Dashcams... Who has them ? whats good ?

[Steve9R]

Personally I have the Blackvue DR500GW-HD (as you know), and its a great unit.. the only downfall with it is there is no voltage regulation..

therefore, if you run it 24x7 like i do (it goes into parking mode), 'potentially' you could run your battery flat. they do however also sell a box that monitors voltage, and has a Low voltage cutoff which is settable, so you can always start your vehicle without flattening the battery,... from memory the box is RRP about $60 as well. .and also has a timer thing built in as well..

my example for this would be.. Airport parking.. camera in parking mode for a week = flat battery without battery monitoring.. or of course you could power it off your second battery if you dont care whether it goes flat or not..

Steve

[Steve9R]

To give everyone an idea.. The Blackvue DR500GW-HD Cameras RRP are as follows :

16gb - $ 369.00inc GST
32gb - $ 399.00inc GST

Power Magic Pro (voltage management unit) - $ 60.00inc GST

So obviously the more people who are interested the bigger the discount we can get on these units..

FYI: I spoke to a wholesaler of them today, and asked about the DR550GW-HD (front AND rear camera version) and he said not to touch them purely due to the number of units he's had to send back under warranty due to rear camera failures.

Steve

[BIGFOOTJR]

Expensive dashcam that doesn't perform much better than other dashcams for 1/2 the price that have a lcd screen. I do like the blackvue software though.

[Wazza80]

$320 with 32gb card you will be able to get them.
And the power magic pro for $30

[singlespeed]

Expensive dashcam that doesn't perform much better than other dashcams for 1/2 the price that have a lcd screen. I do like the blackvue software though.

Agreed, there are better cameras for less money. I would suggest not making your decision based on the PC software, after the novelty wears off one will rarely look at the footage on the PC, and second, there are some great 3rd party dashcam viewer software available for free.

Watch the footage of the Blackvue and the Panorama II on dashcamtalk, the Pano is nearly half the price, and performs equal if not better. Getting one off of Ebay is the best option. Having used a few dashcams now I can say it's not worth spending much over $200 on them, any company getting more than $200 is really good at marketing because on the high end of quality dashcams $200 buys the best.

[Steve9R]

well its up to you guys.. personally ive looked at the panoramas as well.. but i dont want a 'camera' that is obviously seen through the windscreen on my truck.. i prefer the blackvue as its small and unobtrusive..

in terms of LCD screen.. another thing i originally contemplated, but its a distraction.. why do you need to see out your front camera when you can look out the windscreen ? as you said.. the novelty wears off and you dont need to look at it, so why have an lcd that also makes it obvious you have a camera ? we all remember what happened with GPS units when they first came out.. the more obvious the unit the bigger the target for thieves..

plus you have to remember the blackvue has wireless anyway, so you can stream live to your smart phone if you 'really' wanted a screen.. then you can also copy fottage directly to you phone memory etc for later..

$320 with 32gb card you will be able to get them.
And the power magic pro for $30

thats cheap... where did you get those prices from? im sure for qty we could probably do that, but I doubt we'd get that pricing from what ive seen unless we have large qty.

I think we need to discuss this for a moment.. there are obviously a LOT of different products on the market, at a lot of different price points. Its just like tires.. everyone has their own opinion.. As Wazza said in the group buy thread, another forum ran a group buy on the Blackvue DR500's so they're obviously a good camera.. there is no doubt in that..

i think that we need to decide on which model and brand we'll look at for the majority. sure there's Ebay. if you want to go that way and purchase your own then go for it..

so.. we should do a survey of the different brands and models to gauge which way we go. please PM me with brand and model and RRP price for single camera units only, and ill create a survey so people can vote on which way to go.

Steve

[singlespeed]

in terms of LCD screen.. another thing i originally contemplated, but its a distraction.. why do you need to see out your front camera when you can look out the windscreen ? as you said.. the novelty wears off and you dont need to look at it, so why have an lcd that also makes it obvious you have a camera ?

