Why I got a dash cam

[robot]

I wanted to have one yesterday. Road rager got out of his car to yell at me yesterday at a light.

[bigsoccer21]

I placed an order for e prance shadow gt 550w from Amazon its got a few reviews. I'll post an online review once I get it

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[ChiefG]

I'm getting one.

Earlier this year I was victim of a road-rager. I was in the hammer lane, at night (before I had the FRS), doing 5 over, with a left-exit coming up. Asshat passes me IN MY LANE and nearly sideswipes me, then cuts me off and starts to take off. So I flash the high beams and the fucktard slows down, so I hit the high beams and shithead stands on the brakes - in the hammer lane of a busy highway. I can't get around because of traffic, and we're petrified that we're going to get ass-ended big time. THEN this fuckhead backs up to within inches of my front bumper so I cannot pull around him, pulls forward and repeats this insanity two more times! Then he took off like a scalded cat.

I got his tag # and reported him to the local PD the next day. There's a big anti-aggressive driver campaign in MD, and the locals said that he would get a letter. I also got his information a few days later through a confidential source, so I know who he is, what he drives of course, and where he lives. I also checked online to see what he's been in court for (you can do that in MD) and to my surprise found only one traffic charge and conviction. It's taken great restraint to not follow-up, if you know what I mean. When somebody tries to kill me on the highway, I kind of take that personally.

If I had a car cam that night, the asshole could have been prosecuted - and I would have followed through on that. That's one video that would have been a hit on YouTube.

So I've been wanting a car cam ever since then and have been researching them thoroughly. The thing that bugs me is that none of the big manufacturers are in the game, there aren't any US companies making them, and there really aren't many retail or online outlets. There has got to be a market for these. Without a reputable, known manufacturer in the game, we're all in the dark about who makes a good cam. We don't know these overseas companies.

Here are some good resources. This is a link to Techmoan's YouTube page. He's a Brit who does some outstanding video reviews of various car cams. http://www.youtube.com/user/Techmoan?feature=watch At last count he has about 25 excellent reviews posted, and they are real, in-depth reviews showing actual footage, and all the cam controls, options and software. This guy is doing everyone a huge service and he's obviously put in a lot of time and passion on his reviews.

Here's a good review site: http://dashboardcamerareviews.com
and another good site with a forum: http://carcamcentral.com

The ideal car cam has not yet been made. There are a few that are close though. I'm looking seriously at the Mini DVR 801, The BlackVue DR500GW-HD with the Power-Magic car controller, the ITB100HD, and FineVu CR 500 HD. The good ones are too big and obvious. Somebody needs to make one that separates the camera from the electronics, putting only a tiny cam on the back of the rearview mirror, and hiding the electronics elsewhere. With a video feed that can be ported to the car's touch screen, like a back-up cam. There are a few touch-screen units out there that can handle two video feeds.

Car manufacturers should do a factory-installed car cam option that integrates it with the GPS-sound system-touch screen. They could integrate a small camera in the rearview mirror mount, and all the electronics could reside elsewhere in the dash. It would be stealthy and not subject to theft.

I can't wait to start posting video of some of the shit I see on the highway. BTW, I used to drive emergency vehicles, and I have some stories that you would not believe.

[ZionsWrath]

Don't worry, I'm sure there will soon be some kind of incentive for car manufacturers to implement recording devices as standard soon enough. Just like back up cameras are becoming mandatory.

[bigsoccer21]

Just got my shadow recorder gt550ws 1080p dash cam. I ordered it from Amazon.

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[bigsoccer21]

Instructions in English that came with box didn't help much I had to experiment on my own to get around camera setup. I'll do a test run tomorrow and see how it performs.

Preview available below

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBnSdYAAIh8&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Dash Cam GT550WS street test in Fairfax, VA - YouTube[/ame]

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[bigsoccer21]

Dash cam works no regrets

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[modena]

Originally Posted by bigsoccer21

Instructions in English that came with box didn't help much I had to experiment on my own to get around camera setup. I'll do a test run tomorrow and see how it performs.

Preview available below

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Set your date to 2013, unless you drive in the future

[bigsoccer21]

Yeah I got to update the settings. The instruction manual isn't the best.

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[jermyzy]

My BRZ has been hit and run twice in the parking lot. The second time happened right after I picked it up from the body shop after fixing the first one!!! I want to install a dash cam so if it happens again, I catch the f*ckers! Is the blackvue my best option? Do you guys normally just install in front, or both front and back?

how sensitive are the sensors? E.g. will they register a bump in parking lot?

[modena]

Originally Posted by jermyzy

My BRZ has been hit and run twice in the parking lot. The second time happened right after I picked it up from the body shop after fixing the first one!!! I want to install a dash cam so if it happens again, I catch the f*ckers! Is the blackvue my best option? Do you guys normally just install in front, or both front and back?

how sensitive are the sensors? E.g. will they register a bump in parking lot?

A camera is only as good as it's recording options.
BlackVue is a good one, others are good too, the more money you spend the more options and video quality you get.
(I have the dual, front and rear camera Wi-Fi DR550GW-HD)
And yes, you can adjust the sensor, you can set them that it will record when there is movement,
shock and you have the continuous loop.
(Settings are separate for driving or while parked)
Make sure to get the biggest card for it, 32gigs is the max right now.
Also get the power magic pro option,
it will stop recording when your battery gets drained, and on mine it drops below 12v in about 2 to 3 days.
Dual setup pulls more battery juice then a single camera one I think.
I don't drive the car daily so, I have a battery charger plugged in during the week when it's parked in my warehouse.
The whole setup was pricey
But so is my deductible and piece of mind when I park.

[chanomatik]

Originally Posted by noodles

On my way to work

Soooo ummmm... this person just hit the wall and kept driving with traffic?

[Seattle_FT86]

Can anyone recommend a good dash cam that's around 150$ or less? I don't need one with a GPS or anything ...Sorry if this was already asked and answered :/

[rishi]

Originally Posted by Seattle_FT86

Can anyone recommend a good dash cam that's around 150$ or less? I don't need one with a GPS or anything ...Sorry if this was already asked and answered :/

I got this one with GPS for less than a hundred bucks: http://dashcamtalk.com/mini-0801/

Great video quality, fits perfectly behind the rear view mirror, and it's easy to wire up from the glove compartment 12 plug in such a way that the power cable is completely hidden in the roof / a-pillar / dash. The menu is kind of cheap looking and poorly translated, but you never have to use it after setting it up, so I don't care. My only gripe with it so far is minor, since it didn't want to recognize one of the four microSD cards I've fed it.