Dash Cam Reviews

Sub'd

I like the blackvue but the price is steep. I like the compact discreet no screen look. I like the rotating lens too. Anything similar in design that is not pricey?

 

I am reviewing the thinkware F50 right now which has a parking mode just like blackvue and is around $110-130 with a hardwiring kit. This is just a single channel cam, but I am not very satisfied with the night quality. It is so grainy at night it's hard to recommend unless you really really want automatic parking mode and can't afford $150 or more, or just as a rear camera for parking if you got a better camera in front. For the price id rather risk just using an A119 with a power magic pro set with a timer and motion detection on at all times (although the company recommends you don't do that, claims it might malfuction and miss recordings while driving although I have not heard any instances of this happening). But the A119 has a screen.

The blackvue dr450-1ch or dr470-2ch are comparable cams, sort of sit between the F50 and the high end blackvues. the video quality isnt as good, but when I reviewed the 450-1ch the video at night seemed much clearer and less grainy than the F50.

i also have in hand the LG Innotek LGD521 which is a 1080p + 720p cam with auto parking mode and it looks like a blackvue knock off. Although it's actually made by LG the big korean company, LG Innotek is a sister company or something of the larger corporation. I haven't used it yet though but from what I have heard it is basically like the blackvue dr650gw-2ch but slightly cheaper. still gonna run you over $300 tho. https://www.amazon.com/LG-Innotek-2-Channel-Protection-Hardwire/dp/B01N4DN2XI

Blacksys CH-100B is also cheaper and comparable to blackvue, under $300 with a hardwire kit too: https://www.amazon.com/BlackSys-CH-100B-Dashboard-Recorder-G-Sensor/dp/B015QIU226/

I guess it all comes down to if you want that auto parking mode and a rear second camera in a 2 channel system. If you don't want or need either of those features you are way better off getting something else because other cams without auto parking mode or a 2nd channel usually have way better video quality.

Can't really think of any of the top of my head that don't have screens tho.

 

Great info! Thanks!
From what you provided, I like the F50 and the Innotek LGD521. I wasn't originally looking for a rear camera although I'm open pending price. My main concern is quality, discreetness, software (apps), rotating lens and a very clean install (OCD). I've been playing with the idea of a dash cam but I haven't seen many that I like at my price point besides the blackvue

 

I really love the thinkware F770, whats nice is you can buy just the front camera at first if you want, then if you decide you want a rear cam, you can buy that separate. I like blackvue and used a 650gw (actually I used two of them in my civic, i had the front cams front and rear, and the rear cams as side cams) but there are a few things I prefer on the F770. You cant buy just a front cam, then add the rear cam later. You either have to buy the full 2 ch set, or if you buy the single channel cam, it doesn't have a port for the rear cam, you are stuck with 1 ch.

 

This thread obvioulsy contains a trove of information on Dash Cams. Thanks for this invaluable contribution USDC !
I am actually considering the purchase of the Vicovation Opia 2 or the Street Guardian SG9665GC v3 2017 edition.
There is a sizable difference in price between the two and specs are similar, but not identical.
Do you have a clear cut opinion on this comparison of the two ?
I am ready to shed the additional dough for the Opia 2 if it is worthed the difference. Moreover, the Opia 2 is in short supply in Canada at this time.

 

Sub'd for good info

 

Was I expecting to meet this good (Evil), shortie, Lord Helmet on those pages !! ! Any Tacoma on Death Star ?

 

added these two new reviews to the original post:

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



Thinkware also sells a budget model now:

Thinkware F50

 

New dash camera from Anker:

 

Is this worth it?

$95 REXING V1 - 4K Ultra HD Car Dash Cam 2.4" LCD Screen, Wi-Fi, 170° Wide Angle Dashboard Camera Recorder with G-Sensor, WDR, Loop Recording, Supercapacitor, Mobile App, 256GB Supported

https://www.amazon.com/V1-Dashboard...28FNE/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8

I'm still looking but plan on getting one within the month. Just don't know what and don't want to spend more then 150 for one either

 

havent tried that one. haven't heard awful things about rexing, seems like they just make average quality cams. for $100 the A119 or A119S seem to be the highest recommended cams currently. The A119 does 1440p30 or 1080p60, the A119S has a sony image sensor and while it does not to 1440p, it's night time video seemed more accurate and slightly better. but updated firmware could have improved both, you can't really go wrong with either.

 

Bought it for my sister and brother for Christmas. They seem to like it, not as advance like the higher priced models on this thread

 

I fitted a Thinkware F770 about a year ago now. (I had a cheap unit form Amazon prior to that) I run the front camera between two vehicles, purchasing two mounts and a second power lead, its easy to switch out.

After a year of use it has been faultless. The interface to the iPhone is easy and has allowed me to save clips before they're overwritten very easily (yes you can save them form being overwritten on the unit). The quality is excellent. I have even got footage in complete darkness when my truck was used on a film set... you can make out enough to know you'd get usable footage if you had parked in a dark area and then had a incident recorded such as a theft.

The quality of the rear is also excellent, even through blackout tinted glass.

I'd necer heard of Thinkware until I started to search for an insurer approved unit but was impressed with the reviews zi found so took the plunge. No regrets, no issues and very happy with it a year on.

 

Are there any dual channel cameras that are discrete, offers GPS & wifi and has a capacitor in the sub $200 range? And be decent quality video and good build quality?

 

No, all the $200 ones that I can think of lack GPS or wifi or both. The LG Innotek lgd521 has WiFi but no GPS and has decent quality for a 2ch cam.

