First Cam/Tech Challenged/Reliable/Front Rear Cams/Park Mode

[Alan W]

Hi, The more I read, the more confused I get! I need advice on which cam does it all, simple to operate and has least issues. I want to install it and forget about it until needed. Reliability and simplicity being most important, it still needs to catch all the action, parked or driving. Needs good picture quality to read license plates, don't need GPS or a screen. Small, covert desirable but least important. Thanks!

 

[MoneyT8]

You can check out the mobius or the Street Guardian. The Street Guardian has good night vision but it does have a screen but is really discrete. It's a bit pricey but worth it if you have the money. I was confused to when first starting with dashcams but I have gotten a better understanding thanks to forum and experience with my first dashcam.

 

[Alan W]

Thank you for your reply and advice. I now have another concern regarding the rear facing cam: Is there a capability to have TWO rear facing cams? It doesn't make much sense to cover only front and rear, leaving both sides open and vulnerable. If there were one cam on each A pillar facing diagonally toward the opposite sides, that, along with the front cam would provide 100% coverage exterior, and as a bonus, would cover the interior as well. ...I know, someone will advise to buy two cameras, right?

 

[kamkar]

I do have 2 cameras ( front and rear ),,,, actually i have one on the R side of my car too, but truth be told i think most situations can be handled with just 1 front camera.

As i see it the main thing the front camera do is proof that what you are doing is within the law, and so if anything happen it must be the fault of another part, or at least tilt the burden of proof to him.
Now he will maybe try to get out of it by lying, and thats when you whip out your footage to proof NO you did not run a red light, make a sudden lane change or stomp the brake or whatever the other guy claim.

My experience using the mobius as a rear camera is that it work fine in daytime - okay at night in a town with ambient light, and on a dark or barely lit road at night all you will see is darkness right up untill the car behind you start to blind the camera with its headlights.
It will more or less be the same with a top of the line camera in the rear window, i use the mobius as its stable - record okay footage, and its small cuz i have my lens mm from the vertical rear window on my little hatchback.

My personal focus is not so much on beeing able to catch licenceplates under all conditions, its a okay marker for the quality of a dashcam, but with current CMOS technology you can only expect to catch a licenceplate during daytime.

Though hit and run is on the rise here, i dont really bother too much with it as my insurance will cover my ass in that case.
And it have to be really really bad here for a accident to go to court, for the most the insurance companies just slug it out among them self.

 

[Alan W]

Kamkar, (is it mark?) so you love the 49ers so much you root for the broncos, or what?
Here in 49er country, we like the raiders too! OK, I said it, now I'm a dead man.

The side cam issue is real due to grocery cart dents where you're on your own if you can't prove it was a grocery cart on the grocery store parking lot. I also got my car keyed once, I knew who did it but couldn't prove it. It looks like there are no 3 channel cams out there, and it also looks like cams are bait for smash & grabs, so I'll stand down and watch for a while. Thanks!