Dash Cameras

[speedhighway46]

WaveRider1987 started a thread about needing recommendations for a dashboard mount for a video camera. I had a comment to make about "dash cameras" but thought it was just a bit off subject, so started this new thread.

     Dash cameras, or dash cams, are usually el-cheapo units installed more or less permanently on the dashboard/windshield area looking out the front of the vehicle to record what's going on as you drive down the highway. They are not as high quality or versatile as a regular video camera, but generally do the job for which they were designed.

     I bought one for my vehicle about a year ago or so. It has a memory chip it it and records generally good enough video for the purpose. It records in endless 10 minute loops. I have it wired so when the engine starts the dash cam powers up and recording begins automatically.

     I'm not a "videographer" and have no bent into that activity. I purchased this thing from Amazon after reading an article about traffic accidents and the skulldugery some people will go when either getting into an accident or causing an accident to happen in order to shift the cause of the accident off of them, and collect the insurance money and personnel injury claim.

I have a rather large vehicle RV, a Peterbilt motorhome, and thought visual proof of an incident would go a long way to preventing a traffic accident going "against" me. The LEOs, my insurance company, and the liars . . . er, lawyers, would have visual proof of what happened, and it would be difficult to refute.

Numerous times I have had close-by vehicles driving dangerously. Never needed to use the visual record I had, but if the event had escalated into an accident I did have the evidence I needed.

With today's litigious society, staying out the lawyer's hooks is important.

 

[LeeRevell]

I have wasted money on three different dashcams' from different companies, all shipped from China.  All three failed.  One failed right out of the box.  It was cheapest.  Second failed after three days.  Third lasted two weeks.  I am done.  
Maybe someone can suggest a dashcam make/model that actually functions?

 

[Matlock]

speed,  I totally agree. It's never going to be a fool-proof solution to litigation but will go a long way to tell my side of the story.

About a year and a half ago I bought  a reasonably priced ~ $130 dash cam with loop recording to a removable 32GB chip. The Cam turns on with the ignition switch and has a 5 minute run time (adjustable) after the key is turned off. The video program that came with the camera was not working right and I thought I just lit a match to $130 bucks until I found out that MS movie maker will access the chip and bring up my Cam video just fine.

The downside of most of these cameras center around theft and heat. Electronics  sitting on a windshield baking  in the sun will kill it eventually. I put a piece of foil over it when not in use to reflect some on the heat away. As to theft, well mine is suction-cupped to the windshield behind the rear view mirror. If anyone breaks in then it's gone but taking it with me is a pain too.  So far so good.
I'm looking into buying a couple cheaper versions  or one with dual opposing cameras to capture the left and right sides of my vehicle. Maybe in the spring.
I'll find the make/model and post it up later.

 

[Suanne]

I've been using the Garmin Dash Cam 20 2334 GPS Driving Recorder for about a month. I got it because I recently lost a case in traffic court where it was just my word against the officer's. I figured, should I receive another citation that says I was going faster than I was, this dash cam will provide evidence that I was not. Within the video, it records GPS coordinates, date/time, and speed. I have it focused on both my speedometer and the roadway.

I'm very impressed with the 1080 quality of the video. It records in 4-minute increments. It senses jolts that may be an accident, saving the current 4-minutes, and the sections before and after, 12 minutes total. Because I drive back-country bumpy roads, I had to make it less sensitive as the device kept thinking I was in an accident

It attaches to the windshield by a suction cup. Amazingly, my bumpy-road driving has not shaken it off. I'm impressed.

I paid $180 for the camera, and another $14 for a larger 32gb memory card.

Suanne

 

[LeeRevell]

I've been using the Garmin Dash Cam 20 2334 GPS Driving Recorder for about a month.  I got it because I recently lost a case in traffic court where it was just my word against the officer's.  I figured, should I receive another citation that says I was going faster than I was, this dash cam will provide evidence that I was not.  Within the video, it records GPS coordinates, date/time, and speed.  I have it focused on both my speedometer and the roadway.

I'm very impressed with the 1080 quality of the video.  It records in 4-minute increments.  It senses jolts that may be an accident, saving the current 4-minutes, and the sections before and after, 12 minutes total.  Because I drive back-country bumpy roads, I had to make it less sensitive as the device kept thinking I was in an accident

It attaches to the windshield by a suction cup.  Amazingly, my bumpy-road driving has not shaken it off.  I'm impressed.

I paid $180 for the camera, and another $14 for a larger 32gb memory card.

Suanne

I will look into this model.  Going "cheap" absolutely does not work.

 

[greybeard23]

I at first bought a cheap model that looped for ten minutes.

