Dash cam with zoom capability

[Tony2004]

I really appreciate your replies guys.
My set up purposes it is only to keep me, my beloveds or any other passengers safe.
I'm driving for 29 years. I believe that I've got enough experience to drive without this set up as well but, if possible, why not making driving even easier and safer.
I feel very confident driving just like that but, sometimes, going up and down on the hill it crossing the mountains, I do feel like I need a third eye, if you know what I mean.
Won't be much used tbh, as nowadays mostly all of the roads, even in the cities, have double lines so, no need to overtake.
Any suggestions for my set up are still highly appreciated.

 

[Tony2004]

Come to think of it, a forward facing side mirror on @Tony2004's vehicle might be a possible interesting solution to the overtaking problem?

I know the system. It is called "periscopic mirrors for RHD" or something. However, I've spoken with the people who use use them and 90% found them useless.

 

[jokiin]

yeah we have certain vehicles which are left hand drive, some are even dual control such as garbage trucks, we also have special registration classes for imported special interest vehicles, old American vehicles etc, not really daily driver stuff, they're generally marked accordingly also so that other road users are more aware of the driver not being in the same seat as normal

 

[Dashmellow]

I know the system. It is called "periscopic mirrors for RHD" or something. However, I've spoken with the people who use use them and 90% found them useless.

Oh well....

But maybe you're a ten percenter?

 

[Dashmellow]

I know the system. It is called "periscopic mirrors for RHD" or something. However, I've spoken with the people who use use them and 90% found them useless.

Actually, I think my mail lady may have something sort of like that. I'll need to take a better look at her vehicle next time she's here.

 

[TonyM]

My set up purposes it is only to keep me, my beloveds or any other passengers safe.

If you can trust their judgment, it's possibly safer to ask your passenger "Is anything coming the other way?"

 

[kamkar]

I have tried to drive English cars on a closed area, and it is a bit weird having to shift the stick with the wrong hand, but a problem it never was for those short drives.
I am also sure i would adjust faster to that then say drive a automatic transmission which i have always found strange and stupid the few minutes i have driven care like that.
Actually my longest driving in a automatic was in a large Iveco rental truck a few years ago, but that worked well no extra bills from the rental company.

I always call out traffic, at least when i drive with my friend, even if he dont do that driving with me.
so he get a lot of " this side is clear" from me.

 

[TonyM]

I think the longest setup I could achieve is a 6-22mm lens on a GitUp F1 4K set to 2x crop. The F1 can output live video for FPV purposes, although I have not tried it myself and I can't remember what the AV out resolution is. If I get the chance I could record some video with that setup to help you decide whether the narrow field of view and the vibration are acceptable for your intended purpose.

 

[Tony2004]

I think the longest setup I could achieve is a 6-22mm lens on a GitUp F1 4K set to 2x crop. The F1 can output live video for FPV purposes, although I have not tried it myself and I can't remember what the AV out resolution is. If I get the chance I could record some video with that setup to help you decide whether the narrow field of view and the vibration are acceptable for your intended purpose.

That would be great Tony. The narrow field won't be a problem, maybe the vibrations, but will see.
As I previously mentioned, my primitive set up with with two smartphones, wasn't too bad, from the field view point of view.
I'm actually happy with a very narrow field from my experiences.
Maybe the Samsung S7 Edge, has a bit of image stabilization, not sure, but worked.
Let's see were your test will go.
Thank you!

 

[Screen name taken]

You may think having a live view on the screen makes you safer the laws in various lands will disagree with that.
Never "discuss" with a European policeman why you feel aggrieved when they are writing out that fine, maybe impounding your car. Most forces do not take kindly to that thus you will make your situation worse.
I have driven in countries were traffic the steering wheel is on the wrong side, including the UK. It can be stressful, but you have to go with the flow and just not be forced into overtaking where is can endanger lives.

 

[vlayer]

Hi,

I'm looking for a high resolution camera/dashcam/sport camera etc with zoom ability (4x min, preferable 6-10x) and video (not necessarily audio) output connection please, to be connected to a car monitor/DVD, etc
I would like the camera to work as any other dashcam, not necessarily to record, but to be installed in a car, to automatically start once I start the engine, to live monitor long distance traffic, and also to turn off automatically once I've stopped the engine.
Any advice will be kindly appreciated?

Thank you,
Tony

Hi Tony. Please did you find a suction for RHD car camera ? I struggle for years . And same problems as you trying to solve. Do you have some usable solution ? Please. Vladan.Brezina@seznam.cz

 

[viofo]

For Zoom ability, is it same as using a telephoto lens?

 

[Dashmellow]

That's a good point. Many people erroneously use the terms "zoom" and "telephoto" interchangeably as if they were the same thing but they are not. A 'telephoto lens" has a fixed focal length, also known as a "prime lens" while a "zoom" lens is known as a "varifocal lens" because it can be set to different focal lengths.

In this case the OP seems to have been looking for an actual zoom lens.

 

[KANNINA 2.0]

Hi Tony. Please did you find a suction for RHD car camera ? I struggle for years . And same problems as you trying to solve. Do you have some usable solution ? Please. Vladan.Brezina@seznam.cz

Tony hasn't been on the site since 3 months after he joined in 2020.

