SQ8 Mini DV Camera is a really small and good dashcam. It weights just 25g and can record 1080p @ 15fps videos, and is as small as a coin.
If you plug it into the car charger, it will turn on and start recording as soon as you turn on the car, and turn off together with the car, saving your videos in a micro sd card.
It can also shoot pictures with a resolution of 12MP (4032 x 3024).
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Included in the package there’s a very useful rotating bracket, that can rotate 360° and you can put it in many places easily.
It has a Loop video function, it records 5mins videos, and when there’s no more room in the microsd, it deletes just the older file to record a new one, so you can keep the more recent videos.
You will also get a clip to position the camera in your pants or hat, to use it as a spy camera or to record your experiences.
Get it on GearBest for 18$ Get it on Camfere for 12.99$
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SQ8 Mini DV Camera video review with video test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxUy1_g6HuA
Main features
SQ8 mini 1080P full HD car DVR camera recorder
High definition full HD1080P
Compact design, portable handheld
Video format: 1920 x 1080P, 1280 x 720P
Support TV out, TV monitor video connection
Image resolution:12MP (4032 x 3024)
Support 32GB TF card max. (not included)
Image proportion: 4 : 3
Support system: Windows ME / 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista, Mac OS, Linux
Battery capacity: 200mAh
Working time: About 100 minutes at 1080P 15fps
Charging time: About 2 – 3 hours
Charging voltage: DC 5V
Interface type: Mini 8 pin USB
Cable length: 80cm
Package includes mini car DVR camera, USB / TV out 2-in-1 cable, bracket, clip and Chinese / English user manual
Get it on GearBest for 18$ Get it on Camfere for 12.99$
Get it on GearBest for 18$ Get it on Camfere for 12.99$
Specifications
| General | Model: SQ8 Type: Full HD Dashcam Chipset Name: AnGuo System requirements: Mac OS x 10.3.6 above,Win 7,Windows 2000 / XP / Vista |
|---|---|
| Storage | Max External Card Supported: TF 32G (not included) Class Rating Requirements: Class 10 or Above |
| Power | Battery Type: Built-in Charge way: USB charge by PC Working Time: About 100 minutes at 1080P 15fps |
| Primary Info. | Camera Pixel : 12MP |
| Video/Image/Audio | Decode Format: MJPG Video format: AVI Video Resolution: 1080P (1920 x 1080),720P (1280 x 720) Video Frame Rate : 30fps Image Format : JPG Image resolution: 12M (4032 x 3024) Audio System : Built-in microphone/speacker (AAC) |
| Functions | Motion Detection: Yes USB Function: USB-Disk Interface Type: Mini USB |
| Dimension/Weight | Product weight: 0.025 kg Package weight: 0.128 kg Product size (L x W x H): 2.20 x 2.20 x 2.00 cm / 0.87 x 0.87 x 0.79 inches Package size (L x W x H): 10.60 x 10.10 x 5.50 cm / 4.17 x 3.98 x 2.17 inches |
| Package Contents | Package Contents: 1 x Mini Car DVR Camera, 1 x USB / TV Out 2-in-1 Cable, 1 x Bracket, 1 x Clip, 1 x Chinese / English User Manual |
The English ‘manual’ that comes with it is all but useless. It seems they used Google translate for it instead of hiring some college kid, who actually speaks English, for a few bucks to do the translation.
100% spot on. thats how i got to this blog. looking for better directions or manual for it.
Me too! Manual is completely useless!!!
TOTALLY AGREE, the manual is driving me crazy. Any sign of a proper English manual ?
I used to teach English as a second language and I often worry that it’s my students translating, if so they should have been failed, feel like saying sorry
Truelly useless guide
Absolutely true. I’m not a native english speaker. Imagine my case!
It’s 15fps@1080P (stretched from 4:3) and 30fps@720P
Thanks!
It’s 20 bucks!!!
Has anyone been able to ‘translate’ the CHINGLISH Operating Manual, and published how to actually operate this camera? Sure would be nice to ‘understand’ their instructions!
Such a deep ansewr! GD&RVVF
It was a ‘question’, NOT an “ansewr” (sic).
anyone know how to use recording while charging – Dashcam
use a mobile charger and it will automatically record videos
Does not work for me. As soon as I plug it to a wall charger, mobile charger, PC or any USB port anywhere, It shuts down and the blinking red LED turns on. It charges perfectly though.
I received the product but my computer no recognized and the light maintained violet, if I get out the cable and try to turn on. The light violet change to blue but few seconds turn off.
put a microsd card in the camera and the light stays blue
Can any 1 help got 1 of these camras it only records 3 five min clips i only getting the last 15mins of recording
Guys , it is not worth 16 $. Peace of Chinase junk. I am just experiencing my frustration.
Why did you buy it… for 18 $ what did you want ….hahaha …. its a little toy…. enjoy.
It sucks. For drivers, you’re better off with a proper dash cam. My brother ordered two of these, one SQ8 and the other SQ11. IMO, they both suck.
Hi can someone tell me how to turn off 5 min loop recording ???
For a small camera, it’s the biggest piece of crap I ever wasted money on!
Where can we get a proper manual ….
An understandable video on youtube explains how this small camara works. Just google SQ8 manual. (https://youtu.be/vANF8SU6Ods)
To set the date right:
Connect camera to computer
Create a file TIMERSET.txt on the root-folder of the microsd card.
type 1 line with format YYYYMMDDHHMMSS ie. 20160629192500
Disconnect the camera from computer.
