Who here runs a dash cam?
 

An interesting road rage incident today has made me decide it's time for a dash cam. The nutbag got butt hurt because I went around him when he refused to make a turn onto a main road when there were no oncoming cars. He gunned it, passed me on the left, jumped into my lane and slammed his brakes on to a complete stop. When I went to change lanes, he blocked me and brake checked me again. I didn't hit him. A similar thing happened to me about five yrs. ago too and in the middle of nowhere, where there would have been no witnesses.

I'm thinking a dash cam would be a good investment. What to get and how much am I looking at?

I tossed in a cheap one a while back when one of my neighbors who is a road bike fanatic ran a stop sign and short lefted into my lane nearly becoming a hood ornament then gave ME a dirty look.

3rd time I've nearly taken her out because she does not obey the rules of the road and pops up out of no where.

I'm impressed with the idea enough that I'm looking into something a bit spendier.

My limited research so far has shown the cheap stuff, like in the $20-40 range is a crapshoot. They work but have a high failure rate so it may be worth buying on the north side of $50.

I'd happily pay $50-100. Just don't want to get into Go Pro price territory.

Helpful article I found while researching.

The Best Dash Cam | The Wirecutter

Here is the one I have:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KAY2DJM?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative =6738&tag=ezvid02-20&creativeASIN=B00KAY2DJM

Works fine, records in 1080P, has loop recording (erases the oldest file once card is full) and holds something like 30 hours of recording. Caught an accident on it a couple weeks ago, nothing serious but its fun to catch those kind of things.

Bought this one for my RV, $30 or so, works for me.

Amazon.com: SENWOW GS8000L Car DVR 1080P,HD Black Box Traveling Driving Data Recorder Camcorder Vehicle Camera Night Version Dashboard Dash Cam With 120 Degree Angle View Black, Come with 8GB TF Memory Card: Cell Phones & Accessories

I've been using one for about 3 years... It's nice to know it's there. (Navman Mivue 530 $110 AUD)

It looks like it obstructs your vision in this photo but it doesn't. After a while you barely notice it's there.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1463716161.jpg

Sub'd

Black Box G1W is what I got two years ago. Haven't really captured anything noteworthy.

I've got a navman too. I'm happy with it.

I took the plunge after I got hosed by my insurance in the he-said-she-said mess that followed an accident in which my car was written off by an idiot that skipped a red light. Went for a cheap Chinese black box that has worked flawlessly for the year I've had it. Has front and rear facing cameras, and records in 1080. Oldest files get overwritten so I never have to worry about the data card getting full.

For your entertainment, here's a little video it took of a confrontation I had with a taxi driver a while back: (Oh and we drive on the left here!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmAU_LSM1bI

I run a cheap Chinese one bought via Bangood for less than $25, and does all I need it to.

Willem, my blood pressure was going up just watching the video! I don't think I could put up with that long.

I had a much shorter version of that pulling into a local gas station. I moron trying to leave the station was in the wrong lane and I had to just stop. He acted like I should get out of the way. I just waited a minute and he finally figured out I was not going to back up INTO traffic and do illegal maneuvers to make it easy for him to leave. He finally backed up and moved to the proper lane and took off with a lot of tire and engine noises which got the attention of the cop that was getting gas. The cop went after Mr. Moron and I smiled.

They could have come up with a better website name, but I've had good luck with the cheap crap from Banggood.

$19 for the cheap ones at Walmart


Say it's not so.

Willem, you need to put a Benny Hill soundtrack on that clip

Cheap may sound attractive but in reality you need something decent.

Why? ... The camera sits in the car unused for days and if it doesn't have a good internal battery it will blank the date and time occasionally when it's switched on.

So, So what? The video are all over the place and out of time date sequence. :rolleyes:

GS8000L can be had on the electronic Bay for around $15.

How do you tie this into your wiring? Find a 12 ignition on lead and splice into it? Then run around the A pillar / headliner? How about the back facing?

My main reason not to install a camera is the installation. I don't want some suction cup monster with a wire hanging down. If I get something, it needs to screw into the roof console and have no exposed wiring.

G

Got one like the above for $60, I'm very impressed at the picture quality and night vision of those things... Has a shock sensor for parking too, worked to find out who was giving me love taps (that was fun and led to enjoyable retribution).... That said not long ago I found a note on my car advising me to remove it or find my car with a broken window someday from someone stealing it... It was more "advice" that threat, but I took it down.... I'd like to reinstall it more conspicuously if possible...

