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

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JEDI

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
29,391
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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 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

deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
6,660
737
126
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.
 
Captante

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,349
10,872
136
SKORPI0 said:
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.


Click to expand...


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

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
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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
 
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nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,205
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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

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
18,471
2,412
136
Captante said:
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.
Click to expand...
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. :(
 
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Captante

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,349
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SKORPI0 said:
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. :(
Click to expand...


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)
 
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SKORPI0

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
18,471
2,412
136
Captante said:
EDIT: This looks interesting although reviews are mixed.

Droid Dashcam (Play Store)
Click to expand...
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.

20220615_060522.jpg

.
 
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thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
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Hate to bring up an older thread but now that my daughter is going to be driving our cars in a few months, I'm starting to do some research on dash cams for our vehicles. Are some of these recommendations still valid? Anything newer you guys recommend?
 
balloonshark

balloonshark

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2008
7,069
3,552
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Perhaps this will help.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dashcams/best/

https://www.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1iube1b/dashcam_recommendations_on_reddit/

https://www.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1ldzq1z/ranking_the_best_dashcams_sorted_by_budget/

https://www.reddit.com/r/dashcams/comments/1ghfpy5/i_analyzed_the_25_most_recommended_dashcams_on/
 
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M

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,190
3,974
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thestrangebrew1 said:
Hate to bring up an older thread but now that my daughter is going to be driving our cars in a few months, I'm starting to do some research on dash cams for our vehicles. Are some of these recommendations still valid? Anything newer you guys recommend?
Click to expand...

VIOFO has dominated the rankings for years.

DashCamTalk

Welcome to DashCamTalk. The world's largest and most comprehensive dash cam site with over 60,000 members and over 1/2 million posts.
dashcamtalk.com dashcamtalk.com
 
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Charmonium

Charmonium

Lifer
May 15, 2015
10,416
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nisryus said:
If you live in an area that has high temperature, make sure the dashcam uses capacitor, not battery.
Click to expand...
I'm impressed. I don't think most people pay much attention to the power source, but with temps in the summer sun going up to 140F and possibly higher, you probably don't want a little bomb sitting on your dash.

Yeah, it's not likely but neither was the Spanish Inquisition. And we all know how that turned out. ;)
 
nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,205
18,038
136
Charmonium said:
I'm impressed. I don't think most people pay much attention to the power source, but with temps in the summer sun going up to 140F and possibly higher, you probably don't want a little bomb sitting on your dash.

Yeah, it's not likely but neither was the Spanish Inquisition. And we all know how that turned out. ;)
Click to expand...
It's been a known factor for dashcams for quite a while, I got a capacitor one as I was living in the Midwest and needed something that would survive both absurd heat and insane cold. Still going strong after 6 years, it's an Aukey.
 
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BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,057
14,462
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thestrangebrew1 said:
Yea it gets hot here for sure. Today it's supposed to be 104, 106 tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Hot here tomorrow...accuweather sez 76F...

I wouldn't mind getting a decent dashcam, but I want a dual cam setup. Driving a F150 Super Crew, it's been difficult to find one with a weatherproof model that will mount under the bumper. So many I've seen, the camera mounts on one of the side rails...which seems stupid to me.
 
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Charmonium

Charmonium

Lifer
May 15, 2015
10,416
3,467
136
BoomerD said:
Hot here tomorrow...accuweather sez 76F...

I wouldn't mind getting a decent dashcam, but I want a dual cam setup. Driving a F150 Super Crew, it's been difficult to find one with a weatherproof model that will mount under the bumper. So many I've seen, the camera mounts on one of the side rails...which seems stupid to me.
Click to expand...
They do make ones that a) mount to the rear window and b) connect to the base unit w/o wires.

I know that a few years ago, the premium for part b was pretty substantial.
 
thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
3,953
687
126
nisryus said:
The one I got for my kid was the Rove R2-4K dual dash cam. He wanted one that uses suction cup, not tape.


This one came with all the wiring and a SD card.
Click to expand...
I'm debating on whether or not to get both a rear and front or just the front. The car she'll be driving is my wife's for now, and she has a back up camera. I figure if she gets rear-ended, a front camera would pick that up just the same. I guess I could spring for one that has both and just not hook up the rear camera unless I feel like it. And yea, I was actually looking at this one as well.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,057
14,462
146
Charmonium said:
They do make ones that a) mount to the rear window and b) connect to the base unit w/o wires.

I know that a few years ago, the premium for part b was pretty substantial.
Click to expand...
Rear window mount isn’t gonna cut it. The bed leaves too big of a blind spot.
 
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