Dashcam thoughts?

I had a dash cam in my 3G that I liked very much but I left it in the truck when I traded it so now I'm looking for another one but not looking for one that will break the bank. Just wanted to get thoughts on what people here like and use.

Right now, the two I'm looking at are the

$75 Rove R2-4K Dash Cam Built-in WiFi 6 GPS Car Dashboard Camera Recorder with UHD 2160P, 2.4" IPS Screen, 150° Wide Angle, WDR, Night Vision

Rove R2-4K dual cam dash cam. It's $115 plus $30 for the 24 hour protection wiring harness. The other one is the Viofo A129 dual cam dashcam ($160) maybe with the Dongar wiring harness ($28) for Toyota.

With Amazon Prime Days just around the corner, I'm looking to buy then.

What are your thoughts on these and maybe something that has similar price and quality? TIA.

 

I bought and installed the VIOFO A329S. Really happy with it. I powered it with the Dongar that connects to the power connector in the roof.

 

I use the Garmin Mini 3 with the suction cup mount. Just using the supplied dual usb DC adapter that comes in the box.

 

I'm not seeing a Viofo A329S. Did you mean the A229 3 channel?

 

I put the FitCamX in mine. I like the fact that you can barely tell it's there, and it took less than 5 minutes to install it. It's not the most full-featured dash cam, but it does the job and gives me some peace of mind when driving with all the idiots here who can't stay on their side of the road to save their souls....

 

I had a cheap Amazon special Yi carcam and it saved my ass in an accident in feburary. 1080p and a really good sandisk micro sd card. Whole setup was maybe $70

somebody going way too fast spun out in front of me and I had no where to go at 50-60mph but right into their doors. Thank God I had a dash cam. ZERO fault on my part.

However, I want to note something. The sheriffs office was able to accept the video without issue. But NEITHER insurance company would take the video in ANY form. They only accepted photos. They refused to click on links to where it was safely uploaded (such as google drive) nor would they accept it on a disk or flash drive (against company policy due to security breach) SO KEEP ALL THAT IN MIND WHEN USING A DASH CAM.

I STILL FIRMLY BELIEVE EVERY SINGLE MOTORIST SHOULD HAVE ONE. Especially if you have a modified vehicle like most of us do

These are the screen grabs from the video at impact. Video is on my IG







EDIT: no one was hurt, we all moved on

 

I like the stealth mounting of the FitCamX. Did you use the Dongar wiring harness or did you wire it to the fuse box?

Sounds like they need LTA.

 

I guess a good workaround for the insurers would be screenshots of the video.

 

Correct. I’d have sent them all 30 frames of every second if they pissed me off another minute longer.

 

No. A329S. Got it direct from Viofo. Got the single channel one.

 

The FitCamX comes with everything you need. The wiring is already set up to plug into the mirror wiring harness, so no Dongar type adapter needed.

 

Ok. It didn't show up on my Amazon search so I thought I may have been a typo. And AI suggested I may have been asking about the A229.

 

I recommend thinking through just what you want from a dash cam.

In my case, I wanted a real parking mode where the camera will record a timelapse and switch to regular recording if movement sensed. I also wanted a 2nd rear camera linked to the main dashcam. At the time that led me to a ThinkWare F770 which has served me well in my third gen. I had a BlackVue in my funcar as it was better fitment. Both have been great.

I'd suggest checking out blackboxmycar.com - the people there are knowledgeable and would be helpful with any questions.

 

Very promising. I'll have to compare it to the Rove or R2-4K. Just to be sure though, is this the exact one you're talking about?

https://a.co/d/dkJK6oZ

I am so glad that I came here before buying. The FitCamX seems to check all of the boxes so far but still researching. It's a little more than I wanted to spend but my thoughts are, if I won't miss the money in 2 weeks, buy it. I'll see what it goes for an Amazon Prime Days.

 

Never trust AI

There are a bunch of Youtube videos of it. They even have a version with a telephoto lens.

 

I had looked into that one or whatever version of it was available 5 years ago and just didn't want to spend the $500.

 

I hear you and it has lied to me on more than one occasion but...

 

I get it - what I wanted wasn't cheap but I'm parked outdoors and wanted the parking mode piece.

As I've had eight years service the cost doesn't sting so much as it would if I were changing trucks every 3-4 years.

Oh one other point - there's the OEM dashcam power connector available for whatever you end up choosing.

See https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/installed-dash-cam-using-factory-pigtail.830200/

 

I wouldn't even be looking at getting one now had I not mind farted and left my other one in my traded in truck. After being pointed to the FitCamX, maybe that was a blessing in disguise.

 

I have a lot of thoughts on Dash Cams.
First and foremost - you should have one!

You want something with four main characteristics:
1. Sony Starvis 2 or 3 chip. I don't think 3 is out yet but they have been on the edge of releasing it for a while now.
2. Front and Rear Cams
3. 60 FPS on the front cam and preferably on the back cam at the same time. 60FPS does a better job of collecting data like street signs and license plates.
4. The ability to process 60FPS and write data quickly

You will also want to get a BEEFY high memory SD card for it.

I have had 4 cams now.

• One no name cheapo that was fun to learn on but ultimately useless for the resolution and details you need in an accident.
• Rexing that worked well but still had resolution issues
• Rexing that worked like sheeeat - got returned several times before the seller refunded me because several cameras and several firm ware updates never fixed the issues.
• Viofo - My current cam. Love it! But it's one I got in 2023 when I bought the truck and newer better tech has come along.

If I was buying today - and I am because the wife has now learned that she needs one too - I would get the VIOFO A329T 2CH 4K 60FPS+2K Telephoto Camera with 4xOptical Zoom and Sony STARVIS 2 Sensor
https://www.viofo.com/products/viof...with-4xoptical-zoom-and-sony-starvis-2-sensor

I do NOT want the camera recording inside the cabin. I'm not an Uber / Lyft driver and all shady business stays outside the metal envelope of my truck. That's my fortress of solitude. Camera will have to pick up plenty of details before it gets to the point I have to stop someone from entering.

Here's an older article that helps understand what to look for in a Micro SD Card.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/deciphering-microsd-card-and-sd-card-storage-jargon/

In my experience, the SD Card is the most common point of failure for a Dash Cam. All 3 of my last cams experienced issues when I used "some old SD Card I had laying around" and even some of the expensive ones rated for high heat / high endurance (I live in Phoenix where Ambient is north of 117° and the windshield in the sun can be OHJESUSMUTHERF***°) had issues becasue the robustness apparently reduces the ability to write data quickly. Consider the amount of data you are writing at 60 Frames of 4K times 2 cameras. Or 60 on the front and 30 on the back?

SOURCE

According to various sources, including camera manufacturers and video editing software, a 1-minute 4K 60FPS video requires approximately 750 MB of storage space. This is because the higher frame rate and resolution of 4K 60FPS video generate larger file sizes compared to lower frame rates and resolutions.​

So that breaks down to 13 Megs of data per second per 60FPS camera. Probably around 7 Megs per second for 30FPS. You need a camera that has the ability to process data (GPS / Speed / Time / Night Vision Enhance) and write as fast as the camera can supply data and a card that can soak that up and ask for more.

Here's some from my current cam:
https://youtu.be/ie5GX__QAGw?si=oQrYG_EegFx6uYb2
https://youtu.be/poCZCmvb4mM

Here's the older, cheaper Rexing:
https://youtu.be/gTutU2blYf0
Apparently that's a time lapse too... LOL but pause it at any point and you can see the image quality.