Dash Cam Reviews

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Introdution to Dash Cams:

So you want to protect your Tacoma from bad drivers, insurance scammers, capture meteors, or even have surveillance of your Tacoma when you’re parked at the mall? This post is for you.

The main features I would consider are necessary for a dash cam include:

• Auto on/off record – when you turn your car on or off it should power up and start recording by itself so you don’t have to worry about turning it on or hitting record.
• Looping video – it should record 1 – 10 min long clips that fill up your memory card, and then record over the oldest footage when the card is full.

First thing is first, I don't recommend using a phone app as a dash cam. Some newer ones can auto start and record, so sure they can make ok temporary dash cams but phones are not made to record video for long periods of times while baking in the sun on your hot dashboard. It could damage your phone in the long run.

Also GoPro's make poor dash cams because they don’t automatically turn on and start recording when it gets power. The GoPro Session is pretty easy with the single on/record button but you still have to press that button. A good dash camera shouldn’t make you fumble with it each time you get into your car. GoPros have a looping mode but as far as I know it does not record multiple clips like a typical dash cam or security camera system, it records a single clip of the length you choose (I believe up to an hour) and just erases the footage after that length time limit. A good dash camera with a big memory card can have 4-5 or more hours recorded so you can witness an accident, and still have time to drive home without turning it off.

All of my youtube descriptions have links to where you can buy them. They are affiliate links so they do help support my channel with small percentage of commission, so I would appreciate any support by purchasing through the links listed on my youtube descriptions. You can clink the link to view the video in youtube to get to them. Feel free to ask any questions in this thread and I will try my best to answer questions.

Got my top 10 for holiday 2018, and also giving away a Viofo A129 with parking mode hardwire kit, bluetooth remote, and 32 gb card. The video is super long but for contest rules watch the first few minutes. Open only to people in the continental US. Closes December 24th at 9 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen at random.



Individual Reviews:

I will include my individual top 5 cameras and other notable reviews down below (which may change from the video above).

Blackvue DR900S-2CH 4K:

This is the biggest release from Blackvue or any dash cam manufacturer in the 4 years I have been reviewing dash cams. It is a no compromise camera with some of the best video quality, best parking mode, best wifi features, best cloud features. It costs a lot but if you buy it from blackboxmycar.com you can use coupon code "USDASH30" to get $30 off at least hah. Here is my video review, go to the youtube description for links to sections of the LONG review, or purchase links:



Also if you are interested in Blackvues Power Magic Ultra, the ultimate battery setup for running parking mode check out the review here:

Blackvue Power Magic Ultra Battery Review

Thinkware F800 PRO:

This is the follow up to what was my favorite camera for the past year 2017 the Thinkware F770. I would say overall it is a better camera in technical ways. But the form factor has several design choices that is worse than the F770. It still has 1080p + 1080p (or you can just buy the front camera) with the great automatic parking mode thinkware offers in all of their cameras to protect your truck from potential parking lot hit and runs. It also offers limited cloud support. Check out the review:



F800 (non-pro model) Review Click Here

Thinkware F770:

Previous model, check out the review here.

How I installed my cam with a topper in my Tacoma:



Auxiliary Battery for Parking Mode:

Cellink Battery B Review Link (this helps protect your truck battery while still offering parking mode for a long time)

Blackvue DR750S-2CH:

Blackvue's top of the line 2017 series with 1080p60 in the front, and 1080p30 in the rear. There is also a 1 channel version. This cam is similar to the Thinkware, has very similar parking mode, but you need the power magic pro or something similar to hardwire it and have that voltage cut off protection. Whats nice about the blackvue is the parking mode is not initiated by your ignition shutting off but by the g sensor realizing you haven't moved in awhile. what that means is you can use dash cam batteries like the cellink b to power the cam while parked to not have to rely on your truck battery. This model of has Blackvue Cloud support. The 650S series is comparable though and worth checking out if you are ok with 1080p30+720p30.



Blackvue IR Camera Review Link

Blackvue Cloud Review Link

Blackvue DR590-2CH Review:

This budget blackvue cam offers some similar specs as the DR750S models with Sony Starvis sensors, but only 1080p 30 fps, and loses WiFi (which also means no cloud support) and GPS. GPS is an option. It is worth checking out because it is considerably cheaper than the DR750S-2CH if you can live without those extra features.



