Recommendations for a dash cam?

[s0me0nesmind1]

Hello ATOT,

I'm looking for some recommendations on a dash cam. Seems like it's more and more important these days to have video footage of road rage and accidents. I'm looking for some recommendations.

Not looking for it to be super fancy, main thing is that it obviously needs to record. I've heard people here recommend "Dual lens" ones. Is that necessary?

My main credential for choosing is that I want it to be fairly easy to hide or make it not very noticeable. Reason being is that I don't want the camera itself to be an item that thieves will smash my window just to try and steal the actual camera when I'm not present in the vehicle.... Because I hope to just leave it in the car and have it always running when the vehicle is on. Or is it something I'm going to need to hide and setup every time I get in and out of my vehicle daily?

 

[manly]

https://dashcamtalk.com/

From what I understand, Viofo A119 is the way to go for under $100.

I bought a battery-based one (Vantrue OnDash R2) last year and never installed it. The battery probably won't do well unless you live in a mild year-round climate.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

I use a capacitor based A119, and it works very well. A "dual-lens" cam is probably a two part camera, one for the front and one for the rear. That can be very helpful if someone rear-ends you and you can prove they were texting or never slowed down.

Budget is very important to know though, the A118C is only ~$70 now whereas a very nice dual-lens setup with a good US-based warranty can be over $400.

As for looks, the A119 I have is nearly hidden and doesn't look expensive. I imagine thieves would break into my car for something else before the camera. It's got some issues with power delivery, but I honestly think my car is the problem there. Dashcamtalk is a very good website for everything you'd like to know too.

 

[Jaepheth]

I bought a Blacksys CF-100 Dual channel HD dashboard camera
Reasons:
1. It gets HOT in Texas, so I needed a capacitor camera
2. Front and back camera
3. CF-100 is discontinued, so I could get it pretty cheap (about $100 when I got it a year ago)


...Now that I'm typing this though it occurs to me that I have yet to pull the memory card and make sure it's recording worth a damn, lol.

 

[KMFJD]

I was thinking of recording my drive up to the Inuvik on one , not sure if it's really feasible or if i'd get fed up having to constantly transfer sd cards and copy data...

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I use a capacitor based A119, and it works very well. A "dual-lens" cam is probably a two part camera, one for the front and one for the rear. That can be very helpful if someone rear-ends you and you can prove they were texting or never slowed down.

From what I've heard, essentially if someone rear ends you it's 99.99% their fault (as far as which side insurance sides with) every time. Not sure how true that is, but seems plausible.

Curious how useful it is for recording other problems, or if a single lens facing the front is enough. Basically, looking to get a camera for mom and the wife for mother's day.

 

[JEDI]

gw1c (cap

https://dashcamtalk.com/

From what I understand, Viofo A119 is the way to go for under $100.

I bought a battery-based one (Vantrue OnDash R2) last year and never installed it. The battery probably won't do well unless you live in a mild year-round climate.

they're no longer recommending gw1c (c for capacitor version) ~$30 on sale?
(I bought this last year. works fine)

 

[Svnla]

I purchased a Vantrue N1 for about $60 last year from Amazon. Quality (audio and video) was not bad at all. I just click it on the holder on the front windshield and take it out to put it in the glove box when I am out of the vehicle.

https://www.amazon.com/VANTRUE-Upgr...8&qid=1494342550&sr=8-7&keywords=vantrue&th=1

 

[Tweak155]

Anyone have opinions about using a phone app and just using your phone as the camera? I've heard this can be a decent option too, you would just have to buy a mount so it's placed correctly.

 

[Kaido]

Hello ATOT,

I'm looking for some recommendations on a dash cam. Seems like it's more and more important these days to have video footage of road rage and accidents. I'm looking for some recommendations.

Not looking for it to be super fancy, main thing is that it obviously needs to record. I've heard people here recommend "Dual lens" ones. Is that necessary?

My main credential for choosing is that I want it to be fairly easy to hide or make it not very noticeable. Reason being is that I don't want the camera itself to be an item that thieves will smash my window just to try and steal the actual camera when I'm not present in the vehicle.... Because I hope to just leave it in the car and have it always running when the vehicle is on. Or is it something I'm going to need to hide and setup every time I get in and out of my vehicle daily?

Do you have a budget in mind? BlackVue has really nice dual-lens units (records front & rear). The Spytec K1S is also a solid option for about a hundred bucks less.

The nice thing about the Spytec unit is that you can hide the recorder/viewer in your glovebox or somewhere else & just stick the cameras on separately:

http://www.spytecinc.com/k1s-1080p-dual-car-dash-camera.html

 

[solidstar]

I am using a Z-Edge Z3, it has high quality videos that are so detailed you’ll need a high resolution monitor or TV to view them in all their glory. https://www.lifewire.com/best-dash-cams-to-buy-4062264

 

[UnklSnappy]

I would recommend that you get one that comes with or has the option of a CPL filter. Really cuts down on dash reflections and windshield glare.

 

[JEDI]

what dashcams cut down on the flare at night from traffic lights and car's tail/brake lights?
ie: my gw1c dos NOT

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Do you have a budget in mind? BlackVue has really nice dual-lens units (records front & rear). The Spytec K1S is also a solid option for about a hundred bucks less.

The nice thing about the Spytec unit is that you can hide the recorder/viewer in your glovebox or somewhere else & just stick the cameras on separately:

http://www.spytecinc.com/k1s-1080p-dual-car-dash-camera.html

Not bad - Looks good for concealing it a bit so people don't notice and steal it. My only issue would be hiding those USB cables? Or is that kind of inevitable of routing it all the way to the glove box?

EDIT: But reviews on Amazon are decently negative...?

 

[Kaido]

Not bad - Looks good for concealing it a bit so people don't notice and steal it. My only issue would be hiding those USB cables? Or is that kind of inevitable of routing it all the way to the glove box?

EDIT: But reviews on Amazon are decently negative...?

The Blackvue is a much better 2-camera unit, but also a lot more expensive. But, it depends on the level of convenience you want, and how much that convenience would be worth to you in the event of an accident & being able to provide footage of the incident.

You'll have to route wires anyway, unless you want to run a battery-operated camera, which means you either have to remember to switch out the batteries, or plug in a charging wire once in awhile, both of which are a hassle because you can't just turn on your car & drive without having to think about it. A lot of the newer models use capacitors instead of batteries, since the batteries can sometimes overheat & bulge out.

As an alternative to running a dual-camera model, you can just buy two well-rated cheaper units & stick one in the front and one in the back:

https://www.amazon.com/A118-C-Capacitor-G-Sensor-Records-Recording/dp/B00SK8B47W

Most dashcams have some level of negative reviews...pretty much any camera with a lot of ratings doesn't max out above 4 stars or so. There are some exceptions, however:

https://www.amazon.com/ITrue-2-7Inch-1080P-degree-Vision/dp/B015DGMV4S

Although that isn't exactly the most discreet design