Decent HD DashCam for around £70

[kiteboy]

Hi all
Recently been involved in a head on crash with my missus new car
Other driver was totally at fault as he hit kerb on his side of road and came across into oncomming traffic and took out car in front of me and then me

Was a hell of a hit and scared the hell out of me especially as my 7month old baby was in the car - couldnt do anything about it - was so quick 100mph combined speed is my guess

Hes apparently admitted fault to police and they have..... last I heard charged him with driving with undue care and attention

No idea how insurance is going to go however so decided its time to buy a dash cam for sure to get these things recorded
I dont want to spend too much though about £70 at most

Ive done a little research and initially I was looking at the GW1 on amazon ......Im now more leaning towards the Mini 0803

Good choice??? any other recommendations - this is a whole new world so apologies for noob question

Thanks

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Sorry to hear about the wreck, wake up call to get a DashCam for sure.

The GW1 and Mini 0802 might seem ok the first month but long term reliability is questionable. If you check out the GWX and 0803 section for example, you'll see a lot of problems and complaints on the first page alone. If they were reliable we would sell them, but I'd be nervous to warranty something with such a fragmented factory source list and non-QA.

So yes it's DashCam soup when trying to choose online. Just remember, those other low budget options might seem ok the first month but might fail at the moment of truth when you need that video recording the most. How are you supposed to prove who was at fault if your low budget non-QA cam failed to record? GWX/0803 is a good "starter cam" if you're ready to spend money on an upgrade in the near future.

 

[John_PY]

Sorry to hear about your crash.

I wouldn't waste £70 on a dash cam. i would go a little higher and get a decent cam. a £70 might seem like a reasonable price, but I have had trouble with that range of camera.
Buy once, buy well and buy from a good source.

I recently got a Panorama. £120 i think it works out at. but well worth it.

 

[Nigel]

If you check out the GWX and 0803 section for example, you'll see a lot of problems and complaints on the first page alone.

Isn't that true of all dashcams, people tend to post when they have problems, few post when they have success. Some can solve problems by doing a search for previous posts but with the 0803 being new that doesn't work so well at present.

The GW1 and Mini 0802 might seem ok at first month but long term reliability is questionable.

With a new camera the long term reliability is always going to be questionable as it has not been proven. Just means that we don't know if it will last 6 months or 6 years. I suspect that 6 years is more likely for both although the 0803 seems to be rather more solidly built than the GW1. I've not noticed that the more expensive cameras definitely last longer, in fact many of the most expensive are a generation of hardware behind and both quality and reliability have been improving rapidly over the last few years.

Can you say that a Panorama dashcam will still be working properly in 10 years time? Doesn't take long to find problems on the first page of the section:
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/another-broken-unit.7058
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/camera-out-of-focus-when-i-needed-it-most.6919
.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Anything is possible with Electronics. I triple QA every Panorama we send out. That problem listed was from the local Korean international ebay seller & older stock. We actually sold that guy a new unit, and he is happy now. The Panorama is currently the "Best All Around" on the front page of DashCamTalk. We don't expect people to use the same DashCam for 6 years, but it should be dependable for at least 6 months. We warranty 1 year. The problems I'm seeing on the 080X/GWX threads is the unit stops recording or freezes at random. The Panorama either works or it doesn't. It has a very low RMA, but again anything is possible with electronics, and forums amplify any and all problems as you said.

 

[Nigel]

Ive done a little research and initially I was looking at the GW1 on amazon ......Im now more leaning towards the Mini 0803

Good choice???

They both seem to be well liked by most owners. I have the 0803 and would miss not having the GPS and it does appear to be rather better built that the GW1 - eg lens screwed in place instead of sticky taped and no heat related focus issues, plus with nearly twice the data rate it should be capturing nearly twice the detail in it's images.

 

[Nigel]

Anything is possible with Electronics. I triple QA every Panorama we send out. That problem listed was from the local Korean international ebay seller & older stock. We actually sold that guy a new unit, and he is happy now. The Panorama is currently the "Best All Around" on the front page of DashCamTalk. We don't expect people to use the same DashCam for 6 years, but it should be dependable for at least 6 months. We warranty 1 year. The problems I'm seeing on the 080X/GWX threads is the unit stops recording or freezes at random. The Panorama either works or it doesn't. It has a very low RMA, but again anything is possible with electronics, and forums amplify any and all problems as you said.

