When using a dashcam in your car, you obviously want it to record as large an area around your car as possible. Dashcams therefore have what is called a wide view or wide-angle lens, which means they record a relatively large area around the camera. This allows the dashcam to record a large portion of the surrounding area, such as other lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes, in addition to your car in front. A wide viewing angle is also crucial when using the dashcam to secure your car while parking. This is because there is a much greater chance that someone recognizable will be captured in a dashcam with a wide viewing angle.

Image distortion

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The viewing angle of a camera, like the human eye, is determined by the bulge of the lens. Almost all cameras have some bulge in the lens, otherwise only a very small portion would be recorded. The greater the bulge, the greater the viewing angle. However, the bulge in the lens also causes the image to be slightly distorted. This distortion is especially noticeable at the sides of the image and only becomes really obvious with 360˚ cameras. This distortion is why most dashcams today have a viewing angle of no greater than 170˚ degrees and between 130˚ and 150˚ is most common.