Help sourcing car cam

cris25

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Firstly really appreciate your website dash cam man. I know that similar discussions have already been posted but i am hoping that new information may be available.

I had my new pickup truck damaged by another vehicle and you guessed it nobody came forward a no camera fitted to my vehicle so the repair bill was all mine. I am eagerly trying to source some type of security surveillance equipment and came across the dash cam market (and your website)
My requirements:
Front and rear cameras (my initial thought was cameras to cover 360° but realised i was asking a bit much). Good quality both day & night (particularly low or no light recordings) large time recordings (for night when i will be away from vehicle for over a hour) or would a G sensor cover this? No need for gps or screen. Covert if possible.

One idea is a 4 channel dvr unit (as seen in links below). I know its outside the car cam area that you advise about, but thought you may understand the specification more than me. I have also found a couple of websites where i can purchase cameras but spec seems to be more vga than hd.
http://www.dinodirect.com/Mini-4-Channe ... P&AFFID=33

http://www.dhgate.com/mobile-dvr-h-264- ... 13c3f.html

I also thought i could purchase 2 of the highly rated f500lhd but one would need to be installed outside the truck somewhere near the back bumper. Whilst a waterproof box may cover this it would then be available to thieves.
Another option i looked at is the d300 with rear camera. You didnt rate its i1000 version so hoping someone has used this to provide some feedback.

In all the options i guess there would still be problems in no/ low light situations? Have you come across these before:

http://www.supercircuits.com/Infrared-Illuminators/

Ps. sorry for overload just thought it best to mention the info i have gathered so far.
 
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cris25 said:
Firstly really appreciate your website dash cam man. I know that similar discussions have already been posted but i am hoping that new information may be available.

I had my new pickup truck damaged by another vehicle and you guessed it nobody came forward a no camera fitted to my vehicle so the repair bill was all mine. I am eagerly trying to source some type of security surveillance equipment and came across the dash cam market (and your website)
My requirements:
Front and rear cameras (my initial thought was cameras to cover 360° but realised i was asking a bit much). Good quality both day & night (particularly low or no light recordings) large time recordings (for night when i will be away from vehicle for over a hour) or would a G sensor cover this? No need for gps or screen. Covert if possible.

One idea is a 4 channel dvr unit (as seen in links below). I know its outside the car cam area that you advise about, but thought you may understand the specification more than me. I have also found a couple of websites where i can purchase cameras but spec seems to be more vga than hd.
http://www.dinodirect.com/Mini-4-Channe ... P&AFFID=33

http://www.dhgate.com/mobile-dvr-h-264- ... 13c3f.html

I also thought i could purchase 2 of the highly rated f500lhd but one would need to be installed outside the truck somewhere near the back bumper. Whilst a waterproof box may cover this it would then be available to thieves.
Another option i looked at is the d300 with rear camera. You didnt rate its i1000 version so hoping someone has used this to provide some feedback.

In all the options i guess there would still be problems in no/ low light situations? Have you come across these before:

http://www.supercircuits.com/Infrared-Illuminators/

Ps. sorry for overload just thought it best to mention the info i have gathered so far.

Hi cris25,

Parking surveillance requires very good video quality in day and night as you mention because if someone hits you, you need to be able to read the license plate. Otherwise, the camera didn't do the job. Unfortunately, only a small number of dash cams have parking mode and good video quality at night.

The 2 links provided on mobile DVRs appear to be SD resolution, not HD resolution. The chances of reading license plates, particularly at night, is very low with either solution so I think it is a waste of money.

The F500LHD, doesn't have a parking mode so you would need to have it running 24x7 (it could work but I haven't seen anyone doing it). Also, installing it outside the vehicle is asking for trouble from thieves. The picture quality at night may not be sufficient for your needs in low light situations as well. The DM300 is supposed to be based on the Ambarella AS260 processor as well, so it will likely perform no better (and probably worse) than the F500LHD.

Your best bet is to purchase 2 separate Itronics ITB-100HD and mount 1 on the windshield and 1 on the rear window. They have parking mode and decent night quality. They are small and black making them not too noticeable from outside the vehicle. The cost is approx $350 to $400, so this solution is not cheap. The other options are the more expensive Blackvue DR400G-HD II or the FineVu CR-500HD cameras.

Perhaps others are aware of a decent multi-channel DVR for a reasonable price. I have not seen any but I haven't looked extensively for them either.

As for the infrared Illuminators, I haven't seen any in action so I can't comment. It is very interesting so I will keep my eyes open for more info on it.

Hope this helps.

