Choosing a Camera for Scenery - Road Trips

[DT MI]

...we'll probably go with two 64GB cards...

Not all cameras support 64GB, some are limited to 32GB. Just another thing to be aware of before you jump in.

 

[awestover89]

Didn't realize GearBest wasn't a US seller, need to pay closer attention...

I was looking at Pier28 for the Panorama G, Spytec has the Mini 0806 on backorder, and neither shows the G90-7S. Right now I'm looking most at the Mini 0806 through Amazon, looks like there are two main sellers on Amazon, Black Box with fulfillment by Amazon which has standard US shipping, so that's looking like best bet.

 

[Sunny]

Didn't realize GearBest wasn't a US seller, need to pay closer attention...

I was looking at Pier28 for the Panorama G, Spytec has the Mini 0806 on backorder, and neither shows the G90-7S. Right now I'm looking most at the Mini 0806 through Amazon, looks like there are two main sellers on Amazon, Black Box with fulfillment by Amazon which has standard US shipping, so that's looking like best bet.

0806 still has some reliability issues so I would look for something that has proven itself on a trip like that.

 

[awestover89]

0806 still has some reliability issues so I would look for something that has proven itself on a trip like that.

Possibly the 0805? Seems like it has most of the same features other than the second memory card slot which seems hit or miss as it is.

 

[henq]

We are preparing to take a rather long road trip from Chicago to Alaska next month, and thought it would be really cool to record the entire trip and then edit it into a timelapse video, especially after hearing people talk about the beautiful scenery around the Yukon and Alaska.

I'm not entirely sure what we should be looking for though, we want to avoid the recording over feature, so I think that means we'll have to either avoid HD video, or take a break like when we stop for lunch to transfer the current recordings to a computer and/or switch memory cards. I'm also thinking a wide-angle lens would be better, but I'm not sure. We'd probably also need image stabilization, especially since some of the roads between towns can be rough from what I understand.

Is there a particular camera that would be better for scenery recordings? Anything else I should consider?

Hello, same question, now April 2017.... I too want a dashcam that I can use for recording scenery, without too much setup hassle.
- It must be swivable, sometimes scenery is on the side. Or film towards the back (convertible) or ourselves
- I really like it to have a rechargeable battery, so it can run a while without the cord
- I don't care for the 'continues' recording mode. I do not want the device to auto-start recording when the key is turned.
- I dont't care or at least want to be able switch off lane departure warning and all those features
- I want the device to be silent and not have a voice say "Recording starts now" and other messages.
- I want to switch recording On and Off completely manually, while driving. (The red Emergency buttons seem only to record like 15 seconds around you clicking the button. I understand the use case, but if I want to be able to record a shot as long or short as I want).

Maybe an action cam like a GoPro is the better option for my use case, not sure if the start/stop buttons are easily operated while driving and the device mounted to the screen. [I just learned the GoPro Hero 5 Black has voice control, don't know if it will work with the roof down though]

The "Transcend DrivePro 220 DashCam 16GB" seems the tick the right boxes, but don't know how easy it is to make manual recordings. (much less expensive then gopro)

On Android, I like the app AutoBoy as it records GPS and has a split screen playback mode with a moving map. However, getting that on a video involves making screen recording of the Android device...arghhh....

Any 2017 thoughts and pointers welcome...

 

[jokiin]

sounds like an action cam is a better fit for your needs

 

[OCD Tronic]

sounds like an action cam is a better fit for your needs

Maybe the new GitUp Git2P that was recently released

 

[SawMaster]

Many dashcams have settings which allow you to choose when it operates; they aren't all 'power up at car starting' although some are. Dashcam batteries generally give only a few minutes un-powered recording time at best, while action cams last quite a while. The cam form-factor and mounting scheme will determine how it can be turned while mounted and in use. Most of the cams which have the swivel feature in the cam itself are junk. Most dashcams have settings to render them silent. And from off, all cams have 'boot time' before they actually start recording so manually starting the cam may lead to you missing what you wanted to record. Pretty much the same answers as a couple years ago

So now some questions- why not continuous recording? Given a large enough card you can have 8+ hours of constant recording without over-writing, and you miss nothing since it's always on. Large card support is more in the realm of dashcams than action cams and often (but not always) the advertised card size can be increased. And do you have other uses for this cam" If not a dashcam could be a good choice but if you might want to use it outside the car an action cam would be better. Both can be had in a wide range of prices, image quality, and features which will also affect your choice

I think you'd be happier with a good action cam that has large card support; 64GB is roughly 8+ hours recording time but as I don't know much about action cams other than the old Mobius I can't recommend one.

Phil

 

[henq]

So now some questions- why not continuous recording? Given a large enough card you can have 8+ hours of constant recording without over-writing, and you miss nothing since it's always on. Large card support is more in the realm of dashcams than action cams and often (but not always) the advertised card size can be increased. And do you have other uses for this cam" If not a dashcam could be a good choice but if you might want to use it outside the car an action cam would be better. Both can be had in a wide range of prices, image quality, and features which will also affect your choice

I think you'd be happier with a good action cam that has large card support; 64GB is roughly 8+ hours recording time but as I don't know much about action cams other than the old Mobius I can't recommend one.

Phil

Thanks Phil for answering... why not continuous? Then I have to wade through dozens and dozens of clips and my 'scenery' clips must be glued and spliced of 5 minute fragments. .. Want to minimize the postprocessing.

 

[OCD Tronic]

It's super easy with registratorviewer. (Which will auto group segments into one seemless video automatically for starters). All you do is mark the start and end where you want to save the video and then export in seconds (lossless too)

http://download776.mediafire.com/6d...z0rt/Export-files-from-Registrator-Viewer.pdf

 

[SawMaster]

As long as you will always have several seconds to allow the cam to boot up an stabilize, then manual starting will work OK. Much of what I see of interest while driving happens too quickly as I'm moving so it wouldn't work for me which is why I mentioned it. As the post above shows us, there are other ways to meet the same goal. Your choice

Phil