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Do any of you guys know a cheaper, but decent reliable cam that you guys can recommend? I bought the street guardian and it's pretty neat. Didn't have to do much to install because I just used the old wiring, but the terrible Rexing cam that I had from before. Wanted to get a dash cam for my significant other's car, but she has this older high mileage prius.. So I didn't think it'd be worth to invest in a $200 cam for that.
Thanks for everyone's input though. It really helped me decide what to get lol
Do any of you guys know a cheaper, but decent reliable cam that you guys can recommend? I bought the street guardian and it's pretty neat. Didn't have to do much to install because I just used the old wiring, but the terrible Rexing cam that I had from before. Wanted to get a dash cam for my significant other's car, but she has this older high mileage prius.. So I didn't think it'd be worth to invest in a $200 cam for that.
Thanks for everyone's input though. It really helped me decide what to get lol
I bought a dashcam from e-Bay (make not identified) for use with my Series 4 GS and the navigation started playing tricks. It showed me driving through fields when I was on major highways. I never related this to the dashcam at first and the dealer workshop was stumped. Removing the dashcam solved the issue.
My car is right-hand drive (UK) and this issue may not appear on a US vehicle as the electrical layout differs. It has not been a problem on my IS-C nor my Series 2 GS.
The Viofo A119 and A119S are the best entry level dashcams money can buy!
The A119 has a fairly wide f/1.8 aperture, a wider 160 degree field of view FOV, falling onto a very high QHD resolution 2560x1440 sensor and conventional 30 fps frame rate.
Alternatively, conventional FHD @ 1920x1080 can be used, albeit at 60 fps frame rate for superior slow motion.
Can't have both QHD & 60 fps, because that's too much data for the CPU to process.
The A119S has a wider aperture of f/1.6 for greater low light pass through, a more standard 130 degree field of view FOV for less image/video distortion; the shorter the focal length, and hence the wider the field of view, the greater the distortion of the image/video.
The A119S also has the newer Sony IMX291 sensor with a more ordinary hi def resolution of only 1920x1080 for larger photosites [pixels] hence superior low light performance, and 60 fps for superior slow motion.
Circular polarizing lens filters to reduce dashboard reflections are optional for both models.
The A119 has 19% 1 and 2 Star reviews on Amazon with a sample number of 102.
I recently purchased two Garmin Dash Cam 45's, one for my work truck and one for my GS350. I've been through quite a bit of dash cams over the years, Blackbox, KDLinks, Falcon's, Unidens. At some point, I had issues with all of them, with the Uniden Cam650 being the least problem prone of all of the units. I've only had to reformat the SD card every few months. With the others, the issues would range from not turning on when the vehicle was started to random stopping of recordings. With all of the dash cams prior to the Garmin, they all had one thing in common, a very unfriendly user interface. Having to learn the button/configuration presses for all of them was frustrating at times. I've had the Garmin's for close to a week now and the setup and configuration of them is just hands down much easier. I also like the forward collision, red light camera and lane departure warnings it provides. All in all, it's not bad for a $150 camera.
I recently purchased two Garmin Dash Cam 45's, one for my work truck and one for my GS350. I've been through quite a bit of dash cams over the years, Blackbox, KDLinks, Falcon's, Unidens. At some point, I had issues with all of them, with the Uniden Cam650 being the least problem prone of all of the units. I've only had to reformat the SD card every few months. With the others, the issues would range from not turning on when the vehicle was started to random stopping of recordings. With all of the dash cams prior to the Garmin, they all had one thing in common, a very unfriendly user interface. Having to learn the button/configuration presses for all of them was frustrating at times. I've had the Garmin's for close to a week now and the setup and configuration of them is just hands down much easier. I also like the forward collision, red light camera and lane departure warnings it provides. All in all, it's not bad for a $150 camera.
Uniden Cam 650
Average Score 3 Stars
33% 1&2 Star Scores
Sample Number 61
With the SG9665GC, just mount it on your windscreen, plug the 12V into the cigarette socket, and forget.
There are 5 buttons, a flush reset button, and a 1.5" LCD, but there is no need to do anything.
When a new memory card is inserted, it will automatically format that memory card.
It will turn on/off and record automatically.
When the memory card is filled, it will automatically loop.
If you press the big central button, it will "mark" that portion of the video so that it will not be erased on loop recording.
I ordered the BlackVue 650 2ch primarily for the security surveillance features while in Parking Mode.
- It has cloud and wifi capabilities that allow me to check in on my car from anywhere using my iPhone.
- I plan on using a mobile hotspot hidden in my car to remotely view the camera in real time while in park mode.
