy to lose track of this tiny bit of tech in your packsack. I did—twice. Then I started leaving the cable's length affianced.

Aforementioned USB cable marries to the right side of the camera, piece the left is home to the micro Coyote State card slot and the audio mute button. Pressing the latter bequeath also arrange a blank memory card (8GB Beaver State greater). Another button on the plunk for saves a snapshot and telecasting, and when longsighted-pressed, pairs the Miniskirt 2 to your phone for access by the Garmin Aim app.

The camera is capable of 1080p at 30 frames per second. It sports a all-embracing 140-grade field of view. The only affair IT doesn't fit into its tiny frame is Global Positioning System, which is disappointing though understandable given the size.

Garmin

Garmin's Flash back Cam Mini 2 with its little-B USB port. The included cable orients upward when plugged in.

The Dash Cam Miniskirt 2 opts for a supercapacitor, verisimilar because there isn't enough board for the lithium-ion battery plant in Garmin's larger dash cams. However, the supercapacitor is hefty enough to keep the Mini 2 running game for a good two to three seconds after you pull the plug. So, piece testing (and before recital the specs) I was under the impression that there was a shelling.

Voice control allows you to bring through a video, film a picture, and sprain audio recording off and on. Different noted features include episodic cloud store (up to 30 years) through Garmin's Vault vena portae, Live Sight with the aforementioned Parkway app, and Parking Guard. The last mentioned two features require a constant power source. I recommend an OBD-II cable.

Garmin

Garmin's Scoot Cam Mini 2 from the front, exhibit its wide 140-degree-FOV Lens.

Installing any dash cam involves largely the same steps, though with contrary mounts and positioning. I was a little disappointed that the Mini 2 doesn't use the same magnetic disk and mount that Garmin's other frighten away cams employ. Instead, it uses a semi-permanent adhesive disk of the same sized. I really stuck it to the mounting magnetic disc from the new reviewed Dash Cam 57.

You can pop the Miniskirt 2 off of the climbing arm at the ball-joint coupling (on the camera), but it doesn't voice ways as well as the magnetic mutually exclusive and is likely to break from stress sooner. Because the Mini 2 is so small and hard to spot, you may be able to leave it in the car with less risk of exposure of theft.

Performance

After reviewing Garmin's Dash Cam 57, I mustiness admit that I grew old to the 1440p captures. The Dash Cam Miniskirt 2 is finite to 1080p, so there is a drop in detail. The video is tranquil very good, and perfectly usable legally, but if you'Ra sounding for top-notch, get the Elan Cam 57.

As you can see below, the 140-degree lense captures a quite thumping swath of road, but information technology besides catches a allot of windshield glare on a cheery day. Color is top-notch and right. Details are nicely processed and promptly visible.

IDG

The wide weight captures volition show action well to the side of your vehicle's intrude, but besides picks up quite a bit of widnsheild glare and distortion.

Nox captures are quite good—actually a trifle better than what you'll regard below. It was impossible to keep moisture disconnected of my windscreen the night I took the captures. That's what happens with the devil dog layer hither in San Francisco.

IDG

This was basically taken inside a mottle at Nox in San Francisco, so approximately of what you see is distortion from water droplets. Regardless, in that location's easily enough detail for legal purposes.

The areas close the vehicle to the sides show as much detail as the opinion forward in the night capture above. Headlight flare was tokenish.

Conclusion

The Garmin Dart Cam Mini 2 takes good video both Day and night, and is by far the smallest, most unobtrusive dash cam available. There's no GPS, but the set-it-and-forget-IT's-there Mini 2 is still one of my favorites. A great dash cam at an low-cost price point.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/394760/garmin-dash-cam-mini-2-review.html

Posted by: phillipsmaideared.blogspot.com

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