Turn it on.
The time is now set and the TIMERSET.txt file is deleted.
Bonjour,
Peux-tu m’expliquer ce qu’est un TIMERSET.txt
Je ne pourrais te dire car mon ordinateur ne reconnait même pas la cam avec une carte mémoire.
Alors, va donc essayer de composer des intructions pour programmer cette camera et ensuite uploader ce fichier sur la caméra avec les instructions qui sont données.
Mission impossible.
En passant, elle a fonctionné une fois et ne fonctionne plus.
create text file like this “TIMEREST.txt” and type 1 line in the file “20161207235959 Y”
Is that the only format that the date will display? I’m a military veteran, so I’m use to writing the date as DD MMM YY ie. 05 Apr 19…
This is what I found after many attempts for recording,
1) turn it on,
2) select mode,
3) then turn it off (for recording)
I got one, but it doesn’t turn off even when I unplugged if from my PC and the violet led is still on
my sq8 is not working….when i press on.. the red light turns on and it is blocked, even when it was connected and charging…i tried to reset the device and it doesnt work…..what can i do….by the way i read some forums and all the peolple said that is garbage….i think that i loose my money…
worked for about a week, then won’t power on, ruined flash micro disk. Junk for long term use.
Hi, I need some help. I can’t open the camera files. If I use in motion detection mode, I can’t open the files. All player said “unknown format”.
If use in simple continuous video mode, I can open it.
Watch the videos for proper understanding of its functions. I could not work the camera until i watched tge video with the chinese guy
Bom dia.
Comprei uma câmera Gullar HD 1920X1089 mas não consigo usá-la poderia me fornecer um manual em português. Poço pagar por ele. Fico grato pela atenção. Aguardo resposta.
I have deciphered how to use the camera. It records in 5 minutes blocks. I found that it gets very hot if used for more than 20 minutes.
What I want to do is remove the date from the recording.
According to the instructions, if the “TIMERSET” file ends with a “N”, this will remove it but I have tried various ways to rewrite the file but I am still getting the date.
Does anyone know or is there a real English manual somewhere? PLEASE!
I’ve just got one. The french instructions are well translated.
So I try to make an english translation. Sorry for mistakes
Charging :
Let it charge entirely before first use. ( so plug it to a computer or a mobile charger. be carefull : it starts automatically to record when you plug it to power, so you need to press “on/off” once to turn it off). The led flashes red until complete charge. When finished, the led stays red.
Record video :
turn it on by pressing once on “on/off”. by default it records with 720p resolution. To pass to 1080p, press “mode” once. It records automatically for five minutes.
Take a picture :
Press twice on “mode” to be on picture mode. The led will flash in red. you can now take 12 M pictures.
Infrared :
To activate the infrared light when you are recording a video, press “on/off” for 2 seconds. To desactivate the infrared light, press again “on/off” for 2 seconds. didn’t test it yet
Motion sensor :
To activate the sensor when you are recording a video, press “mode” for 3 seconds. The led should flash 3 times in red and then become blue. When there il a movement, record stars for 5 minutes. To desactivate motion sensor press”mode” once. i didn’t test it yet
When turned off, the camera becomes a usb storage on a computer. I managed to plug it as a usb stick on my android phone with :
– a usb to micro-usb cable
– the “usb otg manager” apps to see and copy the files on phone memory. It’s was not possible to read the video directly from the camera. Need to copy to phone first. The default video reader on my phone was not able to read the video, but it works with VLC apps.
But but but … when you plug it to yout phone, it’s starting to charge the video recorder… so it empties your phone battery!!
last : the manual says nothing about the timerset file
something to add to the post. if you get a flashing red and blue light (purple) and your microsd card is in, check the card and see if it is 32gb and also check and see if it is formatted as a FAT32 or NTFS. Found on my unit it needed to be FAT32 to make the unit work.
SQ8 works well, but specifications are fake.
View angle is WAY lower than declared: at 720p the real view angle is 43.6°, at 1080p drops to 33.4° (ultra wide angle? ha!)
The 720p resolution is decent but suspect; the 1080p resolution is fake, it’s simply upscaled (lower quality than the 720p). Same story for the 12Mpix pictures, they are upscaled. Color are washed.
Lot of noise in low light; also in the open you’ll see significant noise in shadow areas.
Right, you can’t ask too much to a 8$ camera, but they should be honest and write real specs.
Could someone please tell me what size of lens it uses? 12, 16 or less? Thanks
I mean in mm
I found a manual for the SQ11 camera here that appears to be a coherent translation. It is fairly easy to read and seems to make sense:
http://www.cyanscorpion.com/manuals/SQ11-manual.pdf
Can one of you that has used the camera tell if the instructions for the SQ11 will work with the SQ8 too?
Jack
Here is manual for the SQ11 that is in coherent English and that seems to work for the SQ8 too. I am in the process of testing all the various modes and functions now and will follow up here if it look like it is all the same for the SQ8
http://www.cyanscorpion.com/manuals/SQ11-manual.pdf
So far, all the 720P and 1080P startups and mode changes have worked for me fine. Have to test the motion detection and infrared modes yet…
Jack
will my sq8 work with a 64gb elite micro sd xc card?
can anyone copy the video file software file for the sq8 and e mail it to me at greattwo21801@yahoo.com my file have been deleted by my niece so when I go to video file no file info there
What (free) pc software is the best for this SQ8?
VLC will play just about any video file and it’s free.
Memory card will not fit in memory slot correctly