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As photographers, we have all felt that creeping anxiety when leaving a car full of equipment that’s often worth more than the car itself. Whether it’s a quick stop on the way to a location shoot or leaving our gear in the car parked overnight, the thought of something happening to it is always at the back of our minds. This is where a reliable dash cam with parking monitoring can add an extra layer of peace of mind.
Baseus, a leading innovator in smart car tech and lifestyle accessories, has just announced a new solution that answers directly to our needs. The Baseus PrimeTrip VD1 Pro (VD1 Pro) is an industry-first hardwire-free dash cam that offers parking monitoring. Thanks to its built-in rechargeable battery and high-efficiency solar panel, it can record incidents when motion or impacts are detected for up to 14 days while your car is parked, all without draining your vehicle’s battery.
Build Quality
I have to be honest, the Baseus PrimeTrip VD1 Pro packaging did not make a solid first impression, as it looks like a throwback to the ’90s with that classic “trying a bit too hard to impress by listing every spec on the box” vibe you often see from Chinese tech products. But thankfully, the entire dash cam is constructed from sturdy plastic that feels well put together, with the exception of the hinge, which does appear to be slightly weaker than the rest of the body. At the bottom, you will also notice ventilation slots, which I presume are used for heat dissipation. Baseus warns that the unit will automatically shut off the parking surveillance mode in the event of overheating, though they don’t specify the exact temperature threshold. In my use so far, I have not encountered this issue. Or at the very least, I have no way to prove that it happened.
Physically, the VD1 Pro looks quite large at first glance and feels hefty in the hand, despite weighing only about 172 grams. For comparison, the rear camera, which weighs about 133 grams, feels much lighter. The rear unit’s camera is capable of 180-degree vertical rotation, allowing you to record either the exterior while driving or the car’s interior if you want to keep an eye on any valuable items inside when parked against the wall.
Snapshot of interior car recording triggered by the parking surveillance G-sensor.
The hinge offers up to 90° of vertical adjustment, along with ±15° fine-tune rotation, giving you some flexibility in positioning once the dash cam is attached to the windscreen. The buttons themselves have a satisfying click, though I did find the layout to be a little odd—the Menu button also doubles as a Back button, which, by clicking “OK,” sometimes also backs out to the previous menu. A UI update may fix this; otherwise, you are going to need some time getting used to it.
Angular and rotational plastic hinge.
3 side buttons
One of the unique selling points of the VD1 Pro is the integrated high-efficiency solar panel, which allows it to position itself as a true hardwire-free dash cam, letting users tap into the benefits of parking surveillance without tapping into the car’s wiring system. That being said, the solar panel was designed with the intent to extend its 380 mAh (3.7 V, 1.4 Wh) internal battery life, not to keep the dash cam charged indefinitely. It only provides the VD1 Pro with enough power to stand by in parking monitoring mode for up to 14 days and record up to 20 motion- or impact-triggered clips of 30 seconds each from both front and rear cameras. If your car is parked indoors away from sunlight, you should expect noticeably shorter standby times.
Features
When it comes to recording, the VD1 Pro front camera shoots in 4K UHD using Sony’s IMX335 STARVIS sensor, known for its low-light performance, paired with a six-element f/2 glass lens that covers a 140° angle of view. The rear camera only shoots at Full HD resolution, covering a 120° angle. It also features automatic HDR processing, which helps balance exposure when driving through tunnels or in areas with tricky lighting, reducing sudden overexposure or underexposure shifts that may disrupt the recording.
1.4” color LCD screen
The VD1 Pro includes a 1.4-inch color square LCD screen, which I found just bright enough to use even under strong daylight conditions with tinted glass. This makes setup and live adjustments much easier without relying on an app. Note that both edges of the preview are cut off because of the square orientation. Use the mobile app for a full edge-to-edge preview. Connection with the Baseus mobile app is smooth, stable, and responsive, thanks to its Wi-Fi 6 (5 GHz) support, which makes file transfers and settings adjustments quick. The app UI is clean and easy to navigate.
You can also find a built-in GPS in the VD1 Pro, which adds another layer of functionality, logging your car’s location, speed, and trip duration. For anyone who has had to deal with disputes after an incident, this kind of metadata can make your case stronger.
