What Dash Cam Should I Buy?

[noobie]

I recently had the unpleasant experience of being wrongly ticketed by a LEO (the first ticket I've ever received) and I'm determined not to let it happen again. I've been doing research on dash cams and have found the following two which seem popular:

1. http://www.spytechs.com/car-cameras/dual-view-cam.htm
2. http://thevideocopilot.com/Order_VC-250.php

Has anyone had experience with either of those? I'm wondering how they compare to the dash cams reviewed on this website.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[DashCamMan]

I recently had the unpleasant experience of being wrongly ticketed by a LEO (the first ticket I've ever received) and I'm determined not to let it happen again. I've been doing research on dash cams and have found the following two which seem popular:

1. http://www.spytechs.com/car-cameras/dual-view-cam.htm
2. http://thevideocopilot.com/Order_VC-250.php

Has anyone had experience with either of those? I'm wondering how they compare to the dash cams reviewed on this website.

Thanks for your advice.

The first one has only 640 x 480p resolution at 15 frames per second. This is very poor video quality. Even in the video that they advertise with (which is likely going to be better quality than average due to ideal driving conditions) is very poor ( see from 48 seconds onwards, full screen, full resolution). The video is choppy, it is impossible to read license plates and even road signs are hard to read. This is worth no where near $270.

The second one suffers from similar poor picture quality. This has 640 x 480p resolution at 30fps. Picture is blurry, it is impossible to read license plates and road signs. For $300, this quality is unacceptable.

Watch any of the videos from "The Best Dash Cams" on the Dash Cam Comparison Page. Check out videos from a variety of users on Youtube and it will be very clear those 2 cameras are overpriced for the quality they deliver.

As for a recommendation, it all depends on your needs. GPS required? Best video quality in all possible lighting conditions? Single Cam vs Dual Cam etc.

Hope this helps

Dash Cam Man

 

[noobie]

Dash Cam Man,

Thanks a lot for your advice!

I have read some of your dash cam reviews and it looks like your recommendation at the moment is the ITB-100HD?

If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions for you:

1. Do you feel that having one of these cameras increases the risk of a vehicle break in? I know that having a GPS visible does, so I'm wondering if this might as well.
   
2. The ITB-100HD appears to use the GPS to keep track of speed, as opposed to being plugged into the vehicles OBD connector like some do. Does the GPS method work well? I've read that GPS isn't super accurate.. How well does it keep track of speeds in town when you are traveling slow and starting and stopping?
   
3. You mentioned in your review that the ITB-100HD only displays speed in terms of KM/H. Is this still the case, or has there been an update that allows it to be viewed in MPH?

Thanks for your help!

 

[DashCamMan]

Dash Cam Man,

Thanks a lot for your advice!

I have read some of your dash cam reviews and it looks like your recommendation at the moment is the ITB-100HD?

If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions for you:

1. Do you feel that having one of these cameras increases the risk of a vehicle break in? I know that having a GPS visible does, so I'm wondering if this might as well.
   
2. The ITB-100HD appears to use the GPS to keep track of speed, as opposed to being plugged into the vehicles OBD connector like some do. Does the GPS method work well? I've read that GPS isn't super accurate.. How well does it keep track of speeds in town when you are traveling slow and starting and stopping?
   
3. You mentioned in your review that the ITB-100HD only displays speed in terms of KM/H. Is this still the case, or has there been an update that allows it to be viewed in MPH?

Thanks for your help!

The ITB-100HD is probably the best dash cam for under $200 right now (there may be better, but I haven't come across them). For your questions.

1) The camera likely increases the risk of break-in. You really have 2 options here. Remove the camera when leaving the vehicle or do your best to conceal the camera. To conceal, make sure you buy a small, black camera. For something like the Itronics, put a small piece of black tape over the "Full HD 1080p" logo on front. Install it behind the rear view mirror to blend in. Do not have the wire hanging down but rather wrap it up and around the windshield. Also tinted windows make the camera less noticeable. This makes it much less likely to be stolen.

2) GPS method for speed works pretty well from my experience. Not 100% sure on the accuracy since watching the videos after the fact there is no way to really tell if the speed is accurate. There is a small lag in slow / stop and go traveling but it is not that bad.

3) Only KM/H, no MPH yet.

Dash Cam Man

 

[noobie]

Thanks a lot for the info!

I think I'm probably going to go with the ITB-100HD! When I looked on ebay I saw that some come with uninterrupted power supplies, while others come with "PowerMagic." I've been trying to find out what the difference is (I know that they both have to do with turning the camera off when hardwired if the battery gets too low), but I haven't been able to determine which is better. Would you have any idea on this?

Thanks again

 

[DashCamMan]

Thanks a lot for the info!

I think I'm probably going to go with the ITB-100HD! When I looked on ebay I saw that some come with uninterrupted power supplies, while others come with "PowerMagic." I've been trying to find out what the difference is (I know that they both have to do with turning the camera off when hardwired if the battery gets too low), but I haven't been able to determine which is better. Would you have any idea on this?

Thanks again

Hi noobie,

The ITB-100HD typically requires the ITV-80 uninterrupted power supply. The PowerMagic is the name of the Blackvue power controller. Look for the uninterrupted power supply ITV-80.

Dash Cam Man

 

[noobie]

Well, I went ahead and bought the ITB-100HD! The video quality is pretty good, but as your review mentioned the audio quality is atrocious. Also, I think the lens of the camera is tilted to the right a little because no matter how I position the camera the video makes it look like the camera is pointing a few degrees to the right. I noticed this in some of the other ITB-100HD videos that I viewed online as well. I guess it could also be the mount?

I was pleased to find that the English version of the PC software shows the speed in MPH, but unfortunately the speed embedded in the video can't be changed from KM/H. Oh well.

Overall I'm pretty happy with it Thanks for all of your advice!