Topic: Best dash cam?

[austenjanzen]

I'm looking at purchasing a dash cam, and I'm just curious what's the best out there?

I've heard lots about blackvue (expensive) but is it actually worth it? Seen some for $50-$200 but it blackvue really worth the $450+ price tag

[Asstuna]

Search these forums for "dash cam"
Check it out.

[Jay89]

If you want a black vue wait till it goes on sale. Always sales or group buys for it. Unless you need one like now 

Depends on what you'll use it for. I know some use their go pro, I have a black vue. Love it, it's small and not the most obvious. Mines hidden behind my rear view mirror so I don't see it much. I usually let it do its thing, don't look at the videos much at all. Quality is very nice though when you do need it.

[wrxsti15]

I'm waiting for some better offers on 4ch... So far on the market only Chinese products with low quality videos...
I would like to put two outside front and back, and two inside back to back in middle of car to record 360.

[Ambystom01]

You say you want the best, yet you're also concerned about price. What actually is your priority?

[Jay89]

You say you want the best, yet you're also concerned about price. What actually is your priority?

Im assuming he wants the best but doesn't want to pay the premium if the cheaper ones do just as good. I think he's asking for reviews or advice.

[Ambystom01]

That depends on what exactly he wants. The "best" have various features that the cheaper models don't have. They all record video, but so does a gopro or just your camera.

[austenjanzen]

Im asking if it's worth the money, I don't mind spending $450+ on what's a good quality product but I am curious if there are any other ones on the market comparable for cheaper, or should I just buy a go-pro


I know dash cams have navigation linked into them so it's a plus

[Jay89]

If all you're looking for is just video for "just in case" then a go pro will work just fine. You can take it with you too when you do other stuff like snow boarding, skiing, water sports, etc. Not so much with a dedicated dash cam.

I have my blackvue hooked up to switched 12v power. Meaning it turns on when I have the car on, turns off when I have the car off.

Again it all depends on what you want out of it. Do you want the gps, speeds, date and time stamps on your videos? The other question is how it looks.  Some don't mind having a smallish go pro, I personally like the look of a black vue. It's smaller, and easier to hide

[10secdream]

I personally have a Mini 0806 and for the most part I am very pleased. It has GPS, small and pretty inexpensive. Also supports up to 256gb of storage via 2 microSD slots.

http://www.amazon.ca/EnjoyGadgets-Camera-FullHD-Wide-angle-Replaces/dp/B0145EV4T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450883549&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+0806

[Jay89]

I personally have a Mini 0806 and for the most part I am very pleased. It has GPS, small and pretty inexpensive. Also supports up to 256gb of storage via 2 microSD slots.

http://www.amazon.ca/EnjoyGadgets-Camera-FullHD-Wide-angle-Replaces/dp/B0145EV4T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450883549&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+0806

Oooooo that looks nice and small...might have to get one now lol

[kijho]

I personally have a Mini 0806 and for the most part I am very pleased. It has GPS, small and pretty inexpensive. Also supports up to 256gb of storage via 2 microSD slots.

http://www.amazon.ca/EnjoyGadgets-Camera-FullHD-Wide-angle-Replaces/dp/B0145EV4T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450883549&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+0806

Is yours hard-wired?  I have a similar one (possibly model down, by OjoCam) and it's pretty good. It's not as great quality to see license plates very easily however, especially during winter when they're filthy/ covered in dirt..

[10secdream]

Is yours hard-wired?  I have a similar one (possibly model down, by OjoCam) and it's pretty good. It's not as great quality to see license plates very easily however, especially during winter when they're filthy/ covered in dirt..

Mine is currently not hardwired but I have the wires tucked through the headliner.

Pretty sure you have the Mini 0805. The 0806 is a bit better quality but no where near a blackvue. You get what you pay for at the end of the day.

[RedndWhite]

Do the dash cams also work well in place of a gopro for autox?

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Do the dash cams also work well in place of a gopro for autox?

They're alright. I used the blackvue in my STi. But you only get 1 angle. I really want to pick up a DRG-650 for the GTI. Dat 2ch goodness.

[10secdream]

Do the dash cams also work well in place of a gopro for autox?

Gopro is superior in video/sound quality for sure.

[ultimatt]

Gopro is superior in video/sound quality for sure.

Yup. I still use my blackvue more just because it's already hooked up. Since it has the 'event sensors' or whatever it usually starts the video at the start of the run automatically too.

[STI 2NV]

http://www.blackboxmycar.com/collections/koonlung/products/koonlung-c81-dash-cam

I personally really like this one for single channel use. it records wider than anything else I have used to date. it also records at 1296p@30fps, but more importantly it records 1080p@45fps which makes the video so much smoother than most cameras I have used so far. This is my fav unit under $200.00. I use it when borrowing cars or in rental cars now.

Personally I still have my Blackvue 550-2 in all of my vehicles however the audio recording quality still bothers me with this unit. I hear its better in the 650-2/750-2

I know you mentioned in your original post that lots of dash cams have navigation on them. GPS doesn't always mean navigation, it uses the gPS so it knows where is is and how fast you are going in most units.Just so your not expecting a feature that you may or may not get in the camera you buy.

[Ambystom01]

If all you're looking for is just video for "just in case" then a go pro will work just fine. You can take it with you too when you do other stuff like snow boarding, skiing, water sports, etc. Not so much with a dedicated dash cam.

I have my blackvue hooked up to switched 12v power. Meaning it turns on when I have the car on, turns off when I have the car off.

Again it all depends on what you want out of it. Do you want the gps, speeds, date and time stamps on your videos? The other question is how it looks.  Some don't mind having a smallish go pro, I personally like the look of a black vue. It's smaller, and easier to hide

This. What specifically do you want? Do you care about things like navigation and GPS? Do you want it to link to your phone or automatically upload the video? Do you want to hardwire it to the car? It's difficult to tell you what a good camera is if you're not clear on what features are important to you.

[Rich]

http://www.gearbest.com/car-dvr/pp_196898.html

Cheap, takes the moving still pictures, it doesn't explode. 

[STI 2NV]

http://www.gearbest.com/car-dvr/pp_196898.html

Cheap, takes the moving still pictures, it doesn't explode.

I have tested this unit here. The only problem I have with this unit is it doesn't have any compression software so it fills memory cards rather quickly. You cant complain about the price to video quality though. 100MB a minute on medium quality.

[JohnnyCanuck]

I've had the Panorama II for 2 years now, never had a problem with it; you can use a 128gb card in it  https://dashcamtalk.com/powerucc-panoramaii/

[coop3422]

Will police/insurance companies actually use the film to prove you're innocent? I'm sure they do, but I'm curious because I was in an accident where the person even admitted guilt and I still had to pay my deductible.

[Canuckrz]

I'm sure that's a case by case basis kind of thing.

[Phr00t]

What's the cheapest decent cam I can get with a Speedometer? Would like to have my speed readout for rally stuff.