Dash cameras: good idea or paranoia

[Evan]

video of the cheap $35 cam
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://youtu.be/jr-VPFez8n4">http://youtu.be/jr-VPFez8n4</a><!-- m -->


some observations.
definitely doesnt look like 720p, is not sharp at all. still useful for its purpose IMO and well worth it for $35.
this particular video is ideal conditions. late in the day overcast. with a bright sky the auto exposure is screwed up and video is washed out, and at night the video is essentially worthless.
audio is awful, but you probably should turn that off anyway.
275 MB per 5 minutes of video.
you want to point the camera down to minimize the sky (and how it screws up the exposure)



I think I will still buy the other one to try it out. it seems like a more useful form factor and hopefully quality will be better.

[ScottyB]

yeah that's pretty bad...but again, the entire point is just to have another form of insurance if something ever happens, and maybe it never will. and hell, it was $35 bucks, i'd have been surprised at anything better.

i'm still poking around the options but i will probably pull the trigger here soon. have a big trip coming up in April and it would make a lot of sense to have it then.

[JPolen01]

Quick review on a bunch of cams. May be picking one up once I start working this summer. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://dashcamtalk.com/dash-cam-comparison/">http://dashcamtalk.com/dash-cam-comparison/</a><!-- m -->

[ScottyB]

awesome find Jon, thanks. i've been putting this off forever but that review might finally get me to just put my ass in gear and buy one.

[Evan]

this is the one I have had my eye on
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://dashcamtalk.com/smallest-hd-720p/">http://dashcamtalk.com/smallest-hd-720p/</a><!-- m -->
(the newer much improved h264 version)

they are tiny and meant to be hard wired. So its more of a set and forget type of thing. Id like to wire one into the front and the back.

the hardest part is going to be to find a good wire to tap

[Evan]

just did an install of this
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-0801-Ambarella-A2S60-Chip-Car-DVR-Blackbox-HD-1080P-OV2710-G-sensor-GPS-/121132982864?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c3416a250">http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-0801-Ambar ... 1c3416a250</a><!-- m -->

in my cx-5. see my project thread for more:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=233183#p233183">viewtopic.php?p=233183#p233183</a><!-- l -->

will post video later. it has the same sensor as the GoPro HD, so I have high hopes.

[WRXtranceformed]

Whoa that thing is sweet!

[Sully]

Does it turn on and record by itself or do you have to turn it on every time. Is it like our safety vision cameras where you would press it after the accident to save the last x minutes?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[JPolen01]

It should turn on automatically because he has it plugged into the 12v outlet.

[Evan]

Does it turn on and record by itself or do you have to turn it on every time. Is it like our safety vision cameras where you would press it after the accident to save the last x minutes?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

its totally hands off, set and forget.
starts recording when the car turns on, turns off when the car turns off, and when the memory card fills up it records over old footage. it has a G sensor so if there is an impact it saves the last 3 minutes of footage into a read-only section of the memory card that cant be overwritten.

[Evan]

soooo....the 12v plug charger stopped working. so i decided to hardwire it, since I wanted to do that anyway.
*pop* *burning smell*
did not occur to me that it took 5v NOT 12v and could not be hardwired without a 12v to 5v step down converter.

$100 mistake, back to square one.

[G.Irish]

soooo....the 12v plug charger stopped working. so i decided to hardwire it, since I wanted to do that anyway.
*pop* *burning smell*
did not occur to me that it took 5v NOT 12v and could not be hardwired without a 12v to 5v step down converter.

$100 mistake, back to square one.

Hahaha, reminds me of a time when Maeng and I installed a head unit for a girl at JMU but forgot to unplug the battery...

[PDenbigh]

soooo....the 12v plug charger stopped working. so i decided to hardwire it, since I wanted to do that anyway.
*pop* *burning smell*
did not occur to me that it took 5v NOT 12v and could not be hardwired without a 12v to 5v step down converter.

$100 mistake, back to square one.

How much would you sell the old one for? Not saying I can fix it, but it'd be interesting to try.
Peter

[Evan]

If anyone is shopping for a cheap dash cam, I Just picked up one of these. They have been getting great reviews for the price, and I agree the quality is very good for a $50 camera.
For the purposes of a dashcam its very good
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/G1W-Recorder-G-sensor-processor-AR0330CMOS/dp/B00FONBG1A/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">http://www.amazon.com/G1W-Recorder-G-se ... roduct_top</a><!-- m -->

ill post up some video later if anyone is interested

[ScottyB]

ill post up some video later if anyone is interested

do want. got a $50 Amazon gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket, so maybe i'll finally get off the fence and buy something after i see your findings.

[Evan]

ill post up some video later if anyone is interested

do want. got a $50 Amazon gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket, so maybe i'll finally get off the fence and buy something after i see your findings.

straight off the camera
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://mega.co.nz/#!gUslyJqY!LhCh6HlNpp-TT-zzZi6t_zZ2TdpvRTYi2_pyr0Sx3VI">https://mega.co.nz/#!gUslyJqY!LhCh6HlNp ... _pyr0Sx3VI</a><!-- m -->

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://mega.co.nz/#!8VURDJqC!bJQw2FP_LjnnNIcCXhSoM1e56bVVaHBP2S5BtQ80kJc">https://mega.co.nz/#!8VURDJqC!bJQw2FP_L ... S5BtQ80kJc</a><!-- m -->

[Evan]

quick update in case anyone is still paying attention.

got my replacement mini camera (the original i accidentally fried) so , moved the other camera to the rear. problem is that the rear outlet is always on, and I dont want the camera constantly recording and killing my battery.

solution:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/KEMO-M148A-Battery-guard-12-V-Made-in-Germany-/251099600246?clk_rvr_id=556045013007">http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/KEMO-M148A-B ... 6045013007</a><!-- m -->

You set the cutoff voltage under which the box will cut all power to the outputs. Since alternator voltage is right at about 14v, and battery voltage (depending on battery condition and temperature) is around 13, its pretty easy to tweak to get a setting thats on when the car is on, and turns off when the car shuts off. (the voltage setting may need retweaking a couple times a year though when the weather changes)


here it is wired up. note that I could have significantly reduced/eliminated its footprint by hardwiring it in, and hiding the box in the ample space behind trim panels. but i like this flexibility and it sits out of the way in that cubby. i do need to get some black wire clips though

[ViPER1313]

Just an FYI that may or may not work depending on the type of alternator your car has. Many are clutched or go into low output mode unless the battery drops to a certain voltage.

[Evan]

Just an FYI that may or may not work depending on the type of alternator your car has. Many are clutched or go into low output mode unless the battery drops to a certain voltage.

good point. I hadnt thought about the newer cars with light hybrid features like newer bmws and cars with start/stop (or mazdas capacitor)
out of curiosity Id be interested in seeing where that voltage cutoff is, and how much the voltage drop is

either way, not the case on this car as its stayed on while the car is on since installed

[ViPER1313]

The one in my Grand Prix would bleed down to 12.5v over 10 minutes and then go back up to 14.5 within a minute or two. My Dad's trailblazer does the same hrug: Engine RPM and accessory load didn't seem to matter. GM thing?