Dash Cam Owners Thread

[JWreck]

After some searching, there's not really a single repository for those that have installed and use dash cams. I'd like to get a condensed thread for everyone to share theirs, and help me (and others) make a decision on which one we will buy.

If you can, post the following:

• Make/model of your dash cam
• Pictures of it mounted in the car (wiring is a plus)
• Opinions - likes, dislikes, etc
• Links to videos or images if you have them to show quality of recordings

Looking forward to seeing everyone's setup!

[umairg35]

blackvue DR600GW-HD
HD video, wifi, G Sensor, Parking Mode, smartphone App
Will upload mounted pics later
Love it!!! Did hard wiring using Power magic pro and Fuse taps


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[DBFL]

Blackvue DR650S-2CH

I just picked them up yesterday (one for each car). I haven't had time to install them yet. Hopefully I'll be able to do it early next week. I'll update with detail and pics once I have completed the install.

[JWreck]

Blackvue is popular. A little pricier but it seems most owners love it.

[Tanner]

DR550 two channel initially then updated the front camera to the DR650. All wires tucked under the headliner, wire to the rear camera was tucked behind the curtain airbag in the A pillar. Video quality is decent, rear could be a bit better though the camera might have a haze on the lens. Video quality in the front a little out of focus due to the heat inside after it's been baking in the sun all day (happens with both the 550 and 650). Not an issue most of the time.









I haven't had much luck with Sandisk memory cards - have gone through a couple of 8GB SDHC with the recent one where it appears that the writes are just fine but in reality nothing's being saved, can't delete files, etc. Now trying the Delkin UHS-I as it's apparently more suitable for more wider range in temps based on what Pittasoft mentioned regarding compatible memory cards.

Sample screenshot, resized down a bit.

[cspcrx]

After two run-ins with two Dbags over the last couple of months I am strongly considering one! Also concerns over how the dealer treats my car.

[umairg35]

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[j1n]

DR550 two channel initially then updated the front camera to the DR650. All wires tucked under the headliner, wire to the rear camera was tucked behind the curtain airbag in the A pillar. Video quality is decent, rear could be a bit better though the camera might have a haze on the lens. Video quality in the front a little out of focus due to the heat inside after it's been baking in the sun all day (happens with both the 550 and 650). Not an issue most of the time.

[img]https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5191/14031517348_6553662d70_b.jpg[/ig]

[img]https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5501/14031509059_f0a1c7dc9d_b.jpg[/ig]

[img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2940/14031517108_107fce1255_b.jpg[/im]

[img]https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5039/14238347153_87a16d8edb_z.jpg[/ig]

I haven't had much luck with Sandisk memory cards - have gone through a couple of 8GB SDHC with the recent one where it appears that the writes are just fine but in reality nothing's being saved, can't delete files, etc. Now trying the Delkin UHS-I as it's apparently more suitable for more wider range in temps based on what Pittasoft mentioned regarding compatible memory cards.

Sample screenshot, resized down a bit.

[img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/549/17950571624_b305b940cb_b.jpg[/im]

Very nice and clean.

im prob gonna do the same setup.

[AudiTFSI3o3]

I've been running Blackvue DR650GW 2CH with Power Magic pro since day 1.

I think Tanner's pics are pretty much the same everything.

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/collections/blackvue

[TMurt]

Another Blackvue DR650GW 2-CH with power magic pro. I've been very satisfied so far, install isn't bad and the wires tuck away neatly under the headliner. Bought it after someone keyed my car earlier this year. The parking mode feature does begin to drain the battery life. Hasn't been an issue so far but I imagine I'll need to be careful with the winter cold coming up

[B8_Jim]

I've got a mini 0806 up front and my old Blackvue 400 in the rear window. The mini has fewer features, but I don't miss them. The image quality considerably better than the BlackVue 400 and 500 units I had previously, and it's MUCH cheaper. Doesn't have wi-fi, parking mode, or a G-meter - but I didn't use the first 2, and the g-meter was useless - longish sweeping turns were deemed to be an accident, even at the minimum sensitivity.

I like the mini well enough I bought another one for my subaru...

