A well designed dashcam that’s worth every penny
Dashcams are video cameras designed to be mounted on your car’s dashboard or rear-view mirror, guaranteeing you a record of events in case of an accident. You can also use them to record road trips through scenic countryside.
Thanks to built-in GPS, videos are automatically tagged with the location where they were shot, so you can easily prove where a recording was made.
Unusually for a dashcam, the Roadhawk DC-2 doesn’t have a display. This minimises potential distractions for the driver, and while we were concerned that mounting the unit correctly without a screen would be tricky, in practice it was no problem at all. Roadhawk supplies two types of mount, a strong adhesive pad and a regular suction-cup mount, and both are easily adjustable.
Video quality is among the best of any dashcam we’ve seen. In daylight, distortion caused by the wide angle view of the lens was minimal, details were sharp and the image was rock-steady thanks to the optical stabilisation. We had no trouble making out number plates on passing vehicles, even in footage taken on the motorway at 70mph.
Night-time recording is less impressive. Our footage had a lot of noise, and the windscreen appeared to have a sparkly effect that made it look like it was raining when conditions were perfectly dry.
However, better quality night-time footage would invariably mean more expensive camera components, which would increase the price.
There are other minor niggles. The lights that indicate the DC-2 is recording and has latched on to a GPS signal are hard to see in bright daylight. The DC-2 is also relatively chunky, and was awkward to fit behind the rear-view mirror in one of the cars we tried it with.
GPS co-ordinates aren’t displayed at the bottom of the video image, as with other dashcams. You have to install Roadhawk’s dedicated PC software to view the location on a Google Map alongside the video. This software can also be used to change the camera’s image-quality settings.
It’s also disappointing that the camera can’t be connected directly to your PC - you have to remove the SD card and pop it into your computer.
It’s worth noting you can attach an external GPS antenna in case a heated windscreen or special coating affects the satellite signal. You can also hard-wire the unit directly into your car’s electrical supply rather than using the included cigarette lighter adapter for power.
Overall, the Roadhawk DC-2 offers a great balance between features, video quality and distraction-free driving. It’s not cheap at £180, but this well designed camera is worth the money.
VERDICT
The Roadhawk DC-2 is a distraction-free dashcam that produces superb daytime footage.
SPECIFICATIONS
1080p video resolution • no screen • accepts SD, SDHC and SDXC storage cards up to 64CB • 98x68x26mm (HxWxD) • 125g