Does anyone have a dash cam for their car?

[psuro]

I have been thinking about getting one. Feel it's a good way to document any potential issues that arise during travel down the road.

If you do have one what are your thoughts on it and which one do you have?

 

[fastlax16]

I have been thinking about getting one. Feel it's a good way to document any potential issues that arise during travel down the road.

If you do have one what are your thoughts on it and which one do you have?

I have one and love it. Lots of bad drivers and pedestrians where I live, which is why I got it. You get what you pay for with them though. I have the blackvue dr650s-2ch, a newer model just came out. You can get them at a decent discount on MassDrop.

Here is what the video quality looks like from the front and rear cams (sorry just race videos nothing from the street).

 

[psuro]

So you have two of them or does it shoot video from front and back?

And do you turn it on all the time?

 

[fastlax16]

So you have two of them or does it shoot video from front and back?

And do you turn it on all the time?

1 system, 2 cameras, any camera that ends in 2ch means 2 channel, one on the windshield and a second run to the back glass. it's hardwired into the car and turns on whenever the car is on automatically. there's also an optional accessory that allows it to run when the car is off in "parking mode" so that you would have a recording if someone backed into you while parked.

 

[psuro]

Thanks. I will look into it.

 

[demlion]

It will sure reduce questions about who's at fault in wrecks, whether someone broke the law, etc.

If you are pulled over for, say, crossing the fog line, and you did it, my guess is one way or another the cop is going to find out. This could confirm his probable cause for pulling you over, or his lack of it. It will show whether you stopped fully for a stop sign, whether you rolled through a yellow light, etc.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

This might sound like a newbie question, but where/how does the video get stored? And how long does it get stored?

 

[psuro]

This might sound like a newbie question, but where/how does the video get stored? And how long does it get stored?

I think you can upload to the cloud. Or I think they come with flash drives.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

I think you can upload to the cloud. Or I think they come with flash drives.

Thanks. I had heard about the cloud services

I guess I'm wondering about this scenario:

I go to/park at the mall at night. I get in my car, drive home and when I leave the next morning, I notice someone has scraped the passenger side of my vehicle. How is the video stored, and do I have to comb through hours of it to find the 60-90 minute time slot when I was at the mall?

 

[psuro]

Thanks. I had heard about the cloud services

I guess I'm wondering about this scenario:

I go to/park at the mall at night. I get in my car, drive home and when I leave the next morning, I notice someone has scraped the passenger side of my vehicle. How is the video stored, and do I have to comb through hours of it to find the 60-90 minute time slot when I was at the mall?

Not sure- that is a question I also have. I am assuming You can search specific timeframes. Just like YouTube.

 

[hereforthebeer]

- Law enforcement needs a warrant or consent to view your dash cam footage, although it could be siezed under exigent circumstances pending the approval of a warrant. This is only usually done for criminal cases, not traffic violations, so don't have a two way dash cam that captures video of you texting while you t-bone a school bus.

- Insurance companies can be suspicious of dash cam footage due to the proliferation of fraudulent scams, so cam footage is not always the trump card some would like to think. We can all thank Russia for pioneering that phenomenon.

 

[demlion]

Not sure- that is a question I also have. I am assuming You can search specific timeframes. Just like YouTube.

Wait. So the dash and rear view cams are recording even when the car is OFF?

 

[psuro]

Wait. So the dash and rear view cams are recording even when the car is OFF?

According to fastlax-yes.

 

[demlion]

According to fastlax-yes.

NFW. What was that Jim Carrey movie? The Truman Show? Where he's on camera 24/7. That's a horror show.

Does it record audio too? Yikes.

As a PI lawyer, I can see it having enormous benefits. And while the cops may need a warrant to get it, i need only a subpoena. Keep in mind, that if you delete footage of a wreck in which you are claimed to be at fault, the other side may be entitled to a jury instruction which says that the jury may infer that you destroyed it because you knew it showed you to be at fault.

1984.

 

[BoChops]

I have a WheelWitness that I got on Amazon. It records in HD to a micro SD card. The recording is broken up into continuous segments, the length of the segments is in minutes and is user selected. When the card fills up, it replaces the oldest segment. When you plug the card into your computer, each recording segment appears in a folder for easy browsing, like searching for movies on a smart phone. Many of these cams are similar in features and have an option to also run while the car is off or begin recording when the car is bumped. They can also record speed and gps if you want.

Having had this for a while, in general these dash cams are good for reading license plates while the other car is stopped or moving at a similar speed. Or, for being a witness to an accident. Not so good for reading plates on a car speeding by, so you may only get a car description and partial plate on a hit and run if that happens. Night vision on some brands is bad. There are video reviews of different brands on Amazon with actual footage of driving and incidents.

The technology is new and improving. When they get closer to 4k resolution someday, the detail on moving vehicles will be better. I make a 4k road trip every summer from TX to PA, and feel more confident knowing the cam is recording what is happening around me. And since most accidents occur near one's home, they are good insurance around town for the price.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

I have a WheelWitness that I got on Amazon. It records in HD to a micro SD card. The recording is broken up into continuous segments, the length of the segments is in minutes and is user selected. When the card fills up, it replaces the oldest segment. When you plug the card into your computer, each recording segment appears in a folder for easy browsing, like searching for movies on a smart phone. Many of these cams are similar in features and have an option to also run while the car is off or begin recording when the car is bumped. They can also record speed and gps if you want.

Having had this for a while, in general these dash cams are good for reading license plates while the other car is stopped or moving at a similar speed. Or, for being a witness to an accident. Not so good for reading plates on a car speeding by, so you may only get a car description and partial plate on a hit and run if that happens. Night vision on some brands is bad. There are video reviews of different brands on Amazon with actual footage of driving and incidents.

