Is there such thing as a side view dashcam? (For your car doors)

[TonyM]

I would base your decision on actual results with each camera rather than manufacturer's quoted FOV values which are not always accurate, or directly comparable.

 

[SawMaster]

The B1W is an excellent basic cam and IMHO nearly ideal for normal side or rear use while driving. If you want better video, you can get that in other cams but it costs more and the install will likely not be as sleek either. The A119 will certainly give better and wider vids, but the wedge design and size may not suit every situation plus it costs more and draws more power.

The perfect cam has never been built, but I'd like to see a B1W case, the Möbius reliability and flexibility, and the IQ of an A119 or SG, with a buffered parking mode and a 12V power input all together. That would be pretty close to perfect for me. I'm not holding my breath waiting....

Phil

 

[kamkar]

I have been talking with some industry people, and i am sure as soon as dual remote cameras start to sell, then quite a few of the addicted people will be picking those up to use as side cameras.
So i have been urging people to do their best with the camera bodies so there are at least a chance of using them in the side of a vehicle and still have a fairly discreet install for us guys without tinted windows.

Not sure if i have gotten thru or i might be barking up at door thats not there, i just feel if your camera aimed at Front / Rear use could be used Right / Left too, that will open up a additional market with little extra cost.

Personally i am most gravitating towards the bullet shaped cameras.
1: you should be able to turn camera body in mount to align it horizontally.
2: If the rear part with the power wire coming off could rotate 90 - 180 degrees ( wire flex inside housing ) that should make it possible to have the wire come off the housing in a stealthy way pretty much no matter the way you choose to use / install your kit.

Having the wire ( a fairly stiff wire ) come strait out of the rear, will render use as side cameras problematic at best, it is no problem for a motorcycle camera like the Innovv K2, and will probably also be just fine for Front / Rear use as Dashcam.
The issue could probably be alleviated to a large degree by using angled plugs, like on the rear DC and i assume A129 duo.

 

[SawMaster]

For a cam like the B1W, it would be easy to power it through the non-removable ring which the cam rotates in. You wouldn't have the issues that removable cams sometimes do when powered through the mount, just two brass 'wiper' type brushes and two parallel brass contact rings which let's the cam spin 360+ degrees. Something with concentric rings adjacent to that would give similar horizontal movement. You'd get full movement in every direction with maximum hiding of wiring too!

Phil

 

[TonyM]

I have been talking with some industry people, and i am sure as soon as dual remote cameras start to sell, then quite a few of the addicted people will be picking those up to use as side cameras.
So i have been urging people to do their best with the camera bodies so there are at least a chance of using them in the side of a vehicle and still have a fairly discreet install for us guys without tinted windows.

Not sure if i have gotten thru or i might be barking up at door thats not there, i just feel if your camera aimed at Front / Rear use could be used Right / Left too, that will open up a additional market with little extra cost.

I agree that the smaller size of remote cameras makes them an attractive option for side cameras. I have considered trying the A129 rear camera as a side-facing camera. The IMX291 sensor should help, since there's often no headlight or even tail-light illumination at the side of the car.

I have also thought about trying to modify one of my side-facing B1Ws so it can accommodate a Mobius C2 lens for a wider FOV.

 

[Harsh]

Going to try the wider C2 lens that came with one of my M1's. Overall, looking good!

Mounted using 40mm x 25mm x 4mm neodymium magnets. One goes under the headliner and one on the rear camera.

Didn't want to stick the magnet to the headliner's inside so made an inch thick buffer for the space between the magnet and the roof.



Packing material + masking tape



Magnet stuck to the buffer using 3M VHB tape



Magnet stuck to the rear camera using 3M VHB tape



Got too dark to click any mounting pics, will add tomorrow.


The buffer prevents the magnet from sticking to the roof and I'm able to slide the camera left or right as the inner magnet + buffer also moves on sliding the camera.

Not too thrilled about how the camera looks mounted but since the rear bench is usually unoccupied, will give it a week before I make up my mind.

 

[Dashmellow]

@Harsh, as you probably heard me say many times, of all the expereiments I've done with side cams and lenses the C2 lens on the Mobius has provided the most optimal coverage.

