Thanks for the review! If video is too much trouble, some screenshot of the video is helpful too. I'm basically interested in its ability to read license plates at night or with sun glare.
Also is there an option to mute the audio in recording? What sort of customized options are available in its menu?

 

I have attempted a quick response. I just started to use the camera, so I do not have many recording. In order to clearly read a license you probably need to be within about 10 feet of the car. The samples above are the only ones I have that are somewhat close.

You can mute the audio using your cell phone app. I have not played with the menu at all, but here is what the instructions show:





I should have more examples in a few days.

 

Bought mine a week ago. Just waiting for it to arrive. I might hit you up with installation questions or if you have time maybe create one as the pioneer for our car. Lol. Thanks again for reviewing this. I too went with the oem look rather than a more high end dash cam.

 

Easiest way to attach a video is to upload it to YouTube and then link to that.

The issues with this setup are:

1. No rear channel. This is a big deal, the rear channel is a really important part of the dashcam setup fulfilling its purpose, which is to give you video proof of something happening that would cause you damage. So, if someone rear ends you, you have no video. If you're parked in a parking lot face in and someone backs into you, no video. At lot of stuff that happens to your car happens behind you.

2. Video quality. If its not as sharp as an iPhone, thats an issue. The reason video quality matters is so you can read license plates. iPhones out of the box record at 1080i, newer ones CAN record at 4K but you have to set them to do that. Even with 1080i it can be a challenge to expand videos so you can read license plates. Thats why high end dashcams are now 2K and 4K. If something happens and somebody drives off, if you can't read the plate number you may as well not have a video.

So in short, its great its OEM looking but if you're going to invest in a dashcam, IMHO you should look at options that balance OEM looks and high quality video/2 channel operation.

 

Another consideration when looking at dash cams is the file structure used: I previously had a PapaGo dash cam that recorded fairly lengthy files in continuous mode but would "lock" a file if an impact was registered. As a result the files were fairly lengthy and you had to scroll through them when looking for something but it worked well to record a trip (say a drive through a particularly interesting stretch of highway or scenery). Now I'm using a Thinkware (FA200) dual channel system with Parking Mode. The file situation is that it records in "continuous" and saves both cameras in separate, 1 minute long files which leaves you with a ton of files to sort through and to try to stitch together if you want a video record of a trip. It does "register" impacts (including parking issues) in a separate folder making it easier to find the specific file containing whatever evidence you might be looking for. When in "Parking" mode, it can be set to record in any one of three different modes: 1) Motion Detection 2) Time Lapse 3) Energy Saving (all three modes with "Impact detection") . Also, I find that you don't really need the biggest memory card capacity: just that many more files to have to sort through...an 8 gB card works fine for me.

As one additional note: many of the dash cams can provide warnings such as Lane Departure Alert, Stop Sign and Red Light Warning, Following Too Close Warning, etc. Nice things to have if your car doesn't already have the built-in options. Just items to consider when selecting a dash cam that best fits your own needs. I'm not absolutely certain that I've got the dash cam that works best for me but if I consider that it is only for security and evidence collection (should that ever be required) then it's fine.

 

Thanks for posting this information. I'm looking for options and I currently have a dual camera setup on one of my cars. As far as the lengthy files that Tootsall is talking about, this has been a non-issue for me and I've had my front/rear camera setup over a year. Lets face it, how often do you even look at those video clips unless you have an accident? I think I check every few months just to make sure its still working. I certainly like the stock OEM look on this camera but having that rear camera capability would be nice. I guess I need to make a decision about what's more important for me, have a nice clean look or having the rear camera.

 

I totally agree that a dual camera and 4K resolution is better. In my particular case, I wanted a camera that did not require taking the dash apart and mostly disappeared from sight. So I made a big compromise away from the most functional system. But I even did that with the ES itself. I struggled between the UL and F-sport versions. I had a 2004 LS 430 UL. This time I went with the styling I preferred which was the F-sport with the 19 inch wheels and triple beam headlights. Oh well.

I do have a couple of questions. If you are rear ended, the rear camera will of course be a major plus. But if you are parked, do you keep the camera system running? Secondly, have you found a system that has a balance between OEM looks and high quality video/2 channel operation?

