i've been looking for a dashcam for a long time as well, but could never find one that was within my budget and appeared to be quality. i have heard really great things about gopro's and contour cameras, although those are not dashcam specific items.
anyhow, i've been getting by with an app for my mobile phone as my "dashcam" for about 6 months now. it works surprisingly well.
this one:
http://www.witnessphoneapp.com/
i have a cradle car mount which mounts my phone to my windshield. every time i drive, i have to stick my phone in the cradle (which isn't so bad). then i plug it in the carjack and i'm ready to go.
the app is simple to use, which is a big plus. just one big red button - push it and you're recording.
it has GPS if you wish, as well as tracks your velocity enroute. there is a built-in map function but I have not been able to get it to "track" my movement.
it also has a programmable, looping function. you can designate how many minutes per video filesize so as to conserve phone memory space. it also overwrites old video captures unless you specify it to save it. there is a G-shock detector, so that in the event of a crash, it is supposed to automatically email the video to you? i (thankfully) have not utilized this function yet.
anyhow, if you have a smartphone, consider an driver recorder application. much cheaper, and it's more likely that you're carrying your phone around wherever you go than having to carry a separate gopro or contour camera.
i'm extremely happy with this app.
