Dashcam, which one ?

[AdmysterC63]

Looking at getting a dash cam in my c63 and want one with front and rear cameras - what one is best to go for ? Anyone have one ? What product do you recommend , have been told the new blackvue 2 channel one is the way to go, any advice welcome please.

 

[flowrider]

Looking at getting a dash cam in my c63 and want one with front and rear cameras - what one is best to go for ? Anyone have one ? What product do you recommend , have been told the new blackvue 2 channel one is the way to go, any advice welcome please.

Most 2ch dashcams are of poor video quality compared to single dashcams. An alternative would be to buy 2 dashcams. I recommend you read the info and forums at www.dashcamtalk.com for opinions on most of the dashcams available.

 

[robtt]

Transcend DrivePro 200. Get on Amazon for £80.00 . Best buy on Auto Express. I have had mine for a few months and it is good. Get their mounting bracket as an extra though as the supplied one is just a sticky pad.

 

[stevehg]

A bright yellow one, that when the ignition is on it admits an audible warning for service mechanics to get a move on as they are being recorded!

 

[flowrider]

A bright yellow one, that when the ignition is on it admits an audible warning for service mechanics to get a move on as they are being recorded!

 

[AdmysterC63]

^^^^^^^
pmsl

 

[Giantvanman]

I have been too-ing and fro-ing about dash cams for a while now and came to the conclusion that all of them had areas of concern (e.g. picture quality, robustness, software, how they handle changes of light/bright light etc etc). Not wanting GPS, I am fairly certain that I will go the GoPro route.
There is a loop mode, has wifi, it's built to record wide frame fast images and handles light changes well. And it has other uses! The only downside I can see is that the camera has to be turned on/off manually.

 

[BTB 500]

Isn't another downside to a GoPro that it's a bit visible/valuable/nickable? I'd have thought you wanted something as 'built in' as possible, so it's always there.

 

[Giantvanman]

Isn't another downside to a GoPro that it's a bit visible/valuable/nickable? I'd have thought you wanted something as 'built in' as possible, so it's always there.

That would be true if it were left attached but I would no sooner leave a GoPro in view as I would a dash cam.
Robustness for me includes being able to be fitted and removed every time on the basis that, even if it were a cheap model, there would always be some ner-do-well who would break glass/damage locks/paint/fixings to get at it and that is inconvenience I don't want.
I realise that there would be no 'parking function' but it is a small trade off for me.

 

[Sp!ke]

SJCam 4000 (with or without Wifi) is what I would recommend currently.

I have an early SJ1000 that gets used as a dashcam for 99% of the time and has been in daily use (auto start/stop) for a year with no problems.

The great thing is that It also gets taken out of the car to be used for holiday video's and other action cam style tasks including underwater use.

Cheap too.

Here's some test footage from last year. From my SJ1000

[YOUTUBE]OZqrAGXDcVo[/YOUTUBE]

 

[benzw205]

Blackvue dashcams are the best ones.

 

[GLK]

I've had BlackVue dashcams for over three years, but my next one won't be one of theirs ...

I now quite like the idea of a cam recording basic info from OBDII - turn signals, throttle position, brakes, gear in addition to standard date/time/speed. Not many dashcams are capable of doing this yet, but if I were to buy one today, it'll be this one: BlackSys CL-100B, even though I do not like its form factor / size / screen, and would preferred a similar shape to BlackVue 400 - 500 range.

 

[Frankor]

Rats!!! I've been using the Blackvue DR400 HG for a few years now - very happy with it.
Bought through Amazon from a very helpful seller.
Recently went on-line to upgrade the firmware in an attempt to be rid of the Korean voiceover when the camera boots from a clean SD card.

"Press Realese form Pittasoft Co. Ltd Ref to unauthorised sellers - Amazon & Ebay

Regrettably, in our sales policy, we cannot provide any warranty service including F/W changing or upgrading for the products which are purchased through all of the unauthorized global on-line such as markets (www.amazon.com and www.ebay.com etc..) and illegal parallel exports. (also If it is with Korean voice guide, it must be a illegally purchased product.)

Best Regards,
Pittasoft Co., Ltd"

So be careful where you buy from

 

[GLK]

Rats!!! I've been using the Blackvue DR400 HG for a few years now - very happy with it.
Bought through Amazon from a very helpful seller.
Recently went on-line to upgrade the firmware in an attempt to be rid of the Korean voiceover when the camera boots from a clean SD card.
[...]
So be careful where you buy from

Not a problem - very easy to update Korean firmware to English, also there's a customised version about, which allows you to change bitrate - mine is running at 15Mbps (had it on 18Mbps, but couldn't see the difference) and I don't even remember, when was the last time that I saw any artifacts (leaves pixellated, etc) in my footage.

Actually, the whole thing is easier to do with Korean firmware as a starting point - I had to go through a couple of more steps to get there, because I had official English version, and all the customised stuff been written for "grey" imports

Just have a look at DashCamTalk forum.

 

[Frankor]

Not a problem - very easy to update Korean firmware to English, also there's a customised version about, which allows you to change bitrate - mine is running at 15Mbps (had it on 18Mbps, but couldn't see the difference) and I don't even remember, when was the last time that I saw any artifacts (leaves pixellated, etc) in my footage.

Actually, the whole thing is easier to do with Korean firmware as a starting point - I had to go through a couple of more steps to get there, because I had official English version, and all the customised stuff been written for "grey" imports

Just have a look at DashCamTalk forum.

Thanks for that GLK - I'll have a look this weekend.
(Hope I break it in order to justify buying a 700 series with front & rear cameras)

 

[vealige]

I use the mini 0803 as I wanted a small camera but with great quality video. Its very cheap and works perfectly with a good picture day or night. With a 32gb micro sd card you get about 5 hours of recording before it loops on 1080p setting. The standard playback software is junk so its worth downloading other.

Biggest selling point for me was its size as you can tuck it behind your rear view mirror and forget it's there and it doesn't attract unwanted attention.

The techmoan video review is very detailed if you have 20 mins or so to spare.

http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2014/6/15/mini-0803-probably-the-best-mini-dashcam-with-a-screen.html

http://dashboardcamerareviews.com/mini-0803/

 

[Spinal]

The SJ4000 is what I've been after... they come up on amazon prime for £35 once a month... the other amazon sellers ship from china... so I'm waiting for it to come up

 

[camerafodder]

Rats!!! I've been using the Blackvue DR400 HG for a few years now - very happy with it.
Bought through Amazon from a very helpful seller.
Recently went on-line to upgrade the firmware in an attempt to be rid of the Korean voiceover when the camera boots from a clean SD card.

"Press Realese form Pittasoft Co. Ltd Ref to unauthorised sellers - Amazon & Ebay

Regrettably, in our sales policy, we cannot provide any warranty service including F/W changing or upgrading for the products which are purchased through all of the unauthorized global on-line such as markets (www.amazon.com and www.ebay.com etc..) and illegal parallel exports. (also If it is with Korean voice guide, it must be a illegally purchased product.)

Best Regards,
Pittasoft Co., Ltd"

So be careful where you buy from

Hmm. I wonder what is 'illegal' about them. I suspect nothing.

 

[BTB 500]

The SJ4000 is what I've been after... they come up on amazon prime for £35 once a month... the other amazon sellers ship from china... so I'm waiting for it to come up

AFAIK there are a lot of fake SJ4000s around, so be careful.

 

[kimbos1961]

Morning, I was wondering if there are any further thoughts on dashcam?
my primary requirement is for it to be dashboard mounted rather than on the windscreen (on my car i think there is enough electronics behind the mirror as it is)
thanks
kim