2k 60fps dual channel suggestion

vendruscolo

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Hello everybody! I read countless posts and need some advice as I wasn't able to come up with a decision.

I'm looking to install a dash cam system in my car (this time for real, years ago I settled on Thinkware F800 but then never purchased it, and last summer it would've probably saved me some bucks, so this time around I'm going to do it for real). What I'd like to get:
* 2k video recording, possibly at 60fps (at least on the front)
* dual channel setup (front, rear)
* discreet
* good parking mode, which can be turned on/off easily
* reliability

I'll be hardwiring the system. I'd like not to keep parking mode on all the time, as my car sits in my garage sometimes for days, so there's nothing to record. I don't care if the camera has a screen. If it doesn't and makes the device more discreet, that's better; a remote system is okay too.

Things I don't care about:
* LTE/Connectivity
* Lane departure/driving aids
* 4k recording

I looked at the various options and it turns out these might be good:
* Viofo A129 Plus Duo
* Viofo A139
* Thinkware Q800 Pro
* Streetguardian SG9663DCPRO

From what I got, the A129 is the only capable of recording 2k @ 60fps, but it also seems is the least reliable (at least in parking mode?). The SG is probably the most reliable, but doesn't do 2k. Thinkware is probably okay-ish, but it's not distributed (yet?) in Italy by Alpine.

If you think there's no need for 1440p@60fps, please let me know. It's the first dash cam I'd buy, so I assume (might be wrong) this setup would provide the best image quality. I'm also open to other brands/models, as long as they check most/all of the boxes (the first one could be read as "best image quality"). As for the the price, anything < 500$ (SD card and hardwiring tools included) is okay; of course, the more I can save, the happier I'll be.

The car, if needed, is a Kia pro_cee'd (2014)

What would you suggest me?
 
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I'm doing some of the same research now and am leaning towards the Viofo A129 Plus Duo. I probably won't use parking mode because it complicates things so much, but if you do, the consensus seems to be that you need to use low bitrate recording rather than motion sensing.
I've never even looked into dash cams until lately and I'm surprised at how much I didn't know about them. Some things off the top of my head:

4K is nice, especially in daytime. AFAIK, 4K dash cams right now only record at 30fps, so in a fast moving situation (like an oncoming car while on the highway) the 4K camera might be blurrier than the 2K @ 60fps camera. In a stationary or slower moving situation, 4K is better.
4K cameras tend to run hot and therefore overheat in the summer more often. Climate could be an important factor in deciding the camera resolution (never would have thought about that).
Dash cam batteries use Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry, which is expensive but safer to use in a car. If you plan on using parking mode a lot, I would invest in a dash cam battery.

There are a ton of variables involved and it's hard to say what would exactly fit someone's use case.
 
Welcome to the forum.

i think most of the 2 - 3 channel systems with a 1440p front sensor will allow for it to run 60 FPS, but that would be that one camera alone then, and 4K cameras will probably also be able to do 1440p / 60 FPS but i can not recommend using less than the full size of the sensor unless the camera is binning pixels, but that is yet to be seen in a dash camera.

60 FPS dont really do anything for a accident recording camera ( i have compared two similar cameras one 60 FPS and the other 30 FPS and it was extremely marginal if the 60 FPS one captures something the 30 FPS camera did not capture.
In the daytime with plenty of light both cameras will choose the same ISO / exposure parameters so there will be no difference in motion blur, at night time the 60 FPS camera can not drop as low in exposure as the 30 FPS camera so it will have less motion blur then, but also much darker footage as its minimum exposure time will be 2X faster and so less time to capture light, on the other hand 1/30 second exposure time are no good with any movement faster than a baby can crawl,,,,,, as we see in nighttime footage with plenty of motion blue and little actual detail.
For cinematic footage 60 FPS would be good, but then you are better off with another kind of camera that also offer higher bitrates for detail capture, and possible a smaller FOV lens as you do not want dashboard / hood of car or A pillars in your cinematic drive video.
 
Thanks for you replies. I need a dash cam (I mean, I don't have to do any cinematic stuff!) and was concerned about motion blur, this is why I was looking into the 60fps thing.

As you suggest, I might be not worth it, so I think I'll be getting the A139. It has no display (something I like), records using H265, and parking mode can be turned off using GPS geofencing (so I can disable parking mode when the car is sitting in my garage).
Is there anything I should know about the A139? E.g. unreliability issues or anything. As I said, I'll be using parking mode (low bitrate) and will hardwire the dash cam.

Thanks
 
In the daytime the cameras will use a exposure timing way past the 1/500 second that is about the minimum for a good sharp image of something moving at speed, but in the night time a 60 FPS camera will not be able to use as slow a exposure as a 30 FPS camera could and would, but either are still too slow for any movement faster than a baby can crawl.
Low light challenges is something we dashcam people just have to live with until technology catch up.
 
Is there anything I should know about the A139? E.g. unreliability issues or anything. As I said, I'll be using parking mode (low bitrate) and will hardwire the dash cam.
My A139 is the best under-4K cam I've used in every way and it's video quality is so good that I don't miss the 4K at all. Do keep in mind that I'm running an older FW though, which I've found to be wise with dashcams as "upgrades" often bring other issues and as long as the cam is doing what you want there's no need to change ;)

I've tested mine to it's rated 65C temp limit and beyond (measured) without problems, though one or two users have subjected theirs to heats likely in excess of this and had problems. This is NOT a problem with the cam or Viofo as no dashcam can be expected to work at temps like this; it's beyond the abilities of the hardware used in them, and outside of desert environments few cars will get that hot when parked in the shade as should be done when using a dashcam for parking. You won't likely have that problem. Also there have been some issues with later FW and advanced features which I don't use, so you should read the A139 forum's comments from those attempting station mode, geofencing, etc.

The perfect dashcam has never been built and never will be, but IMHO the A139 is as close to that as anyone has yet done :cool:

Phil
 
A139 2CH version. This is what I would get today if I had to buy a dashcam now.
You're like me in that I don't care for having an interior cam.

The 3CH A139 front cam is not capable of 1440p@60fps while running in 3CH mode, but the 2CH version can easily do so. I'm sure someone can correct me on that if I'm wrong?
If you get it, feel free to test and compare 1440p@60fps vs 1440p@30fps under both light conditions and let us know the result.
 
Thanks for your replies, you confirmed my impressions: the A139 is the one that ticks more boxes for me. Like all gadgets, everything is a tradeoff, and everybody's different needs. I did get the A139 (2 channel) with their hardwire kit. It'll take some time for it to arrive, but I'll post some sample videos as @Lothar suggested; I think I'll be better at creating a separate thread, is there a specific sub-forum?
 
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