Dash Cameras

[Zingari]

What's the best 'discreet' camera that you can place behind your rear view mirror?

I dont need an internal viewing screen (in which case how do you set them up without one) and ideally one that starts to record when power is supplied through the ignition and powers down automatically. Quite happy for it to loop record until I need the footage.

Would the Blacksys CW-100 do the job?

[rich888]

Rick101 said:

Can anyone give advice on the benefits or pitfalls of a GPS camera?

I'm assuming the risk is the data being used against you if you were stopped by the police but I would have thought if it was that serious they could work it out on the video distance covered anyway.

Worth paying the extra for a GPS?

The GPS option can be very useful because it enables the speed to be displayed in the video footage when you set the recording options, though not so good if you are contesting a speeding ticket and you really were speeding, but absolutely fantastic if you are nicked for speeding and can prove by GPS that you weren't because GPS also provides speed and positioning information. The choice is yours.

Please note that you can't delete the speed information once it has been embedded.

Having said all that, In the event that you do crash then who is to say that there was a card fitted in the first place - it's not like it is compulsory. It might have become faulty. You might have actually forgotten to refit it from the night before!

Zingari said:

What's the best 'discreet' camera that you can place behind your rear view mirror?

I dont need an internal viewing screen (in which case how do you set them up without one) and ideally one that starts to record when power is supplied through the ignition and powers down automatically. Quite happy for it to loop record until I need the footage.

Would the Blacksys CW-100 do the job?

I've not actually used the Blacksys CW-100 so can't comment on whether it would do the job, though must say it looks rather big compared to the 0801 I'm using. Incidentally most if not all dash cams automatically power up and loop the video footage when full, as in deleting the earliest first and recording over. As for not having a screen, am guessing the Blacksys uses an app to connect to your phone for viewing. Sounds good, but why bother, when an inbuilt LCD screen provides realtime info for pointing the camera where you want it instead of faffing around with passwords, etc... the waiting....connecting...waiting...connecting...then being informed there was an error and it can't connect!!!!... I say this from bitter experience because I've bought far more expensive dash cams in the past. In complete contrast, the 0801 is cheap to buy, it's simple to set-up, offers hi-quality 1080p video footage, and it works!!!

The 0801 dash cam is probably the smallest and most discreet dash cam you could ever fit behind your rear view mirror, it's matt back so doesn't draw much attention and it has stunningly high 1080p video quality.

I've purchased far more expensive Blackvue and Mi-Witness dash cams in the past and this 0801 beats the pair of them in terms of video quality and ease-of-use. What is there not to like!

I have my 0801 powered on all the time and is set on 'Motion Detect' so that it records motion whether moving or parked up.

This morning I received a 128GB class 10 micro SD card which I've fitted and formatted, and it works flawlessly on todays test run. The reason for installing a 128GB card is that I want to be able to record 7 days worth of data before copying. The card I originally fitted was a 32GB class 4 unit so didn't record long enough for my purposes, though would be fine for most users.

The small LCD monitor is a godsend compared to the overly complex iPhone camera apps that take an age to connect, well in-between refusing to connect. What can be simpler than simply looking at the LCD monitor and adjusting the camera angle. After one minute it switches off so no problems of distracting the driver, apart from which you can't see it once you have adjusted your mirror because this camera is tiny. Don't believe me, well watch the techmoan video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdPHXv8Hzj8

Ought to mention the 0801 is available with GPS, as well as a higher resolution 0803 model which is also better in low light conditions. The 0801 offered everything I required which is why I made the decision to purchase it. The prices do tend to vary on Amazon but I paid less than £45 including delivery but excluding a micro SD card so I'm more than happy with my purchase.

[Rick101]

Cheers for the reply.

Gone for the Mk2 0803 with GPS and a 32GB card.

Currently on cig lighter but do have a hard wire kit. Was advised the hard wiring can cause 'issues' though. Have you ever suffered any?
I think i'd be more frustrated if I came back to damage and didn't have the camera in use tbh!

Any tips on hard-wiring? Are you just piggybacking a fuse or something?

Thanks

[divetheworld]

GuyW said:

It's been a rather expensive few months but I'm keen to get a dash cam.

Think I'll be going for one of these, reviews seem favourable. Plus it'll take up to a 128gb card.
http://dashboardcamerareviews.com/lukas-lk-7900-ac...

A very good cam, I've posted stuff earlier on it. Rock solid, superb images too.

[rich888]

Rick101 said:

Cheers for the reply.

Gone for the Mk2 0803 with GPS and a 32GB card.

Currently on cig lighter but do have a hard wire kit. Was advised the hard wiring can cause 'issues' though. Have you ever suffered any?
I think i'd be more frustrated if I came back to damage and didn't have the camera in use tbh!

Any tips on hard-wiring? Are you just piggybacking a fuse or something?

