I think I have decided which Dash Cam to buy

I

itybitybob

New Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2
Reaction score
3
Country
United States
After a month plus of research I have decided to go with the B40-A118C. The reasons for my decision are as follows.
1. Price, I also looked long and hard at the SG9665GC but the cost was just not in my budget.
2. I live in Arizona so because of the extreme heat the Capacitor model is a must.
3. I felt I needed the screen for adjusting/programing.
5. The H264.
I checked on Amazon and on Gear buster and have found that there is more than one model/brand of this camera. Several different name brands. My question would be is there any differences between brands? Does one offer better support than another? The prices are all about the same, within a few $$. Which brand would you recommend? Should I be concerned with the latest model and updates? Do I need to be concerned about fake products? Who you do think would be the better store to buy from? I have concerns about failures with all the various Dash Cams I have researched. I hope I am making the right choice.
Also how do you all read your cards? Is there a preferred card reader? I will have to buy a card reader that I can then transfer video's into my lap top. Is there a recommended program that I should use?
I never imagined that choosing a Dash Cam would be so difficult. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
 
I'm not familiar with the B40-A118C so can't comment on it, however, if it uses micro SD cards then they generally are available with a standard SD card which they slot into, which can then be fitted into a standard SD card slot on most PCs and Macs, I use a MacBook so view the videos using VLC Media Player or QuickTime, there are a few other video players which offer more viewing options, but I think they are PC based so can't provide any info.

Please don't discount the Mobius from your decision making process, when fitted with a super capacitor it's a stunning bit of kit when used in hotter environments with video quality which is very very good. If anything it under-sells just how good it is.

As regarding fake products, the industry is rife with duds. I purchased my Mobius direct from the manufacturer in Hong Kong who had an ebay shop and it arrived 7 days from ordering, though I am based in the UK so delivery to the USA might be different. I've purchased several SD cards from my local PC World and also from Amazon, though ensured they were supplied and fulfilled by Amazon.
 
With the B40 it's pretty easy to detach the camera from the mount, and plug a USB cable into it. You can either carry it into the house, or take the camera inside. Better than trying to keep track of a tiny XD card.
 
Hi and welcome to forum !

B40 / A118-C is a good choice for starter dashcam. You can buy it and have your first dashcam experience for some time, then later it can be moved to the rear windows and for the front you can buy a SG9665GC, just to experience the next step. This way you will have a dual channel set-up ;)

I would recommend to buy A118-C locally from USA retailer, for example spytecinc. Those guys have a good feedback and are also presented here on forum ( @spytec ) and seems to be quite helpful.

You can buy MicroSD to USB 2.0 card reader and use it in your laptop to view or transfer files. Or if your laptop has SD card reader slot, and if you are buying MicroSD card, they usually come with MicroSD to SD adapters. This way you can use it via your laptop SD card reader slot.
 
dash riposki said:
With the B40 it's pretty easy to detach the camera from the mount, and plug a USB cable into it. You can either carry it into the house, or take the camera inside. Better than trying to keep track of a tiny XD card.
Click to expand...

Very good point, and is well worth mentioning that fact because it's something that is commonly overlooked until you do actually drop the micro SD card because it is so tiny, and I say this from experience when it happened to me a few weeks ago.

I spent days looking in the car, on the ground, through the house retracing my steps, till finally I noticed that it had actually flipped out of the micro SD holder on my keyring as I was sliding it out, and had fortunately dropped onto the keyboard of my other computer - but it did make me think hard about what would have happened if I dropped it as I walked away from the car!!!
 
itybitybob said:
After a month plus of research I have decided to go with the B40-A118C. The reasons for my decision are as follows.
1. Price, I also looked long and hard at the SG9665GC but the cost was just not in my budget.
Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Q:
Is the SG9665GC any better than your standard generic B40/A118 device?

A:
Here is a side by side Night Time video so you can see for yourself.
The SG9665GC might "look" like the B40/A118 from the outside but it's totally different inside. Instead of the lower cost Aptina sensor the SG9665GC uses a high end premium Sony IMX322 CMOS sensor which results in superior night performance. The all glass medium wide lens is also much sharper edge to edge resulting in a crystal clear perfectly focused image. The all metal lens housing keeps the lens from warping in high heat as well. The budget model B40/A118 lens is too wide and uses a cheap plastic lens/housing which results in an often times out of focus (heat warped) soft image. The SG9665GC has a higher spec Novatek NT96655 CPU which is more capable and has a higher heat tolerance than the B40/A118 NT96650 lower spec CPU. Let's not forget about the audio either. The microphone and sensitivity is far superior on the SG9665GC compared to the muffled B40/A118, you'll be pleasantly surprised how well audio is picked up. B40/A118 has a light grey non-stealth color adhesive pad, while the SG9665GC adhesive is stealth black and blends right in from the outside. For GPS, the B40/A118 uses a GoTop with MTK (Taiwan) chipset, ours is Ublox 7020 (Switzerland). SG9665GC Ublox: it's very stable and has great performance. It acquires GPS signal very fast whether the vehicle is moving or still. Also the GPS signal acquisition is quick when the vehicle comes out of a tunnel. GPS accuracy is very good. The craftsmanship and appearance of Ublox is better. But the cost is higher. The A118/B40 MTK GPS: newcomer in GPS tracking business,. It has worse performance in GPS signal acquisition and stability. If the vehicle comes out of a tunnel, it may take some time to reacquire the GPS signal, but of course the cost is lower. The SG9665GC is a premium product that just happens to share the same shell. Brighter clearer screen, New PCB, New Upgraded Sony Sensor, New Upgraded Higher quality Lens, All Metal Lens Housing, updated extreme temp compatible super capacitor + enhanced power supply with a longer cord, 32GB microSD card pre-installed with 64GB support, microSD/SD USB/OTG Android compatible card reader, microFiber bag, spare thicker mount for vertical windows, 3M static sticker for temp rental car installs, and more) Street Guardian is all about quality with over the top customer service and support


I'll PM you a special DashCamTalk members only discount code if that helps. If it's still over your budget at least you've done your homework and you know exactly what to expect.
 
I like the Street Guardian because it's everything that the A118C is but way better but of course double the price. I have the A118C I just got from SpyTech Via Amazon and it was a great experience. The one thing I had issues with was finding the right location to mount the dashcam. I didn't want it to be high where it would show the black dotted lines in the videos but also not to low where it couldn't clear my sunshade and wasn't able to be protected from direct sunlight. Also it had to be aimed straight and evenly as possibly which does take some effort and time but worth it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top