expert assessment
pros
- small profile
- Phone connectivity and super capable app
- Good morning captures (with filter)
- voice remote control
cons
- Grainy night catches
- Optional filter further degrades night captures
our verdict
We love the E1’s diminutive size, great display, GPS, and voice remote. But the best daytime captures require an optional filter, which you must remove for acceptable nighttime captures — an option most users will neither like nor remember.
Price When Revised
$150
Best prices today: Vantrue Element 1 dash cam
$149.99
One of the reasons we rate Garmin’s tiny dash cams so highly is their minimal interference with your view. Welcome $150 Vantrue Element 1, we like you for the same reasons. We also liked the voice control and the app.
Unfortunately, daytime capture quality really only passes with an optional $20 polarizing filter that we had to remove at night to get viable low-light captures. A process that quickly became cumbersome – when we remembered to do it.
This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best panel cameras. Go there for more reviews and buying advice.
Design and features of Vantrue Element 1
The Element 1 is easily one of the smallest dash cams we’ve tested. As indicated, it rivals the Gamin series in this regard, with the exception of that company’s super tiny Dash Cam Mini 2. If the E1 isn’t the tiniest, it’s still small enough to hide behind a mirror and offers the (inch) LCD screen that the Mini 2 lacks.
Actual measurements are 1.6 inches wide/height and 1.75 inches deep to which you can add approximately 0.25 inches for the optional filter. On top of the camera is the sliding adapter that mates with the semi-permanent adhesive backing. On the right is the Type-C power port and microphone, while on the left are the power button and micro SD card slot.
The microphone serves both to capture audio and voice commands. The E1 understands several of the latter, including: “Take photo”, “Start video”, “Stop audio”, etc.
The bottom of the unit houses three multi-function buttons that navigate menus, change video modes, etc. There is ample ventilation via slots on the bottom, top and left of the unit.
Video capture is a Sony IMX335 sensor with a maximum resolution of 2592 x 1944P (default is 1440p) and Vanture has opted for a wide 160-degree field of view. GPS is on board too, and along with an app, voice control and a Bluetooth save/capture remote (shortcut key in Vantrue-speak), the E1 is an almost full house in terms of modern features.
The unit uses a super capacitor instead of a battery, so it will only save the last video if it loses power. But it will also provide many more on/off cycles than a battery pack.
Although the E1 has an SD card slot and you can read data from cards with a reader, you can also connect the E1 to your computer and read it directly. A much more convenient way in my book. Good touch.
Connection to the application is made via Wi-Fi and said application allows you to download, organize and even edit videos. Once downloaded, you can play them with GPS mapping. As the E1 connects to your phone via Wi-Fi, you cannot have internet while connected. Playback of GPS mapping (Google/Baidu) requires Internet. Yes, you need to change networks for these features.
Please note that it may be necessary to restart the app after changing networks for the GPS travel map to be displayed.
Of course you also have access to all the settings and you can even control the camera from the dashboard. Phone phone!
installation and configuration Vantrue Element 1
The semi-permanent support for Element 1 is horizontally static, that is, it only pivots up and down. This makes it very stable once installed, but you must be careful when aligning it before pressing it to the windshield. For help with this, see How to Install a Dashboard Camera to learn from my numerous mistakes.
Setting up Element 1 was very easy once I set the proper timezone. I was a little surprised that this was necessary as the GPS is on board. However, after scrolling to Pacific Time, everything else like the date format and MPH was automatically selected. I’m assuming this was based on timezone. Whatever the case, it was quick and simple. He even proactively offered to format the SD card, which he needed.
Also, I had to tweak the G-sensor sensitivity a bit for my Miata with its fairly stiff racing suspension. But it’s better to be overly sensitive than not sensitive enough. The latter can result in incident videos not being saved. (Unsaved videos will be overwritten eventually.)
capture quality of Vantrue Element 1
While the Element 1 isn’t the best panel camera I’ve tested in terms of daytime capture quality, it is above average – albeit with only the optional $20 and 40mm polarizing filter. Details are decent in dark areas, but lost in brighter areas without the optional filter that pretty much cures the last problem.
The difference is so salient that I really consider the Element 1 to be a $170 panel camera (camera plus filter).
The capture of the day above using the filter shown is very good. Again, the unfiltered below visibly bursts in the brightest areas, making detail difficult to discern. There’s an exposure adjustment that can dial in some of that, but we’ve tested it with the defaults. Also, decreasing exposure negatively affects already poor nighttime captures.
On the other hand, if our tests are to be believed, you absolutely don’t want the filter to be on at night. With it, the night shots went from the two slightly grainy but colorful and workable shots shown below, to dull colors with considerably worse detail, as you’ll see in the third image. Basically, the E1 isn’t a top night camera, despite the bold claims on the website.
If you look closely at the image below, you’ll see one of San Francisco’s fantastically optimistic pedestrians walking in front of the moving traffic, waiting for everyone to stop for them. Most of the time drivers do, but “They had the right of way!” is a terrible title for a tombstone. This is the beginning of the night without the filter. Even with minimal available light, the E1 does a decent job of capturing the action.
However, the darker (unfiltered) nighttime capture below with the San Francisco marine layer with muddy conditions shows how the captures deteriorate as the light diminishes.
Below you can see the negative effect the filter has on night shots. This is just two minutes after the above capture was taken under the same lighting conditions. The only difference is that the filter was screwed on.
Note that all captures are 1440p, not the 1944p the camera is actually capable of. We took a few of them, but there weren’t really any improvements worth the extra storage space. I should also point out that I’m judging according to the current video standard.
Filter on/filter off for Vantrue Element 1
Element 1 has a lot to offer in terms of ease of use, form factor and phone app. But removing the polarizing filter recommended for daytime use at night or constantly adjusting the exposure is not something most users want or always remember to do. Clear this Vantrue riddle, get another half star. As is, buy it for daily use only.
