Recommendations for camera/camcorder?

[macmccune]

I am wondering if anyone has experience with different camcorders with still picture ability.
I will be doing quite a bit of research on cameras today. I want something that I can take still pictures at decent resolution. I also want the ability to record video at framerates of at least 60 fps.
I plan to keep the camera recording on my dash while I am driving, so in the event of an accident I can show my point of view.
I dont want to spend much more than 100 dollars, and in 2014 it shouldnt be hard to find a decent camera in this price range.
I have cameras on old smartphones, which take stills up to 8 mp, but the camcorder records at 24 fps. Driving at speed this is just too choppy.
The gopro line is very nice, but a bit pricey. I cant help but feel like I would be paying for the name, similar to an Apple product.
I prefer to have a viewfinder, though most modern cameras only have the screen. This is not a deal breaker though. It is almost necessary to have an sd card slot, as long drives at 30-60 fps will overwhelm any internal storage in a short time.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations, and I will be posting my considerations here for anyone looking for something similar.

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Seems like most cameras under 300 dollars dont record at higher than 30 frames per second. I think I will be better off keeping a smartphone around for pictures, and buying a dual lens dashcam like this
http://www.amazon.com/Board-Camera-...F8&qid=1394784659&sr=1-1&keywords=dash+camera
To run in my car.
I want something with a high enough resolution for license plates. I read an article recently that said 1 in 10 drivers dont have a license/license is suspended, and a similar percentage dont have insurance.
The amount of drivers using the telephone while driving increases every day, and the phone are getting more complicated and requiring more attention. I noticed that while the cameras record at just 30 fps, most of the dash cameras have a gps tracker to monitor speed, which might be just as good.

 

[macmccune]

The general consensus is that the G1W dash cam is the best for ~$50.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/310891426086
This is the best bet for me it seems, and it records 720p at 60 fps.
I have no reason to spend any more, after all I do have a decent camera on my phone. This has the wide angles I need for traffic as well.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

The one you linked to on eBay is a seller in China and feedback on his lines of cams doesn't look all that good.
I'd look for a seller on this side of the world with a better product.
From what I understand, a fair dash cam is around $100.
A few here use them...maybe they'll pop in with a recommendation based on experience.

 

[akrvbob]

I understand that the Gopro is out of your price range, they are very expensive. But you aren't just paying for the name. I once had one on a suction cup mounted to the outside of my van and it came off at 60 mpg. Turned around and got it and it was still recording all the cars driving over the top of it on the street. Kept on working perfectly every since.

It's not right for your application but you do get everything you pay for when it is the right application: a virtually indestructable camera that takes great video and stills.
Bob

 

[minimotos95]

i recently replaced my original 512x384 gopro hero wide with a used HD hero 2, it records 30fps at 1080p, 60fps at 720p or 120fps at WVGA. it cost me $150 but came with a bunch of accessories, including the LCD back pack thing. if you want to hook a gopro up to the 12v system of your car/truck/van/rv like other delicate devices you need a quality USB adapter to ensure it's getting clean power. managing camera batteries sucks if you're using it everyday
gopros work great on motorcycle helmets and the outside of cars but i'm not sure about as a dash cam.

factor the cost of higher capacity SD cards for long drives in your budget too, unless you get a camera with auto overwrite(which i have seen ruin crash footage)

really with gopro you are paying for durability and video quality, the sony action camera is a good alternative as is the drift, contour, garmin or replay xd. none of which are dash cams but i think they will serve the purpose if needed.

be weary of how cameras do in low light, if you drive at night search around and look at videos

the difference between 30fps on a dedicated camera and 24fps on a phone is pretty noticeable, i think it's the way it's processed or compressed. everything on youtube is 30fps and movies are recorded at 24fps so choppy-ness isn't all about the frame rate

 

[macmccune]

The one you linked to on eBay is a seller in China and feedback on his lines of cams doesn't look all that good.
I'd look for a seller on this side of the world with a better product.
From what I understand, a fair dash cam is around $100.
A few here use them...maybe they'll pop in with a recommendation based on experience.

The G1W is about as china as they get, haha. Its cheap in the sense that the mount is plastic, the case is plastic, the buttons are cheap plastic, and the firmware has been used on thousands of chinese cameras.
The actual hardware is decent for the price though. The lens is good, with a wide angle, and the chipset is the Novatek 96650. As long as the chinese manufacturing plant can handle soldering the usb inputs together, there shouldnt be any problems.
The main issues people have with this camera is that they use an SD card class that is too fast.. It can only handle class 4 or 6 and people use class 10+.

