Dash cams?

powernoodle

powernoodle

Power Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
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So I'm considering the purchase of a dash cam for my 2009 Suburban. Mostly for fun, but also to record accidents, etc. Today I had a major bird-strike on my A-pillar resulting in much carnage, and it would have been, well, macabre and interesting to have it on video.

What I'm looking for is something that is reliable, and will loop (record over itself). That's pretty much it. Even considered a GoPro. Auto on-off, and the ability to hardwire it would be nice, but I'm not picky. Will probably just plug it into the cigarette lighter.

Any ideas? Things to avoid? Thanks.

Bonus video:

[youtube]ODrDR9D28RE[/youtube]
 
Check out the Mobius action cam...we use them a lot in the FPV community with great results. It has a ton of recording and power options and comparable video to a gopro for $70.

~Chip
 
the wirecutter has a good article on them. Their current pick is $50, but they have others depending on the features you want. They sort through a bunch of the clones and off-brand ones. worth a read I think.
 
I've been using the Genius 590 dash cam for a year and a half with good results. It uses 32gig sd cards with the options of SD or HD recording. One can set the recording file size for 3 minutes or 5 minutes. It will auto loop too. The suction cup holding it to the windshield is solid and reliable. It is fun to use and often find watching it on the TV better than satellite. I've burned to disc with good results, HD looks good on bluray.
 
i have been very conveniently and successfully using a dashcam app on my phone for the past 2-3 years. available both in android and iphone in your app store -- some cost 2 or 3 bucks. as long as you have one of those cell phone mounts on your dashboard, i don't see a reason to have a dedicated dash cam.
 
+1 on the Mobius action cam!

I use one as a dashcam in my car and it is amazing! You just set it, and forget it. It's super low profile. I have mine tucked up nicely behind my rearview mirror and I can't even see it from my driving position, and you'd never notice it from the outside. You can set it up so that as soon as you start your car (12v outlet turns on) the Mobius is powered on and starts recording. When the car is turned off, it saves the last file and shuts off. The image is very sharp, which is good for making out license plate numbers if needed (especially with the non-wide angle lens version). But I do have the wide angle on mine and it really picks up alot.

I also have another one on my FPV mini quad. They're great little cameras.

[video=youtube;7wmIyD1fM4M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wmIyD1fM4M[/video]
 
Going to echo the Mobius Action Camera. I picked up the version with the wide angle lens and the super capacitor (got both from amazon). Switching out the battery for the super capacitor is quick and easy, and the preferred option when running it as a dash cam.

I was going to link the video that Moxy posted above. The user, Techmoan, has a wonderful youtube channel with lots of videos on dashcams, action cameras, and a few other odds and ends.
 
Midget, a window mounted display might not be legal in all areas. In some the heat up on the dash might be too much for the phone, depending on conditions, and its a "one more thing" that has to be done. In my case, I'm currently looking to buy a 4x4, and will be wanting to add a dash-cam. So a solid mounting point is going to be needed. So there are a few reasons. Some cameras can also turn on if bumped, so you might get footage of an impact if the car is hit while parked. I'm considering a similar system for a 4x4 project I'm working on, but having and interior cameras as well as exterior.

So yes, a smartphone works. But there are some reasons to go with a dedicated rig.
 
I'm still cogitating. The Mobius is the frontrunner, based on size, price and reviews. Downsides are that it seems to get very hot, and has no video screen. And the adhesive mount seems not to rotate enough for use on my windshield, which would require me to stick it on my dash. But the diminutive size is nice, and if it did not overheat it would do the trick.

I previously considered this Blackvue, but it is considerably spendy and in the range of 3x the price of the Mobius and similar cams.

So this is still a work in progress. Thanks.
 
With the Mobius heat should not be a problem if you purchase the super capacitor for it and replace the stock battery with it. That's how I run mine as a dash cam.
 