My 0803 has been in use since June and has never frozen, it did stop recording once, but that was due to the memory card being removed while it was still writing! I imagine most owners have the same experience and now the mount has been improved hopefully everyone will. It does seem to be essentially 100% reliable unless you have a faulty unit, that wasn't the case with past generations of cheapish dashcams.

Personally I do want my dashcam to work for 6 years, I would be very disappointed if it only lasted 1 year! Technology does keep advancing but the 0803 does perform its function decently so I can imagine buying it a new battery in 6 years time.

"The Panorama either works or it doesn't. It has a very low RMA" - higher or lower than the 0803? I find it very hard to judge since I get the impression that the 0803 is selling in large numbers, part of the reason for quite a few problem posts.

 

[jokiin]

there have been a lot more Panorama cameras produced than the 0801/0803 cameras

your 0803 won't stay working for 6 years, expect around 2 maybe and it will need a new battery, that's the same for any camera with a battery so you are not alone, a replacement should only cost a few dollars and maybe 10 or 15 minutes of your time to replace once that happens though

 

[GJHS]

@kiteboy you can't go wrong with the Mobius for your budget. Look through the threads and you will find very few problems and very happy owners. The reliability is great and the video is sharp. Another good thing is the developer made approved sellers so you know you're getting the real thing from the original factory The mini 0803 and G1w performance will vary depending on which one you get from which factory with which components.

If you don't mind spending a bit more, the Panoramas can't be beat. You will get a higher level of performance with that camera for sure and you will get your money's worth.

And yes you won't get 6 years out of most cameras, yet when you see most of the posts coming from the 0803 with problems, it's best to steer clear. I waited so long for the mini 0801 to become reliable and it never did. I am hoping the 0803 will be one day.

 

[Dashmellow]

6 years from now, even if it were still working, a dash cam would likely be excruciatingly obsolete. Six years ago I was shooting with a Panasonic miniDV camcorder which in fact, became my first "dash cam". Today, it sits unused in a closet. Six years from now today's technology will likely be joining that camcorder, assuming it is still functioning.

 

[kiteboy]

Wow thanks guys - I didnt expect so many responses - Will look at the panorama and mobius then. I would like it to last more than a year thats for sure. I did toy at one point with mounting a tablet and setting tasker to record when on the move but would just be a pain too take in and out all the time - where are the places to buy from Ive heard of foxy something - any others that are reliable and deliver to the uk???

 

[russ331]

I also recommend Mobius. I've used one on a daily basis for 11 months with no problems. It's been on sale for 14 months, & is well proven, with regular Firmware improvements continuing to come from it's Developer.

You can buy one for only £41 from Eletoponline365 ... the World's biggest seller of Mobius. Similar price from Banggood's UK Warehouse. Also available in the UK from JooVuu & Webbex & Amazon.

Review...

You won't believe how small Mobius is until you hold one...



Which is perfect for a discreet installation. It's unlikely to be stolen, as it's near invisible from outside the car.

If you eventually replace it, it'll still serve you well as a rear screen cam, bicycle cam, motorcycle cam, scuba cam, pet cam, web cam, rc model cam, hat cam, helmet cam, home security cam ... so many uses.

 

[Dashmellow]

I agree with Russ. There is certainly good reason that the Mobius gets recommended so often as it is an extremely versatile and downright fun camera, especially if you like to tinker a bit with settings, firmware upgrades or hardware. My first Mobius had a vexing problem where it would stop working all of a sudden and just as mysteriously start up again. It took a bit of troubleshooting to learn that the mini USB port on the camera had a hairline crack. (perhaps self inflicted from some unintentional yank on the cable). The wonderful thing about the Mobius though was that instead of having to throw the camera in the bin and buy a new one, I was able to purchase a new circuit board and put the camera back into service. Later I added a wide angle lens module and replaced the internal battery with a super-capacitor. Since then I marvel at what an incredibly reliable workhorse the camera has become as it lives happily in my vehicle (rearview) through the coldest Winter and hottest Summer temps and endures a lot of shock and vibration on the rural dirt and gravel mountain road I live on. As I have been very busy it had been over a month since I last took the time to review the video on the card in the camera to make sure all was in good working order so yesterday I finally got around to it. Sure enough all the clips were there reliably looping themselves with great video quality as I've come to expect.