Dash cams

Well...lots to choose from, but I got the `Nextbase 312GW`.
I got it from Halfords and got them to hard wire it in.
Nice and neat.
Best of luck with your search.
 
Kestrel said:
Well...lots to choose from, but I got the `Nextbase 312GW`.
I got it from Halfords and got them to hard wire it in.
Nice and neat.
Best of luck with your search.
Click to expand...
Hi there - what's the Nextbase like at night? And do you mind me asking what Halfords charged you for fitting? Can you see any trace of wiring? Cheers.
 
DKUK said:
Hi there - what's the Nextbase like at night? And do you mind me asking what Halfords charged you for fitting? Can you see any trace of wiring? Cheers.
Click to expand...
I'm afraid that as far as how it fares at night...I really cant say as I have never driven at night since I bought it.
Well...with regard to the charge, Halfords initially said they'd charge me their usual fee of £30. A date was agreed but soon after that I was contacted by them and told that because its an Audi they didn't feel confident in successfully wiring it in. Instead they arranged for it to be done by company they use who specialise in this stuff. I asked Halfords about the charge and they said that it would normally be £60 but that they would charge me what they originally quoted (£30).
The only wiring to be seen is a few inches coming from just above the camera. Very neat.
I do like this camera because the wiring goes into the cradle rather than into the camera itself so its dead easy to remove it.
 
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W H Y !

It's 1080P , 1440P - 2K is now , my 2014 designed smart phone records 4K and has a 2K screen .
 
M
Kestrel said:
I'm afraid that as far as how it fares at night...I really cant say as I have never driven at night since I bought it.
Well...with regard to the charge, Halfords initially said they'd charge me their usual fee of £30. A date was agreed but soon after that I was contacted by them and told that because its an Audi they didn't feel confident in successfully wiring it in. Instead they arranged for it to be done by company they use who specialise in this stuff. I asked Halfords about the charge and they said that it would normally be £60 but that they would charge me what they originally quoted (£30).
The only wiring to be seen is a few inches coming from just above the camera. Very neat.
I do like this camera because the wiring goes into the cradle rather than into the camera itself so its dead easy to remove it.
Click to expand...
Nice one, thanks for that!
 
Gazwould said:
W H Y !

It's 1080P , 1440P - 2K is now , my 2014 designed smart phone records 4K and has a 2K screen .
Click to expand...

I can imagine there is numerous reasons at this stage. Mainly around the additional storage needs and processing power to handle it.

These cams are based on simple processors, whereas your phone has a graphics processor built in to assist with the 4K processing. I expect it will get there at some stage...

IMHO - if you have good optics/sensor, 1080P should be fine! What would actually benefit dashcams is a faster framerate to capture fast motion better.
 
Yeah , most 1440 are around 25 fps but select downscaling to 1080P can get you 30 fps .

With storage 128GB is fast becoming the norm , especially with parking mode requirements .
 
Gazwould said:
Why settle for archaic 1080P .
Click to expand...

As with anything there is always something better round the corner, 1080p is good enough, and in some cases just because it's a 1440 doesn't guarantee a decent image, it depends on processing and conversions as well as the software that controls it.

The main players blackvue and thinkware are using 1080 still.
 
You are just short changing yourselves , some 1440P 30fps can downscale to 1080P 60 fps !
 
Gazwould said:
You are just short changing yourselves , some 1440P 30fps can downscale to 1080P 60 fps !
Click to expand...
As the OP is looking for recommendations, maybe you can suggest some 1440P versions for them to look at?
What 1440 - 2k dashcam are you using?
 
BlackVue DR430 2CH for me with the hard wire kit. Fitted one to my mums car with the GPS adapter. Cameras work great with good field of view & picture quality front & rear. GPS seems to have a mind of its own. Will only connect randomly and can come & go, even with the sensor mounted in the top corner of the windscreen on the passenger side. So not sure if I would pay for that again, but the 2 cameras are definitely worth it and easy to fit also.

Highly recommended!

http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/blackvue-dr430-2ch.html
 
Gazwould said:
Both are 720P :scared2:

You could have two seperate 1440P for that money .
Click to expand...

Since when do I need to see the colour of the eye shadow or hair colour of the driver behind?

All it is used for is in the event of an incident to show what happened with no bending of the truth and maybe capture a reg plate. 720p can do that all day long without batting an eyelid, even at night.

It's also by far the most nicely packaged unit. Small cylinders that look good and are easily put out of sight.
 