I understand that the Gopro is out of your price range, they are very expensive. But you aren't just paying for the name. I once had one on a suction cup mounted to the outside of my van and it came off at 60 mpg. Turned around and got it and it was still recording all the cars driving over the top of it on the street. Kept on working perfectly every since.

It's not right for your application but you do get everything you pay for when it is the right application: a virtually indestructable camera that takes great video and stills.
Bob

I remember seeing a video of a gopro falling off the side of a motorcycle, the story was similar to yours. That is good quality, and in a few years I might get one when the price goes down. If the price goes down, that is. Seems to be the most popular camera in the world, and the prices for the old models reflect that.

 

[wagoneer]

Where is caseyc when we need him.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

macmccune, If you like the camera I'm suggesting you look for it elsewhere. Its often hard to return an item to a China seller once you get the junk. Many of them sell knock-offs, so you may not even be getting the product you really want. I'm an adviser on an eBay help board and I can relate some horror stories.
Just sayin....use caution.

 

[pirateexplorer]

Watch some youtube videos on helmet cams or bike mounted cams. I'm big on motorcycles so I have a few of these. I know GoPro is kinda the go to camera, however I think it's a bit pricey and there's stuff on the market I find just as cool with not the high price tag.

I'd recommend you do some youtubing of motorcycle helmet cams. Alot of guys have side by side comparisons so you can see the gopro next to the ionpro and other cams side by side. You can see one may take clearer pics but not have as good a stabalizer or one may have better low light video but not as good under regular conditions.

All these camers have tradeoffs, one may be better in low light, the ohter may be better underwwater, etc. I like that some of the other cameras don't require the casing like GoPro does which gives a clearer pic and one less accessory to buy.

Two of my favorites are the iOn Air Pro 3 which is pricey but still cheaper than go pro and I think a better quality cam as well. I also think the Polaroid XS100 is an awesome camera for the price.

Here's reviews of about a dozenn of the more popular cams...

http://motorcyclehelmetcamera.blogspot.com/

 

[caseyc]

Okay, I'll chime in for a tidbit here. If you really want to use a video camera as a dashcam, you really need to get something that is designed to be used as a dashcam. A dashcam is designed to record video onto a memory card continuously 24/7, and with little to no human intervention required. That is the ideal scenario. A dashcam is designed to record in short clips (eg: MPEG 4 files) whereby the earliest/oldest video clips will be automatically deleted and written over with new video by the dashcam. This means YOU the human user don't have to manually delete the video when the memory card is full. That would be a drag to have to constantly and manually erase/reformat the memory card when it gets full. That is why I don't think a video recording device such as a GoPro camera (or similar) is suited as a dashcam on a 24/7 continuous basis. That's because a GoPro camera requires human intervention of having to erase a full memory card. If you manually forget to erase a full memory card, well then, nothing new gets recorded.

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EDIT: here's my vote for a "real" dashcam that is meant to be used for driving, and is pretty much a "hands off" device once its setup the first time:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...Pix47brq70CFUoV7Aod7TsASw&Q=&is=REG&A=details

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Here's another link for the BlackVue dashcam:

http://www.amazon.com/Blackvue-DR50...=1395687241&sr=8-5&keywords=blackvue+dash+cam

 

[pirateexplorer]

Okay, I'll chime in for a tidbit here. If you really want to use a video camera as a dashcam, you really need to get something that is designed to be used as a dashcam. A dashcam is designed to record video onto a memory card continuously 24/7, and with little to no human intervention required. That is the ideal scenario. A dashcam is designed to record in short clips (eg: MPEG 4 files) whereby the earliest/oldest video clips will be automatically deleted and written over with new video by the dashcam. This means YOU the human user don't have to manually delete the video when the memory card is full. That would be a drag to have to constantly and manually erase/reformat the memory card when it gets full. That is why I don't think a video recording device such as a GoPro camera (or similar) is suited as a dashcam on a 24/7 continuous basis. That's because a GoPro camera requires human intervention of having to erase a full memory card. If you manually forget to erase a full memory card, well then, nothing new gets recorded.

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EDIT: here's my vote for a "real" dashcam that is meant to be used for driving, and is pretty much a "hands off" device once its setup the first time:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...Pix47brq70CFUoV7Aod7TsASw&Q=&is=REG&A=details

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Here's another link for the BlackVue dashcam:

http://www.amazon.com/Blackvue-DR50...=1395687241&sr=8-5&keywords=blackvue+dash+cam

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Good point, but many of the gopro like cameras do have a loop feature like your saying. I don't recall off the top of my head which do but many of them will coninuusly record and erase old stuff and re-record unless you have an incident and need to pull footage off which you can