Overview of Karkam Q2 dashcam

    We live in the most beautiful country, and all other countries envy us. Because it was we who invented to go around the cork in reverse on the oncoming traffic, justifying our behavior with the emergency gang. All countries are building high-speed autobahns, but only here you can drive across the road and crop left from the far right lane. We proudly call our country “Russia,” and foreigners enviously say “Russia.” But still she is ours. Our raska.



    Perhaps my article will help you determine the choice of a device such as a DVR - a device that in our Rush should be in every vehicle.


    Understanding the need for such a device was ripe for a long time, but Boomburum's article about a pretty good model, Karkam Q4 Lite, played a decisive role. I advise you to familiarize yourself with the article if you suddenly missed it - if only because, in addition to a detailed review of the device, it contains many useful tips and discussions about many “common things”. I want to talk about the model of the DVR that he mentioned at the very beginning, Karkam Q2 is a berry from the same field as Q4 Lite. I must say right away that the review will be superficial, since 90% of the statements about Q4 Lite turned out to be true for my Q2, so there is no point in repeatedly taking your time.

    Why did I choose this particular device? For a number of reasons - the presence of a screen and built-in battery, small size and excellent technical specifications (they are written at the very end). And, of course, a lower price, 6500 rubles - this is not so little, but less than Q4. Well, to be honest, I just saw this device from a friend - I twisted it in my hands, pushed the buttons and realized - this is what I need.

    Options: the DVR itself, glass mount (through a special adapter), car charger, AV cable for the TV and instructions. There were no memory cards in the kit; I had to buy it separately. Here, the bigger and faster (higher class), the better - I took 32 GB. However, do not forget to look at the maximum supported volume in the instructions - especially if you will order a twin brother from abroad.



    A trifle, but nice - a dense fabric cover that protects the recorder around the perimeter. It can be worn on the belt, so the question “where to clean when leaving the car” was partially helped by the manufacturer himself.



    The DVR is almost the same size as the average mobile phone such as Sony Ericsson, maybe a little thicker. The case is made of matte plastic, which does not leave prints. The back side looks like this:



    I did not immediately notice that the cover (under the lens) is removed - under it there is a removable battery, exactly the same as in many nokia. Keep this in mind if you need spy autonomous shooting (in all other cases, external power from the cigarette lighter will be used).

    Wide-angle lens, microphone hole and IR LED (also useful in spy games):



    The case consists of two parts - the upper block (with the lens) can be rejected by about 30 degrees (example below). This allows you to more flexibly adjust the field of view of the device in the car.

    On the front side is a color LCD screen (2 '', not touch), a speaker, a record button and a multi-function 5-way joystick.



    And an IR filter switch. Thanks to the joint work of the IR filter, IR illumination and the day / night mode (the result of which is a multiple increase in sensitivity at a low level of illumination), Karkam Q2 copes with shooting traffic conditions not only during the day, but also at night!



    In the lower part there is a lockable slot for an SD card, a threaded hole for mounting on a tripod, as well as an "eye" for the cord (it is included):


    On the side are buttons - to turn on the device, to switch modes, to play recorded files and to enter the settings menu.



    On the opposite side there is a rubber plug under which, as can be seen from the signature, are the HDMI, miniUSB and AV connectors.



    It is noteworthy that the plug popped up and was lost at the first use - it seems that the Tajiks at the sink counted it like garbage. Without it, it became more convenient to connect the power, but it is bad that the connectors were left unprotected:


    Have you noticed that the device has no holes for mounting on the mount? Yes, Karkam Q2 is “worn” through a special adapter from the kit, unlike Q4. It is doing well, but for the first time there were some difficulties with dismantling the registrar - a couple of times it fell in the cabin when I tried to remove it (for compassionate people - not a single registrar was injured while writing the review!). This is how the complete assembly looks: There



    are a lot of devices with the same appearance - just yesterday, when I went to ION, I found another one, “not like everyone else”. But even visually there was a much lower quality of the case, so the conclusion is simple - the Chinese simply decided not to splurge on different molds once again, and this approach was quite suitable for the “manufacturers”.



    It cannot be ruled out that inside these devices have the same filling, but the uniqueness of Karkama lies precisely in the software from our craftsmen, which, in my opinion, gives it a number of undoubted advantages (a list of functions whose performance I checked):

    - Ability to overlap to the image of information like the registration number of the car (in the Russian format - in court, this moment will greatly increase the chance of recording becoming evidence).
    - Recording function by motion detector (it can come in handy if you need a recording when you leave the car alone)
    - The backup function "for the protocol" (in the internal memory of the device). He himself wasn’t in an accident, but he read on the forums that the inspector can pick up (in your interests to bring it to the case as soon as possible in order to exclude suspicions of falsification of the record in the examination) the memory card for the protocol - he doesn’t know what will happen to it later no one!
    - Digital zoom function when watching a recording on the small monitor of the DVR. It will come in handy when viewing small parts, for example, a car number.
    - The function of automatically turning on and off the recording after applying power.
    - Flip the screen image and reassign the joystick when installing the recorder with the camera down.
    - Correctly save the video file when the battery is low.
    - Display (in preview) the date / time the file was created and its size.
    - Built-in editor - it allows you to very quickly trim the desired part of the file.
    - Copy function in the editor - to copy the desired fragment from the source file. With the ability to set protection against deletion - after all, recording to a memory card is "in a circle"!

