Dash Camera

[METAL13]

I searched the forum and found no threads that tickled my fancy in the way of info on dash cameras.

I have seen them "advertised" on today tonight a while back and finally want to look into getting one.

So... Who has one ?

What i want to know is a few key things

• Pricing / Range
  
• Quality of Recording ( FPS, 720p/1080p etc?)
  
• Night Vision (worth it ?)
  
• GPS Tracking (when playing video it shows where it was taken on a Google map etc)
  
• G Force Sensors
  
• anything extra it comes with or doesn't
  

Yes i know im asking a lot, but Google doesn't really point me in the direction i want, so hoping someone on here has had some prior knowledge or experience with these sorts of products!

Cheers, Steele

[SATORI893]

Dash camera? you mean like the ones they have in taxis? If so Jaycar stock a couple and I have seen them on eBay if you mean those ones that attach to the rear view mirror, Jaycar call theirs an in car event capture camera or something close, just got to Jaycar's site and search 'car camera' on you can view the specs online of the ones they have.

Edited July 1, 2012 by SATORI893

[DJKOR]

I'm going to add just a few pointers to help you out when looking for one. There are so many different ones out there so it can be interesting trying to sift through them all.

- Find a camera that is really light. Most of these in car cameras come with some cheap quality camera mount. A heavier camera will have a higher tendency to give way and pull the bracket off the window. In addition to that, a heavier camera combined with a cheap quality bracket will show a fair amount of vibration in the video. Gets annoying after a bit.

- Don't worry so much about the ones with the IR LED's advertising for night vision. These LED's will do SFA for adding extra illumination to things in front of you at night. Aim to find one with a higher sensitivity instead. To get an idea of how good some are, look for ones which have sample videos on YouTube. That is a good way to gauge their performance.

- 1080 all that necessary so if you don't want to spend a little extra, 720 will be sufficient for most use.

Now when I was in China, I bought a DOD F900LHD (link) , this camera, whilst a fairly decent quality camera given the price ($100 at the time), had some big flaws. The first being that it mounted to the side of the bracket. Combined with the weight, this would cause the camera pull the suction cup off the window. I had to use various modifications to make the bracket stick with more force, but even still, it wasn't the greatest. In the end, I left it mounted to the window all the time and it seems to have held up well because the lack of removing it all the time has make the rubber stick to the window better. I also had to make the bracket more solid by using epoxy because it flexed that much that the video it recorded was barely watchable due to all the vibration.

Leaving it attached to the window all the time though has led to the camera showing signs of failure after only 10 months. The harsh QLD sun has gotten to it and every now and again, it won't turn on properly and record nothing but black.

I am thinking of replacing it with this camera though because I know the functionality of this brand camera and am confident that it should function in a similar way.

http://dod-tec.us/do...x-with-gps.html

I'm sure it can be found for much cheaper than that given that when I bought my other one a year and a bit ago, it was $100 from a seller in China (and I was probably overcharged as well).

[Buff Hamster]

Personally i use my phone as a video recorder at 720p @60fps which is more than enough to see car rego clearly. If you look at the screen it's just the home screen or the screen is off but it's recording in the background which fulls a lot of people thinking it's the gps or i'm charging it.

You can get a dedicated camera where you mount it behind the rear view mirror.

More info on these video recorders are discussed here: http://forums.overcl...d.php?t=1007109

Edited July 1, 2012 by A Buff Hamster

[Night Fever]

Officeworks have a couple for under $100 each:

Navig8r

Kaiser Baas

you'll find sample videos on Youtube,

also look for:

Blackvue DR400G-HD

DOD GS600

GSE550

and google for their respective websites.

Edit:

If you have heaps of time, there's an ongoing thread discussing some of them here:

http://forums.whirlp...s.cfm?t=1696480

Edited July 2, 2012 by Night Fever

[Beep Beep]

Officeworks have a couple for under $100 each:

Navig8r

Kaiser Baas

you'll find sample videos on Youtube,

also look for:

Blackvue DR400G-HD

DOD GS600

GSE550

and google for their respective websites.

Edit:

If you have heaps of time, there's an ongoing thread discussing some of them here:

http://forums.whirlp...s.cfm?t=1696480

I have the Kaiser Baas Car Camera from Officeworks.

• Picture quality (HD) 7/10
  
• Audio 7/10
  
• Ease of use 8/10
  
• Codec efficiency 3/10 (32GB SDHC card only gives you about 5 hrs of footage!?)
  
• Ease of installation 8/10 (Literally Plug N' Pray)
  
• Night Vision 4/10 (really only good for lighting up your bonnet in pitch darkness. IR LEDs are waaaaay too weak to illuminate any further than the bonnet really).
  
• Build quality 5/10 (feels a bit el cheapo and flimsy. Typical Made in China stuff).
  
• User Interface/Menus 5/10 (it's intuitive, but really laggy and slow)
  
• Reliability 7/10 (I've had it crash on me a few times, needed to reset it before it will record. Seems to need a reset everytime you take out the SD card to copy footage onto your computer)
  
• USB Transfer speed 3/10 (takes waaaaaay too long to transfer footage with the included usb cable).
  
