Dash Cam Suggestions

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Johnboy

Rank II
Launch Member

Enthusiast I

I have been using a dash cam for three years now and its always on in my car. I have a two channel, records facing forward and rearward with sound, at the same time, with gps tracking built in. Its a transcend drive pro 520, heres a link on amazon:
I also have the knock off version of the same unit from china, but the software does not work as well as the drive pro. I use both of them in my two 4x4 vehicles. I highly recommend a dash cam. Used it two years ago to record our trip through ZION park.


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dstock

Rank VI
Member

Influencer I

3,038
Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA
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I have had good success with the Anker Roav dashcam. I have had two of them for about a year and no problems.

This video was from an earlier dashcam that I had. Never know what you may catch on video.
We've got a couple of these Roav units as well for the last 8 months or so, no complaints so far. I drive from Rancho Palos Verdes to Hollywood and back everyday. I could start an entire YouTube channel with footage from the cam...LOL.
 

murps

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate II

2,309
Denver, CO, USA
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d
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m
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0711

A few of my friends have this little guy and swear by it. I'll be picking on up pretty soon here too.

And just so you don't have to go searching though the link here's some of its features!



 
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stickel

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,268
Las Vegas, NV
First Name
Mike
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Stickel
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9020

Looks like Black Vue is coming out with a 4K camera. Got an email telling me about the pre-sale for the 900 (single and dual camera systems).


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Inthewoods

Local Expert Central CA
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Investor

Trail Blazer III

4,709
Visalia, CA, USA
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Steve
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Garcia
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I've tried some cheap one and now thinking of going to a GO PRO that will record continually and take it out and use it for videos.
Any one know which GO PRO to use? I see motorcycles have them on their helmets.
 

stickel

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,268
Las Vegas, NV
First Name
Mike
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Stickel
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9020

I've tried some cheap one and now thinking of going to a GO PRO that will record continually and take it out and use it for videos.
Any one know which GO PRO to use? I see motorcycles have them on their helmets.
Depends how much you want to spend and what features you want. Most riders (myself included) go with whatever the current main model is (the 6 as of today I believe).

The Session is a decent one as well with lower resolution, smaller camera, and is a little cheaper.

Really those are the only GoPro cameras unless you’re counting the drone.
 
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Inthewoods

Local Expert Central CA
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer III

4,709
Visalia, CA, USA
First Name
Steve
Last Name
Garcia
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8199

I was just looking at the Go Pro on eBay and Amazon I never used one or know anyone that has one. I still have features on my phone that I don't use so I don't know what I need. I want to take video as I drive and edit it and save it. I will be a using it for my company and off road trips so it will get a lot of use for hours daily. I got a cheap drone to try out and I couldn't fly that darn thing so I'll put that one for later.
 

Yngstr

Rank 0

Traveler I

I have the garmin 35 in my rig (tractor trailer) and I have two of the garmin 45’s in my pick up. They replaced three year old Original Dash Cam Ultra’s tha just plain wore out.

The Garmin 35 is an awesom little unit with the best feature being that you can get them refurbished quite easily from Garmin for $69. Update it with Garmin’s free program ‘Garmin Express’ and you’ll have a camera that will do anything uou need it too. As I said, my 35 is in my work truck and I chose this model because I can use an adaptor for my phone to read the micro sd card on the side of the road and get the video off the camera quickly and be able to easil edit and share within minutes. The stick on permanent mount is the second reason why this camera is in my rig. I-70, Loveland Pass and all the other two lanes I run on a daily basis are chewed up bad and I don’t want the camera to come off the window when I’m driving - especially when my tanker is empty and the unit is bouncing and hopping down the road.

The Garmin 45’s are in my pickup (one facing forward and one facing rearward) because of their small size and ease of wirelessly getting footage from the camera into my phone to be able to share quickly. These cameras have a metal disc that sticks to the windsheild or back glass that magnetically attach the camera. They work great in my pickup. Their small size means now one sees them and they tuck in out of the way places while doing their job. Video quality on both is excellent. The 45 is a better lens and can allow you to read license plates better if viewed on a lager screen.

All of my cameras are on all the time.
I like that a 64g micro sd card stores over 18 hours of video(HD).
Video clips on both are stored in one minute segments
When you save a video clip it combines the minute prior and the minute after the incident making it easier to find the saved clip- just look for a 3 minute clip.
Uploading via wireless and Garmin’s free virb app or via phone card adaptor is quick and easy. Normally I can have video to text, email or upload to the web within 6 minutes. Most of the time is spent finding the video.
I have had zero heat issues with the 45’s.

The Garmin 35 in my rig did shut dow yesterday after being in direct sun and 115° interior and 95°exterior temps as I slept. Hit the power button and it came right back on before I drove away.
For $69 if I’d never had a camera, the 35 would be my first foray into dash cams.
 
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Horse Soldier

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

1,798
Louisville Ky
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Davis
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I own and drive a semi truck, on 81 southbound in Virginia a car bounced off the guard rail and hit my trail. The driver of the car blamed me but the dash cam showed that I was driving straight and true and that I did not run him off the road.
 

Tim

Rank VI
Launch Member

Influencer II

4,750
Oxford, UK
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Tim
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Lunn
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0671

I started with a rear view mirror integrated dash cam. Total garbage. Then I had a cheep dash cam from costco. Worked fine but the suction cup kept falling from my windshield. I'm guessing repeated fall damage eventually got the best of it. Then I tried a Magellan Mivue 420. Pretty nice unit with GPS. It showed the current speed on the screen. My favorite feature is "parking mode" which keeps it running all the time and has motion detection to capture parking lot shenanigans. But the one time I had an incident on the road, the guy clipped me from behind. The dash cam never saw anything. So now I have a Cobra CDR895D (dual channel). The front camera is the normal suction cup and the rear is a "permanent" stick on. Been working great for about three months.

Things you should think about if you are looking to buy one:
Where will it mount - Will it be in your field of view, will it mount permanently?
How will it be powered - Can you run/hide wires to where you want it? Does the unit have bare wires or a classic cigarette lighter plug. Will you need to add a switch for it?
What about video storage - What type of memory card does it take? Can you swap cards easily while it is mounted?
I was just about to go for the integrated rear view mirror dashcam option... won’t be doing that now! Thanks. My plan was to try and de-clutter the number of ‘gadgets’ in my line of view when driving... will keep looking.


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