Any popular dash cams out there?

SJcam M20 takes full HD video, not sure what the max memory is but I have a 256GB card in it. I don't hard wire, I use batteries. Battery life kinda suck, only 45mins, so I don't use all the time. If you hardwire it, you can set it to only be on when ignition is on.

Plus, it fits with all gopro type adapters and you can remove it and use for other things....

Like mount under your truck, and view from smart phone while trying to track down issues

Well under your price limit

 

From my build thread:

• DGE S3 Dual Dash Cam - Ultra HD 1440P Front & 1080P Rear 150 Degree Wide Angle Dual Lens Car Camera, Front and Rear Dash Cam, Dashboard Camera with G-Sensor, WDR, 16GB card includedDash/Rear camera. Front and rear facing cameras. Mounted on modified GoPro clip. I frankly have not bothered to download the videos yet so can't speak too much to video quality other than on the small screen its pretty wide angle.
  
  Install:
  • My truck has the remote Go-Pro clip already, I modified an aftermarket Go-Pro clamp to fit the back of the new dash cam with glue and screws, but I'd bet the 3M tape would have held.
  • You have two wires to contend with, one is the power (usb), the other is the input from the rear facing camera. Both were easy to route through the headliner then the A-pillar shroud and (for rear) C-pillar shroud using the supplied plastic tool. There is gap the entire length, so you can hide everything.
    • The power cable I routed down the passenger A-pillar, under the glove box, under the console and into the a power port USB adapter in the console power port. The cable was just the perfect length for this.
    • The rear camera is mounted with 3M tape at the top of the back window just to the right (facing backwards) of the center slider window behind the driver side rear passenger headrest. Its cable was long, so I ditched the surplus into the open space behind the seats, behind the shell and out of the way even with the seats down.
  • The camera sets itself up with a few initial read the screen instructions and fooling around with settings like auto dim the screen and audio choices-not rocketscience.

 

For parking lots etc... I have not installed yet, still waiting on surface mount cams, but 4 chan car DVR system. I hooked it to head unit to check it out, but no cams yet.

 

What about the rear view mirror? You have to use the cam?

 

I think you are asking if the dash cam is my rear view mirror? No. The dash cam is to its right, and nicely positioned to not increase the blocked view.

 

UPDATE: Seems like the Blackvue DR590 is the choice for me. IMO offers the most quality and features for the price. Blackvue brand, 2ch, parking mode, discreet size, and pretty good video quality for being 2ch. A little bit more than I wanted so spend initially but it’s pretty easy to justify. And extra $100 now might save $1000 later.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I think this is an important conversation for us Tacoma owners to have (along with all other drivers) considering how popular our vehicles are and how often most of us drive.

 

All these devices look like a windshield full of crap to me. Doesn’t someone make a simple cam the you stick the lense in the outside front grill, with a little box under the hood that’s hard wired into the battery.

You don’t need to view this thing everyday. But if you were in a accident, pop the hood,view the looped footage. I would get one of these, but all that mess that goes on with mounting near mirror and running wires just isn’t for me.

 

I’m not a tech guy but I think a weather proof, impact resistant camera with all the functionality of a traditional dash cam might end up being difficult to manufacture and thus EXPENSIVE.

I’m sure something out there exists. Heck, a go pro is durable and probably really easy to hide. Back up cameras are mounted externally and those work, but their video quality isn’t great and they don’t have the features a dash cam does. If you want something that records on loop, wide angle, has g sensors and parking modes and all the other various sh*t, that you can also tuck behind your grill or something, that’s a great idea but probably not the easiest to execute.

The higher end cams seem to be modeled in a way that makes them low-profile. They can be mounted above the mirror and the wires tucked in the headliner and a-pillar. IMO, that doesn’t take up any space that I was using for vision anyways.

With all the tech we have now, someone should make a HD cam the size of a quarter and just stick that bitch behind the front emblem.

 

Here’s a side pic of my dash cam.

It’s hidden behind the mirror so unless you’re looking for it you will never know that it’s there

 

Now that’s pretty clean.

 

Have an f800 pro in the Tacoma, and Blackvue 650's in the rest. Love the blackvue's...still getting used to the f800 pro though.

 

I've been using a VIOFO A119S in my Taco for the past year. Very pleased with it. Great quality and reliable and a great bang for the buck.

I've just upgraded to the VIOFO A129 Duo as I wanted a rear cam as well. Will install it today and give it a spin this week.

 

Which camera model is that?

 

I've never seen a cam mounted in this position, how do you like it? Does it get in the way of your head at all? How is the picture? Are you still able to get the approx 170 degree viewing angle? I like this idea a lot for security purposes. Seems to be more hidden than the windshield mounted cams.

 

VIOFO A119

 

I have an extra f800 pro with all the add ins that I dont think I'll need since I'm about to get rid of the car it was going in. Still new in the box!

 

That would be a poor place to out a dash cam because it would have a very bad view of your surroundings. As high up on your windshield behind the mirror is the ideal place to capture the best view. Cams like the a119 are pretty discrete and can be hidden behind your mirror

 

Any suggestion on a double sided tape to secure the cam to the windshield? I installed mine a couple days ago and the 3M tape that came with it must be laminated because it splits in half and the camera hangs by the cords. Is there a non laminated 3M tape I can replace this with?

@USDashCamera

 

Get a hold of who you purchased it from. They'll probably send you a replacement part. They are rock solid from my experience so I'm guessing you got part of a bad batch.....?

 

We just bought the Garmin 55 for the taco after the accident. They are super small and hold up to a 64gb SD mini.