Trust me, you'll want access to the menus, to be able to format an SD Card or perform other functions. The LCD screen turns off after 30 or 60 seconds on most camera. These cameras (all of them) leave a lot to be desired in reliability, at least with an LCD you can navigate the menus and reset it, or make changes to it. With the Pano, it can take stills, review footage, or be configured via LCD. When mounted near the RVM most cameras are hardly noticeable.

[Steve9R]

Ok. Re: Dashcams' . I am in discussion with the Australian importer of the Blackvue's (they are closed now until monday though), and I should have pricing etc next week for the group buy.

there will be a NEW thread for the group buy, this thread should now cease discussion of group buy and return to Dashcam general discussion.

Steve

[Steve9R]

Still working on the Group Buy with the distributor.. its all been approved, im just awaiting on pricing from them now..

in the meantime, here's some footage from my Blackvue DR500-GW from last night ..

Automated Registration Police checkpoint.. they definately met their quota didnt they.. Sheriff / wheel clamps, its all going on.. (gotta love the radio chatter too )



Steve

[comp.dad]

I have had now for over 18months and only ever looked at the video, twice to review accidents and to provide to the parties involved and one to review a lighting burst of a night while driving home.

Also one quick review after some off road driving

SD cards need to be fast and they do die as they all have a limited life. I have one in the dashcam and one spare if it dies and one for off road driving.

Never look at when driving and only check at start up to see the screen come on for 15sec to confirm all is working. Biggest issue is that people keep unplugging the USB power to it, and the battery goes flat, then is a pain to reset date and time.... Will need to hard wire.

NOTE: I have mine set to disable the sound recording by default.

A: Gives more recording time

B: Nothing worse than having the navigation system warning you about speeding ( maps out of date ) if an accident happens and on review your dashcam is full of speeding warnings etc

For me it is about added info re an accident; not about making selfies and reviewing hrs of boring crap...

PS. As an Auditor and ex Investigator. Any clip that has been edited is suss...

Thus if you set your recording segments for the shortest time you may only need to supply the current clip and not have somthing that would embarrass you included.

I also know where the lock button is and if something happens, then that will bring up the screen for a while (a good check that things are working) and importantly, mark that recording segment as write protected...

Just a few tips from the way I use my system; Just like MS office - has so many features that 98% of the users use about only 5% of its features So why bother spending excessive hard earned $$$ an somthing you think you want, but DO NOT not need.

Better to put it into other parts of the car

Marketing is about identifying with you and getting you interested / emotions involved. Then they use other tricks to offer you a solution; which your emotions now think you must have... Followed up with a product that exceeds your wildest dreams.... GOT YOU

Take the time to think it through, I have enough junk that has been purchased by impulse and peer pressure buying and afterwards it is sometimes rather embarrassing

[ChrisD]

I haven't use the Blackvue but I have spoken with a guy who had one and reckons it is great. And there was video a while back of a guy thrashing a car when getting some suspension done which I believe was a Blackvue too.

Anyone know where I can see this video, very interested. The original discussion is here: http://www.pradopoint.com/archive/index ... 28693.html but being posted on photo bucket it is of course 'not available'.

Cheers
Christian

[singlespeed]

I haven't use the Blackvue but I have spoken with a guy who had one and reckons it is great. And there was video a while back of a guy thrashing a car when getting some suspension done which I believe was a Blackvue too.

Anyone know where I can see this video, very interested. The original discussion is here: http://www.pradopoint.com/archive/index ... 28693.html but being posted on photo bucket it is of course 'not available'.

Cheers
Christian

A story like that makes me think that some prevention would be in order. Something like a decal or sign on the dash when it's in for service reminding them that the vehicle is video monitored and GPS tracked. I'd rather prevent an incident like this from happening rather than finding out after the (potential) damage is done. This is quite common though, a lot of vehicles are flogged daily by staff, or used for lunch runs. It's stupid that the management at any type of business would allow this behavior, one could argue the management don't know about it, but that's doubtful.

