Best night time capabilities under 100USD?

CleverJ

CleverJ

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Hi guys

Been at this for days, reading through forums and reviews etc.. figured it's best i post and ask the collective experiences of this community.

I really need a dashcam with very good night time capabilities.. and i need them to be under 100USD since i will be installing them on a small fleet of vehicles.. The problem is that they mostly will travel at night and in areas with bad street lighting (hence the night capabilities)

And as per my read, IR's are a joke but it seems IR is the only way to go for LOW PRICE night time quality (since non-IR night time means a camera with a very expensive sensor that has good WDR or large aperture etc etc..

I've seen a lot of recommendations but are out of my price range.. so far I've invested on an EPRANCE Mini 0803 and everything about it is awesome but almost useless at night :(

It really seems that most of these dashcams are never meant for night driving ..


So i guess the question would be
A) What's a good camera under 100USD with great night time capabilities?
or
B) What's a good camera under 100USD with IR that's not a joke?
 
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Under 100 or 500? Your A/B option says 500 but title says 100.

All DashCams with LEDs are a joke bounces off the glass useless.

High end: Panorama S or G would be a very good choice. You could use the special firmware to activate violet/purple night time enhanced picture quality.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...-12-03-vs-v1-12-06-day-night-comparison.5396/

Medium end check out Street Guardian SG9655GM the HDR is descent. I'll post night videos soon. Won't be the best best though.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...5gm-now-available-unboxing-video-review.7184/
 
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jokiin said:
All IR on dashcams are a joke, price doesn't matter

Panorama good night quality at just over $200
Click to expand...

So there's really no IR type dashcasm ey?

thing is @ 200USD, i rather get a GoPro White edition w/c may have a better night capability and use that for dash cam (albeit it wont have dashcam features that i can get by with such as hardwiring for power, and quick-reformatting when full and no incident occured)

Pier28 said:
Under 100 or 500? Your A/B option says 500 but title says 100.

All DashCams with LEDs are a joke bounces off the glass useless.

High end: Panorama S or G would be a very good choice. You could use the special firmware to activate violet/purple night time enhanced picture quality.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...-12-03-vs-v1-12-06-day-night-comparison.5396/

Medium end check out Street Guardian SG9655GM the HDR is descent. I'll post night videos soon. Won't be the best best though.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...5gm-now-available-unboxing-video-review.7184/
Click to expand...

Sorry that "500USD" was a typo, i meant 100USD ..
 
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You need a set it and forget it true DashCam DVR appliance with no manual intervention required. Action cams are not designed for 24/7 use. The large battery will die especially in green house trapped parked vehicles. Bad news.
High end Panorama type DashCams uses a super capacitor and has no vulnerable battery. Motion detection parking mode = longer active recording content while away as well.
 
There's plenty of IR dashcams, just that they're all rubbish, aside from the convenience and functionality aspect the Panorama will still do better night video than the GoPro anyway

For under $100 look at the B lens Möbius with the optional capacitor kit
 
CleverJ said:
I've seen a lot of recommendations but are out of my price range.. so far I've invested on an EPRANCE Mini 0801 and everything about it is awesome but almost useless at night :(
Click to expand...
If you like the Mini 0801 then the Mini 0803 is worth considering, same case but better night sensitivity and within your $100 budget. See: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...803-a7la50-chipset-gps.7186/page-5#post-87090

Your never going to get really good images in the dark without very expensive military style night vision equipment and illuminating everything with floodlighting, IR or not, is just not practical.

You can still take an nice image with the Mini 0803 though, even in moonlight:
Fireworks.jpg
 
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The Mini 0803 is pretty good at night if you're looking at something around your price range. There's been some hardware updates with it also to fix the problems it previously had (new heatsink and new mount design). On DashCamTalk, there's active community here for the Mini 0803 so if you have any questions, just pop by there and someone will have an answer for you.

