ProofCam PC 106 HD Dash Cam
We’ve discussed a wide variety of high-end, costly dashcams here before. A Transcend, Blackvue or Garmin is definitely worth the money if you are precious about your car.
Considering that the last dashcam we reviewed, the Garmin Dash Cam 65W, commands a £200 price tag, it’s a tough pill to swallow for people that don’t care about all the unnecessary features it comes with. What if you just want reassurance? Something more reasonable but still reliable as a black box for your journeys.
If a basic but robust dashcam is what you’re looking for, the ProofCam PC 106 may be just what you need.
Initial Impressions
It comes in simple packaging that contains everything you need to get started: USB-A to microUSB-B, the charger, a Class 10 8GB microSD card, the ball head suction mount and the PC 106 dashcam itself. It’s well assembled, with black plastic being the main choice of material.
Fortunately, it’s not the scratchy, hard plastic common to cheaper options. It feels solid, with a faux leather texture at the front and a bit of simulated contrast stitching surrounding the lens.
It has a small 3″ LCD screen on the rear used for composition, and the options can be navigated through the labelled side buttons. The microUSB port is on top, which makes cable routing a lot easier. You can fit at most a 32GB microSD card into the PC 106, which will yield approximately 192 minutes of recording time, at six minutes per GB.
There’s also a lithium-ion battery built into the camera itself. It’s quite modest though, more to help you set up the camera or for a brief parked recording. It also features an integrated microphone.
Practical use
The PC 106 has humble specifications compared to other 2018 options. It has a 2MP sensor, not quite full HD, but better than just 720p. It also boasts a 120-degree wide angle lens, which should be enough to cover the road in front.
Video speaks louder than words. As you can see in the footage we’ve procured, the conditions weren’t exactly conducive to a camera. It’s typical British weather with dull skies and dimly-lit roads.
That said, I’m rather impressed by the quality it produces. I’m able to clearly distinguish what’s going on in the footage. I can read licence plates, signs and identify cars. It’s especially worth noting that YouTube has very aggressive video encoding which will cut quality drastically.
That’s all you need from a basic dashcam, in my opinion. The lens is good quality with minimal aberrations.
The camera quickly copes with rapid exposure discrepancies, which is noticeable when travelling under motorway bridges. It swiftly compensates for the darkness and brightens up the scene. It also maintains quality in high contrast conditions, such as night time.
One drawback is that the camera is quite big, making it harder to conceal. This may not necessarily be a flaw though, depending on where you live. It has a quick release mount either way, so you can remove it and carry it with you.
Verdict
The ProofCam PC 106 retails at £70 and for that price, it is a very pragmatic choice. It’s a dashcam, it records over the oldest footage, it detects collisions, then locks and protects the footage and it produces very useable videos.
It’s difficult to argue with the PC 106’s performance. You can buy one, receive it tomorrow, then install it and get it up and running within ten minutes. This gives you peace of mind if you’re involved in an accident. If that’s all you require, then the ProofCam PC 106 is for you!
