Best bang for the buck

sledwrecker

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Hi all, we just moved to a new town that gets hammered in the winter. I would like to put a dash cam in my wifes car in case something happens on the icy roads.

I've kind of been looking around online and on ebay, there are so many options it's a bit overwhelming. Here are my basic requirements.

1. It needs to turn on and start recording when the car is turned on. If my wife has to start the record action she will never use it.
2. It needs to be cheap as possible (best bang for buck.) Money is a bit tight right now so looking in the <$100 range
3. Auto-recycle feature so memory card doesn't have to be cleared manualy. Only want the camera to catch incidents, dont need 300hrs of driving around town.
4. Doesnt need an intigrated LCD but ok if it does have
5. Expandable SD card slot
6. 720P is fine as long as image quality is good. I film all my gopro footage in 720 and it's more then adaquate and eaier to edit.
7. Wide angle is OK as long as it's not too drastic.
8. Mic to capture audio (such as witness statement at scene.) "He / she ran that stop sign, etc."

That's it. Absolutely most important is it turns on when the car is started and auto-records and auto-recycles.

Thanks fella's!
 
sledwrecker said:
Hi all, we just moved to a new town that gets hammered in the winter. I would like to put a dash cam in my wifes car in case something happens on the icy roads.

I've kind of been looking around online and on ebay, there are so many options it's a bit overwhelming. Here are my basic requirements.

1. It needs to turn on and start recording when the car is turned on. If my wife has to start the record action she will never use it.
2. It needs to be cheap as possible (best bang for buck.) Money is a bit tight right now so looking in the <$100 range
3. Auto-recycle feature so memory card doesn't have to be cleared manualy. Only want the camera to catch incidents, dont need 300hrs of driving around town.
4. Doesnt need an intigrated LCD but ok if it does have
5. Expandable SD card slot
6. 720P is fine as long as image quality is good. I film all my gopro footage in 720 and it's more then adaquate and eaier to edit.
7. Wide angle is OK as long as it's not too drastic.
8. Mic to capture audio (such as witness statement at scene.) "He / she ran that stop sign, etc."

That's it. Absolutely most important is it turns on when the car is started and auto-records and auto-recycles.

Thanks fella's!

Hi sledwrecker,

I am always looking for the "best bang for your buck" dash cams. The best camera under $100 is the F500LHD. It does everything on your list, can do 1080p and has an LCD. It is reliable and video quality is decent (grainy at night though). It is not too big (about the size of a pack of playing cards). Sells for about $91 and there are always coupons on Aliexpress ($5 off). There is even a $30 off $100 coupon at Aliexpress this Black Friday (hopefully it works).

Note that all the dash cams on our dash cam comparison page have auto start / stop and cycle recording.

Dash Cam Man
 
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Ok so I bought the DVR 027 from the seller recommended here on ebay. I like it, works well and the picture is very good. Now that I've gotten my feet wet I want more!

I've started looking for a good "dual lense" camera. I'll put the 027 in my wifes car and the new cam in my truck. I tow a trailer a lot and drive a lot of winter passes so I think having the dual lense cam is invaluable if an incident occurs. The advice I got on here last time was great so I'm hoping you guys can recommend a solid dual (front and rear facing) lense cam for me. My budget is under $100 but if it's around $120 that's fine. :mrgreen:
 
Hi sledwrecker,

Unfortunately most dual lens cameras suffer from poor video quality or high prices (and in many cases both :eek: ).

You should avoid any dual lens cameras that have both lenses in the same unit since the rear facing camera is only good for recording what is going on in the car (not really necessary unless you are a taxi driver).

A popular option is the i1000 / F70 Dual Lens Camera. This costs $60 but the quality of the front video will be slightly worse than the DVR-027 you purchased and the rear video will be significantly worse.

The only dual camera with decent video quality I have seen is the Urive MD-8000P. Unfortunately it costs $360 and there is very little information on how reliable it is and how it actually performs on a daily basis.

I suggest you purchase 2 single lens cameras. That is your "best bang for your buck" solution. 2 DVR-027's would cost $120 and it has better video quality than most of the dual lens cameras on the market today.

Dash Cam Man
 
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