If I could have anything, this is my dream cam:
Generally
My dream cam has no quality issues. There is no focus problem, no blur, no overheating, no broken lenses, no crappy case ... nothing. The company making it has excellent QC and support and delivers consistent quality.
Case
Small. It has to fit behind a windscreen mirror and not obstruct my view at all (which is illegal here .. I can not mount something, that obstructs view). I like bardesigns like the Itronics etc. Case is of quality, maybe even metal parts .. good haptics, solid feel. Should not interfere with GPS or Wifi etc, though. Can also be small and elongated like a Contour+2 etc. Waterproof option to use the cam as a sports/activity cam as well ideally. At least good rubber seals, so dust and water spray from rain can not enter the cam when used outside the vehicle as tour cam for nice videos without windshield glass interference. Case is matte black. I like small color enhancements ... an orange button somewhere etc, but nothing shiny ... case needs to be discretely mountable.
Firmware
Written by themselves by capable programmers. They know their stuff and can fix anything within the hardware limits and provide frequent updates if necessary.
Lens
Good glass lens, tested, tried, known to be excellent. No scratches, no bad build etc. It has a ring to mount a CPL Filter.
Sensor
Superwide dynamic, catches a lot of detail. I'm not sure ou need more than 2-3 Megapixels. I want excellent video, FullHD ... for Fotos I use a decent camera, not the car cam. Use a quality sensor with little electronic noise, little influence on neighbour pixels. Not too many Megapixels on a small size sensor, that is only contraproductive. No dead pixels. No problems when the camera gets warm.
CPUs
At least capable of 30 FPS at FullHD. Ideally more up to much more for other uses than in car. Excellent 3D-DNR processing to minimize noise and enhance the picture. Picture should look natural during day, no bad exposure, no totally white skies and no oversaturated or undersaturated colors. Basically just excellent night and day images. I liked the V747W quite a bit there, the wide dynamics sensor is relly a must.
LCD
I don't need a huge LCD, the cam should remain small. Maybe just enough for a bit of menu use. Consider WiFi Mobile phone apps for setup etc. Small case is key, so maybe even without LCD.
Buttons
Apart from normal usage buttons, there should be an emergency erase/format, the "capture +- 30 Seconds now" buttom.
LEDs
No annoyingly bright LEDs ... if it's night, I do not want reflections of an LED in my movie and I don't want a bright LED to glare into my eyes. But of course provide LEDs for status.
Audible Noise
Camera emits zero noise, no hiss or anything.
Angle
Unsure what's idea here. Maybe use a lens with adjustable angle, if doable without quality loss
WiFi
The cam provides a sensible WiFi onnection. Ideally long range to use it as a security cam with mobile phone and for data transfer/setup. Maybe provide 5 GHz band to not interfer with other radio signals.
GPS
Builtin, no cable/external. Good Chipset like Sirf III etc, tested nd proven to work well on normal windshields
Parking mode
Required, I need to monitor expensive cars against abuse. Provide a good powercable for this with battery saver at a voltage level, that is not too low.
Windshield mount
Tiny. Most suction cups are hugs monstrous things, way to big. Also camera is easy to take off
Other things
Can handle 128+ GB microSD (or SD, if size of case allows)
Price
Here's the challenge: All of this at max. 250 USD
Generally
My dream cam has no quality issues. There is no focus problem, no blur, no overheating, no broken lenses, no crappy case ... nothing. The company making it has excellent QC and support and delivers consistent quality.
Case
Small. It has to fit behind a windscreen mirror and not obstruct my view at all (which is illegal here .. I can not mount something, that obstructs view). I like bardesigns like the Itronics etc. Case is of quality, maybe even metal parts .. good haptics, solid feel. Should not interfere with GPS or Wifi etc, though. Can also be small and elongated like a Contour+2 etc. Waterproof option to use the cam as a sports/activity cam as well ideally. At least good rubber seals, so dust and water spray from rain can not enter the cam when used outside the vehicle as tour cam for nice videos without windshield glass interference. Case is matte black. I like small color enhancements ... an orange button somewhere etc, but nothing shiny ... case needs to be discretely mountable.
Firmware
Written by themselves by capable programmers. They know their stuff and can fix anything within the hardware limits and provide frequent updates if necessary.
Lens
Good glass lens, tested, tried, known to be excellent. No scratches, no bad build etc. It has a ring to mount a CPL Filter.
Sensor
Superwide dynamic, catches a lot of detail. I'm not sure ou need more than 2-3 Megapixels. I want excellent video, FullHD ... for Fotos I use a decent camera, not the car cam. Use a quality sensor with little electronic noise, little influence on neighbour pixels. Not too many Megapixels on a small size sensor, that is only contraproductive. No dead pixels. No problems when the camera gets warm.
CPUs
At least capable of 30 FPS at FullHD. Ideally more up to much more for other uses than in car. Excellent 3D-DNR processing to minimize noise and enhance the picture. Picture should look natural during day, no bad exposure, no totally white skies and no oversaturated or undersaturated colors. Basically just excellent night and day images. I liked the V747W quite a bit there, the wide dynamics sensor is relly a must.
LCD
I don't need a huge LCD, the cam should remain small. Maybe just enough for a bit of menu use. Consider WiFi Mobile phone apps for setup etc. Small case is key, so maybe even without LCD.
Buttons
Apart from normal usage buttons, there should be an emergency erase/format, the "capture +- 30 Seconds now" buttom.
LEDs
No annoyingly bright LEDs ... if it's night, I do not want reflections of an LED in my movie and I don't want a bright LED to glare into my eyes. But of course provide LEDs for status.
Audible Noise
Camera emits zero noise, no hiss or anything.
Angle
Unsure what's idea here. Maybe use a lens with adjustable angle, if doable without quality loss
WiFi
The cam provides a sensible WiFi onnection. Ideally long range to use it as a security cam with mobile phone and for data transfer/setup. Maybe provide 5 GHz band to not interfer with other radio signals.
GPS
Builtin, no cable/external. Good Chipset like Sirf III etc, tested nd proven to work well on normal windshields
Parking mode
Required, I need to monitor expensive cars against abuse. Provide a good powercable for this with battery saver at a voltage level, that is not too low.
Windshield mount
Tiny. Most suction cups are hugs monstrous things, way to big. Also camera is easy to take off
Other things
Can handle 128+ GB microSD (or SD, if size of case allows)
Price
Here's the challenge: All of this at max. 250 USD