Want to upgrade my 2015 dashcam. Recommendations for a best-bang-for-the-buck one?

[JEDI]

I have an old G1W-c from 2015 which cost me $30.

I have it set to 720p (instead of 1080p) to maximize amount of 5min videos on 32gig sd card before overwriting.
This is what the video looks like:

On coming car in my lane! (Dashcam vid)

It looked like he tried to pass the other car at the top of the hill where he can't know if any cars are on the other side of the hill. Jesus Christ WTF!?!?! https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/659667583 2min 40sec mark

forums.anandtech.com

Since it's been 7yrs, i'm assuming dashcam tech has gotten much better.
Recommendations for a cheap one?
or keep my current one?

 

[deadlyapp]

Watching this thread. Been interested in getting one for my wife and I in Houston, just because drivers here are trash and seems half of them are uninsured / not registered cars.

The ones that record rear facing also are appealing but I'm not sure if they're good enough to get anything meaningful without having a second camera attachment at the rear window.

 

[SKORPI0]

I'd get a 4K dash cam so a license plate might be more readable in dark conditions. I'd get one that can records front and rear.
Right now I use my 2018 Samsung Note 9 at 1440p (30 fps) as a "dash cam" mounted just under my rear-view mirror.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/best-front-and-rear-dash-cams

https://www.techradar.com/best/best-dash-cam

 

[Captante]

I'd get a 4K dash cam so a license plate might be more readable in dark conditions. I'd get one that can records front and rear.
Right now I use my 2018 Samsung Note 9 at 1440p (30 fps) as a "dash cam" mounted just under my rear-view mirror.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/best-front-and-rear-dash-cams

https://www.techradar.com/best/best-dash-cam

What app are you using for this? I ask because I have a couple older Android phones sitting in my drawer doing nada right now including an LG v30+ that should perform nicely as a dash-cam with 128gb's storage.

 

[Zeze]

Copy pasted from the nerds at reddit in 5 seconds. Googling any questions you have + 'reddit' = gets you a pretty good feel for most topics.

Budget:

B1W - As basic as you can get. 1080p, camera body allows rotation between inside and outside. Good budget solution for part time uber/Lyft drivers

Garmin Mini - This thing is MINI. Most discrete cam on the market, and great app functionality

A119 v3 - GPS, great video quality, great value Probably one of the most popular on reddit

A129 Duo - Dual cam, 1080p, GPS, and a great budget dual cam. Been around for a while and has great feedback.



Mid Range and Up:

A129 PRO Duo - Dual Cam, 4K, GPS, newest version of the duo

B4K - Newer 4k brother to the B1W, so far good reviews.

Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO – Higher priced, but well liked

Blackvue DR900X - Dual Cam/4k and has cloud capability & LTE. Considered best of the best

Q800PRO - Higher end thinkware. 1440p. Pretty good value.



Front & Interior Dual Cams aka Uber/Lyft Cams

Garmin Tandem - Infrared capability, 1440p, premium quality, and has great app functionality

TOGUARD Dual Dash Cam – Infrared capability, dual 1080p, cheapest budget cam

Blueskysea B2W – Infrared Capability, budget friendly

Vantrue N2 Pro – Infrared capability, higher end, battery powered



Motorcycle Cams

Crosstour Action Cam – An action cam, but cost effective

INNOVV K5 Dual MotoCam – Top notch, but expensive

HaloCam M1 Dual MotoCam – Mid Range, Fairly priced



Accessories:

SanDisk 128GB High Endurance - Dashcam optimized

Samsung PRO Endurance MicroSD - Dashcam optimized

Viofo Hardwire Kit – Enables parking mode, battery discharge prevention

Nunet Hardwire Kit – Hardwire kit with pretty much everything you need

Trim Removal Kit - Has all the tools needed to remove trim without damaging it

 

[nakedfrog]

I'm not sure it makes sense to me to reduce the quality just to get more recording time on a dash cam. You'll probably know fairly quickly if you need one of the videos on the SD card, won't you?
You could start by just increasing the quality and seeing if you still feel like you need one, or doing that and getting a larger SD card.

 

[SKORPI0]

What app are you using for this? I ask because I have a couple older Android phones sitting in my drawer doing nada right now including an LG v30+ that should perform nicely as a dash-cam with 128gb's storage.

Just the stock android camera app (version 12.0.01.44), Android 10; One UI 2.5. Saved on a 512GB microSD card, then upload the video to my Google Photo.
I've done 4K 24 fps 9:16 with it, but recording time limited to 5 minutes.

 

[Captante]

Just the stock android camera app (version 12.0.01.44), Android 10; One UI 2.5. Saved on a 512GB microSD card, then upload the video to my Google Photo.
I've done 4K 24 fps 9:16 with it, but recording time limited to 5 minutes.

I would think high-quality 1080p would be sufficient... any idea how much recording-time you would get with 512gb's?

The v30 has an SD slot plus I have a couple 256gb's and a 512gb in my desk drawer right now.


EDIT: This looks interesting although reviews are mixed.

Droid Dashcam (Play Store)

 

[SKORPI0]

EDIT: This looks interesting although reviews are mixed.

Droid Dashcam (Play Store)

Thanks. Lots of settings which I like, installed and paid $4.49 for ad-free app.
One minor "disadvantage" is that the mp4 file is not seen on my Google Photos. Saved on SD card/Android/media/com.helge.droiddashcam.
6:14 minutes used 675 mb; 2688x1512 (16:9) at 30 fps.; 15.0 Mb/s bitrate. Video is sluggish at 30 fps maximum at this resolution, I'll have to use 60 fps probably at 1080p.

.