Dash Cameras - What to look for?

SMSW

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Sep 4, 2013
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752
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
I think it is probably time for me to install a dash camera in our SUV. I've read our thread 'Dash Camera Recommendations' and will begin a search, BUT

I'm a novice at this. What features are important?
What memory cards/sticks are the most convenient?
Which brands/models are easiest to set up.
What questions did I not ask that I should have asked?
Any recommendations beyond the Thinkware M1; Innovv K5 or K6; or VSUBSO B6 suggested in the thread I mentioned above?

I'm looking for a dash camera to set up in my car and forget about it until it is needed. This will not be for making travelog videos - its to forestall the insurance/accident scam posted in a video in another thread.
 
Car units are designed differently. Space is not an issue for them, so many will mount on the windshield by your rear view mirror. I'd take a look at Amazon and look at what features are offered...which are actually important...and when you start narrowing your choice down, look to see what the reviews are.

As for reviews, skip the 5 star reviews. You know what they'll say..."It's great!" Go down instead to the 1 and 2 star ratings. Do they identify something that is actually a defect? Or are they trying to blame the dash cam for their own ignorance and incompetence? The 3 and some 4 star ratings tell me a lot too. They like the item...but there was a drawback. And look at the quantity of reviews. If there's a low number like 14 reviews, that's probably friends who got a free device for saying how much they love it. On the other hand, if there's 1000 ratings and they are mostly high...that's a good indicator.

The memory card is important. Size is not as important as speed. If it comes with its own memory card, I'd use that. But if it requires you to provide one, get one that is fast.

Ideally your dashcam is an "install and forget" device. You install it and every time you start the car, it starts. You park it, and it shuts down. You're not going to be posting online videos of your Toyota navigating the streets of Cleveland, so high quality specs are not important. What you want is something that'll let you identify the car that slammed into you at a stop light.

Memory card size isn't important. Any dash cam you buy should "loop" the newest recording over the oldest files. So if it will hold the last five minutes before the accident, that's about all that's necessary. They'll hold more than that though, even with a 128 GB memory card.

I'm interested in what you end up with and why. I'm thinking of getting one for my Subaru that might also double as a backup camera.

Chris
 
Daboo said:
I'm interested in what you end up with and why. I'm thinking of getting one for my Subaru that might also double as a backup camera.

Chris
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I'll let you know. One thing I have to figure out is how a dash cam sees to the rear. Do they communicate via bluetooth to a second cam on the rear window or do they look front and rear (thus rear view is limited)? I installed a backup camera on my GMC Savana van - bought the cam and screen from Crutchfield - this is backup only, nothing else (though the screen can be hooked up to a second video channel..... It works well and wiring it was not a big deal. After looking at Consumer Reports and PC Mag, both rated the Rove R2-4K highly and I am leaning in that direction because it is priced from $120 (Best buy) to $160 (Rove). Garmin's at $400 is more than I want to spend, especially since I don't know enough about why that cam is so great. I don't need or want a zillion features - just something that will record an accident in decent quality video. Being able to talk to people in my car via my phone and the cam seems redundant, as does voice control.

Still have to do more reading and looking.
 
I have been using Blackvue brand for at least 10 years with no issues other than one corrupted SD card, which the unit verbally announces if there is an issue with recording. Basically, a "set and forget" just for insurance purposes. You can change settings, but a decent size memory card will record about 8 hours worth at 5 minute individual files on loop recording. Hard knocks will trigger it to automatically lock a file. GPS data including speed overlays can be turned on for all recordings.

I was initially drawn to the Blackvue because they were one of the few that had a capacitor instead of a battery, which was the better option for Texas heat. Basically, just enough power if the car battery is lost to save a recording and shut down so there will be no corrupt files.

I have (thankfully) not needed it for any of my own insurance claims, but I have provided it for several that I have witnessed. One was a Chevrolet Silverado driver that rear ended stopped traffic at about 40mph. I was parked in the turn lane going the opposite direction. I of course put my name down as a witness and told the two cars that were rear-ended that I had a dashcam which I ended up providing to them upon request. The Silverado's insurance company called me later and asked "...and what was it that you ALLEGEDLY witnessed, sir". I got to reply with "oh, I didn't see anything, I didn't even know a wreck happened until I located what the noise that I heard was. But, my camera saw it all, including your client's cell phone fly out of his hand when he hit the car in front of him." I got an "oh, okay... thank you for your time." :roflmao:

Anyway, I highly recommend having one. All of my 4 wheel vehicles have front only (motorcycle has front and back), the front is pretty conclusive that you were rear-ended but of course will not show any information for the vehicle that hit you. I have found that almost all vehicles have power to the light/overhead console/garage door opener, I don't even bother running a dedicated wire to the fuse box anymore. My wife's Highlander has the sunroof, so I just tee into a "power on with key" wire in there. Makes it like a 3 foot run and I can use the exiting plastics for the mirror wiring on the windshield for a nice clean install. Generally I put the camera mostly hidden behind the rear view mirror, we don't even think about it unless we need to review recordings.

Lastly, pulling a video can either be accomplished by connecting via wifi to the unit itself through an APP, or how I do it, pull the SD card and plug it into a computer. If you pull it through your PC you do lose the overhead map view that the app provides.

This is the newest version of what I am using:
1778179573129.png

Good luck with your choice!
Ryan
 
I have cams on all vehicles and have for years. The only regret I have is that I didnt get a rear cam when I did my pickup. Cheaped out and have said numerous times to myself that I wish I had a rear cam when I have seen stuff happen in my rearview mirror. Plus, I have known people that got rear-ended and wished they had evidence. I think I can add one to mine and I should consider that. Be sure that the cam can communicate with an app so that you can review/transfer video on demand. The Innovv vids on my bike, while viewable on the screen can only be transferred to a PC or phone by removing the card and plugging it into a card reader... PIA. Obviously 1080p or 4K quality is a must as is night vision quality. I have a thinkware unit in my truck and it has worked flawlessly for 5 years. I have went through 4 or 5 cheap units over the years in different vehicles that couldnt take the abuse. I would never cheap out on a dashcam again. The last company I worked for bought all the drivers cheap cams (i mean REALLY cheap. The instructions were ONLY in chinese...lol) for our concrete mixers. Some only lasted a couple of days, although to be fair, that is pretty rough use, but still, a couple of days... LOL. Buy once, cry once
 
Weaselinsuit said:
I had to promise my wife and daughter that I would disable the voice recording on our dashcam. On a completely unrelated note, I find my ears have this burning sensation quite a bit.....
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I have the sound recording turned off on my truck cam and I always had it turned off on my work truck cam. I figured it was safer if there was no account of some of the things I said while driving...LOL
 
I have a Vantrue dash cam in each car. Very pleased with the results. Forward facing units only(both are 6 years old). If I were to upgrade, I would still stay with their products , but add the rear facing camera. I have recorded two accidents(1 deer strike & 1 with another car). Very useful in determining fault and what led up to the collision. Just remember that it can be a positive or negative when determining responsibility. The first thing I did after the car crash was remove it from the windshield and place it in my briefcase for later review.
 
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