A few dashcam questions and looking for recommendations on GT300W/G1W/Panorama II

[vwaudirally]

Hi everyone, I've been doing research on a new dashcam, and I have a few questions that I'm hoping I can find answers for here. I have been using an ABEO HDVR-150 in one of my vehicles, and while it works, it doesn't work well(constant "Car Crash" message on the screen), and requires too much interaction from the driver. I am looking to put a dashcam in my wife's car, so integration has to be seamless. It needs to work(on and recording with ignition) with no interaction from her at all. I have put together a list of must have's and don't needs:

Must have:
1080P / 30fps
Removable storage(SD or MicroSD card) - at least 32Gb capacity
Auto on/off with ignition (I will hardwire the camera)
Loop recording & lock file storage
Recording indicator light on exterior of the unit
Motion detection/parking mode
Adhesive mount included, or available to purchase separately(suction cup mount won't work for my application)

Don't need(OK if these are included, but not necessary):
Audio capability
GPS

Do not want(can't have these features):
Dual-lens(inside/outside)
Rearview mirror cover-up(like the ABEO HDVR-150)

Budget: Up to $200

I have looked at the following cameras:
LS300W/GT300W - FoxOffer is out of stock on the LS300W, but has a "Non-brand LS300W" for $70. Has anyone used one of these lower-priced versions? How is the reliability?

G1W - I read somewhere that the screen stays on for 3 minutes after startup? That would be really annoying for night driving, is there any way to change this? Is the G1W-C version worth the extra money? I live in a moderate climate(US East coast mid-Atlantic), so long periods of heat are possible in summer months, but won't occur year-round.

Powerucc Panorama II - Looks to be a really good camera. Is it worth the extra money over the LS/GT300W and G1W cameras? Is there any place to buy this other than eBay? Has anyone purchased this from eBay and had any problems with the seller or the camera?

I appreciate any constructive input the forum can offer. Thanks!

 

[niko]

I would compare your choice to the cars:
Vw Polo / VW Gold / VW Passat. You can not compare them because they are from different price range. They are all good in their own car- and price class.
Exactly the same story is with dashcams you listed. They are from 3 different classes and each one you mentioned is good in its own price-category.
Regarding Panorama II reliability and "problems ?" you can read from Powerucc sub-forum and regarding authorised eBay re-seller you can read from his feedback.

 

[Gabolinche]

Powerucc Panorama II - Looks to be a really good camera. Is it worth the extra money over the LS/GT300W and G1W cameras? Is there any place to buy this other than eBay? Has anyone purchased this from eBay and had any problems with the seller or the camera?

Hi there, and welcome to the forum. If your budget allows it, I'd recommend the Panorama II. It definitely is worth the extra money since you're getting a higher quality everywhere (inside components and outside body). The official seller is shpkorea on ebay and you won't have any problems with them. I haven't required any after-sales service but other forum members that have required it have found the seller responds very fast and takes care of any problems that may arise.

 

[sludgeguts]

My G1W has been running more than 8hrs per day, 5 days a week for the last 4 weeks & no problems.
The 3 min screen off can be annoying at night - however, you could get around this by using something like a piece of screen tint.
I'm more than happy with the quality of the video both day and evening.
These are really cheap cams & definitely worth punt

 

[Dashmellow]

As Niko has pointed out, all three cameras are in different price ranges and classes. Certainly, the Panorama II is well regarded as well as the most expensive. You wouldn't go wrong in buying one if you have the budget for it. The G1W is a bargain but some people have reported some problems such as focus issues. In the last year or so we have started to see cameras like the GT300W, GT680W, RX300, etc. which are somewhere in the middle price range of the three cams you've asked about and they offer quite remarkable performance for the money, (compared to previous offerings) along with (so far) good reliability. The Panorama II will set you back around 200 bucks, while the middle three cameras are in the 100 dollar price range. I think the question one needs to ask is, "Will the Panorama II give me twice the performance over the GT300W camera and it's siblings if I spend twice as much for the camera?" It won't. In fact, the GT300W will probably give you at least 90 percent (and maybe more) of the performance of the Panorama II at half the price. My vote is to go with the mid range, especially if this is your first dash cam as it is a good way to get your feet wet with the technology.

 

[jokiin]

If one of your must haves is parking mode a camera with a battery is not suitable, while the G1WC is certainly bargain priced and doesn't have the battery problem it's not that great for parking mode, the Panorama is really the only model you've listed that suits

 

[vwaudirally]

My budget is flexible, the primary point of interest for me is reliability and ease-of use. Once I set this thing up, I don't want to have to touch it unless I'm taking the card out to retrieve video. In between those times, it will need to work flawlessly without any interaction from the driver.

It looks like I will probably go with the Panorama II. Does it have a motion-sensing feature for parking mode? ie: Will it detect motion and turn itself on, then shut off after a certain period of time with no motion detected? And do I need a power cut-off/battery discharge prevention device for that to work, or can I just hardwire the camera to 12v?

Thanks for the input everyone, you've been very helpful so far.

 

[jokiin]

You can hardwire without a power management device, if you drive your car often enough it's not going to be an issue

The Panorama has proper parking mode, the others you were looking at do not

 

[Jazzist]

Worth remembering that the parking mode on the Panorama requires you to enable it with button pushes every time you park AFAIK.

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/index.php?threads/3643/

One alternative would be to always run the camera in motion detect instead of loop. I'd go with Lukas 7900 (or other similar model) if I were you, automatically comes in and out of parking mode, you said you don't want to have to touch it. AFAIK some or all FineVu cameras have proper and auto parking mode, might be worth looking into. The Guardtrak will to. That's it AFAIK. I find that amazing as it could be done on many cameras with firmware work.. but there you go...