Decent cam that fits roughly behind review mirror

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Doc Diggler

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I'm in Northern Ontario Canada, looking at -30C to +30C of course in summer temperatures inside are much higher. I have a 2009 Hyndai Sante Fe. I have read many reviews on dash cams, more so the point of my post is finding a reputable dealer that ships to Canada to negate fakes while gaining wisdom on what i want to zero in on.

I was looking at dual channels and well, for a really good one i don't want to dump big money on my first go, so i will concentrate on a decent budget cam for the front at $100 ish and maybe a separate second one later for the back so i can catch a barbra walters look alike sliding towards my back end while shoving what looked liked 1/3 of a banana into her yap so she could use 2 hands instead of one just for haha's or something more serious. But for now the front is the most important.

Again looking for reputable resellers that ship to or are in Canada. I was looking at the Gw1-h...cc..hcc...hhhbb well you get the jist, but they looked as they protruded well below the rear view mirror mounted, i was looking at the a118 wedge (sorry if my models are off) and that looked fairly discrete from the inside.

Anyway new here been reading for a bit, i see there is a good community so I know I'm in good hands for advice.

Thanks
 
I'd like to recommend the Panorama G. I've shipped plenty to Canada, all happy customers. Nothing beats the Panorama for extreme hot/cold temps.

nBhFP47.jpg


The budget cams won't be nearly as reliable for long term extreme temp fluctuations. If you want to be confident you're recording every time, all the time might want to bump the budget up a touch.
 
Pier28 said:
I'd like to recommend the Panorama G. I've shipped plenty to Canada, all happy customers. Nothing beats the Panorama for extreme hot/cold temps.

nBhFP47.jpg


The budget cams won't be nearly as reliable for long term extreme temp fluctuations. If you want to be confident you're recording every time, all the time might want to bump the budget up a touch.
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Agreed, i was drooling over the well, I'll call them the pamII dual channie's, but I' will defiantly take your advice. That looks nice and discrete. Its late for me so I'll take a better gander tomorrow thanks.
 
Pier28 said:
I'd like to recommend the Panorama G. I've shipped plenty to Canada, all happy customers. Nothing beats the Panorama for extreme hot/cold temps.

nBhFP47.jpg


The budget cams won't be nearly as reliable for long term extreme temp fluctuations. If you want to be confident you're recording every time, all the time might want to bump the budget up a touch.
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That looks huge compared to the mini 0806! If size is an issue:

Mini0806.jpg


-30 C is a bit extreme for any camera and well below the specification for the mini 0805/0806 but I have heard that they work at -27 C.
 
Doc Diggler said:
...i will concentrate on a decent budget cam for the front at $100...
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In view of your extreme climate I would avoid any camera that contains a LiPo battery. Available cameras with capacitors in the sub $100 bracket are the A118C, G1W-C & Mobius (capacitor kit $6 at Banggood).

Another option is the SJCAM M10. It has a LiPo battery, which can be removed in seconds. No capacitor option. Unlike most cameras, with battery removed it will save the last file being recorded when external power is cut. You lose the date / time stamp, but that's not essential.
 
Probably worth adding the Transcend DrivePro 200 to the list of cameras with capacitors - I didn't get on well with the standard mount but that's resolvable these days.

Nothing above matches the parking mode of the Panorama though which is where the extra cost starts to show it's worth from that point of view. Likewise dusk or dawn the Panorama will give a superior picture as they are tricky times of day for dashcams and a lot of that is down to the Sony sensor they use.

Look around the forum and you'll see that no camera available today is perfect - the latest Mobius cameras have issues starting from freezing temps, the Mini cameras have problems with sitting in the car on hot days due to the battery and they're producing a parking mode kit for the 0806 but how it handles sitting in a hot car on hot days is anyones guess right now. In previous models the battery has just burst and the new one uses the same type of battery. Buying a G1W is a lottery - you could get some that would last nicely like @petepete or you could get one that will last a few months and will lose focus every time the sun comes out.

I have had an A118 here and the daytime video is fantastic and up there with the best cameras I've had - the night video though was very dark but on the newer firmwares that is supposed to be improved. It's in the father-in-law's car now so I'll have to upgrade it and see how it performs. If you've got the dark strip along the top of the window the A118 and SG7LA60 type cameras definitely hide up there very well.

To get one of the best night performers you would currently want the older style Panorama 2S with an old firmware which has the purple tinge - nothing else out there currently matches that - the newer versions have gone for darker albeit cleaner video.

You'd probably be happy with any of the above but before you purchase anything make sure to check the raw footage from each of the cameras you're interested in - they may look very similar in Youtube comparisons but it's a very different story when you're watching the raw 1080p streams.