Dash Cam Man
 
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Thanks for reply. Is parking mode another name for a g sensor? If not i guess parking mode would cover me against vandalism as well.
Your suggestion of mounting a camera to the rear window would be great with most vehicles but unfortunately my truck has to be the awkward one. I could go into detail about it but basically quite a bit of the view would be blocked. If only some of the better cameras had a port for a separate camera module.
I've noticed from some (k2000 & 1 other) of the component and circuit board pictures you have taken, that they show the wires into the camera module. I know it may sound crazy and there are of course warranty issues but i have some soldering experience and was thinking that might be able to extend these. If this was possible the camera module could be fixed inside the rear bumper and the dvr itself could be in a different location.
When you said that the f500 should work on a 24/7 record, would this be accomplished by providing the car cam with a continuous power feed instead of the switch on/off with the engine?
Finally (I'm sure you're glad to here) is anyone aware of a supplier of camera modules so i could upgrade the d300s rear camera?
 
cris25 said:
Thanks for reply. Is parking mode another name for a g sensor? If not i guess parking mode would cover me against vandalism as well.
Your suggestion of mounting a camera to the rear window would be great with most vehicles but unfortunately my truck has to be the awkward one. I could go into detail about it but basically quite a bit of the view would be blocked. If only some of the better cameras had a port for a separate camera module.
I've noticed from some (k2000 & 1 other) of the component and circuit board pictures you have taken, that they show the wires into the camera module. I know it may sound crazy and there are of course warranty issues but i have some soldering experience and was thinking that might be able to extend these. If this was possible the camera module could be fixed inside the rear bumper and the dvr itself could be in a different location.
When you said that the f500 should work on a 24/7 record, would this be accomplished by providing the car cam with a continuous power feed instead of the switch on/off with the engine?
Finally (I'm sure you're glad to here) is anyone aware of a supplier of camera modules so i could upgrade the d300s rear camera?

Hi cris25,

Parking mode is an advertised feature that uses the G-sensor and motion detection to capture video when the car is parked. The dash cam needs to be hardwired into the car so the cam receives power at all times. Dash Cams that have this feature usually sell a battery monitor of some sort to turn off the camera if the battery's power gets too low.

I guess any dash cam can have a "parking mode" if it is powered on 24x7 via hardwiring. The only difference is that a true parking mode camera will only record when motion is detected or a shock is felt. While a 24x7 camera will record everything. Note that the F500LHD has motion detection but if this is enabled, loop recording doesn't work and your SD card will fill up. Some cameras have G-sensors and no "parking mode" which is used to lock the video files (prevents deletion via loop recording) when a shock is recorded.

I don't see why extending the camera wires to the lens would be a problem. You could keep the main unit in the truck and have the lens outside the truck. You will need some kind of mount and protection since it is outside the vehicle. I haven't seen this done though.

As for upgrading the rear camera, even if you find a better rear camera, you will still be constrained by the main units capabilities (the processor) so I am not sure if that will solve your problem.

Parking monitoring is still in early stages beyond recording the front of the vehicle. Perhaps you just need a good front camera with parking mode and make sure when you park that you always back into your parking spot so that no one will smash the rear end. ;)

Dash Cam Man
 
I have searched the web thoroughly and have concluded that the dash cams are the best option. Even if money wasn't an issue i still couldn't source something which ticks all the boxes. I think i will go with your recommendation of 2 Itronics itb 100hd and try out one of those infrared-Illuminators i found. However; i just have a few questions before i take the plunge. Just out of interest, you've mentioned on another post that the Itronics is very expensive with authorize retailers, are you aware of anyone on the forum who as purchased from one and do you/ they know the standard warranty? There are obviously concerns about the unauthorized suppliers being shut down by the manufacturer so do you think $24 for 3 year warranty with best4youservice is worth it. Maybe if they went under, paypal would cover it.
Does the upc box just provide continuous power from the car battery or does it measure the battery voltage as well and shut down the cam if voltage is too low?
Is the F302A and dod gs600 worth looking at. I know the dod has been discontinued but can still be purchased. Maybe the F302A feedback has got better but i guess it will come down to night quality. Thanks again for your help. I will post my experience of the infrared-Illuminators once i have tested them. :D
 
It doesn't have a section in the comparison page but I'm using an Itronics ITB-500HD. It has a parking mode option, the DVR is sepparate than the cameras so you can hide that well somewhere under the car trims or floor cover, and so on.

The recording quality is not as good as a single camera 1080p device, this one records at 720p/15fsp for each camera, and the sound is recorded only by the front camera and to be honest is not exceptional. The night recording quality is not that good either. But as a surveillance device this is probably better than many others.

2xITB-100HD are going to be cheaper and better at recording if breaking into the car is not considered.
 
cris25 said:
I have searched the web thoroughly and have concluded that the dash cams are the best option. Even if money wasn't an issue i still couldn't source something which ticks all the boxes. I think i will go with your recommendation of 2 Itronics itb 100hd and try out one of those infrared-Illuminators i found. However; i just have a few questions before i take the plunge. Just out of interest, you've mentioned on another post that the Itronics is very expensive with authorize retailers, are you aware of anyone on the forum who as purchased from one and do you/ they know the standard warranty? There are obviously concerns about the unauthorized suppliers being shut down by the manufacturer so do you think $24 for 3 year warranty with best4youservice is worth it. Maybe if they went under, paypal would cover it.
Does the upc box just provide continuous power from the car battery or does it measure the battery voltage as well and shut down the cam if voltage is too low?
Is the F302A and dod gs600 worth looking at. I know the dod has been discontinued but can still be purchased. Maybe the F302A feedback has got better but i guess it will come down to night quality. Thanks again for your help. I will post my experience of the infrared-Illuminators once i have tested them. :D

Hi cris25,

I am not aware of anyone who purchased from an authorized dealer. However the standard manufacturer warranty is 1 year (and you need to pay shipping to get the camera back to the authorized dealer if something goes wrong). Itronics has 1 authorized dealer in North America, 1 in Singapore, 1 in Australia, etc.

