Dash cam recommendation

[Nicknasty]

Hey guys I am in desperate need of a good dash cam that won't break the bank. I don't know anything about them so your input is very useful to me. I lost a 2011 tundra with 90k on the clock earlier this year to a hit and run on the freeway and almost lost my 2000 4runner this afternoon to a woman who decided to run the intersection...with a toddler in the back seat too. There was a collision but the 4runner is fine however her matrix is most likely a total loss. Clearly I can't afford not to have one at this point.

Thanks so much everyone

 

[JLTD]

Subscribed. I have been making the same considerationn.

 

[Brian.]

DashCamTalk

Try starting there.

 

[Jidaran]

I got the VIOFO A119 V2 - seemed like the best balance of quality and cost. Been happy with it so far. Looks like there's a new version out. I followed Tim's video for installation, it was super easy.

Two things I'd recommend after doing a lot of research. 1) Don't get a camera with GPS. It's unlikely to help you in a court case and if you're even a mile over the speed limit, it could hurt you. 2) Get a camera that uses a capacitor, not a battery. The batteries die way faster that the capacitors.

 

[Joelzy]

DashCamTalk

Try starting there.

i have the first one on their list in the wife's car as well as the car i left in texas but will probably be buying another for the 4runner. We've only needed to pull footage twice but both times were wrecks witnessed, not involved in. its a little slow on the downloads which i thought was weird until i realized it was super high res

 

[Jidaran]

Also, make sure to get a high quality micro SD card, suitable for a dash cam. I forget what the standards / metrics are, but the info is pretty easy to find online.

 

[JWaldz]

BlackVue makes some of the best dash cams on the market, but be prepared to pay.

Also, check with your insurance before you get one. They might have incentives to discount your rate by adding a dash cam. Just keep in mind that they might require specific brands to use in order to get the discount.

 

[TonyB66]

As some here likely know, dash cams have been the rage in Asia for 10+ years. Russia too as I understand. The main reason provided to me was to protect the drivers from scams used for fraudulent insurance claims. These are unfortunately very common; and there are some hilarious videos on the web. I don't have time to find such a compilation now, but here is one so you have an idea...

It's not uncommon for my wife to come home from Taiwan with a couple of these. I probably changed dash cams 4 or 5x over the years. None failed. Simply did so for improved resolution, increased storage capacity, the addition of cool features, etc. The one I had been using in the 4Runner was the rear view mirror type and it was so wide that it didn't allow the sun visors to fully articulate. So, I finally bought one for the first time, and I figured since I might get a replacement in a couple years anyways, price was a big factor for me.

Amazon.com: Apexcam Dash Cam 1080P Full HD Driving Recorder Mini Car Camera DVR Dashboard Camera 170deg Wide Angle Super Night Vision G-Sensor,Motion Detection,Loop Recording,Parking Monitor: Car Electronics

Picture quality is excellent.

 

[Wraytex]

On this same subject Can anyone provide feedback on the kenwood DRV-N520 that integrates with some of their receivers? I've got a receiver that will work but curious if the extra cost is justified by the feature set available through the head unit.

 

[jgue467]

...protect the drivers from scams ...

Don't let all the pan handlers on street corners in american learn they can try this, haha....

 

[Nicknasty]

So I decided to go with the Blueskysea B2W. I did this because the price is reasonable at 150$, image quality is excellent during the day and good at night. The main selling point was it records my front view and through my rear view in case I get rear ended. Also you can rotate the rear camera on a swivel if someone is approaching from either side or you get pulled over. It has a lot of other normal features like recording on a loop up to 400gb and also high definition audio.

Thank you everyone for your feedback

 

[Nicknasty]

As some here likely know, dash cams have been the rage in Asia for 10+ years. Russia too as I understand. The main reason provided to me was to protect the drivers from scams used for fraudulent insurance claims. These are unfortunately very common; and there are some hilarious videos on the web. I don't have time to find such a compilation now, but here is one so you have an idea...

It's not uncommon for my wife to come home from Taiwan with a couple of these. I probably changed dash cams 4 or 5x over the years. None failed. Simply did so for improved resolution, increased storage capacity, the addition of cool features, etc. The one I had been using in the 4Runner was the rear view mirror type and it was so wide that it didn't allow the sun visors to fully articulate. So, I finally bought one for the first time, and I figured since I might get a replacement in a couple years anyways, price was a big factor for me.

Amazon.com: Apexcam Dash Cam 1080P Full HD Driving Recorder Mini Car Camera DVR Dashboard Camera 170deg Wide Angle Super Night Vision G-Sensor,Motion Detection,Loop Recording,Parking Monitor: Car Electronics

Picture quality is excellent.

These people are insane lol....smashes head into windshield?

 

[Ripper238]

I personally own a BlackVue 650 that i have had since 2014. Its a great dash cam that has a ton of useful features like GPS, WiFi and bump/motion sensors for when you are not in the vehicle. You can also remotely view the dash cam video from your phone. I got it from these guys: https://www.thedashcamstore.com/ really great place to buy a dash cam, they may even offer a special discount for the referral to you.

I hard wired mine to a switch for constant or ignition depending if i wanted to have the camera monitor while i was not around.

Generally video quality can be a hit or miss depending on day/night with just about any dash cam so going to a model that's decent at night is important.

A few good ones:
Viofo A119 v3
Viofo A129 Pro
Thinkware U1000

I may get this when my BV goes: https://www.thedashcamstore.com/thinkware-u1000-4k-dashcam-for-front-only-or-front-rear-recording/

 

[nissanh]

Buy the Walmart spiderweb dash cam ($20). It works, I bought 4 cams 10 months ago and all are working to this date without any issues. The included memory card is garbage, get a branded memory card. It records in 1080p.