Another what to buy thread. Sorry...

[nixlux]

Hi Guys,
I've done a bit of a read through the cam reviews on the dash cam comparison page and would like some suggestions. Basically I've just had a bit of a poor experience with an i1000 style multi camera that was purchased off of Ebay over here in Australia (I wasn't aware of this place until I did some research). Unfortunately the camera was terrible, it did not record in specified intervals, it would not pick up light very well even when the exposure was changed and had terrible manual/customer support, oh and the rear camera was mirrored with no option to turn it off!!!

Anyhow long story short I am looking for a camera that will do the following.

Price range up to $100 (I live in a bad area and can't justify spending $300 on something that might get stolen)

Record in true 720p minimum. Wont argue with 1080 though

Have good low light recording

Can turn off LCD screen whilst driving

Motion detection and tilt sensor?

Crash detection?

GPS (whilst not essential I wouldn't say no)

I hope I'm not asking too much??
I was thinking the mini 0801???

 

[Xybone]

I think you're asking a little too much for that budget. Have you checked out the Mobius?

 

[Roberthodgson]

Spend a bit more and get a more reliable camera, I had a entry level camera for my first dashcam and thought all was great untill I watched the video play back and noticed that the cheaper cameras have up to an 8 second or more gap between recording segments. The chances of having an issue juring the gap is slim but if it happens it removes the benefit of having a dash cam,

I currently run 2 Finevu CR-500HD's (front and rear) and I am happy with them video quality and the no gap segments

Make sure you turn off any impact sensors in the camera you choose as most cameras are just to sensitive to bumps so you will fill up you sd card with none events. If you ever have an issue it is unlikely you will not disconnect the camera to save the recorded videos from being over written.

 

[russ331]

Don't let anyone make you believe that spending more guarantees reliability. Mercedes are no more reliable than Honda or Toyota, & expensive dashcams are not inherently more reliable than cheap ones ... just browse the threads & see for yourself... actually don't bother, as everyone in the World with a dashcam problem posts here, whereas the 99% of satisfied owners don't post at all. Browsing the threads will make you think that all dashcams are cr*p. But spending more may just make you more p*ssed-off with your purchase.

No popular dashcams discussed on this site, apart from the DVR-027 & it's clones, record with gaps between clips.

Spending more buys you more bells & whistles, which you may think you want, but probably don't need, & won't use. Spending more doesn't guarantee better video quality. There are some great performers... Vico TF2+, Panorama II, etc, but some are truly mediocre.

Here's some raw footage (3 minute clips) from my $69 Mobius, recorded at Medium bitrate. If it's not good enough for your needs, you'll have to buy a $190 Panorama II or similar to obtain noticeably better performance.

https://mega.co.nz/#!FB9nDZJa!G4fUX0UXj12GiI5YVxlfIF5jJgEmmUxHjRYH9iXJThU

https://mega.co.nz/#!dJMVRAhC!ICKNnz5xJbF1_JOgZ5a7QW41oh9tur5xIX5XAC-Fpjw

 

[GJHS]

Leaving off the GPS you would be looking at the Mobius. It's a great little camera, the video is sharp, it's tiny, discreet and the night performance is good. Add in a big support group on two different forums and continued improvement by the developer and it's a winner.

Add in GPS and the mini 0801 would be a good choice. Unfortunately reliability in the recent past hasn't been great. A newer model is coming soon so if you like the mini, you should wait.

If super budget, due to the theft is your choice then the G1W at $50 would be a good choice. Keep in mind there is, at the moment, one mount: a suction cup.

I bought the Mobius for discreetness, it doesn't attract too much attention and doesn't look super expensive. It has definitely impressed me so far.

 

[CheckYourLights]

If super budget, due to the theft is your choice then the G1W at $50 would be a good choice. Keep in mind there is, at the moment, one mount: a suction cup.

This if budget is a leading concern. Look at the G1W-H for its chromeless casing and wider view.

 

[Gurkha9]

For year round Australian temperatures, look at a G1W-C for a < $100 solution.

 

[nixlux]

Thanks everyone for the help. I can sacrifice the bells and whistles if the video quality is good if that helps.

 

[nixlux]

Just out of curiosity would any of the ambarella one's here be decent?

 

[CheckYourLights]

I know from personal experience that the GS8000 is full of reliability problems. The GS8800 looks like an updated case don't know if they used better internals.

Night time video quality is a concern with some on the 3H2F/GS6000

I had not noticed you lived in Australia until Gurkha9 mentioned it. The G1W-c would run a little cooler with no battery inside.

 

[nixlux]

Thanks again yeah it's only been in the high 30's to low 40's ° over the last few weeks. With the G1W-c can you turn the LCD off whilst driving?

 

[russ331]

If you choose a G1W-C, beware of fakes...