Thanks

The 0803 offers a higher bit-rate and resolution compared to the 0801, at the cost of needing a far larger and faster micro SD card, class 4 will probably be too slow. I say this from comments made by a colleague of mine who opted for the 0803. After many problems he ended up setting the options as 1080p, fine, and 3 minute record time. I think the recording problems were due to the fact that the camera dumps data to slower SD cards faster than they can process. So in stark contrast to the 0801 dash cam originally offered, buy a faster class 10 micro SD card.

My auto electrician hardwired my 0801 via a fuse directly to the battery, though I hasten to add he originally went via the fuse board till a problem occurred, which we later discovered was down to a faulty smart connector rather than the dash cam installation.

Must say I've been well impressed with the high quality 1080p video footage recorded to date. Only thing I can complain about is the rubbish Engrish user manual. I highly recommend you watch the Techmoan video for how to set up the camera.

[Gareth79]

rich888 said:

The GPS option can be very useful because it enables the speed to be displayed in the video footage when you set the recording options, though not so good if you are contesting a speeding ticket and you really were speeding, but absolutely fantastic if you are nicked for speeding and can prove by GPS that you weren't because GPS also provides speed and positioning information. The choice is yours.

Please note that you can't delete the speed information once it has been embedded.

The average speed of a vehicle can be calculated from a video using a simple distance/time method anyway, I don't think a GPS log would add much.

If you were genuinely up against the police where they have an approved device/method then I'm certain you would need expert evidence from your device's manufacturer, and/or some other expert in the field to stand any chance of winning. A magistrate won't be able to believe what you are saying (even if they understand it) unless it's confirmed by somebody independent.

rich888 said:

Having said all that, In the event that you do crash then who is to say that there was a card fitted in the first place - it's not like it is compulsory. It might have become faulty. You might have actually forgotten to refit it from the night before!

True, however you would need to get there before the police, which might not be possible!

[Pesty]

anybody else frequently dodging bits of debris on the road?

this large but of metal looked like a drive shaft off the truck on the hard shoulder could have been exhaust

http://youtu.be/CIvoP2Q1LTE

[baccalad]

rich888 said:

If you hardwire a 0801 or 0803 so that it is permanently powered then you can set motion-detect to ON and it will only record video when it detects motion so saves trawling through 10 hours of video footage. I have the 0801 model which records in fantastic 1080p definition, though am led to believe the newer 0803 is better in low-light conditions.

It's extremely fast in catching motion, even caught a motorcycle going past the bonnet whilst parked up and it records as cars go past my drive when parked. And it's extremely sensitive as I found out at the weekend when I parked facing a tree, as the branch and leaves moved it recorded it everything... not quite what I was expecting!

This really is a fantastic dash cam with far higher resolution than many of the more expensive dash cams, and it's so compact. Take a look at this ebay seller who holds stock of the 0801, 0803, plus an assortment of add-ons which might be very useful to you. Have it on very good authority that they know what they are talking about and are based in Leicestershire rather than China. Link to their dash cam shop is: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/COMBI-LTD/Car-Camera-/_i....

I have a 32GB class 4 mini SD card fitted in my 0801 dash cam and it works fine. However, I am led to believe that the 0803 demands a much faster SD card (class 10) or the card may not be able to cope with all the data being sent to it. If you have an 0803 and are suffering write problems then check your SD card to see whether it is fast enough, then switch the resolution to 'fine' and '1080p' to see if that fixes the problem.

I've not tested my 0801 with a 64GB 0r 128GB SD card due to most of them being class 10 which is not recommended in earlier issues posted that this may cause problems, though I have a feeling that the firmware update may have fixed that problem. Will find out in the next few days.

Last year I installed a more expensive twin camera Mi-Witness dash-cam in one of my cars, and it is pretty good resolution (but not as good as the 0801) especially with the two camera views facing front and rear, but it is over four times as expensive as two of the 0801 units. If I had known then what I know now I would have hardwired two 0801's into the car. Yes I know the Mi-Witness has the fancy iPhone app so you can see where it's pointing, but the in-built LCD screen on the 0801 is so much simpler and so much easier to work with.

I am thinking of buying the 0803 mk2 but I have a couple of questions. If I hardwire it, how does it work if I want it to always record footage when the ignition is turned on - i.e. when I'm driving, but stop recording when I turn the car off and then switch to motion detect mode for when it's parked up. Does it automatically do all of this? Also does it do anything such as carry on recording for a few minutes after the car is switched off? As it'd be a real bonus.

[baccalad]

Accelebrate said:

Turns out my ABS works

http://youtu.be/DYNcHosVtWg

The cat carried on running over the road and scaled a fence, so hopefully it wasn't injured.

What dash cam are you using?