I don't think you're gonna hear from him.

 

[Dashmellow]

Tony hasn't been on the site since 3 months after he joined in 2020.

I don't think you're gonna hear from him.

Yeah, it's pretty common to see new DCT members respond to old posts from members who haven't been around for years as they begin to explore the threads. This seems to happen on all forums. Sometimes when an old thread gets bumped it can lead to some interesting new discussion or pick up where things left off.

 

[KANNINA 2.0]

Yeah, it's pretty common to see new DCT members respond to old posts from members who haven't been around for years as they begin to explore the threads. This seems to happen on all forums. Sometimes when an old thread gets bumped it can lead to some interesting new discussion or pick up where things left off.

Agreed. I don't usually bother pointing out revival of necrothreads much anymore, but in this case it looked like the asker was really, really hoping for an answer...

 

[Dashmellow]

Agreed. I don't usually bother pointing out revival of necrothreads much anymore, but in this case it looked like the asker was really, really hoping for an answer...

You're right. Our new member didn't bother to look at how old this thread was before asking, which is generally what happens. I guess this thread can go back to sleep now.......

 

[Mtz]

Many people erroneously use the terms "zoom" and "telephoto"

Even zoom is an english word, many people outside english world are using the zoom word instead of telephoto. When you say to somebody that some video is a zoomed video but which in reality was recorded with a telephoto lens they will easy understand what is about. But when you will say that it is a telephoto video will be not easy for them to understand.

The telephoto word is combined from
tele
photo
People when hear about something with tele they will thing to something like TV o teleportation. At least with TV you are close because it is about a video.
But the second word photo it is about a static frame, a photography. So average people must understand that something called tele and photo is not about TV and not also about pictures. But it is about a video. Again, not a picture. So after he will understand that the bla-bla-photo is a video he also needs to understand that it is not a normal video but a.......................................... zoomed or a close up video just because the objects are closer than you can see with your eyes.
Going even further, to explain to average people things about fixed focal length, prime (wow!) lens, or varifocal lens you will complicate even more the things.
More than that, for human brain is not easy to understand in the first second that you recorded a video with a photo camera.

Of course we are here on some specialized forum so people here should understand and use the correct terms, but in real life will be more easy for you to say that you have a zoomed video. It even doesn't matter if it was recorded with a prime lens, or varifocal lens or edited in some video editor, the result is that the video is showing a zoomed image compared to reality.

Soon we will see a never-seen video about telephoto dashcam recording.

 

[Dashmellow]

I am sorry @Mtz but I must disagree with you. You can call a lens anything you like and many people do but that does not make it the correct term. A lot of people come up with all kinds of silly terns for things they are not knowledgeable about.

There are specific technical terms used by professionals worldwide even in the "non-English world" in photography, videography and cinematography. No professional would use anything but the correct terms for the tools they use. This is the same in every technical profession. There is no reason to use the wrong term just because the correct nomenclature might confuse an amateur or average person. This only serves to make people ignorant. My philosophy is to educate people rather than dumb them down. Some people on this forum apparently advocate for the opposite approach to certain photographic terms which I find unfortunate.

A prime ( or primary) lens has only a single fixed focal length with a specific maximum aperture whether it is a wide angle lens or a telephoto lens. This is how you know the difference when you describe what type of lens you are using or are asking for professionally. A zoom lens can be a" type" of telephoto lens but it is never a prime lens. Professionals do not generally use the term "zoomed" to mean telephoto as you describe; usually only amateurs do that. They use the term "zoom" only when they actually use a zoom lens to "zoom" in on a subject. They use the term "long lens" for telephoto lenses and "short lens" for wide angle lenses. Ask any movie director or cinematographer.

PRIME LENS

ZOOM LENS

TELEPHOTO LENS

 

[DT MI]

To expand on what @Dashmellow said regarding telephoto versus zoom lenses, one of my favorite camera lenses is a 15mm-30mm zoom macro lens. As is defined it's longest focal length is 30mm which is a loooong way from being a telephoto lens (50mm or so being generally considered a 'normal' lens) - and if I were to show someone an image captured at it's maximum of 30mm nobody would refer to it as a 'zoomed' image even though it actually is. Incorrect nomenclature is not an option.

And don't get me started on the misuse of FOV when AOV is what is being described.

(Alright I got myself started. )

<Start rant>

For those that don't know a Field of View is measured in linear distance at a given range, as in a FOV of 100 feet at 1000 yards. Angle of view is measured in angular degrees and distance does not come into play. A FOV cannot be measured in degrees. To describe a lens/camera as having a FOV of any number of degrees is absolutely wrong - even if most dash cam manufacturers and numerous web sites are guilty of doing it it's still wrong.

Binocular manufacturers, on the other hand, almost always get it correct giving the FOV specification as a field of a given width at a specific distance and also specifying the AOV in degrees. Others should learn from that.

For those that are insistent on using degrees and FOV together the correct term is AFOV (Angular Field of View) not FOV.

<End rant>