• Value for money 7/10 ( a bit expensive for what you actually get. Better value if it's on special. I got mine online and delivered for $82 from OfficeWorks)
  

Kaiser Baas used to do a car camera with integrated GPS and speed recording, but I think it's been discontinued.

Cheers,

BB.

[FRM05A]

These camera are called car "black box". Recently I have trialled six different ones.

When i get the chance, I may write up a review on these units.

[METAL13]

These camera are called car "black box". Recently I have trialled six different ones.

When i get the chance, I may write up a review on these units.

Awsome that will be much appreciated...

I like the looks of the GOTRACK Myview (LINK) as it has everything that i want/need :)

[Hikaru Sorano]

What about GO-PRO cameras? they are used in xtreme sports including motoring. As far I could see, they are fantastic. The price is around 300US and includes everything like the mounting, the case for underwater (60m) filming, etc.

These are the specs

Camera Optics

• 2X Sharper Professional Glass Lens
  
• f/2.8 Fixed Focus
  
• 170º Wide FOV (Including 1080p)
  
• 127º Medium FOV (In 1080p)
  
• 90º Narrow FOV
  

Video

• HD RESOLUTIONS:
  
  • 1080p: 1920×1080, 30FPS
    
  • 960p: 1280×960, 48FPS + 30FPS
    
  • 720p: 1280×720, 60FPS + 30FPS
    

  [*]STANDARD DEFINITION RESOLUTIONS

  • WVGA: 848×480, 120FPS + 60FPS
    

  [*]High Performance,1 /2.3” CMOS Image Sensor

  [*]Light Sensitivity: .84 V/lux-sec

  [*]Video Format: H.264 codec, .mp4 File Format

  [*]Exposure Control: Spot, Center Weighted

  [*]White Balance: Auto

Photo

• RESOLUTIONS: 11MP, 8MP, 5 MP
  
• FOV: Wide 170º FOV, Medium 127º FOV
  
• CAPTURE MODES: Single, 10 Photo Burst, Time-Lapse*, Self-Timer
  
• * Now supports time-lapse photo every 0.5 seconds. Requires Class 10 speed SD Card.
  

Audio

• Mono, 48 kHz, AAC Compression, Auto Gain Control
  
• Stereo External Microphone Input (3.5mm)
  

Storage

• MEMORY:
  
  • SDHC: Up to 32GB (Class 4 or Higher)
    

  [*]AVERAGE RECORDING TIME WITH 32GB SD CARD:

  • 1080p30: 4 hours
    
  • 960p30: 6 hours
    
  • 720p60: 4 hours
    
  • 720p30: 6 hours
    
  • WVGA 120: 4.5 hours
    

Included Cables

• USB Cable For Charging and Data Transfer
  

Battery & Charging

• 1100mah Rechargeable Lithium-Ion
  
• Charge via USB
  

Operating System

• Microsoft Windows® Vista, 7 and Later
  
• Mac OS® x 10.5 and Later
  

Compatible with all GoPro BacPacs

• Wi-Fi BacPac™ and Wi-Fi Remote™ (Coming Soon)
  
• LCD BacPac™
  
• Battery BacPac™
  
• 3D HERO® System
  

What’s Included:

• 1 11MP HD HERO2 Camera
  
• 1 Waterproof Housing (197′ / 60m)
  
• 1 HD Skeleton Backdoor
  
• 1 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
  
• 1 USB Cable
  
• 1 Suction Cup Mount
  
• 1 J-Hook Buckle
  
• 2 Curved Surface Adhesive Mounts
  
• 3 Flat Surface Adhesive Mounts
  
• 1 Three-Way Pivot Arm
  
• Assorted Mounting Hardware
  

Hope this helps

Cheers

AB

[DJKOR]

Whilst the GoPro is a good camera, there are limitations which do not make it ideal for a car "black box" style recorder as per the OP.

What you primarily must have in a car "black box" style recorder (which the GoPro does not have I believe) is the ability to automatically start recording when you drive. Most of them do this by starting recording the moment power is applied from the power adaptor such as when the car is turned on. This combined with recycle recording means you never need to physically touch the camera until you need to take the memory card out to get the video of a recent event.

[Lawz]

This is what I have -> http://www.ebay.com....=item19d104b62e

Bought mine from Hong Kong however. Had it for over 2 years now.

Quality is pretty good especially snapshots. Once key is in ignition its on. Continuous recording in 2 min increments. Takes a micro SD card up to 32Gb. Basically same size as the one in your phone. Records a 120 degree view.

Basically what DJKOR has stated. If you spend a little more money you can get GPS tracking via Google Maps included which can be handy.

I've attached a snapshot photo for your preview.

[METAL13]

Cheers guys this is really assited me in deciding what is decent and around on the market!

The go pro is a great camera dont get me wrong

gopro are more so for filming actual pre planned events Example from my car club here in perth :D filemd with a gopro -

you can see my sexy aruion around the 4 minute mark !

I think my link to the GOTRACK is best i can find !

[bigVAN]

This is what I have -> http://www.ebay.com....=item19d104b62e

Bought mine from Hong Kong however. Had it for over 2 years now.

