dashcam with remote?

[skp]

Hi,

I am looking for a dashcam to record road trips. I was wondering if there are any good ones with a remote that I can use to trigger a photo or video recording.
In absence of a remote, I was thinking a good voice control would do. So far I have read about the Garmin 55 and 70mai with voice control.

I don't care too much about video (it has to be decent enough), but am looking for one which can take good photos as well. A remote or good voice control would help start recordings without take eye off the road.
Any recommendations? The Garmin 55 seems to fit some of requirements, but it costs a little more than what I would have hoped to spend.

Thank you advance.

 

[Nigel]

Viofo A129 has a remote, although if you take a lot of photos it may fill the memory card up rather quickly, in which case you may be better off with an action camera. The Gitup F1 action camera will take 4K photos on remote control, or start/stop video recording on remote control, rather than just locking the current 3 minute file / taking a video frame grab like a dashcam will, and is suitable for mounting on a car windscreen.

 

[SawMaster]

Welcome to DCT @skp
You should read the forums about voice command and those cameras. Some 70mai cams only recognize Chinese language input, and some folks have had problems with their 55 responding to sounds of car audio and normal conversation. Not really any problem if you travel quietly. Those are both vbattery-type cams and not suitable for use in hotter climates where super-cap cams are amuch better choice. Several cams come with a remote button to save video clips, and some have a phone app you can use similarly.

Each cam does things a bit differently so there's no clear-cut answer on how much card space this will use per event. Most cams can use a large enough card so that it won't be a problem if you DL the pics to your computer and format the card every day or two, but if you're snapping pics of everything like a tourist does you may have problems. SD cards suitable for this use have come down in price recently but sizes over 128GB are still pricey for most of us. Almost al good cams can support cards this size, and many can support larger ones too.

Picture clarity may not be what you expect in some cheaper cams, but the A119 and A129 should satisfy you as will some other dashcams costing more. Dashcams are more biased toward capturing image details than for trueness of color or lack of distortion. Action cams will give you truer pics overall, but are not generally meant for constant dashcam-type use although there are a few exceptions which do both jobs well. Details like license plates won't be as enhanced with these. The F1 and the original Mobius are good choices here, and Mobius can use super-caps or a battery. The Mobius can do very good pics with the "A" lens and some tweaking of the settings- it is still the most adjustable dash or action can ever made and is the preferred choice of many who have photography experience for that reason alone. The F1 is a much newer design and has greater resolution but isn't quite as adjustable.

All these are affordable cams and good values, but you can spend less or more depending on exactly what you want from the cam.

Phil

 

[skp]

Thank you @Nigel, @SawMaster

Your responses gave me an idea. I have an old Yi Lite action camera. I will try to make it work as a dashcam and see how it goes. I am in California, doesn't get crazy hot unless in peak summer. I primarily need this for road trips, so I will be careful not to keep it on when it gets super hot.

thanx, once again.
regards,
sk

 

[mollydog]

don’t know anything about the Yi Lite action camera, this route is another way to go,

if it”s able to be set up as a DVR (like my SJcam) then pre set everything and when you feel like capturing a view just plug the other end of the USB cable in to a USB cigarette plug and your up and recording just as if you were using a DVR (it’s like this with mine, and I only have that to go by),

I’m not sure what angle of view your Yi Lite action camera has, but you can crop out the wide angle out of your captured clips on the computer post production, It’s what I sometimes do

here’s a clip with post production crop and car sound with added music, this clip was taken/captured with a DVR though

here’s a post production clip taken with my SJcam

yes the action camera suction pad let go at the end, I was hoping to have had it running all the way over the Alps and in to Italy (around 7 miles away)

 

[skp]

Thank you. I will try the Yi Lite on a road trip in a couple of weeks and come back and update on how it performed.

cheers,
sk