Dash Cam

blackvue and thinkware don't offer portable options themselves. they all use permanent adhesive mounts, although blendmount makes blackvue mounts that attack to rear view mirrors. they still arent that easy to take on and off tho.

all the best dash cams use super capacitors instead of batteries can be an issue because on your windshield the device can get very hot during the summer. the good ones are designed to take extreme temperatures that regular cameras, phones, or electronics can't handle.

most cheap ones just come with the 12v socket power cords but majority support some sort of hardwiring kit. OBDII wiring kits are becoming more common because they are so easy and plug and play. Otherwise the hardwiring kits require tapping into your fuse box.

there are many that clip onto mirrors but usually just from cheap chinese companies. some that ive used are ok but personally I don't like them because they are always so bulky.

suction cup mount dash cams are very portable but becoming increasingly uncommon it seems. My favorite currenly is the VAVA 2K. its got sort of a funky design but it has good video quality and WiFi.

 

thanks for the info!

 

Check out my on going review of the A119 if you are ok with just a front cam. this cam just came out and is very affordable, has f'in fantastic video quality day and night, and pre buffered parking mode.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-and-review-coming-soon.617618/#post-20999402

I have so far done comparisons with previous models but a full review will probably be up next week.

 

Dash Cams need a lot of thought because you need to really know what you need it for... most times (99%) you don't need it at all, its that one time when you get hit or something happens when you need to pull footage. For this I made a list of features I think are a like to have for the cost.

Features:

1. Wide view angle, so that you can see the peripherals look for 150-170 angle.
2. Resolution vs Frames per second - 1080P at 30fps is plenty to record "fast" action on the road or capture a license plate in good light (daytime) this being said 4K is way overkill and you DONT need to spend the extra money on it. Even 720p at 60fps is good to do the job.
3. Night-vision - there is no good enough night vision on any dashcam to capture rural UFO sightings in total darkness. So any night vision capable dashcam in city night light or headlight range will give you good enough detail but don't expect the same quality as you'd get in daylight.
4. Features - wifi, remote control, cloud recording... I personally don't use any of these features because back to point 1, its that one time that you may or may not need it so overpaying hundreds to have a wifi feature you will not use in case of an accident is not a priority.

Conclusion: buy a dashcam that is small, has a good resolution 1080p and has some night vision capability. Do not waist money on 4K, Remote control, WiFi or any other feature you will not use most likely ever.

Recommendation: https://www.instagram.com/cyclops_dashcams/ instagram: cyclops_dashcams its dark chrome-plated so it reflects the heat best vs a black plastic unit. Its small enough to fit behind the mirror, easy to install and has all the features you need and none you dont in my
opinion. All for a reasonable price.

I will work on a DIY hard dashcam wire and post it soon (hopefully)

Hope this helps! and I wish everyone a ton of success.

 

https://www.inphasecaraudio.com/product/momento-m5-md-5200/

this I think is what I was looking at yesterday at the local shop

my purposes are mainly going to be for scenic traveling videos and taco adventures
both on and possibly off the road if the opportunity presents itself

 

I'd disagree with some of what you said.

Very wide angle isn't necessarily a good thing. The wider the angle the more distorted the image becomes and the further objects on video look. It can make license plates harder to read. 170 is too high IMO and 140 is the sweet spot.

1080p30 is the lowest anyone should ever buy, anything else is pointless when decent 1080p30 cams are $40-50.

When a cam like the new the a119 V3 is only $120 with GPS but significantly better video quality it would be unwise to get much less unless you really really are on a tight budget.

This comparison I did this week shows how much cams can vary. Top left is a119 v3 at 1440p30, bottom is the a129 1080p60. This was me passing this car at 30 mph.



My point ultimately is buy the best you can afford.

All the 4K cameras out there are bullshit except the blackvue dr900s-2ch that I can think of. They all use 4 MP sensors probably because they know people won't realize you need an 8MP sensor to capture true 4k video. The dr900s-2ch is super expensive tho at around $500 and I'll admit unnecessary for most people. So while I'll say don't waste money on a 4k cam like you said my reasoning is if you can't afford the blackvue 4k model, all the other ones are fake 4k anyways.

But if you can afford high end cams you should get a decent one with good parking mode. Lots of people are victims of hit and runs in parking lots. The newer a129 duo is adding pre buffered parking mode. And starts at under $200.

 

blackvue here, works fine.

 

The most important feature is the ability to power up and start recording when the truck starts, that is a feature that the installer and dash cam can accomplish.
If you have to rely on manually powering the camera up, hitting record or deleting files because the flash is full, you've already lost the purpose of having a dash cam.

 

This is why I dislike when people recommend gorpos.

Any good dash cam, even one that just plugs into your 12v port, starts and stops by itself and loops over the oldest footage automatically.

 

Will there be an issue with your state for blocking the windshield with a ticket?
I have read there is a gray area that this happens Unless it’s behind the mirror

 

i shall call and verify that
he showed it would adhere to the windshield right in front of the mirror near the top out of my line of sight on the passenger side of the mirror

i told him about my rear slider and he said he doesn't think he had ever seen one that has 2 panels that can slide independently one way or the other, only one piece rear sliders on most trucks he has ever encountered

this place opened in 1991 and i told them I was probably one of their first customers with a custom stereo system complete with some cheezy in-dash CD player separate from tape deck in late 1991 in my old Celica, which unfortunately was broken into and everything but that CD player yanked out through the window while I was at the barber one day a couple years after it was installed

 

You don’t have an alarm system?

 

on my old car?

 

Tacoma

 

i had one in the '95 blue metallic pickup (that I think came with it, memory is fading...)
no for the Tacoma, i have the millennium anti-theft device! a clutch start cancel button and a $250 deductible
i have only transported one thing of relatively 'high value' in the Tacoma from outside of Rapid City a long time ago, took the guy 27 crisp large ones in a bank envelope (he wanted cash no paypal) for a big box of collectibles that I hid behind the seats and stayed the night somewhere in nowhere South Dakota, I think I took that box with me into the motel room because the contents of that box were irreplaceable one-of-a-kind piece of American history!
that was an 1100 mile roundtrip to get that box and its contents
but now alarm definitely is going in the todo bucket list!

 

so what do you think, @Bleep100
did you watch this video? in slow mo

i don't see any turn signals on that truck that right turned in front, they should have visible turn signals, but i don't see them

 

I guess legally the truck and trailer driver was at fault but the dash cam driver was being very aggressive.

 

i would agree with that
truck should have had some of these at least

 

pdf of the users manual
https://www.staub.ca/pdf/sku/firstech-md-5200-man.pdf

in this video the camera location is under the mirror a bit for better viewing
but might be in the line of sight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PSTT1DIvyU

 

Definitely in line of sight