Dash Cams

[Pete-B]

Hi all,

 

The Duchess and I had a near miss on the A1 on Friday as we were driving back from the Harrogate show. Some idiot in a Scooby overtook me at a rate of knots, pulled in sharply when he spotted a fix camera up ahead and slammed his brakes on.

 

I kid you not, I missed hitting his back end by the thickness of a fag paper, I blasted my horn at him and he gave me a wave of apology (I think that was what it was) he then shot off like shot off a shovel.

 

So I got to thinking is it time I considered a Dash Cam which I could swop between the car and the van as necessary? The problem is, there are hundreds of these things out there and loads of reviews, some of which give conflicting recommendations on the same product which makes it all the more confusing.

 

So I wondered what some of you use or rate as good, I guess spending around a £100 or so should get a half decent one, or am I being unrealistic?

 

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

[athiest]

Hi Pete, Look on EBay for "2.5 HD car Vehicle Dash Dashboard Camera IR DVR Cam CCTV Night Vision SmartCam G" I have had one of these on the windscreen of my MH & another on my car for the last five years and for the price they are great. You will need to feed them via a 5volt supply (smart phone charger) They record onto an SD card on a continuous loop. I have 32Gig cards in mine, these record for about 12 hours before starting again. You can see the playback on it's screen but I prefer to see it on my computer. If you find a site called "megoshop 2012, it;s from Hong Kong, the camera is £6.98. The same camera from a UK company is at all different prices on EBay. But if you can wait a bit then China is the place to buy from. They are all made there anyway. Hope this is of some use. "A"

[RogerThat]

Yup, I'll second that! Been using a £10 quid eBay one for years, can't fault it. It starts recording as soon as it receives power so as soon as the ignition goes on its recording, I don't even have to think about it :)

 

Seem to remember spending more on the SD card than I did on the camera back then lol!

 

[Bulletguy]

Pete-B - 2016-03-19 2:58 PM

 

Hi all,

 

The Duchess and I had a near miss on the A1 on Friday as we were driving back from the Harrogate show. Some idiot in a Scooby overtook me at a rate of knots, pulled in sharply when he spotted a fix camera up ahead and slammed his brakes on.

 

I kid you not, I missed hitting his back end by the thickness of a fag paper, I blasted my horn at him and he gave me a wave of apology (I think that was what it was) he then shot off like shot off a shovel.

 

So I got to thinking is it time I considered a Dash Cam which I could swop between the car and the van as necessary? The problem is, there are hundreds of these things out there and loads of reviews, some of which give conflicting recommendations on the same product which makes it all the more confusing.

 

So I wondered what some of you use or rate as good, I guess spending around a £100 or so should get a half decent one, or am I being unrealistic?

 

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

You can get cheap ones off ebay and my first was a £20 fleabay job but they are extremely basic and one common fault with them is they won't take a larger card than 16gb. As the file sizes are fairly big the card quickly fills even though all dash cams overwrite.

 

I pushed the boat out a bit and bought a Mio Mivue 538 Deluxe which comes with speed cams plus GPS tracking; http://www.spesa.co.uk/products/mio-mivue-568-touch-car-dash-cam-drive-recorder?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=10836318020&gclid=CJCC2u2ezcsCFQbgGwodikQEjQ

 

I paid £110 for mine a year ago but as you can see from the link, prices are dropping as they get more popular. I think it's only a matter of time before they become a standard fitment in new vehicles and certainly before long, insurance companies may well offer discounted premiums to drivers with a dash cam.

 

The model i bought i cannot fault. Picture view is very clear, sound is good, and the GPS whilst not essential is very useful. That records everything.....your speed, date, time and precise location. In the event of an accident the cam locks to stop anything being overwritten.

[laimeduck]

This is as cheap as chips and it's still working after 15 months with no problems. Use it in my day car as well.

Can't really go wrong at this price - get 2 one as spare! (except that the instructions say "wen lite blickering it working"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005Q6CJI4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=21Z2A0OW17JYB&coliid=I3N4LM0X5006RP&psc=1

[itz]

Hi Pete-B,

I have used the Transcend drivepro 200 for around two years now, I have been pleased with the quality of video and the 160 degree viewing angle is superb, with the camera situated behind the rear view mirror this records just about everything I see through the windscreen, the video quality is good both during daylight and at night, the timestamping of the video is good and the G Sensor works well, meaning if I brake suddenly that part of the video doesn't overwrite and has to be manually deleted, the camera also connects via wifi to smartphone or tablet for playback and management of video files.

