Dash camera

[smithers599]

Thinking about buying a dash cam. Anybody have any experience/recommendations? Important features? Best prices?

 

[wildearp]

I bought a couple Apeman cams on Amazon. Quick to set up. Features are up to your needs.

 

[smithers599]

^^^
Thanks. Will check it out.

 

[XJThrottle]

This one?

 

[smithers599]

^^^
Dang, that's cheap! I had no idea; thought they cost a lot more than that.
Click. Ordered. Done.
Thanks.

 

[RandyTF]

Do you suppose mounting one on the rear window would be a good idea? Just thinking about possible incidents of collision or road rage, that sort of thing.

 

[XJThrottle]

For under $35, why not? Window tint and a power source might make it a bit more difficult.

 

[Ranger1]

I have one with night vision pointed out the rear and one out the front.

 

[thom]

What would be the difference between a dash camera and mounting an older cell phone on video record as you drive?

 

[What]

I'll be buying them, are they still good and holding up in AZ heat?

Thom, the cell phone doesnt loop record or motion detected. There might be app that does it though.

 

[Doc Holliday]

From what I understand, the models with capacitors take the heat much better than the ones with batteries. Personally, I wouldn't use a cellphone to do it, get a dedicated dash cam unit.

 

[Usadnaz]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07HMBBFLP?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

This is the one I bought for front and rear. It has an app you can install and download videos straight to your phone without the hassle of removing the SD card.

Night vision on it isn't great but I can still read licence plates on it if there's visible light on it.

Also this is a capacitor dash cam so it supposed to work in heat very well.

I have yet to hard wire it because it's too hot and I'm too lazy. Once it cools down, the kit comes with everything to plug into existing fuses.

 

[Flash]

Also this is a capacitor dash cam so it supposed to work in heat very well.

I didn't see this mentioned in the Amazon web page.

What exactly is a capacitor dash cam anyway? In other words, what does capacitor have to do with it working in heat?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Also this is a capacitor dash cam so it supposed to work in heat very well.

I didn't see this mentioned in the Amazon web page.

What exactly is a capacitor dash cam anyway? In other words, what does capacitor have to do with it working in heat?

https://dashcameras.net/battery-vs-capacitor/

 

[Flash]

Thanks, Doc. They got the description of how capacitors work mostly right which is good.

 

[Usadnaz]

Batteries and az heat cause swelling in the batteries that could result in damage. The capacitors seem to hold up in the heat better.

It's also mentioned in the photos

 

[Flash]

But it also states that the capacitor and the batteries are strictly backup for times when the camera loses power.

 

[Usadnaz]

Yes. The camera can be hardwired however when I shut off my car, I can still use it. I had another dashcam that uses the battery and I could turn it on and keep it on for about a hour or so. The new one I have that is a capacitor only will stay on for 15 mins. I don't really see a great function in it

 

[Flash]

Capacitors have to be huge to have any amount of capacity to store energy. They're not a power source, just a short term backup.

 

[Doc Holliday]

^^^
Dang, that's cheap! I had no idea; thought they cost a lot more than that.
Click. Ordered. Done.
Thanks.

Let us know how you like it.

Been looking into these myself, checking out the Viofo models. Absolutely has to be a capacitor model for me. I would prefer a dash-mounted unit, the windshield suction cup on my Garmin gps always lets go in the heat of the summer. Many times I'll come back to the work truck and it's fallen down, just sitting on the dash. They should make a dashboard-swivel-turntable base for the dashcams, that way you can just pivot the camera over to the side window, to record any police interaction as well. I suppose you can do that with a suction cup windshield style mount, as long as it stays put and doesn't drop off.