Technical Details
– Taxi cam
– Max. resolution: 960×720 @ 20fps (per lens)
– Price: n/a
– Bit rate: 8 Mbps (total)
– Integrated 3.5″ screen
– Angle of view: 120° diagonal (each lens)
– Operating temperature: from -12°C to 55°C (10°F to 131°F)
– Video format: AVI
– Photo format: JPG
– Photo resolution: Up to 5MP
– Large size (Mirror: 280mm x 102mm x 19mm; with controls: about 280mm x 153mm x 25mm)
– Supports up to 32GB MicroSD cards (class 10 recommended)
– Time and date stamp on video
– Loop recording, auto on/off
– Interfaces: HDMI, USB
– Player software for MS Windows and Mac
– Internal microphone (mutable) and speaker
Falcon Zero F-360 Review
The Falcon Zero F-360 is a rear-view mirror mountable dash cam with two lenses, each of which can be rotated 180 degrees. Thus, it can record both the interior and exterior of your vehicle simultaneously. This kind of setup is called “taxi cam”, as it gives taxi drivers the option to record their passengers. (We can’t go into the legal implications of recording passengers here – depending on local laws, the operator may be required to advise them or get their consent.)
There seems to be quite a demand for taxi cams, and we have received numerous inquiries about this kind of device via our contact form. However, we still haven’t come across a taxi cam that records high quality video. While the Falcon F-360 is no exception to this, it’s getting lots of good reviews on Amazon, so we decided to give it a closer look.
Both of the F-360’s cameras record at the same video resolution and bit rate. At day, they both record average quality; however, video can sometimes be rather washed out when facing the sun. At night, video quality is poor, especially when recording the (dark) interior of the car.
Even though both lenses are equipped with infrared LEDs, these are only useful for recording inside the car – they don’t have enough power to illuminate anything outside. The infrared lighting lets you see the features of the driver and front-seat passenger fairly well, but passengers on the rear seats are less visible.
This camera is sometimes advertised as supporting 1080p, but this is misleading as it can only record 1440x1080p in single-lens mode. When using both cameras, the maximum resolution is 960x720p at 20 frames per second each. 20fps is quite a low frame rate, and results in rather bumpy playback. The F-360 also supports 640x400p resolution at 30fps which runs a lot smoother, however this resolution is too low to make out details such as license plates of other cars.
Both cameras rotate up to 180° on a vertical axis, one to the left and the other to the right. They cover a 120° angle of view each. Of course, instead of filming the car’s interior, you can also set it up to record any other direction, such as toward one of the side windows.
The Falcon F-360 clips right onto your existing rear-view mirror, and should be compatible with all models (except if you already have some device attached to your existing mirror). This makes for a relatively stealthy setup. The actual cameras are quite small and attached to the lower right-hand side of the mirror. Of course, the F-360 also functions as a rear-view mirror in itself, so you won’t have to do without one. A 3.5″ screen is integrated into the center of the mirror, which turns off after a couple of seconds of driving.
Like all dashboard cameras, the F-360 supports loop recording, auto on/off, and has a date and time stamp on the video footage. It doesn’t have GPS, G-sensor, or parking mode.
This camera supports SD cards up to 32GB in size, which can hold about 8 hours of video footage.
To summarize, this camera can’t compete with modern 1080p dash cams as far as video quality is concerned. While it’s nice to have a discrete device with two cameras that can be pointed in different directions, the F-360 just doesn’t live up to today’s expectations. Until there are high quality taxi cams available, you’re better off getting a dual channel dash cam and placing the backwards facing camera on your dashboard instead of on the rear window.
Falcon Zero F-360 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 & Night Video Sample
Day time video is washed out at times, and not very sharp. It’s hard to read license plates even when close. At night, video is even worse. While it’s good enough to see what’s going on in and around your car, you likely won’t be able to distinguish a lot of details.
Where To Buy
The Falcon Zero F-360 is out of production and no longer available for sale.
