While not yet as big as they are in Russia, dash cameras are gaining traction in South Africa. We put the higher resolution of the Marcus 3 to the test.

The Vicovation Vico-Marcus 3 might be elaborate in name, the unit itself very compact and does not make for much of a disturbance while driving. It’s much smaller than its older brother, the Vico-SF2 (review), which after being tested we liked so much that we actually bought one.

High res, more frames

The Marcus 3 takes recording even further, now incorporating high-speed Full HD (1920x1080 at 60 fps) and also what Vicovation dubs Extreme HD, shooting video at 2304x1296 (at 30 fps). We actually preferred recording to be set at the high-speed Full HD, opting to go for more frames per second than higher resolution. Once again you can’t fault recording quality, while this dashcam records a very wide 160° diagonal field.

So how exactly does this dashcam work? Once set up on your windshield, you don’t actually need to do a thing, since it automatically starts recording as soon as you turn the key. You can view recordings on the 2” LCD screen at the back, although we used this screenmainly to help with setup, preferring to watch files on a PC since you don’t need any additional software to view the .mov files. We would recommend buying the highest class microSD card with at least 16 GB worth of space because file sizes are quite large (above 500 MB).

Lights, camera, action

The Marcus 3’s G-sensor automatically picks up if you were in a crash and saves 30 seconds before and after the incident. You also have an orange emergency record button that you can press to do the same. These files are saved separately and will not be recorded over. There is a date-stamp that records the time and date, while the Marcus-3 includes a slot for a GPS tracker which is sold separately.

The Vicovation Vico-Marcus 3 is a solid purchase if you are looking for a reliable dashcam with 2304x1296 capturing capabilities or 60 fps recording. The extra high-def brings up the price to R3 000 from www.dashcamera.co.za, putting it in the higher priced spectrum. Receive 10% off your purchase when using the coupon code “TechSmart”.