I have now gone with the Windshield Witness.  Can be programmed to run continuously or have it loop at desired times.  Also, for those with a continuously hot receptacle, the plug-in has on off and on switch.

 

[RVTravel]

www.techmoan.com
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-dash-cam/
http://co-op.kinja.com/your-favorite-dash-cam-is-the-black-box-g1w-c-1761511545

 

[BradKW]

I almost bought one a few months ago for the same reasons mentioned above. I received an email "alert", probably from NewEgg, about a dash cam that was marked down 50% to only $140. Well, long story short, I ended up stuck in what I call Reviewalysis...it happens when I start shopping, reading reviews, finding negative stuff, following links, reading more reviews, wash-rinse-ad nauseum. Then I have spent an hour or more and usually if I started looking at a $100 item, I ended up thinking I should probably get the $500 version. Then I'm sick of it and quit.

But anyway, would certainly be happy to hear positive feedback about specific models...I'll check out that Garmin, as they've always had a good name.

 

[Matlock]

SNIP....it happens when I start shopping, reading reviews, finding negative stuff, following links, reading more reviews, wash-rinse-ad nauseum. Then I have spent an hour or more and usually if I started looking at a $100 item, I ended up thinking I should probably get the $500 version. Then I'm sick of it and quit.

Take a look at this site for Dash Cam's.
I used these folks for model comparison when I bought mine. Once you find a model you like then search the net for best pricing.

Use the "Pages" drop down list on the right side of the list to find a camera model and watch an actual camera test video.

https://dashcamtalk.com/

I have no affiliation with the link or any camera manufacturer or yada, yada, yada

 

[Matlock]

Interesting dash camera video posted by the Louisiana State Patrol...

Dash Cam Video, Motor Home Blows Tire...

http://www.wafb.com/story/29036795/dash-cam-video-motor-home-blows-tire-slides-on-side-across-i-10

(Mobile users can watch the video here: http://shout.lt/3nbb)

 

[LeeRevell]

For a time I was hooked on watching Russian and other nation's dashcam wreck videos on Youtube.  There is just something about gross stupidity being played out on highways and city streets that is both fascinating and irresistible to watch.  
It points out how many drivers have utterly no idea what is going on around them as they drive.  The number of people driving right into oncoming traffic beggars the imagination!  As well as speeding on rainy, snowy and icy roads.

 

[AngryVanMan]

The one I decided on last time for my car was informed by dashcamtalk.com reviews and forum, I went with the predecessor to this one, which is sold by Pier28 on Amazon and was a 1080p model with good night time performance.  The new model looks a bit better, and the CPL filter can eliminate glare from the windshield glass when the Sun is in the "wrong" spot.

I use a 64GB card and it saves roughly 16 hours of driving, which seems to give me about a 2 week buffer of data to review when necessary.

On the van build, I will be going with several 4K UHD DVR+cameras intended for business security, for better situational awareness when running blacked out.  I haven't decided on the exact design of the new system yet, I need to do some more planning on that.

 

[Nomad]

I just repurposed my old cell with an app works awesome for a dashcam and I call it free since It would just sit in a drawer otherwise till I spring clean and chuck it out...

 

[gojo]

I will be watching this thread daily. I want to put a cam on the dash and the rear. I would like to see the recommendation on good quality cams.
Now the reason I want one on the rear and one on front.
Wife and I were going to Austin TX . We decided to stop in Smithville to buy some snacks. I went into a turning lane to enter a grocery store parking lot. When I was waiting for, on coming traffic a car smacks me in the rear. My truck had no damage because the car hit the bumper. The small car was in pretty bad shape. I parked in the parking lot, a lady approached me and said, we don't have to call the cops, just pay for her damages. I act as if I didn't hear her and called the police depart. When the cop came, she told him that I was backing my vehicle down the hyway. I thought to myself, hey what going on. I asked her if she's been drinking in front of the cop. By his expression, I don't think he believed her. Anyway, my insurance took care of this and she end up paying me $125 for a little dent on my bumper.

OK here is why I told this story, which probably shouldn't be in this thread but this is why I think everybody should have a dash cam.
The lady that hit me was a dispatcher for the city's police department and she didn't have insurance. How about that, ain't that a shame! This took place in 1997.....

 

[Patrick46]

WOW...crazy story Gojo!!

the police dispatcher, AND uninsured??? FAIL!!

 

[rvpopeye]

Whenever my 92 year old mom drives , I tell her "Watch out for idiots , they're everywhere"
Maybe I should add "and scammers"....

