Dash Camera-Garmin-Garmin Dash Cam 57- 1440p and 140-degree FOV

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1. Ocean Blue Verified Buyer – 16 June 2024

   The Garmin 57 is great little cam. I love the size – it’s actually smaller than the EZ Pass (brand name for the transponder for toll roads on most of the East Coast) mounted to my front windshield. The picture isn’t bad – it’s clear enough to read overhead road signs when fairly close to them & license plates (from about half a car length). The night vision is “ok” – it get’s the job done. Road signs (being very reflective) are quite visible at night, but I’m not really reading license plates at night (I believe my headlights are washing them out.) There is a setting for “exposure” which I keep at the default setting – perhaps I could improve the visibility of license plates at night by adjusting the exposure. But for the “bigger picture” (who pulled out in front of who, who sideswiped who, or who ran the redlight), they’re very effective.

   I am using a 256 GB micro SanDisc Extreme. I get tons of hours of driving time – not sure exactly how many hours – Garmin says 256GB will store approximately 18 hours (see Garmin’s chart in my attached pics). That’s a lot of driving time. I am using the parking mode & powering the camera through my vehicles OBDC port using an adapter (acquired from Dashcamera.us.com), that allows me to select 5 minutes of parking time or until my vehicle battery reaches 11.6V.

   The setup for the camera has quite a variety of options that allow you to tailor the operation of the Garmin 57 to meet your needs. If there’s something you want the camera to do, look carefully through the set-up options – it’s probably there. I am using the driving alerts which I kind of like. They include lane departure, following to closely, telling you when the traffic in front of you is moving at a stop light, etc. They’re not bad since I’m driving a Jeep Wrangler which notoriously have very little to no similar technology.

   The Garmin App (in my humble opinion) is absolutely worthless – I don’t think it’s possible for ANYTHING to work SLOWER than the Garmin App. I tried using it on Day 1, gave up & never looked at it again. Anytime I want to view a file I do it on my PC. I just pop out the Micro SD, put it in the adapter that comes with the Micro SD & pop it into my PC. The .MP4 files are located in the DCIM Folder & if you specifically asked the Garmin 57 to “Save” the file, you will find them in the “Saved” folder or otherwise in the “Unsaved” folder which will be overwritten when the Micro SD is full. I usually just go to the ”Unsaved” folder & view everything from there using Windows File Explorer. If there’s anything I really want to keep I simply copy it to my PC. The .GLV files are basically worthless to me at that point – they are just a very low resolution videos – I think intended to work faster with the Garmin APP – so I just delete then by doing a sort, selecting them as a group & hitting “delete”. It frees up a tiny bit of space on the Micro SD, but also gets rid of HUNDREDS of files that you don’t need. When you select a group of .MP4 files, go to the top one, right click & hit “Open”, your selected viewer will automatically play one after another in a “continuous” fashion. So you could highlight a whole group from a recent trip & watch the trip without touching your keyboard.

   So, in my “title” to this review I pose the question, is this device overpriced. I definitely think it is. I purchased the Garmin 57 over the more expensive models (67W) which provide a 180 degree view, not because it is less expensive, but because the 180 degree view was too distorted for me. I watched a super video on YT where the reviewer was showing the videos from each of the cams side-by-side, & very quickly took the 67W out of my shopping cart & replaced it with the 57 model. But here’s the reason I think these cams are overpriced. My home surveillance cameras (Wyze V1 – $25 & Wyze V2 – $35) (I have seven of them) have a MUCH better image than the Garmin 57. They have much better detection capabilities, and VERY FAST continuous playback through the app. These are $25 & $35 cameras & I think for the main purpose of a video camera (recording video), these cameras blow away the Garmin 57. Now you could say that I’m comparing apples & oranges but there are actually people who use the Wyze cams in their vehicles & when it comes to video recording – they get awesome results for a tiny fraction of the price. If they can produce a surveillance camera for such a low price that provides a better picture, these Garmin devices are way overpriced !!!
   

2. Customer Review Verified Buyer – 19 June 2024

   I have owned several dashcams over the years. Some more expensive than this, others less so. In the end, I frequently find myself recommending Garmin simply because they are devices that work well and that you can depend on when the time comes where you really need that video footage.

   Everything on this works well, and I can not overemphasize the importance of that. Other units may look cooler, may have more features, or may claim better resolution. That is great, but many of those are riddled with glitches and may fail you when needed.

   This unit offers everything most users will ever need. High quality images, fast and accurate GPS, wifi and Bluetooth connectivity that actually works, an app that actually works, and more.

   The form factor is very compact and it has a great mounting system. While I like the look of some wedge units, I find it much easier to actually use the screens and buttons on the Garmin. Likewise, the menus and UI make sense and are simple to navigate.

   There are also some well thought out touches such as providing two cables which point in different directions to accommodate wher you have mounted the unit. I wired it to my overhead panel using a 12v to USB converter. There is a separate hard wire kit available.

   The Garmin has a battery which will last for about 30 mins without power. One nice thing this enables is short term parking monitoring without being hardwired to constant power. I do not park outside overnight so this works great for trip to grocery store, etc. No worries about draining your vehicles battery.

   I do not use the Lane Assist or collision warning as my vehicle already has this feature. I have used it with other vehicles and it mostly works well with a bit of excessive nagging.

   One nice thing with the Garmins is that you can run multiple cameras and it will keep them in synch. No need to hardwire them all together. This makes it easier to install a multi camera setup. I will be putting a mini at the rear hatch.

   The video is excellent during the day, still very good at night. You can mostly read license plates. I am attaching some video but note that posted videos have lower resolution. When you view the full res videos they are very impressive.

   Again, everything simply works well which is the most important factor when selecting a web cam. It is backed up by a proven and reputable manufacturers. Others may claim better PQ or offer space alien detection mode. Decide what is most important to you and go from there.
   

3. JOSE MONARREZ Bañuelos Verified Buyer – 26 June 2024

   Súper práctica y comoda
   

4. C. E. English Verified Buyer – 10 August 2024

   Have 2 of these now, on in wife’s car & one in my SUV. Easy to follow instructions & works decently, & I can remove the sd card to view or save video on my desktop. One reason for going with Garmin was the longevity of an old Garmin GPS I bought maybe 20 years ago, still works, just don’t need like I did back then.
   

5. Birch Verified Buyer – 15 October 2024

   Could not properly fasten it to the windshield as those parts were not in the box. Keeping it on the windshield with some velcro strips, so it wobbles around a lot. Wish the seller would have stepped up and provided the missing parts. Otherwise, it works OK.