- motion detection features for parking lot events or attempted break ins.
- front and rear cameras are stealthy and unobtrusive. Thieves, vandals and Valet parkers won't realize the cams are recording them
- I also ordered a Magic Power Battery Pack ($159) which provides up to 12hrs of power to my cameras when car is parked. No hardwiring for my Lexus. It will also power my mobile hotspot.
- Cost: $369. Yes, it's expensive but for what it offers I will gladly pay the price. It's like having a Nest Cam in my car. I can't wait til the UPS delivery guy gets here! I ordered my cam system 12 hrs ago, why isn't he here yet?
This thread should be posted to the car chat forum so you can get more responses and recommendations... unless you're asking specifically which dashcam works best with this specific car model or how to hardwire it on this car model.
I just happen to stumble upon this thread by accident, but I'll give my inputs.
Personally, I use two Mobius dashcams (modified with a capacitor inside) for my car (first gen RX 300). I installed one at the front and another one at the back. They are both hardwired using an "add a fuse" to the fusebox and the wires are hidden inside the car trim (make sure you don't accidentally deploy the airbags).
There are TONS of dashcam out there in the market, each with its own different features and uniqueness (such as WiFi, GPS, G-sensor, parking mode, dual cameras, screen, video lock mode, etc.).
for those with the BlackVue DR650 2ch set up, how does the rear camera install? Does it affect the power rear sunshade at all? Can I still put it up or down at will?
for those with the BlackVue DR650 2ch set up, how does the rear camera install? Does it affect the power rear sunshade at all? Can I still put it up or down at will?
Dashcams come in two different types.
Traditional single channel with the one camera.
The latest twin channel with two cameras: one for front and the other for rear recording.
Presently, microprocessor technology in dashcams is such that twin channel dashcams feed too much data/second for the tiny single core processors with no active cooling to digest.
This is overcome by slower bit rates and greater data compression, especially in the rear camera, such that twin channel dashcams like the Korean Blackvue DR-650S has only standard hi def HD 1280x720 resolution in the rear camera, and the video quality is compromised.
Presently, it is still superior to use two (2) separate single channel dashcams [one for front, and a second for rear], delivering superior video quality, especially in low light.
The two best video quality actually come from two Taiwanese:
1) Dodd LS470W+: http://www.dod-tech.us/product/dod-ls470w-plus/
The third best for video quality will be the Australian engineered Chinese manufactured Street Guardian SG9665GC V3 single channel.
I use the SG9665GC over the two Taiwanese, because the SG9665GC has a more streamlined styling with a direct mount, over the Taiwanese's traditional suction cup with big complex fussy ball socket mounts, though the ball socket mounts do have much greater lateral adjustability, if one wishes.
Below is a comparison between the superior single channel SG9665GC, and the ordinary low light video quality of the twin channel Korean Blackvue DR650 Series dashcam.
Blackvue DR-650S
This is the front dash cam below. The DR-650 Series rear dashcam's resolution & low light quality is even worse.
The DR-650S is a slightly updated version of the old DR650GW with a few extra features, but the video quality is the same.
The DR-650's can be purchased single channel only for a lower price, but unfortunately, video quality will not be improved over the more expensive twin channel version.
Presently, the Blackvue DR-650 Series is actually passe now.
The built-in input buttons and built-in output LCD screen of the SG9665GC also allows instant view, and instant settings adjustment etc, and trouble-free from the complexities of cell phone wireless connections.
Meanwhile the Bluetooth cell phone wireless remote control design of the Blackvue means one must pull over to the side of the road to pick up the cell phone, before we can access the dashcam's menu system etc.
However, the DR650's wireless cell phone design allows a bigger LCD playback, but then the SG9665GC's micro SD card can be inserted into a desktop PC for massive screen size playback.
Presently, if one is desperate for a single twin channel system, then best purchase the Korean Thinkware F770.
This presently delivers the best video quality esp in low light, among the twin channel dashcams.
However, the front windscreen mounted unit is quite large & may be obstructive, and like the Blackvue DR-650 Series, it requires cell phone wireless Bluetooth connection.
