Technical Specifications
– Dual channel dash cam
– Max. resolution: 1080p @ 30fps, front and rear
– Price (DR590): Amazon US / CA (affiliate links) — for price of the DR590W, and vendors in Europe, see below
– Optional external GPS
– Wi-Fi (DR590W only)
– Video format: MP4
– Supports up to 128 GB MicroSD cards
– Time and date stamp on video
– Optional speed stamp (mph or km/h)
– Loop recording, auto on/off, G-Sensor
– Player software for Windows / Mac
– Apps for Android / iOS
– Internal capacitor instead of battery
– Operating temperature: from -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F)
– Storage temperature: from -20°C to 80°C (-4°F to 176°F)
– High temperature cutoff (at approx. 80°C / 176°F)
– Buffered parking mode (needs battery pack or Power Magic Pro)
– Format SD card button (also serves to mute the microphone)
– Internal microphone (mutable) and speaker
– Voice guidance
– LEDs: Front & rear security (white), recording (red), GPS (blue)
– Adhesive mount
Front Camera:
– Max. resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) @ 30fps (60fps in single-channel mode)
– Bit rate: 12 Mbps
– Size: 112mm x 34mm (diameter)
– Weight: 63g
– Sony STARVIS sensor
– Angle of view: 139° diagonal, 116° horizontal, 61° vertical
Rear camera (optional):
– Max. resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) @ 30fps
– Size: 67mm x 25mm (diameter)
– Weight: 21g
– CMOS sensor
– Angle of view: 140° diagonal, 115° horizontal, 60° vertical
BlackVue DR590 / DR590W Review
BlackVue’s DR590 series are some of the cheapest dash cams that support buffered parking mode. They are available either as single or dual channel cameras, and either with or without Wi-Fi. This makes for 4 distinct camera models:
- DR590 – single channel (forward camera only), no Wi-Fi
- DR590W – single channel (forward camera only), with Wi-Fi
- DR590-2CH — dual channel (front and rear), no Wi-Fi
- DR590W-2CH — dual channel (front and rear), with Wi-Fi
All of these are very similar with regards to features and video quality, so we’ll discuss them in a single review here.
These cameras are a mid-price alternative designed for customers who can’t or don’t want to spend upwards of $300-400 for BlackVue’s full-featured, high-end DR750S and DR900S models.
Outwardly, the DR590s share BlackVue’s popular black cylinder shape, making for an elegant and discreet setup. Like most other BlackVue cameras, the DR590s have no screen.
At day, the cameras produce good video quality. At night, video quality if fair to good. Overall, we feel that the videos produced by this device look a bit grainy, which is a bit disappointing for a dash cam at this price level.
That being said, most of the time it’s possible to read other cars’ license plates, which is what will matter most should you ever need your footage as evidence.
BlackVue’s DR590 cameras won’t only keep you safe while driving: One of the outstanding features of the DR590 is that it supports buffered parking mode.
In buffered parking mode, the camera will record continually while the car’s engine is off. Whenever motion is detected visually, or an impact is reported by the camera’s G-sensor, the DR590 will save a video clip ranging from 10 seconds before to 10 seconds after the incident to the memory card, thus maximizing your chance of catching the perpetrator.
Only a handful of Korean dash cam manufacturers (BlackVue, Thinkware, and BlackSys) make dash cams that support buffered parking mode. Most other dash cams support only simple or time-lapse parking mode.
For parking mode to work, you’ll either need to hard-wire it using BlackVue’s Power Magic Pro, or get an external battery pack (more about power supplies for parking mode here).
The DR590 will take MicroSD cards up to 128GB in size. At maximum size, the SD card will hold almost 12 hours of front and rear footage, or almost 24 hours if you have one channel only.
Like all dashboard cameras, when the card is full, the device will start overwriting the oldest files on the card (loop recording).
Unfortunately, this camera has no lock file button that would let you mark important events and save the corresponding video clips from becoming overwritten during the next write cycle.
Wi-Fi Or No Wi-Fi?
Having Wi-Fi is quite useful in a dash cam without screen, because it makes it much easier to set up and configure the camera and to play back videos. If you get the non-Wi-Fi version, you’ll have to pop the memory card into a computer to change the camera’s settings and view footage.
Then again, the DR590 (no Wi-Fi) is about $40 cheaper than the DR590W (with Wi-Fi), so it’s up to you to decide if you want this feature.
Optional GPS
Another optional feature for the BlackVue DR590/DR590W cams is adding an external GPS receiver. A GPS antenna is available separately, for about $30 at the time of writing.
Summary
BlackVue is a high-end dash cam manufacturer that has been around since we started this site back in 2013. The DR590 is their stripped-down-to-the-basics model that’s available for relatively little money, starting as low as $120 for a single channel DR590 without Wi-Fi.
A huge advantage of these cameras is their support for buffered parking mode (with a battery pack or hard-wiring kit). An optional rear camera, optional Wi-Fi integrated in the DR590W, and an optional external GPS antenna allow you to order a camera that matches your needs exactly.
All in all, we do recommend this camera if you’re looking for a decent mid-price camera with great parking protection. Drawbacks include the somewhat grainy video quality, and the inability to save any crucial footage from accidentally being overwritten. You may want to get a high capacity (ideally 128GB) memory card to minimize this risk.
If you’re looking for better video quality, we recommend you either consider BlackVue’s more expensive DR750S model, or check out other mid-price cameras such as the SGGCX2PRO or the Viofo A129 Duo (those last two don’t have buffered parking mode though).
BlackVue DR590 / DR590W Video Samples
For full original video quality, make sure to watch on full screen and select maximum video resolution (use the cog icon in lower right corner). You may have to rewind the video after changing the resolution.
Day Time Front Video Sample
Front video quality is good during the day time. While footage is not super sharp, most license plates are readable if you pause the video.
Day Time Rear Video Sample
Rear video footage during the day is also good. There’s a noticeable fish-eye distortion from the camera lens, but license plates of other cars are mostly readable even when driving by.
Night Time Front Video Sample
Forward video at night is good. Details are clearly visible, and most license plates of other cars are visible even from a distance when driving by. At higher speed, the license plates tend to blur out though.
Night Time Rear Video Sample
Rear video at night is of fair quality. There is lots of glare from street and traffic lights, but again, most license plates are readable anyway, even while driving.
Where To Buy
See the vendors below to order the BlackVue DR590, without Wi-Fi:
Links to vendors are affiliate links, and help to support this site.
The DR590W (with Wi-Fi) is available from:
Links to vendors are affiliate links, and help to support this site.