I'm testing the blackvue dr490-2ch right now that seems to have good video quality but no GPS or wifi. GPS is optional tho. I'll probably have my review up on my YouTube channel next week.

 

So how much do we need to spend to have a good-to-great setup. My thought is, it's like insurance. IF I ever need the footage, it will be because something will cost me $20,000+. Either an accident, road rage, or an alien sighting. So spending $300+ isn't a big deal.

What is your "buy this now" camera? (fwiw, i have a limited with GPS and backup camera)

 

Well the first question I ask people is if they want automatic parking mode. What that means is when your truck shuts off the camera will automatically switch to a different recording mode where it only records when it senses am impact and/or motion. Fancy cameras like from thinkware and blackvue also buffer the recording, so say you are parked at the mall and you have just impact sensing on but motion off (turning motion off can be useful if you are parked in high traffic areas and don't want constant movement setting it off) and someone backs into your truck. A blackvue or thinkware camera (and several other Korean brands but these are the two most popular brands here) will sense the impact and will actually save 5 or 10 seconds before the impact plus an additional 20 or 25 seconds because in parking mode the device buffers 5 to 10 seconds so if an impact happens you will record the actual impact, not just the car driving away.

Cams with buffered automatic parking mode tend to cost more. If you don't want to pay extra for that feature there are several cameras with better video quality for cheaper. Generally cameras with basic functionality excel more in video quality because all the processing power goes to the video, not special features.

If you don't want parking mode, you could easily spend $150 and just get a a119 for the front and a mobius for the rear with great video quality.

If you want parking mode with front and rear, the thinkware f770 is my personal favorite.

Although the new dr490-2ch seems promising right now. The video quality seems better than the f770. My review isn't up yet but so far the one major issue I've had is most blackvues switch to parking mode thru the g sensor, not thru an ignition connection. The positive about this is you could hypothetically use parking mode on any constant power source but I've had issues with switching to parking mode while sitting in rush hour traffic because it thinks I'm not moving. This wiped out all my parking mode clips because it partitions the memory card into constant recording, parking motion, impact recording. I have to talk to blackvue to see what they suggest.

But right now thinkware f770 is my fav but it's expensive. Blackvue dr490-2ch is $200 but has no wifi and GPS is optional and extra.

If you can skip parking mode, the a119 for front is my personal favorite, you can get it with or without GPS for $80-100 (there is an a119s model that costs $20 more but debatable if it's better, it costs more for having a Sony image sensor with supposedly better low light quality). A mobius is a small matchbox sized camera with great day quality cheap. it could make good a discrete rear camera.

There is the blackvue Dr470-2ch which is 1080p front but only 720p rear and it's cool because it has auto parking mode but the video quality isnt as great as many people want, makes reading license plates hard.

 

A few follow-up questions:
1. Should we be concerned with the desparity in reviews? It's great on blackboxmycar.com but not Amazon.

2. does it matter which hardwire kit we get?


3. I'm assuming we want the rear camera for when people break into the vehicle?


4. Is there to going to be much of a difference in price between websites? Amazon and blackboxymycar were only $10 different.

 

1. I wouldn't say 3.8/5 is terrible, and reading even the first bad review I saw 2/5 they claimed a few things I would dispute. He said you can't download to your phone, that is false because that is how I always transfer files from my f770, with the wifi app. He also claimed the adhesive isn't enough to keep it up and it keeps falling. If that's the case he didn't clean his window off because the adhesive is ridiculously strong, you can't just pull it off with your hands you will need Goo gone.

One bad review was because blackboxmycar didn't send the memory card that should have been included. That seems strange tho because the memory card comes bundled in the box, it's not a retailer add in accessory.

I'm sure there are legit bad reviews but I still would stand by this product otherwise I wouldn't use it myself.

2. Cellink is a battery, adds a lot of cost. Basically it powers the camera in parking mode off the cellink instead of your car battery. If you live in a cold climate you might want to consider it as running parking mode can keep your battery low if it's always running. I personally set the time limit to 12 or 24 hours in the cameras settings that way if I park for more than over night I won't just drain more power. I also shut my camera off manually when i get home, the thinkware has a power button where blackvue does not in most models. The thinkware will also cut off if the battery voltage is getting low. What can happen if you put too much demand on your car battery the camera could run it down low all the time, so even tho your car will start, you battery may not live as long. You can tell this is happening if everyone you get in your car the camera has shut off earlier than you expected. If you drive every day and don't record for longer than nonstop for days at a time without driving you should be ok. I had issues before when I used TWO 2 channel cams, total of 4 cams, running off my car battery in freezing winter temps so I finally got the cellink plus expansion but my system was way over kill.

The other two hardwire kits shouldn't make a difference. Thinkwares hardwire kits are just wires since the voltage protection and timer are built into the camera instead of separate unit like blackvues power magic pro kit.

3. The rear camera is mostly for capturing parking lot hit and runs for me personally. The parking mode doesn't do much if your camera isn't capturing the side most likely to be hit in a parking lot. But it could also record important things while driving. If you want to record in your car, thinkware sells an IR camera that can also record in the dark while you're driving at night. Ideal for Uber or taxi drivers.

4. I haven't seen much difference in price. There are few authorized resellers of many of these cams so not much competition in prices.

And hey if you do choose to buy any of these I'd appreciate if you purchase thru any of my links in my videos, helps support my channel. I won't post the link here but in my reviews on youtube listed in my sig (unless you're on mobile) there are links in the description.

 

I can definitely do that. One last question (for now), instead of getting the rear facing camera, do any wire directly into the tailgate camera? Does that even make sense to do?