Blackvue DR470-2CH:

Blackvue has a newer 2CH model with 1080p + 720p for much cheaper called the 470 that lacks WiFi and GPS (optional). Here is my 470 review, but it is worth waiting for the 490 or the inevitable 650S successor:

DR470-2CH Review

LG Innotek LGD521:

Now if the Thinkware and Blackvue cams are out of your price range but you still want that awesome parking mode, LG Innotek (part of LG the Korean electronics company) makes a cam very similar to blackvue with most of the same features including automatic parking mode for about $100 less:

LG Innotek LGD521 Review

Anker Roav DashCam C1:

Anker has now released a dash camera too with the Roav C1. It is a cheap alternative people may want to consider for its unique parking mode and decent build quality. The major con is it uses a battery instead of a super capacitor like most dash cams so its not recommended for really hot climates unless you remove it from your windshield while parked in the sun for extended periods of time.

To be honest it is not particularly special besides its battery based parking mode, the video quality is just average. But I think Anker is a great company and makes great products, and they have great costumer service if you have issues with their products.

Anker Roav C1 Review

Anker Roav C1 Pro:

The pro model takes what the C1 had, adds a better chipset and image sensor for 1440p, and includes built in GPS. Of course it has a higher price point but it does also pack in a 32gb micro sd card.



Anker Roav C2:

This newest C2 model is more like a digital camera style form factor. It comes with both an adhesive mount and a suction cup mount so you can take it in other vehicles easily. It has no WiFi or GPS but it its cheaper than the other models, and and has a slightly higher resilience in high temperatures.

Anker Roav C2 Review

Street Guardian SG9665GC:

This cam confuses a lot of people because it looks just like the B40 and A118 dash cameras but it has higher and components that give it great video quality during the day, and very superb video quality at night. This cam was in my top 5 list earlier this year but at this point I think the cheaper A119/A119S is a a better option but here is my review.

Street Guardian SG9665GC Review Link

A119 Pro:

The newest verison of the A119, one of the most popular dash cams of the last several years. Great video quality for a good price:



A119:

A great budget dash cam. successor to the A118C, has great 1080p60 and 1440p30. It is a great value, although it has had some issues in the past from faulty GPS connectors, it supposedly has been fixed with the version 2.



If you wanna save even more money check out the older but still great A118-C model:

A118-C Review Link

Other Recent Reviews:

Blacksys CH-200 Review

The Blacksys CH-200 is a 2CH Korean dash cam with automatic parking mode like from Blackvue and Thinkware, but slightly cheaper. The price still may be a little high at $350 though because its low bitrate gives it slightly worse video quality than other dash cams in its class coming out this year.

Viofo WR1 Review

This is small compact dash cam from Viofo who makes the A119, but this one has no screen and has built in WiFi for use with a smart phone app to view files or change settings. It costs about $100, so about as much as an A119, but does not have as good video quality.

(please let me know if any links are bad)

 

$170 Vantrue N2 Pro Uber Dual Dash Cam Infrared Night Vision, Dual Channel 1080P Front and Inside, 2.5K Single Front Car Accident Dash Camera, 24hr Motion Sensor Parking Mode, Support 256GB max

Vantrue N2 Pro:

Great cam for Uber/Lyft/Taxi drivers or anyone else who wants to record INSIDE their vehicle while driving. Could also help with police encounters:



Blackvue Power Magic Ultra B-124

The best power solution (if you can afford it at $300) for powering your blackvue cam for parking mode.



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Playlist of ALL Video Reviews:

Ok those are most of my favorite cams, I have currently 42 reviews as of posting, here is a link to the playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGHh-N2la8k4NaowCYh9NZanp3JJ82Ll

In the future I will probably edit this and add new reviews. Hope you guys find it helpful.

Feel free to subscribe too I have more reviews to come, and once I get my tacoma I'll have tacoma specific videos.

 

Thanks for the info! This is very helpful. I presume these are your products?