Thank you for the comparison videos and screen captures, peterharvey. I installed two VIOFO A119S (one front, one rear) exactly a month ago and still have one more day to return them to Amazon. I was initially impressed with the VIOFO and easily installed both cameras and hid the power cord along the upper windshield and A-pillar, and similarly for the rear. Daytime and nighttime videos look pretty good and I can make out license plates day or night in normally lit city streets and shopping centers. However, I was looking at the VIOFO video tonight and noticed I can't make out any license plate numbers, from either front or rear camera, when driving on the dark freeway due to too much glare from headlights and taillights. Is this something the Street Guardian SG9665GC can improve on? A single Street Guardian costs as much as both my VIOFO units but I am intrigued by the low-light samples you shared. In some parts of the video, it looks like the Street Guardian can also struggle with headlight glare and overexposed headlights. Am I expecting too much from a dash cam? Should I exchange the VIOFO for the Street Guardian? Here is a sample video of what I'm talking about with the VIOFO. While on the road I could clearly read the license plate of the white Honda Accord and thought to myself, "the VIOFO should catch all of this detail really well". I was very disappointed when viewing the videos later and realizing I can't make out any license plate numbers. Towards the end of the video, you'll see that I can finally read the license plate of a different car behind me but only once they're a foot or two from my bumper and when we are in a well-lit city street. Thank you for your thoughts on this issue and what you would recommend.
Thank you for the comparison videos and screen captures, peterharvey. I installed two VIOFO A119S (one front, one rear) exactly a month ago and still have one more day to return them to Amazon. I was initially impressed with the VIOFO and easily installed both cameras and hid the power cord along the upper windshield and A-pillar, and similarly for the rear. Daytime and nighttime videos look pretty good and I can make out license plates day or night in normally lit city streets and shopping centers. However, I was looking at the VIOFO video tonight and noticed I can't make out any license plate numbers, from either front or rear camera, when driving on the dark freeway due to too much glare from headlights and taillights. Is this something the Street Guardian SG9665GC can improve on? A single Street Guardian costs as much as both my VIOFO units but I am intrigued by the low-light samples you shared. In some parts of the video, it looks like the Street Guardian can also struggle with headlight glare and overexposed headlights. Am I expecting too much from a dash cam? Should I exchange the VIOFO for the Street Guardian? Here is a sample video of what I'm talking about with the VIOFO. While on the road I could clearly read the license plate of the white Honda Accord and thought to myself, "the VIOFO should catch all of this detail really well". I was very disappointed when viewing the videos later and realizing I can't make out any license plate numbers. Towards the end of the video, you'll see that I can finally read the license plate of a different car behind me but only once they're a foot or two from my bumper and when we are in a well-lit city street. Thank you for your thoughts on this issue and what you would recommend.
The Street Guardian SG9665GC's are good alrounders, however it is the Taiwanese Dod LS470+, and the Vicovation Vico Opia 2 in the two photographs that you quoted above, that are presently the top two dashcams for low light conditions.
The Dod LS470+ is currently the top low light performer.
Street Guardian will soon release an all new SG9663DC which has two modes; either single channel with 60 frames per second for superior slow motion detail, or twin channel model with the regular 30 frames per second which compromizes slow motion video playback.
As far as low light performance is concerned, and discerning licence plate numbers, unfortunately we will all have to wait for manufacturers to start using larger size sensors.
Presently, manufacturers can make a very wide lens aperture to let a lot more light in - that's easy enough.
The real bottle neck is the sensor size.
As resolution increases to UHD 3840 x 2060, for the same overall sensor size, the photosites and pixels become smaller, such that low light performance diminishes! This is a similar compromize to a car's handling/ride.
What Taiwanese Dod has done, is that they increase the electronic amplification of low light, by increasing ISO performance.
However, one must understand that as we increase the electronic amplification of low light, we also increase the electronic amplification of electronic background noise, such that the image/video appears more noisy, as the ISO is increased.
In the days of 36 mm Kodak and Fuji film, as ISO increased with increasing low light sensitivity, the actual "grain" size on the film and image would increase too.
Presently, the only way the resolution/low light performance compromize can be overcome is to use a "larger" sensor size.
A larger sensor size will allow both a higher resolution to capture the detail in licence plates, while the larger pixel size has a larger surface area for superior low light absorption.
However, as sensor sizes increases, the lens size must increase too - dashcams will become less inconspicuous, and costs will rise.
Furthermore, as pixel numbers increase for more detail, and more frames per second eg 60 or even 120 fps is provides for superior slow motion capture, the CPU microprocessor must increase in performance and heat build up, such that passive measures like a metal/aluminium body, and active measures like fan cooling must be provided.
Because the unit is now so much larger in size, it must be glovebox or trunk mounted, with a separate cable, sensor and lens emanating.
Expect costs to be above $1,000 each.
I'm sure bigger sensor dashcams mounted in the glovebox or trunk will come for superior licence plate capture, but this will take some time...
05-20-17, 02:47 AM
VIOFO A119 or Xiaomi YI Smart Car DVR 165
