Technical Details
– Max. resolution: 1920×1080 @ 30fps
– Price: n/a (no longer available)
– Bit rate: 15 Mbps
– Aperture: F/1.6
– WDR Super Night Vision
– external GPS (LS330W only)
– 2.7″ Screen
– Fast bootup time
– Small size (114mm x 48mm x 37mm)
– Weight: 71g
– 1/3″ CMOS sensor
– Angle of view: 140° (diagonal)
– Time and date stamp on video
– Supports up to 32GB MicroSD cards
– Loop recording, auto on/off, G-Sensor
– Interfaces: HDMI, USB, AV
UPDATE: As of 2015, the LS300W and LS330W are no longer in production. Check out DOD’s latest and so far best release, the DOD LS460W.
DOD LS300W Review
The DOD LS300W is a dashboard camera that was released in early 2013. The video quality is very good during daytime, and night quality is also good due to a technique known as Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) that dramatically improves video quality under low lighting conditions. Furthermore, this camera has a large aperture of F/1.6, plus it uses a relatively high bit rate (15000kbps), both of which greatly contribute to the video quality.
Considering its small size, it has quite a large LCD screen(2.7″) for comfortable viewing right in your car. The viewing angle of 140° diagonal is more than what most other cameras offer. Of course it comes with all the standard features such as loop recording, time and date stamp, and automatic G-sensor impact data protection.
Provided you can do without the GPS, the LS300W’s really impressive video quality day and night, along with its discreet size, make it an excellent buy. It comes with a manual, HDMI and USB cables, suction cup bracket and a vehicle power charger. A memory card is not included though. Due to the high bit rate, it’s a good idea to get a 32GB class 10 SD card for the LS300W, which will give you about four hours worth of recording capacity.
DOD LS330W
The LS330W is an upgraded version of the LS300W which includes an external GPS module. The GPS module has to be installed separately in your car. If you prefer integrated GPS, we recommend the LS430W instead which we have reviewed separately. The advantage of having an external GPS module is that you may get better GPS reception, but the drawback is that you have to install and hide another piece of equipment in your car.
Other Variants And Upgrades
The LS300W is the first of a whole series of similar dashboard cameras, the most successful of which is the LS430W. The LS400W is a less popular model based on the same hardware, but without GPS. It unfortunately had some technical flaws and is no longer available from DOD.
Apart from the DOD camera models, there are also unbranded versions of this device that are available at a significantly cheaper price, namely the GT300W (without GPS) and GT550WS (with external GPS).
For a quick overview of all the different versions, check out Comparing the LS300W, LS330W, LS400W, LS430W, GT300W, and GT550WS.
DOD LS300W Video Samples
For original Full HD video quality, watch on full screen and set the video resolution to 1080p using the cog icon in the lower right of the screen.
Daytime Video Sample
One of the best dash cam video qualities we have seen so far. Notice how sharply visible the writing on the leading vehicle is. This camera can easily compete with others that cost twice as much.
Nighttime Video Sample
Night video quality is equally impressive. Notice how at 1:24 you can easily read the license plate of the taxi while driving by. Only minor issue is that red light sometimes appear almost whiteish. However this does not take away from the fact that the DOD LS300W has top video quality at night time, too.
Where To Buy
The DOD LS300W and DOD LS330W have gone out of production and are no longer available.