The Panorama G just sits there and works every time without fail. The 0806 isn't far off but it's the battery that's going to upset the apple cart in the constant extreme cold over there.

I've got to admit I've already recommended both of the above to lots of people and I love the Mobius cameras and I definitely wouldn't have put the A118 in the father in law's car if I didn't think he'd love it - he only drives in the day which helps though :D
 
The -30C operating temperature is extreme. The only camera that has that low of a operating temperature specification is the Transcend DrivePro 200. Lukas is also well known for handling extreme temperatures (-20C to 80C). Those are your best bets for those conditions.
 
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Doc Diggler said:
Agreed, i was drooling over the well, I'll call them the pamII dual channie's, but I' will defiantly take your advice. That looks nice and discrete. Its late for me so I'll take a better gander tomorrow thanks.
Click to expand...

After more recommendations, I believe he will get confused which one to buy after wake up tomorrow. ;)
 
RockThinking said:
After more recommendations, I believe he will get confused which one to buy after wake up tomorrow. ;)
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Yea the old eyeballs are definitely getting a workout, but appreciating the feedback greatly.

As far as the extreme -30c, Id most likely be taking it out of the car on them bad days (lord knows my wife won't), or ensuring that the car has warmed up enough before putting power to the camera. I gotta pop off my fuse panel and see what im dealing with for hardwiring, watched a video, seems simple enough.

Now looking at spending a couple hundred now for some reliability, and sure in the next few days I'll be springing for the pricey dual channie set up :) nahh, not yet.
 
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Doc Diggler said:
Now looking at spending a couple hundred now for some reliability, and sure in the next few days I'll be springing for the pricey dual channie set up :) nahh, not yet.
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Get your Eye Open to find a right one.;)

Dual channel cam, I'd suggest you can wait for few months to see more options if you are not urgent need.
2015 is year of dual lens cam.
 
Well, I've been eyeballing the Street Guardian (SG9665GM), I like how it hugs the window, and seems decent enough to serve its purpose although I didn't notice its operating temperature ranges. Its possible that I may have just missed it. Our Canadian dollar is sucking pretty bad right now, so those higher end cameras take a real jump when I switch over currency.

Any final words of advice would be appreciated before I make my final decision or indecision.

Thanks
 
Doc Diggler said:
Well, I've been eyeballing the Street Guardian (SG9665GM), I like how it hugs the window, and seems decent enough to serve its purpose although I didn't notice its operating temperature ranges. Its possible that I may have just missed it. Our Canadian dollar is sucking pretty bad right now, so those higher end cameras take a real jump when I switch over currency.

Any final words of advice would be appreciated before I make my final decision or indecision.

Thanks
Click to expand...

You'll be happy with the SG9665GM in the Great White North. We haven't had any problems pretty rock solid, and latest firmware has excellent night performance. Excellent glass hugging design.
 
Doc Diggler said:
Well, I've been eyeballing the Street Guardian (SG9665GM), I like how it hugs the window, and seems decent enough to serve its purpose although I didn't notice its operating temperature ranges. Its possible that I may have just missed it. Our Canadian dollar is sucking pretty bad right now, so those higher end cameras take a real jump when I switch over currency.

Any final words of advice would be appreciated before I make my final decision or indecision.

Thanks
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I have the SG9665GM and have it mounted in the dotted area of my windshield. Unless you are actually looking for it, you would have a difficult time seeing the camera. I have had absolutely zero problems with this camera. To my untrained eye, the video is outstanding, clear, sharp and seems to be always focused. Actually, sight unseen, I plan on upgrading to the new version when it comes out, and putting my camera in my wife's car. I purchased from @Pier28 and it is manufactured by @jokiin. In my opinion you will not find any support stronger or more timely, than you will get from these two.
 
Pier28 said:
You'll be happy with the SG9665GM in the Great White North. We haven't had any problems pretty rock solid, and latest firmware has excellent night performance. Excellent glass hugging design.
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There is a recent firmware update?

jokiin said:
Thanks for the kind words
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The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is.....Winston Churchill
 
I got one of these in the father-in-law to be's car for Christmas, he didn't have the black dots at the top of the screen but it wasn't an issue - his jaw hit the floor when he saw the performance of it too.

IMG_2702.JPG
 
reverend said:
I got one of these in the father-in-law to be's car for Christmas, he didn't have the black dots at the top of the screen but it wasn't an issue - his jaw hit the floor when he saw the performance of it too.

View attachment 10736
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That is where I have mine, except as stated I have those black dots in that area. Of course, my steering wheel is on the other side so I mounted mine exactly like yours, so that I can easily get the MicroSd card out. This is one great camera :)
 
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