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/my-fake-g1w-of-ebay-¬¬-totodeal.3606/

For a genuine G1W-C, I believe that FoxOffer is trustworthy.

 

[archat]

For year round Australian temperatures, look at a G1W-C for a < $100 solution.

I was thinking of opening the cam and removing the battery from the case and connecting it with long wire and place the battery inside the glove box. How does this sounds? I know people may not be willing to do a surgery on their newly acquired cam but I'm a pretty DIY kind of guy and after one month of procuring the I'm planning to do this.
In this way you will not be limited to to only G1WC. You can also easily replace the batteries when they die assuming we can find one with a similar voltage. Current rating will not be very critical - in fact you can use a battery with slightly higher mAH rating.

 

[GJHS]

I was thinking of opening the cam and removing the battery from the case and connecting it with long wire and place the battery inside the glove box. How does this sounds? I know people may not be willing to do a surgery on their newly acquired cam but I'm a pretty DIY kind of guy and after one month of procuring the I'm planning to do this.
In this way you will not be limited to to only G1WC. You can also easily replace the batteries when they die assuming we can find one with a similar voltage. Current rating will not be very critical - in fact you can use a battery with slightly higher mAH rating.

Assuming of course that a car sitting in the sun has a cool glovebox. I have my Mobius in hot weather (30C/86F) without fail. When the car is going to sit in the heat for good amount of time, I just take the Mobius with me. I would do the same with any camera rather than let it bake , especially in full sun. The Mobius is so small I can put it in my pocket.

I understand capacitors are better in heat, yet have some limitations. The Mobius can record 80 minutes in motion detect with connecting it to my car battery and be used as an action cam outside the car while capacitors can't.

I agree, don't choose by capacitor. I think the Mobius and Mini 0801 are better built choices than the G1W. The G1w build quality and lack of mounts is just too basic and it looks like a small point and shoot camera which is too inviting for thieves.

 

[archat]

Assuming of course that a car sitting in the sun has a cool glovebox. I have my Mobius in hot weather (30C/86F) without fail. When the car is going to sit in the heat for good amount of time, I just take the Mobius with me. I would do the same with any camera rather than let it bake , especially in full sun. The Mobius is so small I can put it in my pocket.

I understand capacitors are better in heat, yet have some limitations. The Mobius can record 80 minutes in motion detect with connecting it to my car battery and be used as an action cam outside the car while capacitors can't.

I agree, don't choose by capacitor. I think the Mobius and Mini 0801 are better built choices than the G1W. The G1w build quality and lack of mounts is just too basic and it looks like a small point and shoot camera which is too inviting for thieves.

I think there will be some difference between the temp inside the car to the temp inside the glove box. I'm assuming 5 deg C temp difference. I've a digital thermometer in my car I'll place the temp probe inside the glove box to check the difference (if any). BTW the cheap thermometr costing 1.5$ bought from DX.com is surviving the cruel heat in India for the last 2 years. In the noon when the car is parked in the Sun for some time when I enter the car the LCD display goes black. After I open the windows and start the blower for a few minutes followed by the AC it starts to give reading from 44 deg C. SO I assume the temp is more than 50 deg C inside the parked car and this is atleast 5 months in the year, 6 days a week for more than 6 hours everyday !!

G1W although a good cam for the price but is too big for me. I'm looking for something like Mobius or Innov C or Mini 801. I'd like to have a small display in my cam so that I can point it correctly. Mobius is lacking in that point.

 

[GJHS]

G1W although a good cam for the price but is too big for me. I'm looking for something like Mobius or Innov C or Mini 801. I'd like to have a small display in my cam so that I can point it correctly. Mobius is lacking in that point.

It's super easy to aim it just using your eyes. Or just mount it, take a video and see. A little right or left gets almost the same picture. I just aim mine a little down to avoid too much sky

 

[nixlux]

Leaving off the GPS you would be looking at the Mobius. It's a great little camera, the video is sharp, it's tiny, discreet and the night performance is good. Add in a big support group on two different forums and continued improvement by the developer and it's a winner.

Add in GPS and the mini 0801 would be a good choice. Unfortunately reliability in the recent past hasn't been great. A newer model is coming soon so if you like the mini, you should wait.

If super budget, due to the theft is your choice then the G1W at $50 would be a good choice. Keep in mind there is, at the moment, one mount: a suction cup.

I bought the Mobius for discreetness, it doesn't attract too much attention and doesn't look super expensive. It has definitely impressed me so far.

Thanks for the opinions. So basically it will come down to the G1W-C or the mini 0801. I'm not too fussed with GPS but would like to have motion detect incase there's a parking lot incident. You say there's a new mini 0801 coming out? Is there any more info on that I could read?

 

[jokiin]

You say there's a new mini 0801 coming out? Is there any more info on that I could read?

https://joovuu.com/gb/home/106-mini-0801-a7-wdr.html

 

[nixlux]

Thanks Jokiin