Dash cams: what do you look for?

The wirecutter has a really good writeup on dashcams, including useful, and useless features. They dig pretty deep into actual usage.
 
I have one in each of my vehicles. 1080p is a must. If you can't make out a license plate, it's worthless. The ones I have are 2-channel. There is a front facing camera and a rear facing camera. This is important for identification of the driver of an offending vehicle. If someone hits you from behind, you'll have everything recorded, including the driver (no switching seats with the passenger trick). Also, if you are reporting a dangerous driver without being able to see the drivers face, the police are very limited in what they can do. With the rear camera, all you have to do is pass the person and you'll have all the police need. This is what I experienced when reporting a drunk driver. GPS is handy in that it can record your speed and location. The downside is that it can record your speed ;) Mine have WiFi so I can pull videos off the internal storage without having to remove the memory card. I can also use it as a cargo camera by streaming to my phone while in motion. Price was about $400 per vehicle. Well worth it in my books.
 
I have the blackvue 650. I recommend getting the front and rear setup. What makes this one great is it has built in WIFI so you can save the videos to your phone right away after an accident. I've had it for over a year and it is worth every penny for the peace of mind it gives me. There is also an optional adapter that you can buy that will let it record even when the car is not on. This is great if you live in an area that people may hit your car while parked.
 
shumanlives said:
I have the blackvue 650. I recommend getting the front and rear setup. What makes this one great is it has built in WIFI so you can save the videos to your phone right away after an accident. I've had it for over a year and it is worth every penny for the peace of mind it gives me. There is also an optional adapter that you can buy that will let it record even when the car is not on. This is great if you live in an area that people may hit your car while parked.
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+1 That's the same one I have.
 
I look for:

- looping
- removeable SD card
- array of mounting options
- auto record on vehicle start
- wide range of view



there was a thread about dashcams a few months ago:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1316104-Dash-cams


a lot of people voted for the mobius actioncam. i got one as well. it was about 87 dollars from amazon, plus 10 or so for a suction cup mount. lots of programming options, inconspicuous, and the video quality is pretty good. i've had mine mounted on my dashboard for about a month now and really like the convenience (looping, auto turn-on when the car starts). it uses those micro SD cards and i run a 32G card which is far more than enough capacity.
 
I would add that having one that will record behind you is also important.
 
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