 

Companies send them to me for review, so these are from different competitors. I put up a review a few summers ago of my first dash cam (some of my first videos I took down tho, they were SOOOO awful haha) but it sort of snow balled into a bigger channel as more and more people watched and then dash cam companies took interest in my channel to send me review units. I do have an Amazon associates account so I get a few % of each referred sale. It's not much but it often just allows me to buy some more products to review (that I can't get from a company as a review unit aka free).

So I try to stay as least biased as I can. But I will say I personally prefer Korean cams that have buffered parking modes as capturing any fender benders in a parking lot is very important to me. I am willing to sacrifice a bit of video quality if it means I have "protection" while my car is parked somewhere like the mall. So I prefer cams like Thinkware and Blackvue, but many people prefer cams like the SG9665GC from Street Guardian because it has better video quality, but is only recommended for recording while your vehicle is actually running.

 

Watching the outcome

 

Added this to one of my posts above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_MzzKMDWv8

 

awesome thread

 

Thanks for all the info, I'm in the market for a good dash cam. I tried using my Hero 4K GoPro, but definitely lacks the "extras" of a full blown dash cam, like parking mode because let's face it, we'd all love to burn someone after hitting your truck and taking off!
Questions - Currently diggin the Blackvue 2 ch. vs Thinkwares 2 ch version....your thoughts?
Which one would you recommend for a 4 door Tacoma?
I'm guessing the rear facing dash cam in a truck would still be alright looking over a 5' box?
Thanks

 

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the DR650GW - 1CH, with extra 64G micromSD and the magic power pro for the park assist feature, as it will be motion detected.
So many idiots on the road these days, I just had to get one. Looking forward to the day when someone bumps my baby in a parking lot, and then just takes off, then I can make a copy of the incident and take a stroll to the police station to report a hit and run
It will also be useful as a security cam while my Taco is sleeping in the driveway.
Also thinking it might be nice to use when I go wheelin, tried using my GoPro Hero 4, but just doesn't cut it as a dash cam.
I watched the reviews and it came down to the Blackvue and Thinkware, only reason I went with Blackvue is because it had better customer reviews, but sounds like you can't really go wrong with either model.

 

i just installed the thinkware f770 in my taco (just got it on monday!). i considered whether or not i wanted to keep my blackvue isntead but one thing i really like with the thinkware is when you get back into your car and start it and disable parking mode, it actually tells you how many motion or impact triggers it recorded. that was something i failed to mention in my review.

i dont think the blackvue is necessarily worse tho either i dont think you can go wrong with either.

since you have just the 1CH I would recommend backing into parking spots, maybe thats just common sense too but obviously if you are using parking mode you want the camera facing the side you're most likely to be hit.

 

Agreed, I always backup in my spots, seeing as I also have the backup camera, it's always a perfect fit.
Could I add the rear facing camera later on if wanted? Or is my system dedicated to 1CH only?
My concern with the rear camera was having it look out over my box, wasn't crazy about that for some reason.
Wish I could tap into my backup camera and use that as my rear facing dash cam.

 

unfortunately the DR650 1CH can not be upgraded to the 2CH. so if you haven't received it yet and you really want to take that into account now would be the time to return it.

the thinkware f770 you can buy just the front, and add the rear later. i actually just ordered the rear camera today so that was also cool about the thinkware.

the thinkware f770 2ch is more expensive but it DOES have full 1080p in the rear too.

 

Ok dashcam guy...think your name is Jon, right? So I ended up cancelling my Blackvue order, and after watching all your review videos, think im going to go with the Street Guardian 12rc, as this will be my first dashcam, I think this is a good one to start out with for overall price and quality, this one seems like a good buy, plus I like the idea of it being separate from the dvr.
I will also grab the hardwire kit with the waterproof exterior cam.
I have a couple of questions though im hoping you can help me out with...
1. IWhen i have it hardwired, do you really think I need the backup battery supplier? I would think it takes alot to drain the battery.
2. One of the reasons im going with this model is the motion sensor/parking mode ability, would the exterior waterproof/backup cam and the dash cam both record when motion is sensored?
Think thats all, I already checked out pier 28 and blackbox my car for this product, anyway I can give you kudos for when I do order it?
Thanks

 

I am under the impression you believe the water proof cam for the zc12rc would work in conjunction with the included camera? if so, that model only supports one camera, so if you get the water proof option, it replaces the included remote camera so you would not be able to do front and rear.