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I've been wanting to add a dash cam to my truck, but haven't started researching which one to get just yet. Looks like a lot of people just stick their GoPro on the dash while driving. Although I've never been in an accident where I wished I had a video of it for proof, I do know it's always a possibility. I have however seen a few accidents I wished I had caught on camera. Going to visit my uncle in New Hampshire in 2004 ( I only remember the year because I had just bought a new F-150, my first new vehicle when I was 24) and on the ride up, I must have witnessed at least a dozen cars slide off the roads and into the ditch and passed another two dozen already in the ditch. Road conditions must have been just right for sliding, however, I never had any trouble : )

 

[dhawktx]

I was backing my Saturn wagon out of a small parking space in front of a shop when an ancient Fiat zipped in behind me so that I tagged the driver's front quarter panel. Which was already pretty banged up. The driver was actually grinning when we exchanged info. I was livid when I spoke with my agent and told him to make sure and check the guy's history as I was pretty sure he'd done it on purpose.

 

[debit.servus]

I will look into this model.  Going "cheap" absolutely does not work.

Do look into the Pilot Automotive Dash Camera, which can be found sometimes in WALMART; order it from WALMART.com to save going to up to  10 WALMARTs to hunt it down. This is the best dash camera I found under $50, and it's going strong 8 months after putting it in the van.

For those who want a decent 2-channel dash camera under $100 with the option of GPS, here is one to look at. If you can afford to do so, pay a few dollars more for a dash camera from a US seller with a warranty/3 month return policy or get a protection plan from SQUARETRADE or ASURION that covers it if/when it goes bust. If one has doubts on the longevity, but it from a physical store or from the online side of a physical store. AFAIK, things from WALMART.com can be returned at ANY WALMART store.

I almost bought one a few months ago for the same reasons mentioned above. I received an email "alert", probably from NewEgg, about a dash cam that was marked down 50% to only $140. Well, long story short, I ended up stuck in what I call Reviewalysis...it happens when I start shopping, reading reviews, finding negative stuff, following links, reading more reviews, wash-rinse-ad nauseum. Then I have spent an hour or more and usually if I started looking at a $100 item, I ended up thinking I should probably get the $500 version. Then I'm sick of it and quit.

But anyway, would certainly be happy to hear positive feedback about specific models...I'll check out that Garmin, as they've always had a good name.

I used to be big on Reviewanalysis but realized in most cases there is no "perfect" product for me at the right price, so I aim for "decent", "good", to "great". One thing to think about (garnered from Tim Ferrises 4 Hour Work Week) is to think of the worst case scenario if the product doesn't work out or goes bust. Most of the time one can return the product or sell it to recover most of the costs. Very seldom the worst case scenario is one is out the money paid for the product.

The one I decided on last time for my car was informed by dashcamtalk.com reviews and forum, I went with the predecessor to this one, which is sold by Pier28 on Amazon and was a 1080p model with good night time performance.  The new model looks a bit better, and the CPL filter can eliminate glare from the windshield glass when the Sun is in the "wrong" spot.

I use a 64GB card and it saves roughly 16 hours of driving, which seems to give me about a 2 week buffer of data to review when necessary.

On the van build, I will be going with several 4K UHD DVR+cameras intended for business security, for better situational awareness when running blacked out.  I haven't decided on the exact design of the new system yet, I need to do some more planning on that.

Sounds like you got money. My dream CAR DVR system would have 5 cameras wired to a hidden DVR unit recording in a high-bitrate color SD video w/ audio or HD. With a second hard drive hidden in a completely different part of the van wired discretely, so if theives find and steal the main unit the hidden hard drive still has video of what happened up to when they pulled the plug.

This took place in 1997.....

Dash cameras were around in 1997 but just for cops, other high-level uses and techies. The $20 cheap Chinese dash cameras from EBAY have better video quality than the best TV studios had in the 50s (when broadcast Television was brand new).

I was backing my Saturn wagon out of a small parking space in front of a shop when an ancient Fiat zipped in behind me so that I tagged the driver's front quarter panel. Which was already pretty banged up. The driver was actually grinning when we exchanged info. I was livid when I spoke with my agent and told him to make sure and check the guy's history as I was pretty sure he'd done it on purpose.

That is a good strategy for those who are poor bois and want to "finance" a new ride or rig, except don't cause a collision on purpose. Have a beater car and full comp. and collision insurance. The car has to be valued so that $200 of damage is considered "totaled". Go about your life until somebody hits the car, it catches fire for whatever reason or gets stolen/broken into for whatever reason. If/When this happens, file a claim; following a "don't ask don't tell" process, and collect the check from the insurance company. Buy another car with the check.

 

[highdesertranger]

if the car is only valued at 200 bucks, that's all the insurance company is going to give you. how is that going to get you a new car? for heavens sakes just get a job and buy a new car. highdesertranger