Having said all that I don't think I would recommend this particular model now as it is overpriced compared to other dashcams available, it also needs the date and time to be reset if the camera isn't used for three or four days, not difficult just a hassle you don't really need.

You have set your price range quite high so should get a nice up to date camera with plenty of features for your money, make sure you read the reviews of the one you decide on before final purchase.

Hope this helps with your choice.

[itz]

My last post doubled up so edited out.

[Robbo]

Suggest the OP looks at this website with brilliant indepth reviews of dashcam products:

 

http://www.techmoan.com/guide-to-dashcams/

 

I'm thinking of purchasing the Mini 0806. They did suffer from overheating in the earlier models, but apparently this has now been addressed and resolved.

[athiest]

Hi all, just as an add-on to this lot. Last year when I took my car for it;s MOT I was told that they should of failed my car for the MOT because it is against the law to have anything attached to the windscreen that may be in your' line of sight. My camera is mounted just slightly under the rear view mirror. But took the camera off and passed it as a gesture of goodwill. "A"

[StuartO]

laimeduck - 2016-03-19 6:09 PMThis is as cheap as chips and it's still working after 15 months with no problems. Use it in my day car as well.

Can't really go wrong at this price - get 2 one as spare! (except that the instructions say "wen lite blickering it working"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005Q6CJI4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=21Z2A0OW17JYB&coliid=I3N4LM0X5006RP&psc=1

 

I bought two of these, one works, other one packed up after a few weeks.  It's not really HD as claimed, you can't rely on being able to read number plates and it's not wide enough angle.

 

So I bought two more better ones (£20 each off EBay, plus the cost of the micro sd card) which is wide angle and has better resolution but it causes serious interference with DAB radio in either car or MH, so I've had to take it out.

 

But I am happy with the concept of a dashcam, even the cheap ones work after a fashion and they do switch on and off automatically, so once they're in the vehicle you can leave them to do their job.

 

Lessons learned:  buy a decent branded micro sd card, the cheap "Micro" ones are rubbish, you must go for both HD resolution and 170 degree wide angle lens - and if you have DAB radio check for interference.

 

[Pete-B]

Thanks for all the inputs, very much appreciated, it's certainly a eye opener how many models are available but advice and suggestions from other people makes the choice a lot easier.

[Bulletguy]

Robbo - 2016-03-19 7:56 PM

 

Suggest the OP looks at this website with brilliant indepth reviews of dashcam products:

 

http://www.techmoan.com/guide-to-dashcams/

 

I'm glad you mentioned this guy as i forgot to! His YouTube Dash cam reviews are excellent and very clearly presented. He's from 'somewhere' around Manchester as i'm familiar with some of the roads he drives.

[donna miller]

Bulletguy - 2016-03-19 5:21 PM

 

 

 

You can get cheap ones off ebay and my first was a £20 fleabay job but they are extremely basic and one common fault with them is they won't take a larger card than 16gb. As the file sizes are fairly big the card quickly fills even though all dash cams overwrite.

 

 

I've bought half a dozen from ebay for our cars, van and bike over the last 5-6 years, All take 32gb cards, have G shock sensors and lock if the G force comes in. Why pay £100+ for something that does nothing different to a £15 one?

[donna miller]

athiest - 2016-03-19 8:45 PM

 

Hi all, just as an add-on to this lot. Last year when I took my car for it;s MOT I was told that they should of failed my car for the MOT because it is against the law to have anything attached to the windscreen that may be in your' line of sight. My camera is mounted just slightly under the rear view mirror. But took the camera off and passed it as a gesture of goodwill. "A"

 

So why do cars come with rear view mirrors then? They're certainly 'in line of sight' if you listen to your MOT tester.

FYI 'Line of sight' is in your direct line as you look forward. Your anal tester should have said 'Field of vision' a completely different thing.

[747]

athiest - 2016-03-19 8:45 PM

 

Hi all, just as an add-on to this lot. Last year when I took my car for it;s MOT I was told that they should of failed my car for the MOT because it is against the law to have anything attached to the windscreen that may be in your' line of sight. My camera is mounted just slightly under the rear view mirror. But took the camera off and passed it as a gesture of goodwill. "A"

 

Not just on the windscreen. On my last van I had to remove the reversing camera Monitor from the Dash for the same reason. It was mounted near the passenger side but was marginally 'in line of sight'. The MOT Tester reminded me of the ruling as he said once he started the test, it was an automatic fail.

 

What a nice man. :D

[Bulletguy]

donna miller - 2016-03-20 4:10 PM

 

Bulletguy - 2016-03-19 5:21 PM

 

 

 

You can get cheap ones off ebay and my first was a £20 fleabay job but they are extremely basic and one common fault with them is they won't take a larger card than 16gb. As the file sizes are fairly big the card quickly fills even though all dash cams overwrite.