The technology is new and improving. When they get closer to 4k resolution someday, the detail on moving vehicles will be better. I make a 4k road trip every summer from TX to PA, and feel more confident knowing the cam is recording what is happening around me. And since most accidents occur near one's home, they are good insurance around town for the price.

Is the microSD card removable, and what's the max size?

 

[BoChops]

Is the microSD card removable, and what's the max size?

Yes, just like a digital camera. Mine can go up to 64GB, which is a little over an hour of HD recording. Some are more in capacity, some less.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Yes, just like a digital camera. Mine can go up to 64GB, which is a little over an hour of HD recording. Some are more in capacity, some less.

Thanks BoChops--appreciate the info.

 

[lionroar88]

It would be better, if when off, it would record when it detects motion, not continuous. And since most 'keying' incidents occur along the side of the car, front and read views only will be useless. Same would be if the car is 'bumped' in a parking lot from the side, the chance you get video evidence is pretty slim.

 

[LionDeNittany]

I have been thinking about getting one. Feel it's a good way to document any potential issues that arise during travel down the road.

If you do have one what are your thoughts on it and which one do you have?

I had one in my last car and it was great.
I am installing one (already bought) in my current car.

I'd recommend getting it hardwired or wire it so you don't have a cable hanging down the middle of your car. You can just tuck it in if that works.

The MicroSD is set to record over the oldest footage. this gave me about 3 days of driving when I had a short commute.

The camera powered on when I started the car. It has GPS so knows your speed and location.

It would record for a few minutes after a crash and for a few seconds after I turned the car off normally.

I never used the crash feature but it works with GPS.

LdN

 

[BoChops]

It would be better, if when off, it would record when it detects motion, not continuous. And since most 'keying' incidents occur along the side of the car, front and read views only will be useless. Same would be if the car is 'bumped' in a parking lot from the side, the chance you get video evidence is pretty slim.

While parked, it can record if bumped or senses motion only. Agree on the lack of side view, though they are wide angle. Some people have one face forward and one turned around to face back, both mounted up front. The wide angle will capture some side view.

 

[JWB389]

I have a Garmin GPS with a built in dash cam. I commute about 80 miles round trip every day and run it constantly. I've had it for about a year and I love it, but I've only capture 2 good videos. One of me doing a 180 on an icy I-78 and one of an incredible lighting storm.

 

[tboyer]

Yes, just like a digital camera. Mine can go up to 64GB, which is a little over an hour of HD recording. Some are more in capacity, some less.

That seems high to me. Do you have compression turned on?? An hour of 1080p should be about 3 GB and could be less. Security video can compress down efficiently because the image is largely static.

a 64 GB card should be good for a day or two at least, even at high resolution.

 

[fastlax16]

That seems high to me. Do you have compression turned on?? An hour of 1080p should be about 3 GB and could be less. Security video can compress down efficiently because the image is largely static.

a 64 GB card should be good for a day or two at least, even at high resolution.

Agreed. I get well over a day with my 64 gb card at full 1080 hd even with it being a 2 channel. A few more videos from mine w street views.



Upload screwed up the quality


https://photos.app.goo.gl/5lK88UMy6YXSlMIk1

 

[psuro]

I had one in my last car and it was great.
I am installing one (already bought) in my current car.

I'd recommend getting it hardwired or wire it so you don't have a cable hanging down the middle of your car. You can just tuck it in if that works.

The MicroSD is set to record over the oldest footage. this gave me about 3 days of driving when I had a short commute.

The camera powered on when I started the car. It has GPS so knows your speed and location.

It would record for a few minutes after a crash and for a few seconds after I turned the car off normally.

I never used the crash feature but it works with GPS.

LdN

What brand was it? And having it hardwired - any affect on your warranty?

 

[LionDeNittany]

What brand was it? And having it hardwired - any affect on your warranty?

I didn't hardwire the actual camera. I hardwired the power to the camera. The USB power cord was hardwired into my car.

I don't recall the brand I had. Some chinese thing I bought on ebay.

My current one is a Cobra. They are all really the same. Don't need to pay up IMO. Anything in the 50-100 dollar range is the same.

Bigger issue is the memory card which will fry after a year or so from constant use.

LdN

 

[fastlax16]

What brand was it? And having it hardwired - any affect on your warranty?

Hardwiring a dashcam is unlikely to have any impact on your warranty, although there are always dealerships that try and find reasons to deny claims. You tap into the fusebox so if there was an issue with a system that was tied to whatever fuse you tapped there could be a denial. Removing a tap before you go to the dealer takes all of 2 minutes and they'd never know it was there however.

 

[BoChops]

That seems high to me. Do you have compression turned on?? An hour of 1080p should be about 3 GB and could be less. Security video can compress down efficiently because the image is largely static.

a 64 GB card should be good for a day or two at least, even at high resolution.

You're probably right. It's been a while since I watched the videos. I set it up at higest resolution (which I think for this unit is more than standard 1080) and max performance to get best picture, sacrificing video length.

I can always push a button to save a video segment in case I need evidence when this happens... lol!

 

[psuro]

Well, just to complete this thought, I get a Thinkware F800 installed yesterday - front and back. I don't have a long commute, but I just feel better knowing that if anything happened, there is a good chance of it being at least partially recorded. If I get hit on the side, it won't cover it, but I get 140 degrees front and 140 degrees rear view, so I should get most of the area surrounding the car.

Local Best Buy ran a special, plus I had $150 in Best Buy gift cards to use, so that helped out a lot.