Skilled’s Ranking
Professionals
- Tremendous giant contact show
- First-class navigation
- On-line storage of captures
- Telephone connectivity
Cons
- Wonky video stabilization
- Doesn’t hook up with ID-less Wi-Fi networks
Our Verdict
Garmin’s DriveCam 76 caught our fancy just because the massive touchscreen makes it really easy to see and use. It affords top-tier navigation, however the sprint cam part suffered extreme stabilization points in our seize checks.
Finest Costs In the present day: Garmin Drivecam 76
With most individuals utilizing their cellphone or present automotive tech for navigation, a devoted third-party GPS nav unit just like the $450 Garmin DriveCam 76 may appear a bit quaint. Properly, it could be passé, however in case you have a automotive with out navigation inbuilt, a third-party unit beats that heck out of utilizing your cellphone.
The big, way more readable (and due to this fact safer) show, and albeit, higher journey instructions merely make for a superior expertise. And the Garmin DriveCam 76 will really assist with the cellphone calls.
Navigation and cellphone calls aren’t actually our factor, so we’re reviewing the DriveCam 76 because the sprint cam it doubles as. Sadly, this facet proved lower than passable resulting from video stabilization issues. A disgrace as we in any other case liked the unit, proper all the way down to the colour and element of the captures.
This evaluation is a part of our ongoing roundup of the most effective sprint cams. Go there for extra evaluations and shopping for recommendation.
Design and options
It’s essential too know that the DriveCam 76 is definitely listed on the corporate’s website as a part of the DriveSmart collection. Just one model of the 7-inch DriveSmart features a sprint cam and carries the DriveCam appellation. With out the sprint cam, it’s $150 much less. The 5-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch fashions are navigation-only.
The 7-inch product designation refers to each the scale of the unit (it measures 6.97-inches vast by 4.17-inches excessive by 1.38-inches deep), and the scale of the show which is 6.95-inches diagonally, or what’s recognized within the biz as 7-inch class. Sure, distributors at all times spherical up.
Mentioned contact show is 1024×600 pixels, so it’s hardly Retina; nonetheless, it didn’t strike me as overly pixelated in my testing and it’s a top quality panel with good off-angle viewing. I additionally discovered it very responsive to the touch, which isn’t at all times a given with a musician’s (me) or workman’s calloused fingers.
The digicam is a 30 frames-per-second, 1080p sort (the most effective stability between high quality and storage necessities, in our opinion) with a 140-degree area of view. One factor I actually like concerning the Garmin DriveCam 76 is its giant battery (no mAh was supplied). It permits the unit to seize video for as much as a half-hour when off with out exterior energy. Sure, all of us have our telephones today, however you by no means know.
Our DriveCam 76 arrived with a 16GB SD card put in. There are two card slots on the again of the unit, however solely the one on the precise as you’re dealing with it’s for the digicam. The opposite is for further map knowledge, augmenting the 16GB of inside reminiscence already allotted for the maps, and many others. Additionally on the again are the ability button and Sort-C charging port.
It’s essential to join with a Garmin account to make use of the Garmin Drive app. Not my favourite requirement. Nevertheless, if you do, you’ll be able to offload and save your movies to the Garmin vault for safekeeping. This may very well be key in case of a contentious incidence in your travels. You even have entry to numerous settings, which embrace bad-driver aids resembling lane departure and imminent collision warnings.
The DriveCam 76 also can leverage one of many firm’s backup cameras such because the $200 BC 50 included with our check unit. Dear, however it may be helpful for parking when you want it, in addition to checking your six o’clock in pedestrian-laden areas.
I’m not going to enter the DriveCam 76’s navigation and different journey options, as that’s not inside our purview. Nevertheless, I’ll inform you that they’re myriad and cutting-edge. Equal to or higher than what you get from the auto producer’s (a few of that are Garmin-based) navigation models. Garmin’s been doing this a very long time.
Efficiency
The DriveCam’s video caught me a bit off guard. It’s colourful, and decently detailed each day and night time, nonetheless there was an enormous downside: the wobblies (sure, a extremely technical time period). Garmin has had points with movement stabilization prior to now, however that was a number of years and iterations in the past.
To see them once more, and really worse within the DriveCam 76, was a bit distressing. Particularly as I had completely loved the massive show, navigation options, and the unit’s basic ease of use.
As to that wobbling, it’s a gradual side-to-side undulation of parts of the video that’s quite like shear with out the precise shearing—as when you’re wanting by way of slowly jiggling Jello. I’m not doing the phenomenon justice and also you’re clearly not going to see it in stills. The artifact was omnipresent, however most obvious when the automobile was transferring slowly or stopped.
Within the firm’s protection, my automotive doesn’t idle significantly easily and has a stiffer-than-normal suspension. This had the digicam vibrating noticeably on its giant suction mount in a approach I’ve by no means seen earlier than—even with the stiffest of mounts.
Typically issues merely work together or resonate the unsuitable approach. Lookup the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. I knowledgeable Garmin instantly concerning the video subject, and put in the newest firmware through Wi-Fi, however there was no enchancment.
All that apart, in case your automotive doesn’t vibrate the digicam in the identical trend, you won’t ever undergo or discover the artifact. Regardless, all different cameras I’ve examined within the final couple of years simply compensate for movement and vibration to supply easy, steady video.
Moreover, the collision alert was approach too late. I’d tucked in tightly (a tad too tightly, if I’m being trustworthy) behind one other automobile to exit the freeway, and the alarm solely sounded when the automobile in entrance peeled off to the left into the following lane. I instantly turned off the driving force’s aids.
In my guide driver’s aids, well timed or not, Garmin or not, stand simply nearly as good an opportunity of distracting you on the unsuitable second as they do of alerting you in a well timed trend. Drive higher and don’t rely upon aids.
Observe additionally that the DriveCam 76 didn’t need to hook up with my hidden Wi-Fi community, solely ones with marketed IDs.
Aids and Wi-Fi IDs apart, it’s the stabilization that kills the DriveCam 76’s utility as a touch cam.
Backside line
The DriveCam 76 is a good idea that goes all the way in which again to 2017’s DriveAssist 50MLT, however as of now, I can’t advocate it. Should you’re searching for a top-notch (4.5 star) navigation unit, then the $300 DriveSmart 76, which is identical unit sans sprint cam, is nice. Use the additional $150 to purchase a greater sprint cam resembling Garmin’s personal 47 or 57. I exploit the latter usually.
Observe that if and when Garmin fixes the video, we’ll revisit the evaluation and replace the rating accordingly. With acceptable stabilization, that is likely to be as excessive as 4.5 stars.