 

 

I've bought half a dozen from ebay for our cars, van and bike over the last 5-6 years, All take 32gb cards, have G shock sensors and lock if the G force comes in. Why pay £100+ for something that does nothing different to a £15 one?

 

Here is one model type that won't take 32gb despite the claim in the description, and these cams are among the most commonly sold on fleabay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1080P-IR-Night-Vision-Car-DVR-Camera-CCTV-Vehicle-Video-Recorder-Cam-Dash-GS1000-/301148540292?hash=item461dda0d84:g:uA8AAOSw3oBTyMjY

 

Just go to the AV Forum site and you will find no end of people who have experienced the same.

[Corky 8]

I,m a Mio purchaser , bought one for the Motorhome which is now two year old and faultless this month I bought a Mio 688,for the car,but will swap them around, I bought quality to be sure of the end result. whichever Dash Cam you buy check what the replay pictures are like , some cheap ones are very grainy, My brother paid £19.99 for one it works when you switch it on but the recording was full of lines could not make out Make s of car or Registration plate. you only get what you pay for.

[Keithl]

And from my experience DO NOT buy a Snooper DVR-1HD Mini.

 

Mine is slowly eating Sandisk 32 GB cards at an alarming rate. It seems to 'Lock' them so they cannot be re-formatted or re-recorded and are rendered scrap.

 

Picture quality is fantastic but the cost in cards is alarming.

 

Keith.

[Deneb]

donna miller - 2016-03-20 4:14 PM

So why do cars come with rear view mirrors then? They're certainly 'in line of sight' if you listen to your MOT tester.

FYI 'Line of sight' is in your direct line as you look forward. Your anal tester should have said 'Field of vision' a completely different thing.

 

The testable area is "the driver's view through the swept area of the windscreen", being the part of the screen that is swept by the windscreen wipers. That is further sub-divided into Zone A - that part of the swept area 290mm in width and centred on the centre of the steering wheel, and the remainder.

 

Any items impinging more than 10mm into Zone A or more than 40mm into the remainder of the swept area are a reason for rejection (failure). The rear view mirror is not, because it is a legal requirement (depending on the vehicle configuration and presence of any other mirrors) and is itself a testable item.

 

The manual also states that where items are present in the driver's field of view (as defined) that would constitute a reason for rejection, the tester may at his or her discretion remove the items prior to the inspection. They must then be noted as an advisory notice to the test record.

[Bulletguy]

Keithl - 2016-03-20 8:19 PM

 

And from my experience DO NOT buy a Snooper DVR-1HD Mini.

 

Mine is slowly eating Sandisk 32 GB cards at an alarming rate. It seems to 'Lock' them so they cannot be re-formatted or re-recorded and are rendered scrap.

 

Picture quality is fantastic but the cost in cards is alarming.

 

Keith.

 

If purchased new then i'd return it to store or contact Snooper for a replacement. Once the card is full it should overwrite any existing files.

[Keithl]

Bulletguy - 2016-03-20 9:02 PM

 

Keithl - 2016-03-20 8:19 PM

 

And from my experience DO NOT buy a Snooper DVR-1HD Mini.

 

Mine is slowly eating Sandisk 32 GB cards at an alarming rate. It seems to 'Lock' them so they cannot be re-formatted or re-recorded and are rendered scrap.

 

Picture quality is fantastic but the cost in cards is alarming.

 

Keith.

 

If purchased new then i'd return it to store or contact Snooper for a replacement. Once the card is full it should overwrite any existing files.

 

Unfortunately that is not the problem. If the power supply is interrupted for anything less than around 5 seconds, say through a loose power plug, then the recorder fails to shut down correctly and 'Locks' the card.

The first card got locked when I plugged the recorder into a cigar lighter socket powered off the accessories circuit, what I hadn't realised was when the engine was cranking the socket got turned off. So key to position 1 camera live, crank engine camera off then straight back on as engine fired. Result one locked card. They don't warn you of this in the instructions either!

 

Snooper in their usual 'Couldn't care less' attitude don't want to know (try searching for problems with Snooper Sat Navs!) and even calls to Sandisk and a special SD Card Unlock programme they sent me cannot recover the cards.

 

I will never buy any Snooper product again!!!

 

Keith.

[747]

Give yourselves a pat on the back as this is the first Dashcam thread on a Motorhome forum that has approved cheaper Dashcams. It usually turns into a parade of expensive Cams and a list of reasons why you need one. This has led me to believe that the Motorhome mindset is 'Why buy cheap when you can buy the most expensive'. :D

 

I have just purchased the cheapest one on this website and am very happy with it. http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/car-cameras.html

 

It is the G1W and is on at a reduced price.