[masermartin]

0803 doesn't need a class 10, in fact it also (apparently) won't work with a 10. Mine works well with the class 6 Samsung cards I have

[V8Ford]

I have tried one or two 'cheapo' cameras and was underwhelmed. Menus in Chinese and glitches leading to corrupt video seemed common. I have an iPhone 4 through work so I bought an 'Oso Grip Clip' from eBay and downloaded 'Car Camera DVR Lite' which allows you to adjust the quality and length of segments. Quite impressed so far by the results.

[GrumpyTwig]

Depends what you mean by cheap but, the 2 mobius cameras I have replace my GoPro as well as became fulltime dash cams. Also recommended one to a friend who seems very happy with it too.

Probably just a sweet spot between cheap and not so cheap that it's crap.

[Pesty]

baccalad said:

I am thinking of buying the 0803 mk2 but I have a couple of questions. If I hardwire it, how does it work if I want it to always record footage when the ignition is turned on - i.e. when I'm driving, but stop recording when I turn the car off and then switch to motion detect mode for when it's parked up. Does it automatically do all of this? Also does it do anything such as carry on recording for a few minutes after the car is switched off? As it'd be a real bonus.

If it's wired into a switched power supply it turns on when you start car automatically.

Yes it does. It has an internal battery and you can get it to stay on a few minutes after you turn engine off. It's in the configuration which is very easy.

Don't know about motion detect but I would imagine you woild wire it into perminant live if you want to use that.

[rich888]

baccalad said:

I am thinking of buying the 0803 mk2 but I have a couple of questions. If I hardwire it, how does it work if I want it to always record footage when the ignition is turned on - i.e. when I'm driving, but stop recording when I turn the car off and then switch to motion detect mode for when it's parked up. Does it automatically do all of this? Also does it do anything such as carry on recording for a few minutes after the car is switched off? As it'd be a real bonus.

Basically, if you hardwire the unit in then it's permanently on, and when set to 'motion detect' will record whenever there is motion so is always recording when you are driving. There is an option for 'Auto Power off' of 1 min, 3 min and 5 min and OFF. I assume this is the time before it powers down when there is no motion, this is not to be confused with the 'Power off screen option' which determines how long the LCD display remain on. It's very fast with recording in motion detect mode. It recorded a motorcycle ride past the front of the car whilst parked which was quite astonishing.

I highly recommend you watch the Youtube video review by Techmoan of the 0803, the link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LWOq62cY6U

He also provides info on how to initially set the unit up and demonstrates the various menu options, so as I mentioned in earlier posts, is well worth watching because the supplied Cringlish instruction manual leaves a lot to be desired.

masermartin said:

0803 doesn't need a class 10, in fact it also (apparently) won't work with a 10. Mine works well with the class 6 Samsung cards I have

That's not entirely true. A colleague of mine purchased a 0803 unit and fitted a class 6 Samsung micro SD card with the settings of 1080P, S.FINE, and 5 minutes record time, the card couldn't cope with the amount of data the camera was recording and ended up losing 50% of the footage. He tried again with a faster Sandisc 32Gb class 10 Ultra Extreme and all video was then recorded. If you change the settings to 1080P, FINE, 3 minutes record time it works fine with the class 6 Samsung SD card.

I purchased the 0801 which offers excellent 1080p video quality which I am very impressed with, and it works fine using a Kingston 32GB class 4 micro SD card. I set the record time to 5 minutes and it worked perfectly well, though have since reduced the record time to 3 minutes only because of the massive file sizes. When the SD card is full it loops round and records over the older stuff which is great because the whole point of this dashcam is to catch those rare disasters.

Having said that, I purchased a SanDisk class 10 128GB Micro SD card and it has worked flawlessly to date in recording. However the dash cam formats in FAT32 so the maximum size (according to GET INFO) is 24.77GB which is a bit of a blow because I thought I would be able to record a weeks footage onto a 128GB card when in fact it only uses a fraction of its capacity. Am sure there is a way round this because I believe that even FAT32 is capable of partitions up to 2TB, but I'm no coder and wouldn't know where to start! Will be putting the slower 32GB class 4 micro SD card back in and using this card for something else!!!

Here are a few screen-grabs taken from my 0801 video footage from last Sunday:

Click on the thumbnails shown below to view the bigger pics and the number-plates which can be clearly viewed, the date and time is shown in the top left of the screen:

[marked1]

SS2. said:

Quick approximation (actual should be a little higher) = ( SD capacity [Gb] / Bit rate of camera [Mbps] ) x 2.

Example - ( 32Gb / 16Mbps ) x 2 = 4 hours.

Can someone explain why is this the case when I can watch decent 1080p on my PC at around a Gb per hour?

Edited by marked1 on Friday 17th October 22:56

[GrumpyTwig]

marked1 said:

SS2. said:

Quick approximation (actual should be a little higher) = ( SD capacity [Gb] / Bit rate of camera [Mbps] ) x 2.

