Above the dash cam 57 is the micro sd card slot (a 16gb card is included pre-installed), plus a vent to release heat. this version of the camera seems to run significantly cooler than the original models, which should help with longevity. the micro-usb power connector is on the left side and the magnetically attached mount is on the bottom.
garmin magnetic mounting system. the small base attaches to the windshield and the arm magnetically attached (shown undocked) to the camera.
Reading: Car video camera recorder reviews
Equally tiny, as well as super-smart, is the dash cam 57 mount. A small metal plate (about the size of a nickel) is attached to your windshield with semi-permanent tape. The ball joint where the magnetic coupling arm meets the camera fully articulates and compensates for any plate misalignment during installation. the edge of the plate is octagonal, so there is no rotational slippage in the coupling system.
Take it from someone who knows a lot about installing dash cams – these details make all the difference. the only thing you have to worry about is where you want to put the camera. Garmin provides a second tag for another vehicle (or if you mess up the first one).
The dash cam 57 has a 1440p camera with a 140 degree field of view (FOV). (there is an otherwise identical 180 degree 67w fov if you need super wide coverage). A built-in lithium-ion battery can run the camera continuously for 20 minutes, or in parking mode (waking up to capture video when the g-sensor is disturbed), for much longer.
garmin’s new vault service will temporarily store your videos for others to temporarily save and access (using your account).
See also: Tall Guy Car Reviews Net Worth: Bio, Girlfriend (Updated March 2023) – iWealthyfox
The dash cam 57 offers built-in GPS as well as a host of bad driver assists like lane change, head-on collision, red light camera, all the others are gone so hit the gas and the speed camera warnings. you can also control the unit through voice commands.
garmin provides its management app (android 6 or later) as an alternative to manage settings. it also offers a real-time live view and is used to upload captures to garmin’s new vault file service via the garmin disk app. screenshots are only kept for one day unless you upgrade your service to keep files for up to 30 days. it is not permanent storage, but a temporary safe haven.
The garmin drive app can be used to adjust settings, check live view, and upload videos to temporary online storage in the company vault.
all garmin dash cams come with nearly every accessory known in the industry and are warranted for a full year by a well-known, trusted company. that’s worth much of the premium price right there. Many Amazon specials have only a 90-day warranty.
performance
if you go back a couple of iterations, you might remember that video stabilization was a problem with garmin’s little dash cams. that’s long gone, as well as any other complaints I’ve had. The dash cam 57 video is impressive, as good as any I’ve seen, day or night. Video is steady on rough roads, there’s minimal headlight flare and fisheye, color is rich and accurate, and detail is outstanding. I’ll let the screenshots tell the rest of the story.
note the excellent level of detail in the 1440p captures. the color is also almost perfect.
as you can see above, the dash cam 57’s daytime shots are top notch. the level of detail at 1440p is excellent.
See also: The 5 Best Jump Starters of 2023 | Tested by GearLab
The garmin dash cam 57 takes impressive shots at night, with plenty of detail apparent in the surrounding areas if you want to use the camera for surveillance.
night shots are just as impressive. It’s not as clear as the picture above shows.
Most of the vertical glare you’ll see in this shot is coming from my windshield, not the 57 dash cam. Even so, you can see that the headlights don’t blow out the rest of the image.
I’ve included a second night shot to show that even with my headlights pointed at my vehicle, the surrounding areas still show good detail. almost all of the vertical glare is coming from my windshield, not the camera. sorry about that.
You won’t have any video quality concerns with the dash cam 57. I’d also like to point out that the battery lasted as advertised, and the built-in GPS boots up very quickly. I have reviewed cameras where the gps information takes several minutes to appear.
best in class
If you need interior shots, check out Garmin’s tandem dash cams. otherwise, the dash cam 57 (or the 67w, with a 180-degree field of view) is our favorite front-facing camera on the market. It’s expensive, but the best usually is, and the long warranty provides peace of mind.
Unfortunately, there is no true garmin rear camera option yet. 2022?