Kelvin
 
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I too am looking at the good at night and with a decent wide angle. I was about to jump on the G1W from Amazon and Black Boxed but the recent reviews report horrible build quality and reliability. How does the Mini 0803 compare?
 
Google said:
I too am looking at the good at night and with a decent wide angle. I was about to jump on the G1W from Amazon and Black Boxed but the recent reviews report horrible build quality and reliability. How does the Mini 0803 compare?
Click to expand...

Don't be seduced by low price alone if you want a serious DashCam you can actually depend on long term. (and that can take the heat) You get what you pay for has never been more true when it comes to DashCam selection.
 
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Google said:
I too am looking at the good at night and with a decent wide angle. I was about to jump on the G1W from Amazon and Black Boxed but the recent reviews report horrible build quality and reliability. How does the Mini 0803 compare?
Click to expand...

We don't sell the G1W, but we do sell the Mini 0803 in our online store.

We have many satisfied customers who bought our Mini 0803 and are still enjoying it. We have a return and exchange policy, so if you aren't happy with you, we will definitely make it right for you.

Kelvin
 
Pier28 said:
I'm reading a lot of random problems with the 0803 so far as well. (some are happy, others are not) Don't be seduced by low price alone if you want a serious DashCam you can actually depend on long term. (and that can take the heat) You get what you pay for has never been more true when it comes to DashCam selection.
Click to expand...

What is then the "sweet spot" as far as price point in terms of quality, reliability, and price? For me, I am not too concerned about "old technology" as long as the cam does what I expect it to do and is reliable mechanically and software wise.
 
The problem with short term exchange and return policies is we won't be using the camera every day due to different vehicles. That's why long term reliability is our primary focus next to features.
 
Google said:
What is then the "sweet spot" as far as price point in terms of quality, reliability, and price? For me, I am not too concerned about "old technology" as long as the cam does what I expect it to do and is reliable mechanically and software wise.
Click to expand...

$185 for the Panorama S. I forgot to add the Panorama actually buffers video while in Motion Detection/Parking Mode. This means that events leading up to the trigger are recorded as well. (So vital info is not missed) This doesn't happen on lower cost products.

If there were reliable full featured lower cost options we would sell them in a heartbeat. The Panorama is "Best All Around" here for good reasons. DashCamMan is about to update the main page to reflect the newer 2014 S edition.
 
Google said:
What is then the "sweet spot" as far as price point in terms of quality, reliability, and price? For me, I am not too concerned about "old technology" as long as the cam does what I expect it to do and is reliable mechanically and software wise.
Click to expand...
The G1W is a good starter camera, unfortunately as you pointed out, there are so many copies that it's difficult to know which one you're getting. The 0803 has huge promise, it just isn't there yet. The A118/B40 is a nice new camera, unfortunately the night time performance isn't great.

If 0803/G1w is your price point then I would recommend the Mobius B lens. It is the definition of a quality, reliable, basic dash cam. Video quality is good and the camera is flexible enough to modify. Software wise, the developer is still continuing to improve and add features to this camera. Add in a huge support group on 2 forums and a buying system that eliminates any chance of buying copies.

Sure for more money there are better cameras such as the panorama, yet for $70 bucks it is the sweet spot for a good quality camera without spending too much.

It also has uses outside the car if you won't use it everyday.
 
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Throw the G90 with the A7 and OV4689 into the mix too which has cleaner night performance - it needs pairing up with a better lens potentially though as it can adjust focus in the heat.

I like the Mobius and B lens and just waiting to order the new Panorama X2
 
reverend said:
Throw the G90 with the A7 and OV4689 into the mix too which has cleaner night performance - it needs pairing up with a better lens potentially though as it can adjust focus in the heat.

I like the Mobius and B lens and just waiting to order the new Panorama X2
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Yes, I'm hoping they continue to improve the G90, rather than lower the price and add cheaper components. @Hilts comparison is a great resource when looking at the G90 and the 0803

Yes that X2 looks promising depending on the price. I'm not sold on 2 channel cams just yet
 
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