Quality is pretty good especially snapshots. Once key is in ignition its on. Continuous recording in 2 min increments. Takes a micro SD card up to 32Gb. Basically same size as the one in your phone. Records a 120 degree view.

Basically what DJKOR has stated. If you spend a little more money you can get GPS tracking via Google Maps included which can be handy.

I've attached a snapshot photo for your preview.

I had a different version , it has dual camera and it too also died within 10months. Had the exact same problem like DJ. Crap mounting, it broke after the 3rd use :S .

one thing I did was like what DJ said,kept the mounting still in one place,however I was always scared of thieves cracking windows etc.

However I will be trialling this other camera

Which I think is better. Will keep you updated.

[Hikaru Sorano]

Oh, I now understant what you meant by dash camera. I thought you wanted to film some times thats why I suggested a go-pro.

Hey Steele, the camera was mounted on the roof? The suction mounting kit are to be trusted or should you put some security harness just in case?

Cheers

AB

[METAL13]

Oh, I now understant what you meant by dash camera. I thought you wanted to film some times thats why I suggested a go-pro.

Hey Steele, the camera was mounted on the roof? The suction mounting kit are to be trusted or should you put some security harness just in case?

Cheers

AB

In that video it was a suction cup mounted on the roof of a Impreza WRX and had no other harness to secure it.

[FRM05A]

Out of the six unit I have trialled recently (1 Korean, 1 Taiwanese and 4 Chinese). I am quite satisfied with two of these units (1 Taiwanese and 1 Chinese).

The Taiwan made unit have one camera and 1080p recording. The China made unit have dual cameras and 720p recording.

Been bombarded with work lately, I will and have to write up quick review later...

in the last one and half weeks, I sold 12 of these units in my workshop

[Buff Hamster]

Anyone here tried this one?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Night-Vision-HD-Vehicle-Car-Dash-Cam-Dashboard-Camera-/270718572859?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f0815993b

[FRM05A]

Thought I input my thought on the ones i have trialed. not a very good review. Jeez i suck in writing,,,

Vehicle Blackbox DVR W100

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION Item Specification Image Sensor 1/3.2 5Mp CMOS sensor Lens Focus 132 degree wide angle Lens, Fixed Rotating 270 Degree rotating,you can record inside or outside of the car LCD Display Size 2.0 inch TFT(4:3) TF storage card slot External TF Card (Up to 32G) Image File Type JPG Resolution 5M Video File Type AVI Resolution Front Camera: 1920x720P - 20fps/30fps Back Camera: 1280x720P - 30fps Loop Recording Time

Off/1 Min/2 Min/3 Min Motion Detection Enable/Disable Frequency 50Hz/60Hz Format Yes/No Default Yes/No

Language English/Russian/Deutsch/Spanish/Italian/Portuguese/Japanese/Korean Date/Time Set system time TV Output HDMI USB USB 2.0(High Speed) TV Output HDMI Battery Built-in Lithiumion Battery Starts Automatically After the car starts, the machine boots and starts recording automatically System Requirement Windows 2000/xp/visat/Win7/,above MAC OS x10.3.6

Price: approx $150

Pros:

• Dual Camera
  
• Small unit
  

Cons

• Bad video recording when dark
  
• Rear end facing camera pointless when you have dark tint
  

Abee V31

Specification:

http://www.abee.com.tw/PRODUCTS_V31-1.html

Q&A

http://www.abee.com.tw/SERVICE_V31.html

Videos

http://www.google.com.au/search?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=tOl&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=fflb&q=abee+v31+youtube&oq=abee+v31+youtube&gs_l=serp.3...55883.56942.0.57063.8.8.0.0.0.0.101.423.5j2.7.0...0.0...1c.5IF6gMeDQd4

Approx: $200

Pros:

• Good quality recording day and night
  
• Small unit
  
• Many functions
  

Cons:

• Single Camera
  

Both unit is easy to install, plug and play.

Easy to extract files - micro SD car reader.

Both unit do not have GPS built in.

i personally prefer Abee V31. suits me better.

[Muzza P]

Hey fellas. Yeah I have a dash camera in my Aurion, I put it in about 6 weeks ago in fact. I got mine from dealextreme.com (and look up car DVR) and I paid about $60 for mine there.

A few things to look out for, firstly make sure that it records in a compressed format. Mine records in uncompressed avi and uses about 1.2gigabytes per 15minutes at a 720P resolution. Secondly, mine has night mode and motion detect, so it stops recording when you stop at traffic lights etc, then starts recording when you move off again. I would like to point out that the motion detect is difficult to trigger at night on mine - even when driving with the high beams on. Thirdly, off the top of my head, I would also advise to get a 1080res camera if its $5 to $10 dearer than a 720res camera. My 720res will only show number plates clearly if you are virtually tailgating them. But I guess that may also depend on the brand you get.

[Silver-Aurion]

Just forked out $660 inc GST on my visiondrive camera. Twin camera setup. One for front and back (or where ever you want).

Yet to install it but thoroughly reviewed the camera and spoke with the guy who sells these in Australia. So good support and warranty for Aussie customers.

This cam was also advertised on ACA.