Action cam as dashcam?

dirkzelf

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The biggest shortcoming of an actioncam as a dashcam is the fact, that it doesn't have autostart on power and loop recording, both of which are useless on an actioncam.
 
As well as not having auto start they are not easily mounted for dashcam use and most are far from discrete, if they have image stabilisation that can't be turned off you'd find the picture would be softer as well, great for their intended purpose but not as a dashcam
 
Mikk36 said:
The biggest shortcoming of an actioncam as a dashcam is the fact, that it doesn't have autostart on power and loop recording, both of which are useless on an actioncam.

all 4 mentioned have loop recording acc. specs.

and the HD90 even has autostart on 12V...
 
dirkzelf said:
Mikk36 said:
The biggest shortcoming of an actioncam as a dashcam is the fact, that it doesn't have autostart on power and loop recording, both of which are useless on an actioncam.

all 4 mentioned have loop recording acc. specs.

and the HD90 even has autostart on 12V...

Which possibly just indicates you'd be buying a generic dashcam in a different housing and paying a premium for it as a result
 
jokiin said:
As well as not having auto start they are not easily mounted for dashcam use and most are far from discrete, if they have image stabilisation that can't be turned off you'd find the picture would be softer as well, great for their intended purpose but not as a dashcam

Many have lively colors, indeed, but there are very small ones in black color too, with uncolored lenses.

I am personally charmed by the HD96 (I believe Koonlung makes them, there are copies too). Very small, lightweight, good specs, check here for one in a hand: http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/camsports- ... amera.html

I believe it makes a good chance with me.....

Please note, I don't use it in my car, but on my truck, which is big, and dashboard is pretty high, so it won't really stand out that much. Besides, I wont really leave my truck other than on the depot.....

I haven't yet found a nice night video yet for performance in low light.
 
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jokiin said:
dirkzelf said:
Mikk36 said:
The biggest shortcoming of an actioncam as a dashcam is the fact, that it doesn't have autostart on power and loop recording, both of which are useless on an actioncam.

all 4 mentioned have loop recording acc. specs.

and the HD90 even has autostart on 12V...

Which possibly just indicates you'd be buying a generic dashcam in a different housing and paying a premium for it as a result

Well, I wouldn't know, and that is exactly the reason to ask my questions here. You see, next to good advice I was also hoping to hear someone who actually had something like this and would share their real experiences. If you are reading, please come in!

And, yes, maybe you are right and I am attracted by how it looks on the outside...... On the other hand, I think 130-150 bucks for a good dash cam is reasonable price, don't you agree?
 
dirkzelf said:
And, yes, maybe you are right and I am attracted by how it looks on the outside...... On the other hand, I think 130-150 bucks for a good dash cam is reasonable price, don't you agree?

I agree that's the price range for a decent dashcam, I suspect some of these sport cams though are the same solution as an $80 dashcam and are charging a premium for no good reason, needs more research I think
 
jokiin said:
dirkzelf said:
And, yes, maybe you are right and I am attracted by how it looks on the outside...... On the other hand, I think 130-150 bucks for a good dash cam is reasonable price, don't you agree?

I agree that's the price range for a decent dashcam, I suspect some of these sport cams though are the same solution as an $80 dashcam and are charging a premium for no good reason, needs more research I think

Definitely, I really hope to see a review at least, or some good (and reliable....) recordings.

It's like with all these eastern products, if they're good, then there will be copies/knockoffs..... so I need to be sure to get a decent one.

Did you have a peek at this HD96 cam? Any other thoughts?
 
dirkzelf said:
It's like with all these eastern products, if they're good, then there will be copies/knockoffs..... so I need to be sure to get a decent one.

as a consumer that's the biggest challenge, trying to work out the good from the bad
 
I just uploaded some test footage comparing a dashcam against a cheap action cam.
The dash cam is a nextbase 512gw (without polarising filter fitted at the moment) and the action cam is a 4k wolf action cam.
The nextbase cost upto 150 quid (cant recall exactly) and the action cam was just under 40 pounds with delivery.
The action cam comes with loads of mounts, including a suction mount for a car and also a car power supply just like you get with dashcams.
The action cam auto starts upon ignition and can be set to power off after a short time when power is lost. It saves short files in car mode and afaik does loop (but cant say for certain as did not fully check).
Footage is here


and its easy enough to remove the action cam and clip its clip into the mount so you can clip it to a trolley and record your shopping..



The battery (came with two) is meant to last about 90 minutes - way longer than you get with a normal dash cam so you can leave it recording whilst you pop in a shop or whatever, or take it out of car to take footage. The nextbase would go flat in no time....
Main draw back is no gps, audio is pretty crap too.
 
Based on your video alone, both cameras look rather poor quality for dashcam use. I would expect the original videos to look much better.

They both have shaky mounts, particularly the action camera. The 512GW appears softer, but delivers a bit more detail with less blur, and number plates are easier to read. The 4k camera is OK when stationary, but loses a lot of detail when things are moving.

1.JPG

2.JPG

It would be helpful to see the unedited video or individual frames from both cameras to help with the comparison.
 
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