 

[Harsh]

 

[Dashmellow]

@Harsh, if this installation works out well in the long run then two of these cams would make a great 360˚ coverage system. The two rear cams on the sides and the two primary cams front and rear.

@viofo could market them as a package!

 

[Harsh]

@Harsh, if this installation works out well in the long run then two of these cams would make a great 360˚ coverage system. The two rear cams on the sides and the two primary cams front and rear.

@viofo could market them as a package!

Will take a little getting used to. I actually don't mind drilling a hole above the B-pillar if the lens + sensor module could be mounted flush to the cars body, like how a OEM reversing cam looks mounted.



Main camera or a similarly sized camera in the rear is what I did for more than a year with the A119S. There's no going back (at least for me) once you see the size difference side by side.

For side coverage, dual remote would be the perfect option.

 

[Harsh]

This was rather short-lived. Brought it in to mount the C2 and it's acting up again. Update coming in the relevant thread.

 

[WeedeaterDM]

@Harsh I love the magnet idea. Been using one for my GoPro for years.

Just started trying out side view options. Here is a little test clip with the Street Guardian SGGCX2

 

[Harsh]

M2 is back, with a little cable management. All three are using the same 40mm x 25mm x 4mm magnet.



I'll try the C2 on the M2. Does webcam mode work?

A129 is back up and running (pre-production unit can run only early firmwares), plan to go the telephoto route with the A129. Would be a waste if the main unit just sits on the rear seat.

 

[TonyM]

I'll try the C2 on the M2. Does webcam mode work?

A129 is back up and running (pre-production unit can run only early firmwares), plan to go the telephoto route with the A129. Would be a waste if the main unit just sits on the rear seat.

No webcam mode on the M2. You can use AV out for focus. C2 could be good for an interior view.

 

[country_hick]

I found a camera with bad reviews that if it was made right would be excellent to mount for side cam use in at least some vehicles.

Having 2 180 degree rotatable lenses in a small package that could be mounted on the cars headliner (or other central location) and aimed out each side could be an interesting solution for a pair of side cams. Maybe some day someone will make a cam comparable to this that actually works well.

 

[SawMaster]

It's like RVM cams- perfect location, perfect stealth, but nobody makes a decent one, especially with supercaps. A good idea poorly executed becomes a poor product.

Phil

 

[tonecas]

What is this, twenty questions?

OK, as you can see under my avatar I own 4 Mobius cameras. Two came from the manufacturer on eBay and two came from Banggood, as did the capacitors. (One of them was actually built from spare parts bought from Banggood and a lens module I already owned.) The whole thing is wired with two 15 foot and two 10 foot USB-A to mini-B 5 pin cables from Monoprice (two of which I have modified to eliminate the data wires). All four cables are plugged into two 4.8 amp dual port USB cigarette lighter plug adapters. (My vehicle has two 12V ports up front)

Edit: I run all four cameras in full time "parking mode" using two battery banks when away from the vehicle......lasts many, many hours.

how do you switch between powering from the car cigar lighter to the power banks? just manually detach the plugs from there to the power banks whenever you leave?

All 4 cameras finally installed.
I found the best angle was to have the side cams film the other side of the car
(ie the cam on the left films through the interior to the right).
This way the cam sees everything that's happening around the car.
(i put some velcro on the magnet to make sure it won't slide)
View attachment 28160View attachment 28161View attachment 28162View attachment 27546

that is the solution that I am thinking on using. you get total side coverage BUT there could be some lack of detail giving that the cams will be getting different lightning conditions from the view on the inside of the car and the exterior, and this can happen more in parking mode at night. and this is the main reason I want a 4CH setup, to get hold of vandals while parked.

the other major solution is to mount the side cams on the C/D pillar facing vertically to the front. this has the drawback of catching only action close to the doors.

how do you use a magnet to attach the cam to the headliner if it is made of tissue/fabric? and doesn't those powerful magnets interfere with the dash cam itself? magnets and electronics don't do well...

I got around the airbag issue by running the wire around the frame of the door to the front hinge, with enough slack to allow the door to open and close.

