Review: Navman MiVUE850 dashcam

Navman has been quietly beavering away on dashcam technology for some time now, including a refinement of some anti-crash warning tech.

The latest range from Navman starts with the full HD 1080P recording technology of the MiVUE780 as well as the one we had a chance to take a look at, the MiVUE850 Dual Cam.

It features a rear-facing camera also logging HD 1080P video and a front-facing camera recording at an astronomical WQHD 1440P resolution.

That’s taking in 2560x1440 pixels of road image video constantly as you drive around. That is a lot of data to process and record, and the MiVUE850 seems to handle the load pretty well with satisfactory start-up times and responsiveness to set-up button selections.

The MiVUE850 Dual Camera package includes all the mounts, cables and cable control to hook up the extra-lightweight front-facing camera with its nicely proportioned and vibrant 7cm (2.7-inch) screen as well as the discreet rear camera. There is plenty enough cabling to neatly run from the front dash to the rear hatch of a large station wagon.

Set-up is straightforward, with a ‘horizon’ guide line showing on the screen, and the simple mount allows for easy, minute adjustments. Both cameras have a satisfactory width of view (140 degrees to be precise) through the high-quality glass lens.

The crash avoidance technology found increasingly in our modern vehicles is amazing with an array of sensors keeping an eye on what we and others do around us on the roads.

Cameras and other detection devices can check we are in the driving lanes, automatically steering us back if necessary, or applying brakes autonomously to avoid collisions. It is this connection between sensors and vehicle functions that gives integrated safety systems an advantage over aftermarket ones.

However, the MiVUE does provide an impressive array of additional safety features and alarms that can be fitted to any vehicle, to hopefully help you avoid needing the captured footage as evidence in court.

Safety camera alerts, lane departure warnings and front collision alerts are all part of the feature set, and for the most part they work pretty well.

It does come down very significantly to how well you align the camera to begin with, as the system can be a little apprehensive of approaching or parked cars if the lens is looking a little to the left or right.

However, if the set-up is perfect, then the alert system (which also has sensitivity configuration options) can be quite helpful.

The MiVUE will also provide a poke to the eardrums if the car in front moves away from the lights and you have not noticed. Similarly, the camera can be configured to remind you to take a driving break via a driver fatigue alert.

You will need to purchase a suitable microSDHC card for data storage (we suggest at least 16GB), however, the card will never fill up as the camera will continuously overwrite the storage.

If you need to offload the data, either for legal reasons or simply to show off your recent drive, the MiVUE provides the ability to email footage (via WiFi connectivity) or connect to the MiVUE App for Android 4.4 or iOS 9 and above smart devices.

It is a pretty nifty innovation, but be warned: these files are large and can take some time to transfer.

The MiVUE780 has an RRP of $249, while the MiVUE850 Dual Camera system tested here costs $449.