Extra credit Russian dash cam videos

[video=youtube;NuOcG7JxM_c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuOcG7JxM_c[/video]

[video=youtube;LxwiKn8L_e8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxwiKn8L_e8[/video]

[video=youtube;-UElCIoBXHI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UElCIoBXHI[/video]
 
powernoodle said:
I'm still cogitating. The Mobius is the frontrunner, based on size, price and reviews. Downsides are that it seems to get very hot, and has no video screen. And the adhesive mount seems not to rotate enough for use on my windshield, which would require me to stick it on my dash. But the diminutive size is nice, and if it did not overheat it would do the trick.

I previously considered this Blackvue, but it is considerably spendy and in the range of 3x the price of the Mobius and similar cams.

So this is still a work in progress. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Mine only gets hot if it's a hot sunny day. Otherwise, it just runs warm. In anycase I've never heard of any of them overheating to the point of failure. But maybe if you live in a very hot climate it could be an issue, but that would be the case with any electronics. Not having a viewfinder isn't really a big deal especially with the wide angle lens. I prefer it not having one because thats what makes small and discreet. I have mine mounted top center behind my rear view mirror. All I did was point it straight on and the framing was perfectly fire. I did make my own mount though. I took a 1.5in x 4in piece of lexan plastic, heated up the center, and bent it into a V shape. I stuck the Mobius onto it with some 3M foam tape, and used the same to stick it to the windshield.

I considered the Blackvue, but it's far from perfect, and considering the price I don't think it's a good value. You could get 2 Mobius cameras for the front and rear and still be cheaper. In fact I do want to get another Mobius for the rear but I've got 20% tint and I'm not sure how that'll look. I guess I could up the exposure.


Here's a video of a crazy hobo I got with my Mobius Dash Cam (wide angle lens). The video quality isn't as good because iMovie and You Tube did their thing and it doesn't look nearly as clear as the raw video footage.
[video=youtube;-vsKmtR3oKg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vsKmtR3oKg[/video]
 
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Can you guys shoot some pics of how/where you have these various cameras set up on your dashboards? Is it just plugged into the 12V lighter port?
 
Saw a rear view mirror front + rear camera that looks like it could be good. It just clips onto your existing mirror and has front + rear facing cameras. Wasn't too much $$. May look into that. Saw it on Amazon searching dash cam
 
Midget said:
Can you guys shoot some pics of how/where you have these various cameras set up on your dashboards? Is it just plugged into the 12V lighter port?
Click to expand...

If you scroll down here, you can see how a Mobius is mounted behind the rear view mirror. This is probably optimal in terms of getting the camera up high for a good sight line. Most seemed to be plugged into the cig lighter, but you can hardwire it to the vehicle if you want to get fancy.
 
Well guys, I know you been having many sleepless nights wondering which dash cam I got. I got the Mobius. The upsides are that its around $100 including SD card and mount, has excellent video quality, the features I want like looping and auto-on, and it is very small. Right now I have the mount temporarily Gorilla taped to my dash until I am sure about its location. A dash mount allows me to still use a sun shade behind the windshield, whereas mounting it up high at the top of the windshield would give a better view but interfere with the sunshade. First world problems, indeed.

Thanks for everyone's input. You guys rock.
 
Good choice. I have mine mounted as high up as possible behind the rearview mirror on a custom mount and luckily my sunshade clears it. :D
 
I got back from a week long holiday where I rented a car and visited family. I mounted the dash cam with the suction cup mount on the rental car and recorded the entire trip. This is a good way of video taping a trip without having to work the camera by hand. I caught many things one would not expect like the hair raising scenes of merging into freeway traffic in Toronto, and good scenes of the more gentler parts of the journey. A dash cam is a must for anyone who enjoys the hobby of photography.
 
Here's a little road debris action that destroyed my mirror.

[youtube]h0UaewiPSIQ[/youtube]

20151003_164214_zpsqwx0hyjo.jpg
 
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