Dashcam Experiences/Recommendations Anybody?

[emax]

Which dashcam to choose?

- Front and rear?
- Coupled?

Experiences and recommendations welcome!

 

[Beormund]

I follow this chap on youtube. He recently did a review of dashcams...

 

[CountyV8]

In our other Hambach produced car we have a Blackvue system front and back.
Sony sensors fits fine.

 

[DaveB]

It will be interesting to see f one can be connected to the main screen so it can also be used as a reversing camera.
With the picture taking the complete screen

 

[Disco Dave]

It will be interesting to see f one can be connected to the main screen so it can also be used as a reversing camera.
With the picture taking the complete screen

Dave your U Bewt Ozzie IG has a reversing camera built in. Must be an Oz requirement.

 

[emax]

I think it was about "With the picture taking the complete screen". The view on the Grenadiers camera seems a bit small.

 

[DaveB]

Dave your U Bewt Ozzie IG has a reversing camera built in. Must be an Oz requirement.

Yes but if I am going to have a rear facing dashcam I want to be able to make use of it for reversing as well. The reversing camera is very low and image not so large

 

[Disco Dave]

Well - there is that

 

[globalgregors]

@emax I’m running a front-facing Garmin Mini, with a view to documenting interesting stretches of road; recording unplanned events; and contributing a measure of security (it’s on switchable permanent power).

The Garmin has no screen and instead relies on a companion app.
One can save/download footage direct from the app or via the removable storage.

The unit got exposed to high operating temperatures (49C ambient air temp) in the Sonoran Desert and bricked. After pandemic-related distractions it was replaced in Oz under the global warranty, noting that it’s published operating temperature range is -20 to +60C.

I’ve had other devices cook in desert conditions, to my mind it’s a hazard of such environments and doesn’t necessarily mean the device is unreliable in ‘normal’ use.

Second unit remains in use and has operated normally for the last couple of years, including in hot (~35C) conditions.
I’ll likely install this unit on the IG, because why not. I note that I really only have it running as an evidence source in the case of an accident, which I’ve never had reason to need.

No experience with dual systems or other use cases…

 

[DaveB]

As @emax suggested can we start a separate thread on this topic?
I am also interested in a Head Up Display (HUD)

 

[emax]

Good overview, thanks!

I have some major requirements:

1. Image sharp enough to identify number plates within, say one second of driving distance @around 100 Kmh
2. Low light capability (not talking about real night time)
3. back light tolerance
4. reliablity in summer and winter
5. GPS data
6. velocity data
7. G-forces recording
8. Standby mode for parking (wakes up immediately upon move or vibration)

I would be nice to have front and rear coupled in terms of time of day.

 

[emax]

can we start a separate thread on this topic?

You're right there. ;-)

 

[globalgregors]

Good overview, thanks!

I have some major requirements:

1. Image sharp enough to identify number plates within, say one second of driving distance @around 100 Kmh
2. Low light capability (not talking about real night time)
3. back light tolerance
4. reliablity in summer and winter
5. GPS data
6. velocity data
7. G-forces recording
8. Standby mode for parking (wakes up immediately upon move or vibration)

I would be nice to have front and rear coupled in terms of time of day.

Oh, I see… another data enthusiast. The closest thing I’ve seen to matching this spec was a motorsport knickknack called the Waylens, which unfortunately is no longer made. It was marrying a camera, a simple telemetry sensor suite and OBD interface and could overlay them into a video recording.

Other idea might be a dashcam plus a RaceCapture or similar telemetry recorder/broadcaster. I’ve only actually used something like this on the motorbike (BRAIN One), which to a qualified extent covers requirements 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 & 7… but is more of a trackday tool for bikes than something you’d run all the time.

Not sure about 3. You mean when driving into the sun? I’ve never noticed an issue with the Garmin on this front.

They are typically wired to the ignition for purpose of 8. Based on the card I have installed, the Garmin Mini records up to 10 hours (eg at a minimum it retains the current and last few drives). I’ve never had need for it to stop/start, if that helps.

 

[emax]

Though I'm indeed a "data enthusiast" it's less about the data, I'll likely never look at the G-forces.

But in case of an accident that's helpful. If e.g. someody crashes you from behind first and you crash as the consequence into the car in front of you, you have evidence that you were pushed onto the car in front and didn't hit it before.

Not sure about 3. You mean when driving into the sun? I

Not only. The headlights of the cars in front of you could be so blinding that their license plates are no longer recognizable.
I know that this is often unavoidable. But the less the dashcam is prone to backlight effects the bigger the chance to still recognise them.

 

[globalgregors]

Though I'm indeed a "data enthusiast" it's less about the data, I'll likely never look at the G-forces.

But in case of an accident that's helpful. If e.g. someody crashes you from behind first and you crash as the consequence into the car in front of you, you have evidence that you were pushed onto the car in front and didn't hit it before.



Not only. The headlights of the cars in front of you could be so blinding that their license plates are no longer recognizable.
I know that this is often unavoidable. But the less the dashcam is prone to backlight effects the bigger the chance to still recognise them.

In most cases I’m sure there’d be some frame in the seconds/minutes before or after disaster from which one could extract the required info however fundamentally it’s going to be prone to data loss at the over-exposure end of the spectrum. An action cam would have a better sensor and image processing however I expect you’d need to start it manually each time!

At this rate you’ll have your bingle and we’ll all be pouring over it frame-by-frame like the Zapruder film, collectively trying to work out who killed Kennedy…

 

[ECrider]

it was definitely that CIA chap on the grassy knoll

 

[Solmanic]

Reviving this thread in the hope that now we have some Grenadiers in the hands of customers who may be willing to share their own real world solutions...

 

[emax]

I recommend watching this video. Good comparison imho.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDKs0BSXw_Y

 

[Shaky]

Thanks Emax, I was just literally googling this.

I fancy getting my first dash cam and know nothing about them tbh.

 

[emax]

Me neither. The video shows some very good side by side shots and magnified details of the cameras license plate display. This is imho a very important capability of a dashcam, as is the quality of the low light shots.

My favorite, the Viofo A139 Pro, unfortunately uses a lot of power (1.5 amps), which means this thing uses 18 watts. That's not a problem for the Grenadier, but it is for the power dissipation. It seems to heat up quite a bit.