Hi I'm new to the forum, asking for some advice on what would be the best dashcam for me. I have a quite a specific list of requirements, and also certain features I couldn't care less about.
Background: I'm an experienced driver with a mid-size hatchback in the UK.
Budget: no budget constraints but obviously don't want to spend more than I need to or pay lots for features I won't use. I will be wiring the dashcam into the cars power and ignition myself, I am experienced with car electrics.
MUST HAVE FEATURES:
FEATURES I DON'T CARE ABOUT
OTHER:
I realise that is a lot of 'must haves' but if you could suggest something that meets as many of my requirements as possible it would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Background: I'm an experienced driver with a mid-size hatchback in the UK.
Budget: no budget constraints but obviously don't want to spend more than I need to or pay lots for features I won't use. I will be wiring the dashcam into the cars power and ignition myself, I am experienced with car electrics.
MUST HAVE FEATURES:
- Rear camera. By this I mean a separate unit that attaches to rear window, NOT a rear-facing camera on the unit attached to the front screen. Preferably this rear unit would have a WIRED connection to the front unit (there can be separate connections for power, don't mind), and videos from both front and rear units should be recorded on a single microSD card inserted into the front unit.
- Large microSD capacity. I don't care if a microSD is included with the purchase, but the unit must support large capacity cards, definitely 64GB+, preferably 256+GB capacity.
- Automatic recording. The dashcam must start recording automatically as soon as the ignition is turned on (obviously this will require a connection to the ignition circuit as well as constant power, not a problem).
- Parking protection. Camera must auto-activate upon motion or shock while ignition is off (obviously will require constant power source, not a problem). Preferably this would also apply to the rear camera but not an absolute must. OR the unit(s) could just record a continuous time-lapse while parked, that would be fine instead.
- LCD screen. Front unit must have a screen, I don't want to have to use my phone to view videos quickly. Don't care about the size of the screen or if its a touch-screen. Rear unit does not need its own screen but there should be an option to see the view from the rear camera on the screen on the front unit.
- Camera quality. Both cameras must record at minimum 1080p at 30fps (60fps preferred) with HDR and with excellent night viewing quality.
- Viewing angle. Field of view for the front camera MUST be 160 degrees or greater. Ideally 180 degrees.
- Secure attachment to screen. Some dashcams apparently fall off the windscreen often, I want something that is securely attached, method of attachment doesn't matter, once the dashcam is in place it will likely never be removed. Likewise for rear camera.
- Reliability. I need something that will work every time for many years.
- Time/date on video. The time/date must appear on the video, the filename of the video files must also relate to the time/date they were recorded.
- Availability. Must be available from a distributor or reseller within the EU (preferably within the UK).
FEATURES I DON'T CARE ABOUT
- Looks/discreteness/aesthetics: Don't care how it looks or how big or how discrete it is.
- Inbuilt battery capacity: I will be wiring the unit permanently into the cars power so capacity of internal battery not important.
- Internal memory: I will be using microSD cards for storing video so internal memory capacity not important.
- Wifi/cloud storage. I will not use these features, MUST be able to turn them off if the features are included. I do NOT want my footage uploaded to the cloud EVER.
- Lane change warning, close to car in front warning. As above, these will not be used and MUST be possible to disable them.
- GPS. Having the unit stamp the GPS location on each video would be preferred but is not a must. If the speed is added to the video this should come with an option to disable.
- Upcoming speed camera warning. My satnav does this already so not needed.
- Audio recording: Preferably the device will record audio but don't really care about the quality.
OTHER:
- Temperature. I've seen some reviews make a dig deal about temperature ranges. I live in the UK so the possible temperature range inside my car is -10 to +40 degrees celsius.
I realise that is a lot of 'must haves' but if you could suggest something that meets as many of my requirements as possible it would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
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