Example - ( 32Gb / 16Mbps ) x 2 = 4 hours.

Can someone explain why is this the case when I can watch decent 1080p on my PC at around a Gb per hour?

Edited by marked1 on Friday 17th October 22:56

Getting lots of compression on a video takes time and a fair amount of processing power, something tiny dash cameras don't have. So they just dump video out with none/next to no compression as it's fast.

If I encode a video for upload to YouTube that starts off 500mb in the camera it ends up about 90mb without any decrease in quality, but it took a core i7 10-12 minutes to encode and process it.

Does that make sense? I'm not sure as it's late.

[jfbrin]

I bought three 0801 dash cams from eBay but not sure if it was uk PO box but Chinese origin.

They all appear to work fine having hard wired them in the cars but every time I try to download the videos, i have problems. My ipad doesnt recognise the "format"? My ipad mini does but using a different dongle attachment. But when the files are loaded onto the ipad mini, they are just blank files.

I tried loading the card onto my daughter's laptop but that doesn't work either.

The battery life on the camera is too short to try to go through the images on the camera unit itself so altogether, it seems to be a waste of time. I am using class 6 32gb samsung SD cards.

The frustrating thing is that they have downloaded in the past onto the ipad but then I couldn't delete all the unwanted files as some remained no matter what I did.

Do I bin them and try a different model or is there something else that might work.

Thanks

JB

[Pesty]

Not sure I'm understanding your issue but try using this for view files.

http://www.registratorviewer.com/download_en.html


Did you format the card in the 0801?

[Shaw Tarse]

0803 ordered, will see what it's like. If I like it, may get a second one for rear view & have them properly installed...

[rich888]

jfbrin said:

I bought three 0801 dash cams from eBay but not sure if it was uk PO box but Chinese origin.

They all appear to work fine having hard wired them in the cars but every time I try to download the videos, i have problems. My ipad doesnt recognise the "format"? My ipad mini does but using a different dongle attachment. But when the files are loaded onto the ipad mini, they are just blank files.

I tried loading the card onto my daughter's laptop but that doesn't work either.

The battery life on the camera is too short to try to go through the images on the camera unit itself so altogether, it seems to be a waste of time. I am using class 6 32gb samsung SD cards.

The frustrating thing is that they have downloaded in the past onto the ipad but then I couldn't delete all the unwanted files as some remained no matter what I did.

Do I bin them and try a different model or is there something else that might work.

Thanks

JB

Sorry to hear you're suffering grief with this dash cam, and assuming you've not bought a dud or a fake unit, it does sound like you may have a corrupted micro SD card, so next time you refit it, format the card using the 'Format' option in the menu options. Have a feeling that you corrupted the files when you deleted them because that's what happened when I did the same.

Ought to mention there is no need to delete the video files from the card because the older files will automatically be overwritten.

All I do is eject the micro SD card from the dashcam, put it into the SD adapter, then place in the SD card slot in my MacBook and either drag the files onto the desktop which copies them rather than deleting them, or use Google Picasa to copy the files. Although I use a MacBook I find the Google Picasa image software much easier and more intuitive than iPhoto.

The video files are stored as .mov files which can be replayed using Quicktime, VLC, or Picasa or various other video packages - I think the default using a Mac is QuickTime but you can select 'Open With' and select a different application. Can't comment on Windows because I don't use one apart from at work.

Is interesting that you mention that you copied the files to your iPad because I've never tried that, how do you copy files onto an iPad? Having said that, and bearing in mind the limited space on my 16GB iPad, I'm damn sure I would fill the space up far too quickly - are you sure you've not ran out of space?

Ought to mention there is no point in buying an SD card any bigger than 32GB because the FAT32 formatting currently limits it to less than 25GB. Any micro SD cards bigger than that will not be able to use the additional space - are there any programmers reading this that might be able to tweak the firmware settings to enable this to happen?

I've been using a Kingston 32GB class 4 micro SD card which has worked flawlessly, but recently tested a SanDisk 128GB class 10 micro SD card which also worked flawlessly, though was only able to record 24.77GB onto it, so the rest of the space was unused which was a great shame because I wanted to record a weeks worth of video footage! once again, are there any programmers reading this that might be able to tweak the firmware settings to enable this to happen?

For info, I purchased my 0801 mid September, so think it might have the updated firmware to resolve a few problems users were having on earlier models.

Am thoroughly pleased with the 0801 camera and the video quality and it's ben 100% reliable to date.

One recommendation when you receive the dash cam is please ensure you stick it in the correct position first time, because the 3M adhesive pads used do stick extremely well.

Incidentally, If you ever want to remove a dashcam mount, then view the TechMoan video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1bOM8IJOfI