[JWreck]

Another Blackvue DR650GW 2-CH with power magic pro. I've been very satisfied so far, install isn't bad and the wires tuck away neatly under the headliner. Bought it after someone keyed my car earlier this year. The parking mode feature does begin to drain the battery life. Hasn't been an issue so far but I imagine I'll need to be careful with the winter cold coming up

I imagine I would only use the parking mode feature in new places or busy places - I park in a garage at work and at home.

But good to note because I'm sure I'd want to use it more after my first incident that it wasn't recording for!


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[JWreck]

I've been running Blackvue DR650GW 2CH with Power Magic pro since day 1.

I think Tanner's pics are pretty much the same everything.

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/collections/blackvue

I'd never heard of that website. Have you bought from them? They're comparable to Amazon it seems.


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[xpoweruk]

Blackvue DR650GW 2-CH here too :)

Great bit of kit with the power magic pro

[Bruno_s4]

Blackvue DR650GW 2-CH here too :)

Great bit of kit with the power magic pro

Ditto here. Seeing a trend?
Highly recommend one!

[CrownSeven]

There's a TON of options out there for dashcams. A great site for info on the latest and greatest is https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/

Blackvue is a popular name brand, but another really good company is Street Guardian. They make solid cams, and their support is fantastic. Me I'm waiting for my ideal camera which is a discreet dual camera system (front and back), no lcd screen, and a single 'dvr' box that can all be hidden. Street Guardian is working on that camera right now to be released sometime later this year.

I was also considering this camera reviewed by techmoan: http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2016/6/...-ive-used.html but decided to wait on Street Guardians offering.

[JWreck]

DR550 two channel initially then updated the front camera to the DR650. All wires tucked under the headliner, wire to the rear camera was tucked behind the curtain airbag in the A pillar. Video quality is decent, rear could be a bit better though the camera might have a haze on the lens. Video quality in the front a little out of focus due to the heat inside after it's been baking in the sun all day (happens with both the 550 and 650). Not an issue most of the time.









I haven't had much luck with Sandisk memory cards - have gone through a couple of 8GB SDHC with the recent one where it appears that the writes are just fine but in reality nothing's being saved, can't delete files, etc. Now trying the Delkin UHS-I as it's apparently more suitable for more wider range in temps based on what Pittasoft mentioned regarding compatible memory cards.

Sample screenshot, resized down a bit.

How'd you run the wire to the rear camera?


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[Senseless]

There's a TON of options out there for dashcams. A great site for info on the latest and greatest is https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/

The legal forum on that dash cam site was interesting. There were some possible negative scenarios raised, that I never thought about.

[CrownSeven]

The legal forum on that dash cam site was interesting. There were some possible negative scenarios raised, that I never thought about.

Yeah the layout of that site is not the best, but there are some very knowledgeable folks on there. There are so many options when it comes to dash cams. Biggest problem for me is discreteness. Most of the dash cam companies are out of asia especially Korea. They love to show off their cams over there so they are not very discreet vs the US consumer who want discreteness.

[MrFunk]

Blackvue DR650
I've got it set up identically to Tanner's above. I ran the wire to the rear camera through the head rest creases. Took me all of 5 minutes simply pressing the wire into the crease. It completely hides the wire.
Likes - works great while driving. UI is nice when reviewing film.
Dislikes - rear cam is only 720p.

[DBL R]

I've got relatively the same setup as @umairg35. System works really well and blackvue's interface is easy to use.

The legal forum on that dash cam site was interesting. There were some possible negative scenarios raised, that I never thought about.

Meh most negative scenarios of any kind would come from self incrimination (turning over recordings to law enforcement or a legal team) Just be sure to only give video that has to do with the incident. Even if they did subpoena you for the video, by the time the legal forms would be filed your data card would have rewritten over the video captured.....I also only record video and not audio....But that's a whole other thread and can of worms.

Basically I'm really happy with my two channel dash cam setup.

[Quidproquo]

I have the BlackVue 500 and wanted it mounted really discretely. So I painted the silver bits black, turned off all the lights and shut off the oral warnings.



I'm using a 32 GB card, and it seems to record about two weeks worth of footage before erasing old video.

The g sensors are very sensitive, and I wish blackvue would change the firmware parameters, but it seems this old camera is no longer updated. I may purchase the 650 and install this one in my other car.