I foresee cars being broken into just to steal the dashcam. Kinda defeats the objectives...
 
cuke2u said:
I foresee cars being broken into just to steal the dashcam. Kinda defeats the objectives...
Click to expand...
Dashcams have been around for quite some time now. Wonder how often that has actually happened?
 
aprilia dude said:
looking for advice on which is the best dash cam ..and is it best to hard wire it in or is there no need ..
Click to expand...

I recently installed a Thinkware F770 front and rear dash cam into my A5. I went for the hardware install to make it neater and also allow parking monitoring.

Really happy with the set up and picture quality at night is great.

Search YouTube for blackboxmycar they have lots of reviews.
 
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Kestrel said:
Dashcams have been around for quite some time now. Wonder how often that has actually happened?
Click to expand...
In a majority no they haven't, however, Sat Nav thefts started in the same way, if you leave it in the car and more owners fit them, thieves will cotton on. Hell if they will break into your car just to look for loose change what do you think a £199 dashcam will do? The Police clearly state do not leave anything of value inside the car...
 
Buck said:
I recently installed a Thinkware F770 front and rear dash cam into my A5. I went for the hardware install to make it neater and also allow parking monitoring.

Really happy with the set up and picture quality at night is great.

Search YouTube for blackboxmycar they have lots of reviews.
Click to expand...

Install pics?
This is the one I like, but also the blackvue because of the size.
 
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I looked at dashcams on and off for a while..

Just at the point of deciding which one to buy I realised that I had an HTC One M8 in the draw no longer being used, a bit of app searching and I downloaded Autoboy DashCam app an now I have a free dashcam..

Even if you decide not to use it, download it and take a look, it might just save you the cost of purchasing a dedicated cam

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.happyconz.blackbox&hl=en_GB
 
TripleD said:
Install pics?
This is the one I like, but also the blackvue because of the size.
Click to expand...

Sorry @TripleD I just read your reply. Let me try and get something sorted over the weekend to post up on here.
 
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@TripleD - my choice was between the Blackvue and the Thinkware.

The Blackvue 'looks' smaller primarily because of its form shape but is actually v similar in size.

The winner for me was the fact that the rear camera also records at HD frame rate.

The camera is very discrete and the rear camera is virtually invisible due to the privacy glass. Ive shown one with the tailgate open just to show its location.

The cable to the rear is through the headlining then through the rubber grommet and behind the trim (a nice challenge to remove without breaking anything!

Camera to the right of the rear view camera
IMG 3935


A zoomed in view
IMG 3936


Tailgate open showing rear view camera
IMG 3939


View from the driver's position (most of the camera is on the black dotted area)
IMG 3940


The wiring is in the headlining - I plan to tidy the visible wiring further when I install the Homelink unit (future project)
IMG 3944
 
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The hardwiring for the camera runs across the headlining and down the A pillar (this was the hardest bit of the install as I had to avoid the air bag then get the wiring down into the fuse box in the passenger footwell.

Finally I ordered the polarising lenses to help remove the glare from the windscreen which has improved this quite a lot.

Overall really happy with the camera and it does give you confidence in terms of recording actual events should you need them and recognising that it also records MY driving!
 
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Buck said:
The hardwiring for the camera runs across the headlining and down the A pillar (this was the hardest bit of the install as I had to avoid the air bag then get the wiring down into the fuse box in the passenger footwell.

Finally I ordered the polarising lenses to help remove the glare from the windscreen which has improved this quite a lot.

Overall really happy with the camera and it does give you confidence in terms of recording actual events should you need them and recognising that it also records MY driving!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the install pics, I like the use of the dotted area, that was where I planned to hide as much as possible too.
So missing the airbag was a bit of a pain, did you use piggy back fuses for the hardware?
 
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Buck said:
Hi

Yes used piggy back fuses. I can check which two I used if you need me to?

I earthed the unit using the bolt that is visible in the fuse board at the side of the dash.

Also, I wrapped the wires with cloth tape (as used in OEM wiring looms to minimise rattles etc.

ETA: this is the type of tape http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15mx9mm-T...737446?hash=item2ede757da6:g:IgkAAOSwLs5XLTyY
Click to expand...

Good tip with the tape, I'm holding off on the purchase at the moment as the F800 is due in June, so want to see the prices, no doubt blackvue are going to release a new one at a similar time.
 
I believe that the airbag is in the headlining not the A pillar.
 
ScottishA4B9 said:
How do people got them in the B9?

As you can't install behind pillar with the airbags.
Click to expand...
You can - you just need to ensure the cables don't cross the air bag or go in front of it. I found this the hardest part of the install ( as in, getting the cables down the A pillar)

bluebarchetta said:
I believe that the airbag is in the headlining not the A pillar.
Click to expand...

It's in the headlining above the doors AND the A pillar.
 
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