Dashcam for use recording racing video?

[Hoffbug]

Hello

Ive been looking into different options for recording video( with sound) from my Chevelle when I drag race... I used to have a Hi-8 camera mounted to the rollbar that worked pretty well ( ex-wife got in the divorce).. So Ive been looking at options for replacement.. I thought about the Go-pro but they are having horrific firmware problems and I also question their quality control..

Is there a good dashcam that shoots a somewhat wide angle video with good audio?

Has the ability to record like a video camera? with Instant on and off "

Doesnt split recording into segments.

Ill be belted into the car so some sort of a remote operation for on and off would be needed....

Im not a complete technophobe.. but intuitive operation is a plus.

Thanks, Tony

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Gopro has dashcam firmware now (loop recording, auto on/off)

There are new recent Ambarella A7LA based dashcams being released now that add 60fps

 

[bn880]

Maybe consider DOD LS330W and LS430W

You can shut off loop recording, you can toggle recording on off, gives you detailed G force (discrete sensor) and 5Hz speed update (but still GPS based) info .

I also avoided the GoPro due to the unreliability, and short battery lifetime (compared to Sony, not DoD).

 

[BobDiaz]

RE: Doesnt split recording into segments.

You are asking the impossible there, because most cameras record using FAT32 file format. With FAT32, there's 4GB file limit. If the recording becomes too long, the file has to be split.

 

[bn880]

RE: Doesnt split recording into segments.

You are asking the impossible there, because most cameras record using FAT32 file format. With FAT32, there's 4GB file limit. If the recording becomes too long, the file has to be split.

Right: It's 4GB in case of the Sony action cams. But 4GB split vs 200MB split is a big difference. For drag racing, 4GB is an eternity.

 

[Quick]

Just get decent dashcam and don't worry about the rest.
Due to the application most all dashcams are wide angle.
Most will record for hours before looping (writing over the oldest segment when the SD card is full).
Turn it on when you get to the track or leave for the track. Turn it off when you're getting packed up to go home or once you get back to the garage.

There are a bunch of decent, free, software that will put your segments together on a PC. perfectly. any decent dashcam will record segments seamlessly -- when you put the segments together there is absolutely no jump in the video.

Good audio... maybe not so much. If you're drag racing you've probably got the windows up so it's not so much of a problem. If you want really good audio look for a dashcam that has a jack for an external mic.

Then get something like RaceRender which will put together multiple audio data files/inputs for something like this (road track with window down):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B69PP31KQqZUSkNMSXZTOERhSnc/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Jim Clancy]

For racing, the GoPro would be the best choice, IMHO.

Lots of digital audio recorders will give you the audio track with time code that can be overlaid. Better audio than any of these camera solutions.

 

[dashcamdude]

i use my dashcam for racing all the time.. here is one in my 996

 

[Passion 4 Pro]

Is there a good dashcam that shoots a somewhat wide angle video with good audio?

If I am right, the audio quality relates to the audio bit rate, you should check that out before you buy it.

 

[jokiin]

If I am right, the audio quality relates to the audio bit rate, you should check that out before you buy it.

microphone quality and sound card (external or built in) will have more impact than the bitrate will

 

[Quick]

microphone quality and sound card (external or built in) will have more impact than the bitrate will

As well as the physical factors -- where it's mounted, how it's mounted, etc.

They're not investing a lot of audio tech into these. Wind noise with a window down is likely to be overwhelming. Mechanically transmitted sound will be exaggerated (like engine noise, bumps and any other noise that comes through the chassis/body/windshield over what it picks up through the air. I think bitrate is going to be way way down the list.

 

[bn880]

For racing, the GoPro would be the best choice, IMHO.

Lots of digital audio recorders will give you the audio track with time code that can be overlaid. Better audio than any of these camera solutions.

The Go Pro is not a dash cam.

If you were going to get into action cams, the Sony AS30 is in some ways a better choice due to A) superb audio quality B) image stabilization C) recording length (in case you are going to run on battery) D) optical image quality superior to GoPro [however it can be very poor in forests due to compression!] E) no firmware glitches that prevent you getting a video like GoPro

The Sony on the other hand has disadvantages: being more difficult to mount, the compression in forests etc, and rattling which requires you use padding on battery and sometimes inside the camera itself, hard to see recording light.

In any case, I would DEFINITELY just just a dedicated dash-cam for recording racing as it's hassle free, date time stamped, has g force data, requires no modifications and doesn't surprise you with rattling or non-recording. And maybe consider a GoPro/Sony action cam for a drag race. However then you need another dashcam to get your car to the track and back usually, depending on if it's street legal.