I had to mount the camera at the top of the rear window for 2 reasons. One, since the side windows are slightly curved, the plane is more vertical toward the bottom and slightly angled at the top. This means the maximum camera viewing angle is higher at the top than at the bottom (which is an issue with the wedge cams like the SG, which can just barely adjust high enough for a proper view when mounted as a side cam). This is why I chose to not mount the cam on the small "rear vent" window (the small triangular piece behind the main rear window). It is too small and too "vertical" to allow the SG to mount with a optimal view (lens would point down toward the ground too much even at max adjustable lens angle). Two, if you mount the camera at the bottom or middle of the window, it can't be rolled down - and you risk breaking the mount and/or the camera if the window is accidentally rolled down.

i have the same issues with air bag curtains. i guess they all deploy down vertically, and the the headliner that joins the side window frames will pop out in microseconds, so the cams need to be placed above that.

the other problem I have is passing the wires. I don't want to mess with airbags or have the wires holding the deployment of the air bags. there is that problem with the A pillar air bag where one has to turn off the key, disconnect the battery, wait about 10 minutes for fully discharge the capacitors in the car that may activate the air bag, and only then pass the wires behind the air bag plastic cover and thru the side of the air bag so to not affect its deploying. when coming to the side curtain air bags I'm not sure if there is a similar problem.



i'm also in doubt whether to use BlackVue DR750S-2CH or Thinkware F800 Pro. Or maybe both, using the Thinkware for the side coverage as it has time-lapse mode which seems great, but on the other end this brand it's bloated with that driving aid stuff that is nonsense...

remote view and access to footage is a must, and i'm happy to see that both brands have now cloud based solutions. need however an additional 4G connection (and mobile data plan) with a wireless hotspot. another thing to power up...

also, heat resistance is important as i live in a country with hot summers, and i read some people complaining that BlackVue hang-ons or gets blurred video, while Thinkware is more resilient, but could not find how can that be looking at the specs: blackvue has an operating temp of -20ºC to 70ºC (with a cut-off temp at 80ºC) while thinkware has an operating temp of -10ºC to 60ºC .

the best dash cam i could find on the market regarding this is the iRoad X9 running at -30ºC to 80ºC, but lacks cloud access and i cannot find any seller in Europe.

also some users have reported better image quality with Thinkware than with BlackVue but again i can't see how since they use the same Sony sensors :|

finally, anyone had issues with radio reception or any electronic interference whit the dash cam wires (affecting the antenna reception, for instance)?

any takes on these matters?

PS: it seems BlackVue has now time lapse also via firmware update!

 

[SawMaster]

@tonecas
You do need to be careful around airbags. You don't want a cable going across them or across a trim piece which detaches when they deploy. A body repair shop or a dealer should be able to assist here. Keep in mind that you may be able to run cables and mount cams outside the airbag areas if running them inside doesn't work. As to cams, the hardware specs are only the start. Lens and build quality can make a difference, as does how the sensor info is processed and what settings you have on the cam to adjust that. YouTube butchers vid quality, but with enough samples you can compare, and oftentimes raw footage files are posted here on DCT. Compare the actual videos, not just the specs. And yes, dashcams and their cabling can affect radio reception from mildly to greatly. Have no expectations here for each car varies and there is not a lot you can do to mitigate the problem. DAB seems to be the system with the most problems.

Do not be discouraged as this is not as complex as it may seem, and in most cases there are very good solutions available, but it can take a lot of research to find the best one.

Phil

 

[Deleted member 37895]

Will take a little getting used to. I actually don't mind drilling a hole above the B-pillar if the lens + sensor module could be mounted flush to the cars body, like how a OEM reversing cam looks mounted.

View attachment 40679

Main camera or a similarly sized camera in the rear is what I did for more than a year with the A119S. There's no going back (at least for me) once you see the size difference side by side.

For side coverage, dual remote would be the perfect option.

Don't drill your roof or pillars. That piece is structural and especially important in a rollover or side impact

Maybe you could drill your spoiler if it's plastic

 

[Harsh]

Don't drill your roof or pillars. That piece is structural and especially important in a rollover or side impact

Maybe you could drill your spoiler if it's plastic

The roof rails also look like a good candidate, could actually end up being of some use.