You can buy a $3 USB wiring kit that advantageously replaces the USB adapter and plug it anywhere there is a constant 12V (if parking) or not... I had mine wired to the dome light area and bought a shorter USB cable to connect it (stock calbes are generally super long and hard to conceal)... Not much you can do about the suction cup though, unless you get the camera style that replaces you rearview mirror.

Techmoan - Techmoan

Reviews of inexpensive action cameras. Some also work as dashcams (record in loop mode when receiving power from USB). As they don't have a screen, they are very small and may be more concealable. I don't see the point of a screen on a dashcam.

So you can point / position it properly.

The lenses are wide. You can point them well enough without a screen. And then you can pop out the SD card to check. Smaller is more concealable.

Got mine on eBay - $14.98 w/free shipping from Hong Kong

I've had it hooked up now for just over a week and still getting the hang of how I want to use it as far as settings on the menu.

The video is really good and it even has audio.

I had to buy the TF card but that was no big deal....

HD 2.7" LCD 1080P Car DVR Vehicle Camera Video Recorder Dash Cam Night Vision

Setup, menus, options.

I would like one that can watch the car while parked too. That is motion-activated (meaning outside movement, not the car moving). I have had a number of incidents finding people sitting on my car, taking selfies. preferably front, back and side vision. I dont want a screen since they get too big and too visible.

Regards,

Johan

More of my setup.

The green arrow is a switch. I manually turn the camera on and off so I can leave it on when parked.
With a 32gb memory card it can record about 6.5 hours of HD video.

The red arrow is the power supply. This feeds into a fused 12v source.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1463817266.jpg

I tucked the power cable in behind the trim. Really easy to do.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1463817345.jpg

There is a seller on the electronic Bay from Texas with the gs8000l 1080p units. I just ordered one... will share feedback here once it arrives.

Garmin, works great. Best Buy.

Set up while cabled to PC or TV. Its a dashcam, once installed you never change the setup or mode. And you can tuck the little cameras up above the mirror, they will be all but invisible. For that matter, you might be able to tuck one in the grill.

Long story so I wont go into it now but IME... It's best if the dash cam can be seen easily outside of the car.
People behave differently when they think there's a camera on them.

The $15 shipped camera arrived today. Looks great, tests to come. If it does well then I'm ordering a second to use as rearward facing.

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psuqk715ik.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscsyqo2fd.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps7sbsjbyh.jpg

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/q...psc2nqgsk3.jpg

I always thought it is a bit douchey running around recording :D Do you guys go back and watch your videos correcting your everyday commute?

Why should I have to remove the device from my car to deal with it?

The display is handy, the other day the cheap ass mount shifted and everything was blurry due to how the camera was hitting the windshield, it was focusing on it not through it.

Was nice to know that before needing footage and finding out after the fact that it had been recording useless video the whole time.

The display turns itself off after 3 minutes so it's no distraction whatsoever and the unit is small 2.5" W x 1.75" H x 1" and easily tucks behind a mirror.

No commute here. Lots of idiots, out there- both the distracted and aggressive types. Documenting any meeting you have with them is potentially valuable.

Mobius

https://www.mobius-actioncam.com

Tiny, stealth, affordable.

A few years ago it was "a bit douchey" but they come as standard in some cars now.
Honestly I think it a very good idea to use one. It's a hassle but just think about all of the accidents and near misses you've witnessed over the years.
Your video could save you or someone else a lot of grief.

A cop friend told me they are invaluable when accessing a serious accident but if you're speeding when the accident occurs it will work against you. (Better cams record GPS data and speed on the video)

IMO The video I'm recording is my property so it's my choice who I share it with. I'm sure the cops may not agree with that point of view.

I'm going to install one. Yesterday, as an entitled Dnozzle cut off a long line of cars at an exit ramp, I would have had a clear shot of this, along with his plate.

I was motivated to do it after barely avoiding a head on with a cyclist while in my Tahoe.

1,000% her fault.

The outcome for her would not have been good and I don't feel like dealing with the potential bull**** caused by her complete and utter lack of respect for traffic laws.

This was the 3rd time I've had a run in with her.

Each time it was her actions that put her at risk and each time she gave me the dirty look as if it was my fault she runs stop signs.:rolleyes: