IdiotsInCars
March 25, 2023 4:04 PM Subscribe
I want to get a "consumer" dash cam...
I've been considering it for a while and after a close call with a moron this afternoon, I'm now all in. Tell me what features I want and anything else you may know.
Nissan pickup.
I've been considering it for a while and after a close call with a moron this afternoon, I'm now all in. Tell me what features I want and anything else you may know.
Nissan pickup.
Do you just need to watch the OUTSIDE, or do you need to watch your cabin as well? How about a rear view out the back windshield in case of someone rear-ending you?
Personally, there are two that are worth looking at:
A) Ring Car Cam: yes, Ring now makes a cam for your car. And it comes with its own LTE cellular modem so everything's uploaded into the cloud (1st month free, rest you need to pay) so you can access the camera to view front AND inside the cabin at ANY time like like a Ring Door cam, linked to your ring app, complete with 2-way voice comm. It is expensive, and you're getting a subscription on top of it, but otherwise it's almost fool proof with voice control.
B) A more traditional dashcam, the Viofo A129 Pro Duo. This one has a 4K sensor, not because you need a number, but this tries to ensure you got enough resolution to record the culprit's plate. And it has a rear sensor module that's wireless to make sure you get both front and rear. I recommend the front operate in 2K 60fps mode. GPS built-in so it can record your position AND real-time speed. You can hardwire the two cams together which turns on the parking mode. And there's a remote (optional) that lets you one-touch 'save video' and other operations.
posted by kschang at 5:38 PM on March 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
Personally, there are two that are worth looking at:
A) Ring Car Cam: yes, Ring now makes a cam for your car. And it comes with its own LTE cellular modem so everything's uploaded into the cloud (1st month free, rest you need to pay) so you can access the camera to view front AND inside the cabin at ANY time like like a Ring Door cam, linked to your ring app, complete with 2-way voice comm. It is expensive, and you're getting a subscription on top of it, but otherwise it's almost fool proof with voice control.
B) A more traditional dashcam, the Viofo A129 Pro Duo. This one has a 4K sensor, not because you need a number, but this tries to ensure you got enough resolution to record the culprit's plate. And it has a rear sensor module that's wireless to make sure you get both front and rear. I recommend the front operate in 2K 60fps mode. GPS built-in so it can record your position AND real-time speed. You can hardwire the two cams together which turns on the parking mode. And there's a remote (optional) that lets you one-touch 'save video' and other operations.
posted by kschang at 5:38 PM on March 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
This LTT video review gives a good wide ranging overview of what's out there.
posted by roaring beast at 5:43 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by roaring beast at 5:43 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
I’d say this previous comment is still my take on it. I have since installed the rear camera and it works well. If you watch RR&BD on YouTube you’ll want a dash cam ASAP.
posted by kiblinger at 5:57 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kiblinger at 5:57 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Now that I've seen some responses, I'd like to refine what I'm looking for:
-Outside front view only.
- Don't want to pay monthly fee. Is it possible to get a device that saves the video to an SD card or USB thumb drive. or to itself (which you then retrieved by plugging in with USB to computer?
- High res would be good
- GPS and speed recording would be good
posted by falsedmitri at 7:42 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
-Outside front view only.
- Don't want to pay monthly fee. Is it possible to get a device that saves the video to an SD card or USB thumb drive. or to itself (which you then retrieved by plugging in with USB to computer?
- High res would be good
- GPS and speed recording would be good
posted by falsedmitri at 7:42 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
There is always the Viofo A129 Pro (not the Pro Duo) which doesn't have the rear cam. It saves to microSD card. Remote optional.
posted by kschang at 11:34 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kschang at 11:34 PM on March 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
We use a KDLINKS X3 cam.
We work nights,and the quality is amazing on this.
https://kdlinks.com/collections/dash-camera/products/x3-dash-cam
posted by LOOKING at 4:20 AM on March 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
We work nights,and the quality is amazing on this.
https://kdlinks.com/collections/dash-camera/products/x3-dash-cam
posted by LOOKING at 4:20 AM on March 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Most cams have a small internal power source so they can keep the clock running and flush writes to the SD card when the power is cut. Make sure you get one that has a supercap rather than a battery, especially if you live in a hot climate. (I live in Houston and had two battery cams die in two consecutive summers before I learned this lesson.)
Consider a cam that has a GPS receiver. This isn't so much for position information as for making sure the clock stays accurate without you having to manually set it.
Some cams have the option to overlay text metadata on the video. I feel that having at least a time (and date) stamp is nice. Think about which options suit your needs.
They make (micro-)SD cards that are especially for security cameras and can take lots of write cycles. These aren't much more expensive than the bog standard kind. I've found the SanDisk High Endurance and Samsung Pro Endurance ones reliable.
posted by sourcequench at 11:39 AM on March 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Consider a cam that has a GPS receiver. This isn't so much for position information as for making sure the clock stays accurate without you having to manually set it.
Some cams have the option to overlay text metadata on the video. I feel that having at least a time (and date) stamp is nice. Think about which options suit your needs.
They make (micro-)SD cards that are especially for security cameras and can take lots of write cycles. These aren't much more expensive than the bog standard kind. I've found the SanDisk High Endurance and Samsung Pro Endurance ones reliable.
posted by sourcequench at 11:39 AM on March 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have a Garmin 57 and have been happy with it. I think it meets all your requirements. I have an SD card intended for dash cams like what sourcequench mentioned, and it holds a lot. Paid storage plans are available but not required- I haven't felt the need to have one. The phone app works well.
posted by wondermouse at 12:37 PM on March 26, 2023
posted by wondermouse at 12:37 PM on March 26, 2023
I'm pretty happy with my Vantrue N1. Pretty basic, resolution is on the low side. But it records to SD and you can click a button that will take a picture and write the last 5 minutes of video to a protected folder.
posted by achrise at 5:07 PM on March 26, 2023
posted by achrise at 5:07 PM on March 26, 2023
Vortex Radar, who reviews radar detectors and dashcams, just did a 4K Dashcam Shootout: 2 generations of Blackvue vs Viofo A139 Pro with HDR on or off. The difference is pretty surprising. That 4K allows you to capture license plates in most light conditions except at night (where your own headlight washes out the plate in front of you), but the Blackvue previous gen blurs the heck out of the pictures.
posted by kschang at 6:27 PM on March 31, 2023
posted by kschang at 6:27 PM on March 31, 2023
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