Time lapse is a special recording mode where the dashcam takes one or more photos every second and plays them back later as accelerated video. This way, you can capture a longer period of time in a relatively short video. Especially when you want to record a long drive such as a holiday or trip, Time lapse recording mode can come in handy.

The biggest advantage of Time lapse is that this way of recording consumes a lot less data and power than normal recording. Your car's battery and SD card are therefore taxed a lot less. The downside is that the recordings are a lot less detailed, as you only have one or a few pictures of each second whereas with normal video there are usually 30 or 60.

Time lapse parking mode

Time lapse on your dashcam is particularly useful as a recording mode while parking. In parking mode, many dashcams give you the option of Motion detection or Time lapse. With motion detection, the dashcam is on standby and starts recording normally when motion is detected. If you are parked outside or in a busy area, the dashcam will be recording almost continuously in that case. In such a situation, it may be more convenient to use the time lapse parking mode. The dashcam then also records continuously but thus consumes a lot less data and power.