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

[Zackw419]

There have been some modifications made to the main camera but no telephoto lens to my knowledge.
Your best option would be this thread: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/a139-pro-telephoto-remote-camera.47892/
Here is a thread where someone removed the IR filter from the main camera: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...ns-focus-issues-refocusing-ir-enabling.48502/

The mounting could be solved by a simple wedge put between the camera and the windshield. This would give enough space to fit the lens.

Thank you.

Any idea what type of wedge I need? I’m trying to figure out what exactly to search.

 

[Dashmellow]

Any idea what type of wedge I need? I’m trying to figure out what exactly to search.

Over the years I've often used various types of wedges for dash cam mounting purposes. You can purchase them at most hardware stores or make your own if you have some basic skills. The commercial ones are usually used for things like leveling wobbly furniture and that sort of thing and they come in various sizes and thicknesses and are made from different types of materials. Many are made of nylon or hard rubber. They can be cut, sanded and painted. They can also be stacked for increased angles.

Search for "furniture wedges" or "shims".

Amazon has a good selection.

 

[kamkar]

My buddy have a bucket of assorted wedges, they come in handy a few times with our projects.
Mind you the ones he have, very cheap ones, and i would not put a lot of weight on them, also they come in rainbow colors though i think black are excluded for some reason now i think about it.

 

[Dashmellow]

My buddy have a bucket of assorted wedges, they come in handy a few times with our projects.
Mind you the ones he have, very cheap ones, and i would not put a lot of weight on them, also they come in rainbow colors though i think black are excluded for some reason now i think about it.

Yeah, I too keep various types of wedges and wooden carpentry shims around for different projects. They come in pretty handy. Most recently I had to install a new hot water heater in the basement and used a few of them to re-level the big concrete pad the thing sits on and was glad to have a good selection to choose from.

For decades up until just last year the required state inspection sticker where I live was placed right behind the rear view mirror in vehicles which of course is the sweet spot for mounting a dash cam. This meant that dash cams had to be mounted about 6 or more inches left or right of center, so I used wedges to aim dash cams back towards to center of the road. Now with newer vehicles that have sensor housings in the middle of everything they moved the inspection sticker to the lower left corner of the windshield which is great but there's a whole new set of dash cam mounting obstacles to deal with. 🙁

Wedges are also useful for side cameras when you want to aim them a little more to the front or back.

 

[Zackw419]

I was all ready to set things up for that small back windows section (that doesn't roll down)..

but I realized the issue with the door opening- it needs slack, and in a way that wont damage the cable over time. Whats the solution to this?

I'm mainly wondering about how to set things up around the rubber weather lining around the door.

 

[joe384]

What type of window is it, do you have a photo or diagram that can explain more?

It is fairly simple to open the rotating lens holder and replace the lens. @Müller shows this well in his thread https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...ns-focus-issues-refocusing-ir-enabling.48502/

I tried it for a while with a 6mm lens as a proof of concept. I think it can work well for a front-facing camera, but I later found it too big and difficult to install on the glass for a rear camera.

Actually I think one issue having the telephoto on my A139 would be that in parking mode I'd have to have it on with the other cameras (no way to individually switch the various cameras on/off in a 3ch system)

 

[Julian23]

Actually I think one issue having the telephoto on my A139 would be that in parking mode I'd have to have it on with the other cameras (no way to individually switch the various cameras on/off in a 3ch system)

For this, there should be a setting like "channels for parking recording".
You can manually disable the interior camera with a long press of the lock button. But you need to manually enable it to record again.

 

[Dashmellow]

Actually I think one issue having the telephoto on my A139 would be that in parking mode I'd have to have it on with the other cameras (no way to individually switch the various cameras on/off in a 3ch system)

Not owning an A139, how hard would it be to simply unplug your telephoto when you park? Obviously, that would be a PITA but it could potentially be a simple solution to your problem.

Then again, why not just leave the tele running when parked? I often do that with my telephoto camera and sometimes I capture some interesting and unexpected events and there doesn't seem to be too much of a downside to keep the camera running, say if I'm off shopping somewhere or running errands.

 

[kamkar]

Indeed.
Say for instance the new Vantrue N5 system, there should be a option to select what cameras you want to use for parking guard, i could see myself just using the front & rear camera + the front in your face cabin camera, for power saving reasons )
Then again smash and grab are not as big here as it seem to be other places, there smashing rear window, reach in to flip back seat so you can also get to trunk content are quite normal.
In that case a interior camera on the back fimling forward might get a head shot of the punk leaning into your car

 

[TonyM]

Not owning an A139, how hard would it be to simply unplug your telephoto when you park? Obviously, that would be a PITA but it could potentially be a simple solution to your problem.

Then again, why not just leave the tele running when parked? I often do that with my telephoto camera and sometimes I capture some interesting and unexpected events and there doesn't seem to be too much of a downside to keep the camera running, say if I'm off shopping somewhere or running errands.

The small coax connectors are a PITA to unplug, and I doubt they would last long if you did it on a regular basis.

There is a small power consumption and bitrate overhead from running the extra channel whilst parked, but as you say, you might capture something interesting on that telephoto when parked.

 

[joe384]

Just revisting this thread, been looking at a few options:

Thinkware do a multiplexer with 2 cameras you can stick on the door. The camera format is good but 4 cameras share 1080p.

I think using A139/A139Pro Rear cameras on the fixed side windows are a decent option as the FOV is the best plus they are very discret.

That begs the question, do I run A139 front and rear + rear cams for the sides, or do I run 2 main units up front, normal front + each side, then telephoto front + rear?

Having 2 units upfront is a lot cable wise, 2 power + 3 additional camera feeds and if the telephoto is not much use in parking mode then you are wasting power and 1/3 sd card storage space

Another option I wondered is upgrading to the A229 / A229 Pro. Only because they may be better with respect to overheating... I could use the interior cams as side cams with IR turned off

 

[Ukraine Visitor]

If you have two 2-channel sets (call them "Ach1+Ach2" and "Bch1+Bch2"), with channel 1 being the dominant, higher resolution, channel, and you were in the US (driving in done on the right of the road) I'd run them Front Windshield: Ach1; Right/Passenger's side: Ach2; Back glass: Bch1; Left/Driver's side: Bch2.
This would allow for the higher resolution cams to face front and rear, while lower resolution cams face to the sides. Would also accommodate the front and driver's side on the same common video stream and SD card, coinciding with the bulk of the FOV of the driver.

 

[demolition_mango]

Any camera can be mounted anywhere. I have two Viofo A119 Mini V2 cameras as my side cameras. I use timelapse 100ms interval. This mounting isn't optimal because if the side airbags inflate, that panel would be popped off the camera would probably become a projectile. But the angles allowed by the hinge make it difficult to mount to the glass, plus I don't want to damage the antenna wire

 

[egonvdv]

check out the Vantrue E360.
360 view which gives good coverage of what's happening around the car