Does anyone know if the 500 and 650 mounts are the same so I can just plug and play with my current 500 mount?


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[Tanner]

How'd you run the wire to the rear camera?

Tucked it under the headliner to the passenger side then down the right side to the back right corner. The only thing is that there was so much wire I looped it up together hid it in the corner, the wire is visible a bit there, then over to the rear camera. Will try and get photo, then.

I leave the camera running for another six hours after the car's turned off. I used to just turn the camera off once the car's off but ever since my wife got hit by a 18 yo driver in a parking lot, the camera wasn't fully booted up so no video captured of the accident itself which wasn't good. Fortunately we had other evidence of this 18 yo's stupid driving.

[MrFunk]

I have the BlackVue 500 and wanted it mounted really discretely. So I painted the silver bits black, turned off all the lights and shut off the oral warnings.

I'm using a 32 GB card, and it seems to record about two weeks worth of footage before erasing old video.

The g sensors are very sensitive, and I wish blackvue would change the firmware parameters, but it seems this old camera is no longer updated. I may purchase the 650 and install this one in my other car.

Does anyone know if the 500 and 650 mounts are the same so I can just plug and play with my current 500 mount?


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Even with all lights set to off there are some LED's that never turn off. Rear camera has LED on side that you can't disable and I'm pretty sure the front camera on the right side has an LED you can't disable. Some put electrical tape over them.
I've got a 64 GB which works well. I think I get about 3 weeks. I should get more if I turn off sound recording. 3 weeks is plenty though.

[MrFunk]

Since we're on the topic - does anyone know how to save both front and back camera video in the same file? I can know how to save either front or back separately.
Ex: 25 seconds into this vid:

[DBL R]

Since we're on the topic - does anyone know how to save both front and back camera video in the same file? I can know how to save either front or back separately.
Ex: 25 seconds into this vid:

Download the blackvue viewer for PC or Mac. Then when you select the file you can select the format of playback, allows you to pick which camera is large and which one is picture in picture, also allows to change where the PIP is located in the frame.

[cspcrx]

Worried about the comments on heat, I live in Phoenix and there is no getting away from that!

[Turbocoop]

Ive got a Cobra CDR 820, its cheap and tiny, but the image quality is great. I have it wired to the fuse box with an "Add-a-fuse"... This is my second one, the last one died after about 1.5yrs, but for the price its no big deal to replace it. It has motion sense and a G-force sensor, but Ive never tested their functionality. Overall I think its a great little camera for the price, I would definitely recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[300zx2g35]

I have the Thinkware x500 dashcam. Started with it in my Legacy Spec. B and liked it so much I got one as my first "mod" when I picked up the S4. It has a front and rear camera, parking mode (records when it senses movement or the car is bumped), and some nannies like lane departure warning and collision warning. It also has a really nice dual save feature where, in the event of an accident the SD card is damaged, then it is also saved to the internal memory of the camera. I have the nannies and most of the sounds turned off so you would never know it's there unless you're looking for it.

It's hardwired into a couple fuses using add-a-fuses. It needs one for constant power for the parking mode, and another for ignition so it knows when the car is on to begin continuous recording. The USB cable for the rear camera is run through the driverside of the headliner to hide everything.

Front Camera


Rear Camera (Hard to see the actual camera but you can see the square mounting pad)


Rear Camera from the interior (Butted it up against the 3rd brake light so you can't even really tell it is there when looking in the rearview mirror)


Front Camera from the interior


Shot looking at the rearview mirror. You can see the little bump of the rear camera and can only see the wires for the front camera


Front Camera video


Rear Camera video

[MrFunk]

Download the blackvue viewer for PC or Mac. Then when you select the file you can select the format of playback, allows you to pick which camera is large and which one is picture in picture, also allows to change where the PIP is located in the frame.

I know how to playback with dual screen in the viewer. I want to save the file on my hard drive like that. As of now I think I can only download the front or back view separately.

[SpectreGadget]

I started with a Cobra CDR80, which works quite well. I am currently use the GEKO E1008G E100, an inexpensive camera that does a nice job. Wired in through a add-a-fuse and a 12V to 5V converter wired up through the A pillar and over to the mirror.

