my 2nd time with dash cams and I can't decide...

[Gil]

Hi all.

Two years ago I purchased a crappy dual dash cam that I installed myself using power magic.
I wasn't able to get the camera to trigger properly in parking mode and I wasn't sure how to correctly configure power magic to cut off the power when needed.
That was with my old car which I still own and about to sell, probably with the dash cam.

This time, I own a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander and I'm not too sure I want to install the dash cam + power magic by myself, however that's a separate issue.

My main issue is that after reading a lot (again) on the new breed of dash cams and dual channels, I realized I'm entering a world of pain

I hope to get some of my questions sorted out to help me choose the right one, given I'll probably compromise on some attributes I'm after.
So here goes:
1. Has to be dual channel
2. preferably front lens is wide angle
3. preferably front cam is higher than 1080p
4. rear cam at least 1080p
5. bit rate on both cams should be high enough to provide good to excellent details on day time
6. good quality on both cams on night time
7. has collusion sensor to lock the file from deletion (G-sensor)
8. has loop record
9. can withstand the heat of Sydney summer
10. ideally small in size (but couldn't find something like that)
11. unlike my previous dash cam, the new one must be reliable enough to not present random video pause
12. has parking mode - the camera won't turn off immediately, and it will record when motion is detected

I guess this is it for now. I'm sure this dash cam doesn't exist but I'm hoping for the closest one.
I started to lean towards https://dashcamtalk.com/blackvue-dr750lw-2ch/
but I'm also thinking about the Street Guardian http://hiniko.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=274

Appreciate your help!

 

[russ331]

I suggest the Panorama X2 or Thinkware F750. Better still, forget about dual channel solutions & enjoy more choice with two single channel DashCams.

 

[Gil]

I thought about this but what happens is that you need to operate each camera and I will need to repurchase power magic with dual connection.

 

[abarth]

I have 2X single channel cameras hooked up to one battery discharge prevention device. just need a splitter. you'll need 2X memory cards but they're pretty inexpensive these days.

 

[ThePro]

Panorama X2 is the way to go.

 

[Gil]

According to the review of the X2:
"Also, the firmware is still not fully mature but has improved since the camera was released (stability is still an issue as of April 2015). We are hoping the focus issue has been corrected (have not confirmed yet) as well."

 

[abarth]

I wouldn't buy the X2 in its current state. good hardware but very, very buggy firmware.

I'll go ahead and echo the recommendation for 2X single channel cams. it's your more reliable choice at the moment.

 

[niko]

X2 has some firmware issues mostly related to the status when in parking mode car battery recovers from "sleep", then X2 may get locked / frozen. This is solved with additional external BDP but its extra expence. Also it works better with fat32 format and requires manual cards formatting recommended once per week. Of course all this adds additional inconveniences but thats the only way at this stage.
Unfortunatelly at the moment there are no fully bullet-proof 2ch 1080p systems out there with high video quality. They all have some bugs.

 

[Witness Auto Dash Cam]

After review all of your demand. If you would like to buy a blackvue, there may have some problem occurred.
1. Has to be dual channel (okay with BV)
2. preferably front lens is wide angle (okay)
3. preferably front cam is higher than 1080p (okay)
4. read cam at least 1080p (okay)
5. bit rate on both cams should be high enough to provide good to excellent details on day time (okay)
6. good quality on both cams on night time (kind of 50/50, sometime, many review and youtube videos show the videos are blurred after several hours recording but you can choose not to believe)
7. has collusion sensor to lock the file from deletion (G-sensor) (okay)
8. has loop record (okay)
9. can withstand the heat of Sydney summer (not possible to work for the hot weather in Sydney, because in current market there are many problems about overheat related to this brand)
10. ideally small in size (but couldn't find something like that) (definitely is small)
11. unlike my previous dash cam, the new one must be reliable enough to not present random video pause (fine)
12. has parking mode - the camera won't turn off immediately, and it will record when motion is detected (okay)

I would recommend you the thinkware, street guardian, lukas or mini080x series. First we are a distributor of Lukas Dash Cameras. However you may not believe the retailers for selling their brand. Here we would like to tell you if you don't mind for the price and size, you can go find Lukas and Thinkware. Thinkware and Lukas are both the best in the Korean market comparing with the other brand. Of course there is more brand you can search for and they can solve many of the problems. They can mostly meet your demand except for the price and size, and just stick with 1080 p for front and rear cams. This is another one you can choose, just a neutral comment.

Where you can find the SG and mini series will be reasonable in price and the size you want. They are one of the best too. Their video quality is very good, and same, both working very good with the g sensor, motion detector. They all have it own design style, some of them are in smaller size which is cool and may suit your demand for a smaller cam. Not like the other brand, they have different type of dash cameras. Such as Mirror cam, tiny dash cameras for a back up camera too etc. Their cameras will be more easy for functioning where many customers would like to play and customized their cameras. These are their hobbies.

 

[Daleg]

I've got the Lukas 7900 ACE (2 single cams) running off of one power magic and have been very pleased so far.

 

[Gil]

very interesting stuff...
so quickly run me through the down side of running 2x single channel cams beside the fact you need 2x memory cards.
I don't have experience with this configuration, therefore I'm interested to learn what are the pain points you may have by running this configuration.

 

[niko]

very interesting stuff...
so quickly run me through the down side of running 2x single channel cams beside the fact you need 2x memory cards.
I don't have experience with this configuration, therefore I'm interested to learn what are the pain points you may have by running this configuration.

At the moment 2 single dashcams is better solution than one 2ch if you looking for best video quality.

 

[Daleg]

I have not found a downside so far. I format my memory cards when I fill up for gas, which involves me pushing the format button on the front and rear camera. It literally take about 3 seconds for each camera. I'm not that busy. No downside there.
* I get 1080p HD with the front cam and 1080p HD on the rear cam, most dual cams I've seen have lower resolution for the rear cam, so 2 single cams work better for video quality. No downside there.
* I use 2 memory cards instead of one...no big deal to me. Memory cards are reasonably priced, so much so that I keep a couple of spares in the console as back ups...no downside there.
* If one camera goes down, I can take it out and send it for repair. If I have a 2 camera system I might have to take the whole system out...not sure because I don't have the dual...but definitely no downside there for me at all.
* I cant download both front and rear video from one card to my computer at the same time,, I have to insert a card from each into my PC, download and take it out, and repeat for the second camera. Doesn't take too much time and isnt a hassle at all... so no downside there.
* I don't get the rear cam and front cam in one video (picture in picture) when I download...but I can use a free editor and make that happen easily enough...so no downside there.
* I had to run the rear camera cable to the front of the vehicle thru the trim to connect it to a single power magic...cable was plenty long...and with a dual system, you still have to run the cable...so no downside there.
* I had to buy an extra mini fuse piggy back for the second camera. It took 1 minute to install and cost me 3 bucks. No downside for me there.
* Overall cost was a little cheaper, better quality video for the rear camera, so no downside there.

As I don't have a dual system, I'm sure I'm missing some advantage's that dual systems have over using 2 single cameras...maybe I just don't know what I'm missing...so hopefully others that do have dual systems can chime in so you can get a broader view of this vs that. Either way, I'm pretty happy with my 2 single cameras so far.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

I started to lean towards https://dashcamtalk.com/blackvue-dr750lw-2ch/
but I'm also thinking about the Street Guardian http://hiniko.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=274

Appreciate your help!

 

[Daleg]

I started to lean towards https://dashcamtalk.com/blackvue-dr750lw-2ch/
but I'm also thinking about the Street Guardian http://hiniko.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=274

I'd do a Street Guardian over the Blackvue any day. I have Lukas, it's not the smallest out there but but it's not that big either once installed...and nobody ever (from the outside) notices the camera's are there. Most passengers, front or back, ever notice it. On the rare occasion that they do, they just think it's a GPS as it displays my speed on the led. My wife glances up at it occasionally and says "Slow down!" That's the only downside I've found...as she cant see the speedometer from her seat! Once my wife quits thinking dashcams are a tool of the devil, I'll install one in her car, likely a SG, just so I can try it out as well. That will likely be the day she gets in a wreck and blames me for her not having a dash cam.

 

[Gil]

Thanks everyone for the help.

So the SG 9665GC is the most recommended dashcam if I go for 2x single cams?

 

[DT MI]

...Once my wife quits thinking dashcams are a tool of the devil, I'll install one in her car,....

I hear you on that point. When I first put a front camera in my wife's car she was 'tolerant' of it but definitely not happy.

Go forward a couple of months and she was rear-ended on the way home from work (no injuries and no damage fortunately, it was just a 'tap') and I think he second thing she said about the incident was 'too bad there is no rear cam'. She has front and rear now and no complaints.

 

[russ331]

So the SG 9665GC is the most recommended dashcam if I go for 2x single cams?

In Post #1 you say you want Parking Mode. That means different things to different people but, in the proper sense of the term, the SG9665GC doesn't have it. If you want buffered motion detect when parked, consider the SGZC12RC. Other brands that offer proper Parking Mode include Lukas, BlackSys, Thinkware, etc.

 

[Daleg]

I have parking mode and was positive that I wanted it...that I needed it. Once I had it, I never used it, I just kept it recording full time as it's hardwired and wont kill my battery. I suppose the advantage is that you don't use as much space on the card, but I have a large memory card so I'm not too concerned.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

You can use 128GB microSD cards in the SG9665GC if you manually format them FAT32 via special utility.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n4h649pik1crus7/AAAVsDBal32DLAPCFXE424lJa?dl=0

32GB/64GB cards can/should be formatted in the the camera itself.

SGZC12RC Supports all card sizes natively formatted inside the camera