Technical Details
– Max. resolution: 1920×1080p @ 30fps
– Price: see Amazon US
– Bit rate: 11 Mbps
– GPS
– 2.3″ Screen
– Medium size (82mm x 66mm x 37mm)
– Weight: 121g
– Operating temperature: from -20°C to 55°C (-4°F to 131°F)
– Video format: AVI
– Supports up to 32GB MicroSD cards
– Time, date, and speed stamp on video
– Loop recording, auto on/off, G-Sensor
– Interfaces: USB
– Internal microphone
– Suction mount
– Emergency button
Garmin Dash Cam 20 Review
The Garmin Dash Cam 20 was released in early 2014 by Garmin, a well-known, American-founded company that focuses on manufacturing navigation equipment. It features an attractive design and has a high-quality sturdy feel.
The Garmin 20 records at 1080p maximum resolution. It has a large viewing angle and video quality is very good during the day, and fair at night. It has a large, clear 2.3″ LCD screen that makes it easy to review the video footage directly in your car. Operating the camera is quite intuitive due to its logical, user-friendly menu system.
The device comes with a suction cup mount that makes it easy to detach the camera in order to take still pictures, which may come in handy in the case of an accident.
The Garmin 20 records its video footage using the AVI format, which is Microsoft propietary and will therefore play back on Windows computers without any problem. If you own a Mac, you will have no problems either but in case the format is not recognized, you can either download the free VLC player or download the Mac Garmin Dash Viewer software, which shows you the video with a map overlay. (The viewing software is also available for PC, of course.)
A downside of this camera compared to most other dash cams is that the supplied power cable is too short to run it around the windscreen. If you don’t want it dangling down the center of your wind screen, you will have to buy a 5m (15ft) extension, which at $25 is quite steeply priced.
Being a Garmin, this dash cam obviously comes with an integrated, highly-accurate GPS tracker. Note that there is also a cheaper model called Garmin 10 which doesn’t have GPS but otherwise appears to be similar to the Garmin 20.
Of course this device also has all the basic dash cam features like loop recording, auto on/off, and time/date/speed stamp on video. Furthermore, it comes with a G-sensor that protects your video footage from being overwritten in the event that an impact is detected. There is also an emergency button so you can mark footage that you want to keep manually.
All in all, this is a high quality dashboard camera from a well-known brand name, with a focus on usability and an attractive, sturdy design. While video quality is good, you can get better video quality from the DOD LS460W though, which is available for a slightly higher price.
Garmin Dash Cam 20 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 Video Sample
Day time video is crisp and clear. License plates can easily be read from medium distance when driving by.
Night Time Video Sample
Night video quality is fair. While there is a lot of glare from lamps and traffic lights, it is possible to read signs and license plates with ease.
Where To Buy
The Garmin Dash Cam 20 is available for sale from the following vendors:
