Garmin Dash Cam 65W

lacibaci

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There is a new "wide lens" dash cam from Garmin:
Garmin Dash Cam™ 65W
1080p with 180-degree field of view:
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/587334

Hardware appears to be the same as 55 with the exception of wider lens.
 
The 65W has the same camera specs as the 45, not the 55. 1080p/2.1MP instead of 1440p/3.7MP. That's kind of a bummer with the increased FOV and price.

And apparently the 65W has voice control which the 45 does not.
 
The 65W has the same camera specs as the 45, not the 55. 1080p/2.1MP instead of 1440p/3.7MP. That's kind of a bummer with the increased FOV and price.

And apparently the 65W has voice control which the 45 does not.
The resolution is a bummer. Thanks for the correction.
 
2017-05-10_12-52-22.jpg
:confused: Is this an actioncam or dashcam? Batteries should be avoided in dashcam products if you plan to leave them installed all summer.
 
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:confused: Is this an actioncam or dashcam? Batteries should be avoided in dashcam products if you plan to leave them installed all summer.
Truth to be told no dash cam, capacitor or not can handle temperatures installed on the windshield all summer. Garmin's mount at least makes is easy to remove it and reattach whether it is to protect from the weather or thieves.
 
I can't imagine taking my dashcam down every time I drive/park/drive. (not practical) I can see how some might be forced to if they park on a dangerous city street etc but still.
 
Truth to be told no dash cam, capacitor or not can handle temperatures installed on the windshield all summer. Garmin's mount at least makes is easy to remove it and reattach whether it is to protect from the weather or thieves.

Truth be told many people leave their cameras mounted and have no problems. Maybe in the most extreme climates, but not where most of us are, and that includes upstate SC USA where summers are always hot and long. Even my G1W-C coped well spending every day in a dark-colored tightly closed car without shade, although the heat of the car fire was more than it could survive through :rolleyes:

Phil
 
I can't imagine taking my dashcam down every time I drive/park/drive. (not practical) I can see how some might be forced to if they park on a dangerous city street etc but still.

I only use my Garmin occasionally .. and take it off if my Car will be parked for any length of time .. say, longer than 1/2 hour shopping .. easy to pull off and put in console. I leave the wires attached.

I do the same with Dash Cam. I always lock the Car with remote, but always double check.
I know I will eventually forget to lock it .. and worry I'll come back and GPS and/or Dash Cam will be gone.
Too easy to open the door and take them. Better out of temptations view.
I've only just got it .. and it is Winter. Wouldn't want to leave it in the heat/direct Sun, either.

It would be great to have the GPS and Dash Cam all in the one unit .. or is the problem .. the best place for the GPS .. is not the best place for the Dash Cam. eg. GPS low close to Dashboard .. Camera high behind Rear View Mirror. They will probably end up separate installations
 
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I only use my Garmin occasionally .. and take it off if my Car will be parked for any length of time .. say, longer than 1/2 hour shopping .. easy to pull off and put in console. I leave the wires attached.

I do the same with Dash Cam. I always lock the Car with remote, but always double check.
I know I will eventually forget to lock it .. and worry I'll come back and GPS and/or Dash Cam will be gone.
Too easy to open the door and take them. Better out of temptations view.
I've only just got it .. and it is Winter. Wouldn't want to leave it in the heat/direct Sun, either.

It would be great to have the GPS and Dash Cam all in the one unit .. or is the problem .. the best place for the GPS .. is not the best place for the Dash Cam. eg. GPS low close to Dashboard .. Camera high behind Rear View Mirror. They will probably end up separate installations

No one is going to break into a car to steal a dash cam, they aren't worth anything because no one wants them in America.

Direct sun isn't an issue if you mount the dash cam close to the top of the windshield
 
I just bought one to replace my Garmin 35 which has a dead battery (the final video segment when it loses power ends up disappearing from the SD card). I also wanted a wider angle to capture vehicles to the side. I had it mounted to the windshield but I didn't like how the A pillars block the side view, so I tried strapping it to the passenger headrest with a tightening strap from REI... It works great in this location with plenty of coverage to the front and sides

Here is a sample video going through an intersection and then driving at about 35mph
 
Each 1 minute video is 80MB, whereas with the 35 it was 60MB so it's about 10mbps
 
Here is a video mounted on the windshield. As you can see the reflections from the A pillars and the mirror really obstruct the view. That's the best place I could find to mount it too, as any further forward and it would be in direct sun
 
@jackalopephoto That centralized interior view looks great- I've several 'car crash' vids where similar mounting was used and it shows much more of the action although there seems to be some loss of finer details at distance such as license plates. It might be a more ideal cam location than in the windshield, I dunno- after all everything us a compromise of sorts :rolleyes: After having seen all the possibilities I'm now convinced that there's no real need to have the cam as close as possible to the windshield, and as far as heat and dashboard reflections go that is probably the worst possible place for a dashcam :eek:

Thanks for bringing us another Garmin to look at. I see a great future for them in dashcams; I think they're getting closer to the bulls-eye than many other more-established cam makers are (y) My only real 'beef' with them is that voice-command should always be switchable. And I'd like to see them create a member-presence here on DCT :D

Phil
 
By the way the
@jackalopephoto That centralized interior view looks great- I've several 'car crash' vids where similar mounting was used and it shows much more of the action although there seems to be some loss of finer details at distance such as license plates. It might be a more ideal cam location than in the windshield, I dunno- after all everything us a compromise of sorts :rolleyes: After having seen all the possibilities I'm now convinced that there's no real need to have the cam as close as possible to the windshield, and as far as heat and dashboard reflections go that is probably the worst possible place for a dashcam :eek:

Thanks for bringing us another Garmin to look at. I see a great future for them in dashcams; I think they're getting closer to the bulls-eye than many other more-established cam makers are (y) My only real 'beef' with them is that voice-command should always be switchable. And I'd like to see them create a member-presence here on DCT :D

Phil

Yes for some reason the reflections seem to not matter as much with the camera on the headrest. With some cameras your exposure gets too bright but the wide angle of the 65W lets in light from the side windows so it's fine

You can turn off voice commands. I turned off voice control and all the annoying warnings the camera does https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/web...UID-AF15BF07-57F6-4271-943C-107B88C0AEA0.html
 
Here is a video from this morning with total cloud cover so you can see how it works with less light.
Note that the cars on side streets are visible

I'm going to try adding little plastic lens hoods to the top and bottom to reduce how many bytes it wastes on the car interior. Or maybe a mirror mounted to the car ceiling to capture the rear view... I currently use a 35 mounted under the middle rear headrest pointing through the back window (that one has a working battery because it's not in direct sun)
 
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Looks great but what happens if you have a passenger? :)
 
It works great in this location with plenty of coverage to the front and sides

Nice! In this orientation are you able to capture the license plate numbers of the cars in the front and on the side?
 
Nice! In this orientation are you able to capture the license plate numbers of the cars in the front and on the side?

No, unless the vehicle is stationary relative to the camera. For example on the highway at equal speed you can read a plate, or stopped at a light
 
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