    There is a dilemma - to order cheap Chinese from abroad or buy here, but with support and the necessary regional features. Having read a lot of reviews on the network, I decided to take “ours” - at least I would be someone to contact, if that (including on the forums). If you decide to go my way, I will give one piece of advice - when buying Q2, pay attention to the registrar being revision 6.1. In the last paragraph of the second page of the menu should be written "v3.7 T2L-GH ”- if there is no such inscription, then this is not Karkam.

    Unfortunately, I did not have to use the device that Boomburum wrote about (it has Q4 Lite). But comparing the highest possible quality of video recordings, I conclude that it is almost the same (however, like the price of video recorders). So if we talk about the choice between these two devices, the choice will be reduced to the choice of the type of case. But Q2 has a couple more advantages (again, judging by the review) - more compact dimensions, the camera can change its angle, the IR filter switch is on the convenient side, instead of a rare connector miniUSB (and HDMI instead of miniHDMI) is used, a removable battery, as well as a case and strap included. But the Q4 has convenient buttons (in front, not on the side) and a more reliable body (sort of shockproof) - for some, these parameters may be more important than anything else.

    Unfortunately, there is only one example of video recording at hand (you can compare with the quality of Q4). Remember to switch to HD viewing mode!



    As you can see, the picture quality is very good - “real” 30 frames per second, with sound (even if it is not very high-quality - especially if music is playing in the car) and in resolution up to 1920x1080! This is enough to capture even the most dynamic road scene in detail.

    At night, things are a little worse - the infrared filter is not as good as we would like (it “sees” not so far, but dies in the opposite light). But if, for example, bi-xenon headlights are installed, then you can record video without IR illumination - you can simply switch the recording to B / W so that there is less noise.

    Very pleased with the quality of the recording. You can take photos, but, obviously, such photos are not for a family photo album.

    Karkam Q2. Specifications.

    VideoCameraBuilt-in 5 megapixel, 120 degree lens, 1/2 "sensor, mechanical IR-filter
    Resolution1920x1080 @ 30 frames per second
    1440x1080 @ 30 frames per second
    1280x720 @ 30 frames per second
    848x480 @ 60 frames per second
    Day / night modeAutomatically switches to night mode in low light
    Loop recordingLoop recording in blocks of 1/3/5/10/15/30/45 min. Automatic sequential rewriting of old blocks when the memory card is full.
    Start recordingAutomatically turn on and start recording when power is applied (connecting the power adapter)
    Stop recordingAutomatic shutdown with a menu-adjustable delay when external power is turned off
    Record rotationRotate the recorded video 180 degrees
    Codec / formatH.264, * .MOV
    AudioSpeakerBuilt in
    MicrophoneBuilt in. One-touch mute function during recording.
    A photoQuality5 megapixels, resolution 2592x1944
    8 megapixels (interpolation), resolution 3200x2400
    Photos are convex because of the 120 degree lens.
    Format* .JPG
    ViewScreen2 "LCD, viewing recordings in place, automatically turning off the screen
    Video output- AV (NTSC format)
    - HDMI: 720p / 1080i
    Auto-switch to external screen when connecting a cable
    Duplex modeDisplay on the external monitor of the recorded video
    ViewFull screen / preview 6 clips at once
    PlayStart / Pause fast forward x2, x4, x8 forward and reverse, slow motion 0.2x, 0.4x, 0.8x forward and reverse
    MemoryMemory cardSupport for SDHC memory cards up to 32 GB (requires class 4 and above)
    Overwrite ProtectionAbility to protect from overwriting the previous, current and subsequent recording block by pressing the button
    Backup- Built-in memory 228 MB, containing fragments up to 3 minutes. 48 sec Records in maximum quality.
    - The function of cutting the necessary fragment of the record from the block of any duration.
    - Backup function - copy the resulting fragment from the memory card to the built-in memory and back to a new memory card, i.e. the ability to make a copy of the controversial moment for the protocol.
    NutritionBatteryRemovable Nokia BL-5C compatible - up to 1.5 hours of battery life
    Power inputMini-USB 5V 1A, adapter included in the cigarette lighter
    Other
    Menu languageRussian English
    Dimensions 100x50x20 ~ 30 mm, 90g.
    Temperature mode0 ~ 50 C
    Price on the official website : 6500 rubles

    Pros, Cons, Pitfalls


    ✔ A case complete with a possibility of fastening on a belt
    ✔ Compact case with a movable camera - you can spy outside the car
    ✔ The screen and built-in battery are very convenient and autonomous
    ✔ IR-illumination on the road only worsens the image, but sometimes it can come in handy
    ✔ Replaceable battery (compatible with batteries from Nokia)
    ✔ The presence of miniUSB and HDMI connectors
    ✔ Excellent video quality (1920x1080 @ 30!)
    ✘ I was not impressed with the sound recording quality - I expected more for that price
    ✘ The price of similar devices on eBay is significantly lower

    A DVR is an indispensable thing and, as practice has shown, is a great gift for any person who at least sometimes takes the wheel [not for the game, of course - you can get by with the Fraps = program]. But such a device can simply be useful in the household - there is nothing stopping it from being used as a small camera or video camera with IR illumination - in normal cameras there is almost no night-time shooting function. The device copes with its assigned tasks perfectly, you don’t have to wait for something else, although anti-radar or GPS functions would really not be superfluous.

    Do you use a DVR and, if so, which one? It will be great if each owner writes in the comments at least a couple of lines about his experience in using such devices - it is interesting to look at the big picture of this segment. If you have something to say, I suggest this comment format: model name + small picture + price + key characteristics + pluses / minuses + overall impression. An example image (photo-video) can be inserted with a link.

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