Dashcams!

Thanks shi. It's a bit more than I was hoping to pay (I won't be feeling rich after buying a car!).However having done little research I have no idea what I should be paying.

Is circa £200 the minimum I should expect to pay for a dual camera?
What are the benefits of the ones you are recommending over a cheaper cam?
 
EdwardTeach said:
I'm soon to be getting a newish bmw 3.

I think I should add the protection of a dashcam. I am particularly worried about the car being damaged or keyed when parked. So I want cameras that remain awake when the engine is off.

What would you recommend me (I assume I need front and rear).
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Most mid to top end models have a movement sensor so if the car gets moved or hit by something they'll start recording. Having one recording constantly isn't much use.
 
MissChief said:
Most mid to top end models have a movement sensor so if the car gets moved or hit by something they'll start recording. Having one recording constantly isn't much use.
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Does it only start recording on impact or start saving. What happens if someone walks up to the car and keys it, will there just be footage of them walking away, or will movement sensors pick them up on approach?
 
EdwardTeach said:
Does it only start recording on impact or start saving. What happens if someone walks up to the car and keys it, will there just be footage of them walking away, or will movement sensors pick them up on approach?
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Generally on physical movement otherwise if you're parked on a road or in a busy car park it would start recording dozens of times a day.
 
EdwardTeach said:
Physical movement of the car itself?
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Dashcams with parking mode have various options

Motion Sensitivity
Time Lapse
Impact Sensor


Motion sensitivity can be adjusted from Low to High, this will enable the camera to activate by movement in front of the lens less to a more frequently
Time Lapse for more "always on" approach and records at a faster speed so that it uses up less space on the memory card
Impact Sensor - If an object hits your car and your camera detects your car moved it will record the incident (10s before, during and after the event)


Also what i said earlier, better lens record at night/low light better
 
How bulky is the nextbase 312? I've watched a few videos and with the suction cup it seems to fall quite low making it not-so discreet.

Do you guys leave the cam when parked for extended periods or remove it?
 
Looking again at Thinkware F800 pro vs Blackvue 750S. Which would you say has better parking mode? I believe the Blackvue does segmentation of files better and also records before and after impact whereas the Thinkview is just after impact and stores the files with others so may get overwritten? Thinkview is also only a 20s clip?

Thinkview seems to have better night mode but I can’t find a full description of how it’s parking mode works.


Camera will be hardwired in either instance.
 
Couple of questions on the subject of hardwired cams if I may (new driver, not much experience of this stuff), how many of you
1) have it wired so that the camera is only on when you've started the ignition and the car is running, and if so do you a) remove the cam when not in use b) 'set and forget' and don't expect any issues having equipment on display.
2) have it wired so the camera is always on to make use of the parking mode, and if so how do you deal with the inevitable depletion of the car battery?
 
I've never removed mine. If you do the install well enough then it's unlikely anyone will even notice it.
This is my install, although only a cheapish camera.

BOOsiMK.jpg



Parking mode can be tweaked usually so it either starts recording on movement (not ideal if you're parked facing a road or footpath for example) physical impact (when the car actually moves) or both. And it doesn't use a huge amount of battery. Overnight, or even 2-3 days on a good condition modern battery I doubt you'd even notice. 3 weeks parked up in an airport long stay while you're on holiday? Yeah it might cause a flat battery.
 
MissChief said:
I've never removed mine. If you do the install well enough then it's unlikely anyone will even notice it.
This is my install, although only a cheapish camera.

Parking mode can be tweaked usually so it either starts recording on movement (not ideal if you're parked facing a road or footpath for example) physical impact (when the car actually moves) or both. And it doesn't use a huge amount of battery. Overnight, or even 2-3 days on a good condition modern battery I doubt you'd even notice. 3 weeks parked up in an airport long stay while you're on holiday? Yeah it might cause a flat battery.
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Thanks. I just got my first car, a 2011 1.8 Civic so I'm not sure what condition the battery is in or how 'new' it qualifies as. I seem to recall reading they use wimpy batteries but I'll check again.

I intend on getting the cam hardwired and installed properly so all the wiring is out of the way etc and I've been looking at the Nextbase 512GW and the rear camera that's supposed to be released this month for it... although it has been subject to delay after delay, and I'd prefer to have everything installed in one go, so perhaps I should cough up more for something like the Thinkware F770 (the F800 is £££!) which is about £220 vs. £120 for the Nextbase with the rear camera set to be around £60ish. I do like how the screen-less design makes it a bit more discreet and inconspicuous but need to read up a bit more about things like reliability, customer support etc before deciding.
 
Just dropped my Jeep off this morning to get a BlackVue DR900 fitted. I wanted 4k because I plan on using it to record off road trips as well.
 
DampDog said:
Have a little look on YouTube for the

VioFo A119S,
DDpai mini 2
BlueSkySea B1W.
Anker Roav C1 Pro

They are all eBay sourced, sub £100 cameras, that do well in reviews. Failing that Halford's now have a reasonable range of cameras. NextBase, Garmin, BlackVue, etc. I think they now offer to install them for £30 ish.
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I have had the Viofo A119S for about a year now and it has proven to be impeccably reliable. It does need to be hard wired for optimal convenience as it uses a capacitor instead of a battery. This may seem like a down side to some people but for me it is a positive as there is no battery to overheat (and potentially explode) when exposed to the sun and high temperatures inside the car.

It is great at daytime and night time footage. Not good at motion activated recording when parked, not accurate enough.
 
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