Dash cameras: good idea or paranoia

[ScottyB]

i'm really curious what you guys think of these, especially with the majority of you living in the high-traffic DC area.

(this is in Russia, where people crash just getting their mail, but still)
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or fine citizens such as this:
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apparently with people becoming more desperate for cash these days coupled with the fact that your average person is a shithead, i'm hearing of a number of instances where the ol' "swoop and squat" scam driving techniques are becoming more popular. this involves someone either diving down on you from another lane and then slamming on the brakes so you rear end them, or even simply backing into you when you're at a stop and claiming you rear-ended them. in many cases these are done in situations devoid of witnesses (or witnesses who don't give a crap) so its your word against theirs. insurance pays out, or it goes to court for a settlement, asshole reaps profits.

couple this with being able to sue the hell out of someone for nearly any reason no matter how superfluous, and you have this sort of thing becoming even more popular to bring down on unsuspecting innocent motorists. i've read that in NJ this is starting to get pretty bad. in eastern Europe nearly every car has one of these.

anyone consider a dash cam? hell, even using a GoPro to do the job? they're coming down in price (<$100, even less on ebay) and have the potential to really be useful. i've never had this happen to me, but i wouldn't be surprised at all if it did considering how many time's i've been run into in the past. as a bonus, could you not use a dashcam to make an in-car driving video on the cheap if the sound was decent enough?

here's one. they can go right onto the windshield with suction cups as well.


you can even get an app for your Android, free! that's very cool.

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i dunno. with people having cameras in their phones now for any occasion, is this the next step? if anyone has any stories i wanna hear 'em.

[BLINGMW]

Good thread, gets me thinking :thumbup:

I'm not sure sure you're crazy, I've had similar thoughts (though that doesn't help your case)

I have nothing useful to contribute other than I'd mostly out of concern for situations such as these:

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In which case I think I'd rather get a pen camera or something and just keep on me at all times :dunno:

Logic: I've spent much more on guns/ammo and will probably never use them for their intended purpose, what's another $100 for a camera or two? Seems like low hanging fruit.

[Evan]

yeah ive been debating it. it really cant hurt, and if you get a good one, its set and forget. it cycles over the old stuff when it reaches end of memory, and automatically starts recording.

the problem would be if the accident really was your fault

[Apoc]

the problem would be if the accident really was your fault

Just say, "My battery must have died or something," like all the racers do who are at fault when running a camera.

[BLINGMW]

[ScottyB]

the problem would be if the accident really was your fault

right. or if you're hooning around on the street and get pulled over, and they seize the camera for evidence.

i don't really worry about that as much as the benefit of having something on film if someone is trying to take me to the bank in a frivolous lawsuit.

[Kaan]

i purchased the gopro for my commutes. on the bike, i see some of the craziest shit ever. and i'd like to record it for "posterity." If nothing happens on the way to work, I erase and see what the afternoon brings me.

[Evan]

im dissapointed that these arent already integrated into GPS nav units. already on your windshield so its stealthy, single power cable, and you could even have GPS data overlay on the video

anyone know of a good (or well rated) cheap-ish dash cam?

[ScottyB]

anyone know of a good (or well rated) cheap-ish dash cam?

i'm no authority but i've been looking at these for a little while. just some food for thought to help your search.

ebay has some decent stuff. it seems cameras fall into 2 categories: cheap, 720P and no GPS vs. GPS, 1080, with adjustable FPS and larger internal batteries. i kinda just want something cheap to get the job done so i've been looking harder at the first of the 2. neat features to look for are a fisheye or wide angle lens, g-meter to show accident severity if needed, and a built-in screen to review footage on the spot.

the one i'm thinking of getting. apparently the seller can be talked down to $50. i'm trying to figure out if you can hardwire it and how much a kit will cost.

this one seems like a much nicer alternative to the above, its just that i'm a cheapass. debating if the built-in screen is worth it.

very nice one with a ton of storage and high adjustability

more top of the line with a g-sensor

on the bike, i see some of the craziest shit ever

i can't imagine, but upload it and share because i wanna see it!

[Evan]

Yeah i was looking at the first one too. looks like it could be hidden somewhat behind the rear view mirror.


i really hope that the IR doesnt turn on automatically. IR behind glass reflects back and washes out. (I have some IR security cams at home pointed out windows) whoever thought of that is a retard

[Steve85]

I've been thinking about a gopro for this too. So many close calls from incredibly aggressive driving. Already one incident, nearly another last week. I'm mostly worried about a word vs word situation. I was lucky that a witness was willing to stop the first time. I like the prices on these and the looping much better.

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[Goodspeed]

http://jalopnik.com/5886439/watch-the-te.../gallery/1

[ScottyB]

yeah...the hell with that noise. i'm probably going to nab that $50 ebay jobbie. its just too cheap to ignore the possible upside if you get involved with someone who took their crazy pills that morning.

[Evan]

this one seems like a much nicer alternative to the above, its just that i'm a cheapass. debating if the built-in screen is worth it.

that one is available on ebay for around $32.

but for ultra cheapo, I like this one a little better.
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found a review of it on youtube and it seems to do everything pretty well.
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I have put in a couple of offers for the first one for $50, first offer got rejected waiting on the 2nd. if that gets rejected ill probably just get the $35 one

[ScottyB]

but for ultra cheapo, I like this one a little better.
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nice find! i'm impressed with the spec list and even the warranty.

with anything that cheap i'm trying to think of the places they probably cut costs. i wonder how the suction cup unit holds up. guess i'll have to snap one up and find out for myself.

[Evan]

it looks to be a standard tripod mount so its easy to replace or upgrade.
i have some suction cup camera mounts that i bought for home security cams that I may try if they work better

[Evan]

got mine on friday and installed it yesterday.

build quality is what you would expect for $35, but everything appears to work as designed. it came with the language set to russian so that was fun figuring out how to switch it back to english with no manual.
it automatically starts recording when it gets 12v power, and automatically stops recording after the car shuts off.
when the memory card reaches the end i can verify that it loops over the old videos too.
so it should be set and forget, which is pretty important IMO.




here it is installed. the ideal install location would be behind the mirror, but im too lazy right now to route the power cable properly, so low on the dash is where Im going for now.
the extreme rake of the focus windsheild doesnt help matters either.
the included suction cup was fine, but I had this other one laying around that is a little more flexible and let me mount it more compactly (despite the bigger suction cup itself)
its hard to tell from the pics but it has a smaller visual footprint than a GPS.
the screen doesnt need to stay open, i just had it open for aiming.

ill post some video later

[ScottyB]

that's excellent. i'm waiting on my paypal to load up and then i'll likely get the same one.

is there enough cord to run it around the windshield if you mount it up high?

[Evan]

LOTS of cord so yeah I think so. its also a standard (4mm?) power plug so wouldnt be hard to make your own.

[FlaakCM]

These are good for the cheap and easy setup. But if you want a more permanent and more function setup, I would suggest a carputer. Carputers have inputs for a number of cameras so you can watch every angle of your car and record it all to a hard drive. You also get ipod integration, navigation, games, email, web, etc... whatever a computer has, basically.

But thats only worth it if you are nerdy like me.