 

This discussion is really helpful and very informative. I'm hoping to read that someone has found a two-channel (front and rear) dashcam with good resolution that does not require serious "taking the car apart" to install it and does not look like a misfit add-on when installed.

Has anyone identified such a camera? If so, would you post purchasing and installation details. Thanks, and Happy New Year to all!

 

No dashcam install requires the dash be taken apart. My dashcam wires are run along the headliner, down the A pillar, and into the fuse panel. The rear camera is run down along the base of the side trim all the way to the back.

High quality dash cam systems have power saving parking modes. So, if they sense an impact when parked they come on and record for a minute and save that video. You can also get secondary batteries that will allow them to run in full but thats not necessary in my application.

I think my setup looks pretty OEM:

 

On my install they mounted the rear cam up high and ran the connecting wire under the driver side edge of the headliner and then across the top of the windshield (again under the headliner). From the driver seat you can only see the wires where they drop down from the headliner to the camera (rear cam and power lead); the rest is hidden behind the mirror. The rear cam is a little more obvious but for a good viewpoint it's pretty well got to go up at the top of the glass. The only place you can see the wires is where they drop down from the headliner to the cameras; everything else is hidden except for the rear camera. Both cameras are stuck on with adhesive pads and the installation guys tell me that you can use double-sided Gorilla tape if you ever have to redo them (I questioned them hard on this as I've seen what summer sun can do to adhesives...still not as bad as suction cups!) I might reinstall the front camera with one of those mounts that clamps to the rear-view mirror post if it falls off or if the windshield needs to be replaced in future.

 

Do you guys not have back tints? If you guys do then that means the sticky side is on the actual tint. I wonder what the long term effect of that on the tint will be.

 

No tint on mine.

 

I have back tint. It’s been on there over a year and haven’t had any issues.

 

I just ordered the OEM looking cam BobES2019 got, I decided while a rear cam for me is good, is not that important. Plus I have the rear sunshade, so I don't see a place for me to put the camera without rending that useless. The metal bar on top of the shade does not leave a lot of clearance as it moves, and finally on top of that I have tint too. While there are no issues if you never take the camera off, if you ever decide to remove/replace the strong adhesive, it will probably damage the tint...And I don't want to redo rear window tint for sure. The only major downside is just the camera itself is not exactly the best...

While other dashcams don't require the dash to be taken apart, they certainly require A pillar to be taken off to route the wire behind the airbag (it's dangerous if it's just tucked across the top of it as it is in the way of side curtain deployment), and C pillar too if you want to install the rear cam and route it on top, and maybe B pillar as well if you want to route it on top...Usually installers tend to route it down the rear seat then along the floor board, but since we got the rear seat torso airbag as well...idk...While it's not all that difficult, I just don't want to start prying covers off on my new car and end up with a rattle somewhere.

The main purpose of the dashcam for me is to prove my innocence in an accident, not parking surveillance. If I get rear ended, it certainly is not my fault as long as the front video shows me driving normally. All I care about is I'm not the at fault party and my rates don't get jacked. There are certain scenarios that a rear cam may make your life easier when telling the story, but 1 cam is better than no cam, and there are plenty of people without dashcam at all! Many of them among those looking at this thread right now, they are doing just fine (hopefully). And come on, how many times out of the dashcam videos on youtube have you seen a rear cam that made a huge difference in telling the story?

Hit and run is certainly where the rear cam comes into play, if you are lucky enough to catch their plate, or if they have a valid plate at all (Cough, Texas paper plates). But I always carry the underinsured/uninsured insurance coverage for those hit and run scenarios, and tbh that is likely what ends up paying for your damage even if you caught someone backing into you in a parking lot and took off, or even on public roads. But you probably just made insurance company some money by giving them a way to recover the cost down the line. Before they start offering discounts for those, I'm not going to bother. To my knowledge those are also considered comprehensive type of claims, and shouldn't raise your rates unless you have those "X year no claim" discounts.

So all in all, a rear cam is not that important for me, for now. It is disappointing Lexus don't offer Model 3 type of sentry mode with the 360 surround view camera that is already on the car..if I can just plug in a USB stick and have both front and rear cam constantly record I will be so happy...

 

The rear tint and power shade are all things I never considered. I think I may also go this same route. Let us know how things are going after you get this installed.