[Senseless]

Yeah the layout of that site is not the best, but there are some very knowledgeable folks on there. There are so many options when it comes to dash cams. Biggest problem for me is discreteness. Most of the dash cam companies are out of asia especially Korea. They love to show off their cams over there so they are not very discreet vs the US consumer who want discreteness.

Discrete for many reasons including theft. A dash cam can be made nearly invisible with the tiny HD cameras used in phones these days. The control box could be mounted near the fuse box and a tiny wire could go to the micro camera. Or does this exist already?

[CrownSeven]

Discrete for many reasons including theft. A dash cam can be made nearly invisible with the tiny HD cameras used in phones these days. The control box could be mounted near the fuse box and a tiny wire could go to the micro camera. Or does this exist already?

Something like that does exist and made by street guardian (can you tell I'm a fan of theirs) :

https://www.amazon.com/Street-Guardi...rdian+panorama

They are now working on a system that is similar, with the addition of an additional rear camera and a single dvr box to conceal with no display that both cameras would record to.

[AudiS4SD]

DR500GW-HD

I think this is the best location to mount without obstructing views (both passenger and camera angle) and still allowing full use of the sun visor. It's hard-wired to the fuse box while the V1 is wired to the mirror.




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[jamesj2k]

Mobius ActionCam 1080p HD Camera ... hands down

Works amazing. Small and discrete. I wired it to my rear view mirror and used double sided sticky tape and placed camera on right side top of rear view mirror.

[JD S4]

Pardon my ignorance - but what are the use cases/reasons? Only thing that comes to mind is hit and run. is there a use for random vandalism to find someone? Interesting thread.

[BoostEasy]

Blackvue DR650-1CH 64GB SD card. Wired into the map light console harness with pin replacement (no cutting or tapping) to a new barrel connector pigtail. Just one screw to drop the map light/sunglass holder console. Wire routed out the front of the headliner, under the mirror support cover and out from under the edge of it. No cutting anywhere. I did it this way as I'm not a big fan of interior panel removal as IME it tends to lead to squeaks and rattles and right now my car has none, which is how I like it.

I don't care so much if others see it, I just didn't want to see it when I was driving. So it's right in front of my rearview mirror completely out of my sight (2nd pic from top). It's not terribly noticeable from outside the car unless you're looking for it because the whole car is black interior, tinted windows, LEDs turned off, etc. It looks like part of the mirror assembly until you look closer.

Had some initial issues with screwy firmware update via the Blackvue app and SD card that died on me after 2 weeks but once sorted it works well for months now. Blackboxmycar.com reseller did a pretty good job with support.

The only thing I've noticed is the power draw when the car is off more than a few hrs apparently trips something in the MMI to cause it to slow boot (cold boot). Pressing the media button causes it to boot almost as fast as when the DR650 isn't plugged in/car off for over 4hrs. I'm guessing its some kind of built-in battery drain protection somewhere in the vehicle harness for people that leave the interior lights on. The draw from the DR650 is pretty small with wifi off/parking mode and it's been in for months with our huge trunk battery backing it so right now it's not a concern.

Quality of video is pretty good. It can make out license plate numbers once you get relatively close and night video quality is much better than a typical mobile phone camera.

RE use case, for me, accidents are key. I've been hit twice now (different cars) by people blowing stoplights and if it's just you and them and if they don't feel like telling the truth, you're out of luck.

[Dirt]

Pardon my ignorance - but what are the use cases/reasons? Only thing that comes to mind is hit and run. is there a use for random vandalism to find someone? Interesting thread.

More often than not, they're purchased to support their owner's version of events in an accident. If the other party is at fault but won't admit it, they lose the argument pretty quickly when the video is played.

Plus there's always an opportunity to film something cool while you're out on the road.

.

[yungcotter]

Just got my DR650-S in the mail from mass drop today. Installing it this weekend.

[Tanner]

Pardon my ignorance - but what are the use cases/reasons? Only thing that comes to mind is hit and run. is there a use for random vandalism to find someone? Interesting thread.

And scammers. This one got a lot of attention in Toronto media and on a lot of forums.

https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2...ts_racism.html

Apparently the guy doing the scamming was recognized by his coworkers, worked at a bank, or used to work at a bank as he got charged.