[Steve9R]

Interesting you say that.. i had my Missus' car in for a service on Wednesday this week. it runs a Cowon AW1 Dashcam (which is also going to be an option in the group buy i think), and it recorded the entire service from vacuuming / car wash and clean to hoist work where you can clearly see filters being changed (looking through the bonnet gap).. but not once did anyone notice or look at the camera.

I was actually very impressed with the service. they did 3 x test drives of the car (once when dropped off to check for problems, once after servicing, then they washed the engine bay and re-tested), not once did they go over the speed limits and I was really impressed with their professionalism. (obviously not a Toyota dealership )

but you are correct, with dashcams becoming more prevalent, mechanics and business' reputations will be on the line and they'll be accountable for their actions.

Steve

[packeteer]

I'd be keen on a group buy, but would prefer a newer model based on Q7 chip (iirc)

Ambarella A7 processor is what I was referring to. new to market, so there are few cameras using it

[Dewbs]

Still working on the Group Buy with the distributor.. its all been approved, im just awaiting on pricing from them now..

in the meantime, here's some footage from my Blackvue DR500-GW from last night ..

Automated Registration Police checkpoint.. they definately met their quota didnt they.. Sheriff / wheel clamps, its all going on.. (gotta love the radio chatter too )



Steve

Just watched the above video and I have no experience with dash cams, but want one for my own peace of mind. Not sure if it's because I am watching it on my iPad, but it appeared very grainy and if anything was to happen and you needed to review the footage there is no way you'd make out any number plates.
Is it just because I'm watching it on my iPad or is that as good as the quality gets?

[Steve9R]

nah.. the quality is full High Definition.. its just youtube has reduced the quality. if you click the little COG icon and select 1080 HD you 'll get it in FULL High Def.

have a look in the group buy thread links for examples of other videos taken, or simply search youtube for them..

The Group Buy Thread is located HERE : viewtopic.php?f=62&t=21854

Steve

[Dewbs]

Ok cool, thanks, I'll check it out

[Jazz]

Father in law was in an accident last week it wasn't his fault but the truck driver was saying it was
It turns out the guy driving behind had a dash cam and recorded the hole thing he stopped and shared the video with police when they arrived
Don't know what happened next but sure was nice of the bloke to stop
Just thought I'd share

[singlespeed]

There is a wealth of information on the DCT forum. http://dashcamtalk.com I recommend reading the forum and reviews before committing to a model. I was set on the Roadhawk until I read the forum realizing it was an average performer and overpriced. I use the Powerucc Panorama II/S, it's an awesome camera and the developers are very receptive to feedback. It's review can be seen on the sight I posted above. Lastly, do you homework, anything over $200 is really pushing one toward paying for marketing rather than a quality product. For example, the $70 Möbius outperforms some $300 cameras. I run cameras in both our cars, they run flawlessly, very much set and forget.

[Steve9R]

Yeah I agree, everyone should do their own research. Ive also had some cheap cameras, and the features and functions of them are not even in the same ball park as the quality more expensive units.. its the same old adage.. you pay for what you get..

Personally, I'd prefer to buy from an Australian company with Australian warranty and support, thats not always possible because of huge price differences for the exact same product, (not in group buy case though), but i prefer not purchasing electronics from ebay sellers, due to zero support, poor documentation and dubious warranty procedures (as im sure we've all had issues with that in the past..)

I have now had 5 x different dashcams, and i have to say that the Cowon in my missus car and the Blackvue in my truck are the best ive used by a long stretch.. None of this daily rebooting crap, Parking modes that actually work, G-force sensors that are adjustable and that actually work. And being discreet is v.important for me. I dont want to stand out with massive cameras attached to the windscreen.. just makes you a target for a breakin.

Steve