 

I also have a dual lens camera which I now keep in the M/home. Bought from Hong Kong 2 years ago and performs well. Its mounting bracket has broken (which is why a bought the G1W) but I use a flexi mobile phone mount for it.

[Bulletguy]

Keithl - 2016-03-21 7:36 AM

 

Bulletguy - 2016-03-20 9:02 PM

 

Keithl - 2016-03-20 8:19 PM

 

And from my experience DO NOT buy a Snooper DVR-1HD Mini.

 

Mine is slowly eating Sandisk 32 GB cards at an alarming rate. It seems to 'Lock' them so they cannot be re-formatted or re-recorded and are rendered scrap.

 

Picture quality is fantastic but the cost in cards is alarming.

 

Keith.

 

If purchased new then i'd return it to store or contact Snooper for a replacement. Once the card is full it should overwrite any existing files.

 

Unfortunately that is not the problem. If the power supply is interrupted for anything less than around 5 seconds, say through a loose power plug, then the recorder fails to shut down correctly and 'Locks' the card.

The first card got locked when I plugged the recorder into a cigar lighter socket powered off the accessories circuit, what I hadn't realised was when the engine was cranking the socket got turned off. So key to position 1 camera live, crank engine camera off then straight back on as engine fired. Result one locked card. They don't warn you of this in the instructions either!

 

Snooper in their usual 'Couldn't care less' attitude don't want to know (try searching for problems with Snooper Sat Navs!) and even calls to Sandisk and a special SD Card Unlock programme they sent me cannot recover the cards.

 

I will never buy any Snooper product again!!!

 

Keith.

 

I must admit i've never come across this before and well understand your frustration.

 

Have you tried speaking direct with the company? Their phone number is; 01928 579 579.

[Bulletguy]

747 - 2016-03-21 2:09 PM

 

Give yourselves a pat on the back as this is the first Dashcam thread on a Motorhome forum that has approved cheaper Dashcams. It usually turns into a parade of expensive Cams and a list of reasons why you need one. This has led me to believe that the Motorhome mindset is 'Why buy cheap when you can buy the most expensive'. :D

 

I have just purchased the cheapest one on this website and am very happy with it. http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/car-cameras.html

 

It is the G1W and is on at a reduced price.

 

Actually thats not as "cheap" as you think it is. The G1W looks like a clone of the GS1000 which you can pick up for half that price off fleabay, and even the branded makes aren't cheap!

 

The Mivue 538 Deluxe which is the dash cam i have is listed at a staggering £150!! That's available in Currys at £109, Amazon £107 and even less if you poke around on the internet a bit.

[Keithl]

Bulletguy - 2016-03-21 2:40 PM

 

Keithl - 2016-03-21 7:36 AM

 

Bulletguy - 2016-03-20 9:02 PM

 

Keithl - 2016-03-20 8:19 PM

 

And from my experience DO NOT buy a Snooper DVR-1HD Mini.

 

Mine is slowly eating Sandisk 32 GB cards at an alarming rate. It seems to 'Lock' them so they cannot be re-formatted or re-recorded and are rendered scrap.

 

Picture quality is fantastic but the cost in cards is alarming.

 

Keith.

 

If purchased new then i'd return it to store or contact Snooper for a replacement. Once the card is full it should overwrite any existing files.

 

Unfortunately that is not the problem. If the power supply is interrupted for anything less than around 5 seconds, say through a loose power plug, then the recorder fails to shut down correctly and 'Locks' the card.

The first card got locked when I plugged the recorder into a cigar lighter socket powered off the accessories circuit, what I hadn't realised was when the engine was cranking the socket got turned off. So key to position 1 camera live, crank engine camera off then straight back on as engine fired. Result one locked card. They don't warn you of this in the instructions either!

 

Snooper in their usual 'Couldn't care less' attitude don't want to know (try searching for problems with Snooper Sat Navs!) and even calls to Sandisk and a special SD Card Unlock programme they sent me cannot recover the cards.

 

I will never buy any Snooper product again!!!

 

Keith.

 

I must admit i've never come across this before and well understand your frustration.

 

Have you tried speaking direct with the company? Their phone number is; 01928 579 579.

 

BG,

 

This was their official reply... "I have attached some instructions that I found online on how to format the SD card. Please format the card and then try again and advise how you get on." and when I replied it didn't work they failed to reply to any further communication. Useless!!!

 

Keith.