when it comes to dash cam batteries it really depends. if you are using a 2ch system like the blackvue dr650 or thinkware f770 you would probably be fine with just a normal hard wiring kit, the blackvue requires the power magic pro that usually comes with the camera on many stores (or is $20 or so separate) and the thinkware might come with a hardwire kit depending on where you buy it from. i know blackboxmycar gives a one with purchase.

but there are several factors that matter. do you live in a cold climate? in places with cold winters your truck battery likely wont perform as well. the way these hard wire kits work is when they get low to 12-12.3V (you can set that limit yourself) the camera will cut off power so you don't drain the vehicle battery so much you cant start up the truck. if you don't drive much to keep your battery charged you could end up always hovering just over 12V all the time which wouldn't be good for your battery.

what happened to me is i started using TWO blackvue DR650 systems so i had 4 channels total, with the rear channel from each in my side windows. i used a power magic pro plus which was just a normal hardwire kit with no battery, but had inputs for two cameras. soon my battery was always running low so the cams would cut off often just a minute after shutting the car off. thats why i had to get cellink batteries (although first i actually had t power plus batteries and then switched).

i would assume the tacoma's batteries are better than my old civics, so maybe at first I would just recommend no battery, and getting a regular hardwire kit at first. if you start to notice the camera is already dead just 4-5 hours later and not lasting 8-10 hours i would get a cellink. although regardless its always "better" to have something like the cellink tho as its not as harsh on your truck battery. if you can afford it i would suggest it. If you are using multiple cameras i would really recommend a cellink tho as once you start using multiple or 2ch systems like me it obviously is gonna be even harder on your battery running parking mode.

i actually still have my street guardian sgzc12rc, i plan on using it as an in cab camera. i want to get a console vault, remove the 12v socket in there, and wire the in cab cam to above my dash, with the zc12rc DVR always in the console vault so nobody can steal it if they broke in my truck. ordered my ARE topper yesterday and a rear F770 cam which I plan to install on the toppers back window. i bought the new cellink version 2 which allows the thinkware to hardwire to it, and i wired in an additional 12v socket to it so i will also be able to power the zc12rc in it. i plan on getting the expansion soon too as this will of course take up quite a bit of power to run a 2CH F770 and the zc12rc.

oh and if you wanna give me kudos, you can just click one of the links in my videos and it is an affiliate link. Certain items I don't get kick backs from pier28, if there isn't a link that likely means I don't get anything from it. It's no big deal tho, you should buy from where ever works best for you when you decide on a cam.

 

What's your impression of the Goluk T2 FHD Dash cam?

 

I have an A118C in front and rear. They have done well for me. I had to make a plastic wedge to mount to the rear glass since it is vertical though, but no biggie. There wasn't enough adjustment on the camera lens and it was recording mostly my tonneau cover.

 

I don't have any experience with Goluk.

 

I've been looking through reviews and my short list for dash cam is VicoVation Opia2 vs. Thinkware F770, and runner up Viofo A119. Leaning towards Opia2 due to better image quality and ability to turn camera to face side if need be. I can't find any reviews comparing Opia2 with the Thinkware F770. I like the idea of better image quality and resolution. Don't need GPS. I'm looking solely at capacitor cams. Like that Opia2 also has ability to add circular polarizer filter if glare is an issue. Wondering if WiFi connection to my phone would be something that would lend preference to F770. Are there any differences in parking modes between the two? My initial plans were for 1ch only, hardwired to switched power, but eventually I may decide to constant wire with voltage cutoff device or battery.
What aperature/f-stop lens is in the F770? Also, does anyone have pics of how they wired up rear cam on truck topper?

 

i installed the 2ch F770 in my taco with a topper, ill try to take a video this week showing how I wired it.

 

I bought a Garmin dashcam after a dumbass on a bike darted out in front of me at an intersection riding the wrong way on the sidewalk and broke my headlight with his body(he was ok, but his bike was not). It's an ok unit, but I REALLY like the motion detection feature of that Thinkware unit you posted. I applied a sticker on my wife's 4Runner and some degenerate spit on her window for it(I'm assuming). I'd love to be able to review the footage to see who might have done it.