The 3 year warranty is not from bestservice4you but from a third party company called SquareTrade. SquareTrade is reputable so you don't need to worry about the eBay vendor going under.

The uninterrupted power supply measures the battery voltage and shuts down the cam if voltage is too low or if the camera is running over a set period of time (upto 48 hours).

The F302A might be a gamble on the lens and night quality is worse. The GS600 has the battery issue but it is not a bad camera otherwise. The Itronics has better night quality.

Also, some better quality dual lens cameras are starting to appear on the market. The Urive MD-8000P was recently released with impressive specs (1080p front, 720p rear @ 30fps) but I am still searching for videos of it. I'm sure in the next few months, the Korean manufacturers will be releasing some better quality dual lens dash cams.

Dash Cam Man
 
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mituc said:
It doesn't have a section in the comparison page but I'm using an Itronics ITB-500HD. It has a parking mode option, the DVR is sepparate than the cameras so you can hide that well somewhere under the car trims or floor cover, and so on.

The recording quality is not as good as a single camera 1080p device, this one records at 720p/15fsp for each camera, and the sound is recorded only by the front camera and to be honest is not exceptional. The night recording quality is not that good either. But as a surveillance device this is probably better than many others.

2xITB-100HD are going to be cheaper and better at recording if breaking into the car is not considered.

As mituc mentions the ITB-500HD may be an option. See this thread and this thread for more info.

Dash Cam Man
 
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Really appreciate all the advice. I have come across a couple of interesting cams - take a look (not at the price tho) :lol:
http://www.mi-witness.co.uk/
http://www.incarcamerasystems.co.uk/HDSP3.php

I think I may have come across a problem with the infrared-Illuminator idea. I spoke to someone today that mentioned something about cams have ir filters to combat day time recording and a direct light source at night would cause a problem. I don’t quite understand this but it may make more sense to you (if I have worded it right).
The Urive looks interesting but due to no feedback yet and price being the same as 2 Itronics 100s I’m not sure. Also the rear cam doesn’t look like it would cope outside. Just out of interest do most users buy the square trade warranty? Do you think I could get away with just buying it for one unit?
 
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Meant to ask this before but has anyone got any info on the blackvue dr380g hd? I know its 720p but in the uk its quite a bit less than the 400v2 and I thought that it might not have the overheating issue. Can seem to find it with the suppliers listed on the site.
 
cris25 said:
Really appreciate all the advice. I have come across a couple of interesting cams - take a look (not at the price tho) :lol:
http://www.mi-witness.co.uk/
http://www.incarcamerasystems.co.uk/HDSP3.php

I think I may have come across a problem with the infrared-Illuminator idea. I spoke to someone today that mentioned something about cams have ir filters to combat day time recording and a direct light source at night would cause a problem. I don’t quite understand this but it may make more sense to you (if I have worded it right).
The Urive looks interesting but due to no feedback yet and price being the same as 2 Itronics 100s I’m not sure. Also the rear cam doesn’t look like it would cope outside. Just out of interest do most users buy the square trade warranty? Do you think I could get away with just buying it for one unit?

Hi cris25,

The mi-witness camera seems to have low resolution. 1280x720p @ 20fps on channel 1 and 640x480 @ 15fps on channel 2. The $70 i1000 / F70 has the same resolution and a higher frame rate. This is just one of the many overpriced dash cams.

The HDSP3 is the interesting detachable LCD but I can't find any videos from this camera. I highly doubt the video quality is that good to justify a nearly $500 price tag.

Most dash cams come with lens' that have IR Cut Filters. IR Cut filters block infrared light so the infrared illuminator may have no effect. I have never tested this so I'm not 100% sure.

Warranty is a personal decision. I usually don't take it but I know others want that peace of mind. I believe SquareTrade asks for a serial number when registering but I'm not sure.

Dash Cam Man
 
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cris25 said:
Meant to ask this before but has anyone got any info on the blackvue dr380g hd? I know its 720p but in the uk its quite a bit less than the 400v2 and I thought that it might not have the overheating issue. Can seem to find it with the suppliers listed on the site.

Hi cris25,

From what I heard of the DR380G, it doesn't appear to have the same level of problems as the DR400G. Overheating has not been reported as much. However, for a 720p camera, a price tag of over $200 is too much. Dream-seller on eBay sells it for $215.

Dash Cam Man
 
I am also looking for a back up camera and a security system too, which could save my car from the car lifter.
so must suggest me good model for the both purposes or a better idea if you have .
 
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