- Garmin has announced a bike light that acts as a 4K security camera
- This means that it is effectively a bicycle-dash-Cam with a 600-lumen light
- Varia Vue is now available for $ 549 / £ 459 (around AU $ 965)
Garmin has just revealed a strong new gadget for cyclists who want to invest in their road safety-a cross between a powerful 600-lumen front light and a 4K security camera, which means it can act as a bicycle dash-Cam.
The new Varia Vue is effectively the flip side of Garmin’s taillights and radar (called Varia RCT715), which it can also sync. However, this model is much more powerful as it is much lighter thanks to its 600-lumen output. It also packs a 4K front-facing camera (rather than 1080p), which can automatically save videos if it detects an incident to the best dashboard.
It is one of these products that it feels like Garmin should have made many years ago. Whether you are cycling in busy, well-lit urban areas or on country roads or, like me, a bit of both part–are a powerful front light and a camera important bike accessories, so it is good to see them combined a nicely designed, albeit expensive bundle.
Garmin says the built -in camera has electronic image stabilization that helps you pose license plates, even on potholede roads, even if this comes at the expense of a crop. We will have to see how well that stabilization is compared to the best action cameras like GoPro Hero 13 Black.
While Garmin has experience with action-cams with its now Disco-Discined Virb series, I don’t expect Varie Vue to match GoPro and DJI for image quality. Still, it has to reach a certain level to make it a viable bike -dash -cam as it can be important to catch small details. To help catch these events fully, it also has a hidden microphone for sound.
The only potential disadvantage of combining these two gadgets is battery life, but Garmins claimed specifications suggest it is useful. It says Varia Vue will last “Up to seven hours” today flash mode with camera uptake (although this falls to just over an hour at full brightness) and or “up to nine hours” when the headlight goes out and you shoot at 1080p. If you are planning a long trip, the camera can also be used while charging.
Your video clips are stored on a MicroSD card (not included) and you can also save recordings automatically on the cloud via Wi-Fi using Garmin Vault.
The disadvantage? There is inevitably a subscription to using Vault and it is a rather expensive for $ 99 / £ 99 a year.
Still, the overall concept is good, and as a London-based cyclist, I like the idea of nicely combining a light and bicycle-dash-cam into a relatively small device. Varia Vue can be purchased now for $ 549 / £ 459 (around AU $ 965).
Security comes with a hefty price tag
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In many ways, Bike Tech still feels a little in the back of Times, which is why I still combine a rather dated Lezyne Front Light (which still has a micro USB charging sport) with an old GoPro if I’m on my way out on a long-lasting trip on the roads.
But it seems that there is finally a little more competition in the smart bicycle light room, with Garmin’s Varia Vue arriving to take on the more established Cycliq Fly12 sport (which combines a 4K camera with a 400-lumen light for a more affordable $ 319 / £ 299 / AU $ 449). Wahoo also recently announced the new Trackr Radar, a rear rear light with Radar Tech as Garmin’s Varia RCT715.
None of these are exactly cheap and there is an argument that you are better off with two separate devices if you do not need a camera for each turn. While it’s nice in theory, Varia Vues Cloud -storage component could also prove to be one too expensive extra if you don’t often use it.
Still, it is good to see some long-awaited innovation in cycling safety technology, and the increased competition should hopefully mean some more affordable opportunities in Varia Vue’s slipstream dependent on customs duties, of course.