Storage is handled through microSD, as there is no built-in storage. The VD1 Pro supports cards from 32 GB to 512 GB and allows loop recording, which overwrites older footage once the card is full. Baseus also includes a 32 GB card in the box to get you started without an extra purchase.
MicroSD slot and 2 USB-C ports for rear camera connection and power supply.
Real-World Usage
As someone who often travels with a car full of expensive gear, having a dash cam that can run in parking surveillance mode without tapping into the car’s wiring is a huge plus, since it’s easier to set up. Having this extra layer of security gives me a sense of ease knowing there is some form of proof should a break-in ever happen, giving protection to my assets as a working photographer.
Snapshot of the footage from front cam
Snapshot of the footage from rear cam
In terms of image quality, the footage from the front camera is sharp enough to capture important details, though not as crisp as what we would usually expect from a dedicated camera like the DJI Osmo Action 5 or the Insta360 Ace Pro 2. The rear cam, however, left a lot to be desired. Dynamic range and clarity don’t quite live up to expectations—you can see what’s happening, just not clearly with details. That said, both front and rear cams hold up decently in low light, which is reassuring if you often drive at night.
One neat touch that I find extremely useful is that the rear dash cam can be flipped to record the car’s interior. For photographers and content creators, this opens up creative uses: think of it as a way to grab some B-roll for vlogs or to catch those rare spontaneous moments on the road. Do note that, as of the current firmware, there is still no option to remove the watermark and embedded data.
Sped up footage potentially to be used as a B-Roll
Personally, I have even managed to record a rare horizontal lightning strike this way—something I never would have captured if not for having the dash cam running.
The parking surveillance itself is quite sensitive, and if I have to nitpick, it activates way too soon after shutting off the engine. On the highest setting, closing the car bonnet or door will trigger the G-sensor. I also liked the voice reminder that plays when you return to the car: “Parking mode was activated while you were away. Check the log video to see what happened.” It’s a small touch but useful, as it saves you from having to constantly check the app. Although the sensor-triggered footage will not be overwritten by loop recording, remember to download the important incident footage, as accidental formatting will remove all the footage from the memory card.
For reference, Baseus has highlighted that the G-sensor on the VD1 Pro has three sensitivity levels:
- High: triggers on pedestrian collisions
- Medium: triggers on low-speed rear-end collisions
- Low: for higher-speed impacts
When connected to the app, the experience was smoother than most dash cams I’ve tried. Downloading the 30-second surveillance footage takes under 15 seconds for the front and under 5 seconds for the rear. A full 5-minute clip takes about 1.5 minutes for the rear and double that for the front, given the higher resolution. File sizes are fair enough, estimating roughly 300 MB for a rear clip and around 1 GB for the front for a 5-minute clip. Based on my calculation, that works out to about 1.3 GB per 5 minutes of footage, which gives you close to a total of 2 hours of recording time on 32 GB storage—way less than what Baseus claims at 4 hours. Also note that downloads won’t continue if you minimize the app.
Bonus tip: Front cam footage will be labeled as “F,Year,Month,Prefix,” while rear cam footage will be labeled as “R,Year,Month,Prefix.”
Summary
What I Liked
- Hassle-free installation—no need for hardwiring
- Solar-assisted power that extends battery life
- Rotatable rear camera that can double as an interior recorder
- Clean and intuitive UI with smooth app connectivity
- Fast file transfers thanks to Wi-Fi 6
What Could Be Improved
- A touchscreen interface would make operation more seamless
- A wider default field of view would reduce reliance on manual adjustments
- Sharper, cleaner image quality—especially on the rear camera
- A picture-in-picture option to view both front and rear footage together
- Smarter visual motion-detection recording in parking mode instead of just relying on G-sensors
- Built-in storage and longer battery life for extended use
- Ability to download files in the background even when the app is minimized
- Parking surveillance that works in higher temperatures, making it more practical for hotter climates
Final Closing Thoughts
The Baseus PrimeTrip VD1 Pro isn’t perfect, but it’s a very practical option for photographers who want peace of mind when traveling with gear. Easy to set up, as there is no hardwiring required, and powered by both battery and solar, it provides that extra layer of protection when you need to leave equipment in the car.
For those who are interested, get yours at $169.99. It’s an accessible way to add reliable protection without breaking the bank.