Dash Cam n00b - What do I buy?

[xTheOldLady]

Hi!

I'm uk based and just want to spend around £60 but where I order from is important so as I use amazon often and have confidence in their return policy, I am only going to order ones from there, which are either sold by amazon or fulfilled by amazon and yes I know that restricts my choices, but I've been looking at the following:

Monkon New Arrival Z7 Car DVR Recorder Dash Cam with Novatek 96650 Chip AR0330
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00RFMGI70

Then there are these "action cams" which I gather can be used as dash cams and offer better value overall:

DBPOWER SJ4000 Waterproof 12MP 1080P
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00J02XVYG
QUMOX @ SJ4000
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00HJMU2IW

Also I see the sj4000 is being sold by different brands and that the original one I saw on a review had "SJCAM" so would the above ones be of the same quality?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Nigel]

How about a proper dashcam designed for fit and forget until needed and with GPS so you don't have to bother setting the clock etc., still leaves room in your budget for a reasonable size memory card:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00F2GMUPU
(If you do go for that then make sure it still says "fulfilled by Amazon" when you press the buy button since if Amazon run out of stock it will change without notice.)

Any reviews of that will be a bit old now, but that means that all the issues have been sorted and the price has dropped to within your budget.

 

[xTheOldLady]

Hi Nigel, Thanks for the reply. I did look at the Mini, the dash cams from E-Prance where the first ones I looked at but may have been taken in by these action cams which offer more bells and whistles yet really I should buy a unit specific for the needs I have.

 

[Nigel]

Hi Nigel, Thanks for the reply. I did look at the Mini, the dash cams from E-Prance where the first ones I looked at but may have been taken in by these action cams which offer more bells and whistles yet really I should buy a unit specific for the needs I have.

You haven't really described your needs. If you selected that waterproof one because your vehicle is a bike then the mini is totally unsuitable!

Are you going to use it purely as an accident camera or is it going to record your holiday travels with the video edited into a family holiday movie?

Is it just to show what happened in an accident or are you paranoid about hit and run drivers so need the camera that is the very best at capturing number plates?

In some cases the type of vehicle can affect the decision, eg if you want a rear camera for a pickup truck then you don't want a wide angle lens.

Generally bells and whistles will never get used and are sometimes worse than useless!

 

[xTheOldLady]

You haven't really described your needs. If you selected that waterproof one because your vehicle is a bike then the mini is totally unsuitable!

Are you going to use it purely as an accident camera or is it going to record your holiday travels with the video edited into a family holiday movie?

Is it just to show what happened in an accident or are you paranoid about hit and run drivers so need the camera that is the very best at capturing number plates?

In some cases the type of vehicle can affect the decision, eg if you want a rear camera for a pickup truck then you don't want a wide angle lens.

Generally bells and whistles will never get used and are sometimes worse than useless!

I looked at the SJ4000 simply because after reading reviews it was said to offer very good picture quality and can be used as a dashcam, plus it has auto start/stop. But I have a car (saab saloon) and while I don't suffer from paranoia! It would be nice to have a good quality discreet dash cam that will allow me to record my journey and capture footage in-case of an accident.

Also because the action cams appear to be of good quality and in many cases are cheaper then dash cams then they looked to be good options but I don't plan on going under water anytime soon so won't need the water proof casing.

 

[russ331]

I looked at the SJ4000...

Please don't buy an SJ4000. It looks like a £400 GoPro & will make your car a target for smash & grab thieves.

Consider the £46 A118 / B40. Tiny & discreet...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00LTMN9LK

 

[Street Guardian USA]

+1 Don't buy a non stealthy big battery action camera as a full time dashcam. (get a stealthy quality dashcam with a super capacitor rather than a battery)

 

[xTheOldLady]

Russ & Piers - Thanks for the reply and advice.

Although Russ I couldn't order that one you link to as it isn't fulfilled by Amazon and for peace of mind I simply won't order from a regular seller in-case of issues returning.

But I found this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00MP59X3S
Which appears to the same item but more expensive as fulfilled by Amazon? or is that a different model?

 

[Street Guardian USA]

If you want the highest quality of that glass hugging form factor, check out the SG9665GC from @niko who is the local Street Guardian EU seller there. The Sony Exmor IMX322 sensor night quality and enhanced lens is worth the premium. Here is a comparison video so you can see what you get. The audio quality is also better

 

[russ331]

... Russ I couldn't order that one you link to as it isn't fulfilled by Amazon and for peace of mind I simply won't order from a regular seller in-case of issues returning.

But I found this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00MP59X3S
Which appears to the same item but more expensive as fulfilled by Amazon?

Yes it's the same camera.

 

[Squishy]

Get a Mini 0806. It's a great choice right now.

 

[Adzy]

Get a Mini 0806. It's a great choice right now.

These still have a lot of bugs to iron out?