Need a recommendation

[LiveTrash]

I have a camera right now that runs fine but I am unable to read license plates from it, even if I sit close behind a vehicle. The mount is terrible. It's a clip-on style and I've actually super-glued the camera to the mount to prevent it from falling off. I think it might overheat as when it's very hot outside, it'll say "No Card" error.

Anyway, onto what I'd like in a camera. I'd like it to have a screen, not be too large, have a fair heat resistance rating (I am in Canada and the most it gets to here in the summer is 30-35C). I don't want to spend a bazillion dollars on one like those GuardTrak's but I also want one that is reliable and won't fail after a year or two of use. I'd also like the mount to be a solid mount, like the ones that screw on.

I hope I'm not being too specific and hopefully someone has the same criteria for picking a camera who has found one already. Please, share your picks here! Thank you!

 

[LiveTrash]

I've actually just found this G90 camera. Does anyone have that one? I can't seem to tell how well the mount works on that one. Otherwise it looks like a great camera.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Panorama S is the way to go. It's rated Best All Around by dashcamtalk itself. (for all good reasons) It has a solid capacitor instead of a temperature sensitive battery. The WDR Night Vision is outstanding. The mounts included are very solid, better than most. http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/roadcam-now-shipping-award-winning-panorama-s-to-canada.6023/

"You get what you pay for"

 

[LiveTrash]

Panorama S is the way to go. It's rated Best All Around by dashcamtalk itself. (for all good reasons) It has a solid capacitor instead of a temperature sensitive battery. The WDR Night Vision is outstanding. The mounts included are very solid, better than most. http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/roadcam-now-shipping-award-winning-panorama-s-to-canada.6023/

A little pricey for me for a vehicle recorder. Thanks for your reply though.

Does anyone have the G90?

 

[reverend]

I'm just chucking videos and pictures from the device up here at the moment:

FoxOffer G90 Review

Just literally about to head out after the football and get some more footage.

 

[LiveTrash]

I'm just chucking videos and pictures from the device up here at the moment:

FoxOffer G90 Review

Just literally about to head out after the football and get some more footage.

Ya, I saw that thread. Great review thread and it answered a lot of my questions. My only main question now is, how is the mount? Does it work well? Is the camera secure while sitting in it? We have bumpy roads here in Canada and I can't have the thing falling out of the mount constantly while driving. I suppose the power cord plugs into the mount and then it powers it from the power pins in the mount?

 

[reverend]

The camera is really secure in the mount - I'll put some pics up in the review thread for you.

I have my car in sports suspension mode so it's hard and it's fine over the bumps. The cord does indeed plug into the mount - basically it sticks to the window and then rotates 90 degrees to lock it into place.

 

[LiveTrash]

The camera is really secure in the mount - I'll put some pics up in the review thread for you.

I have my car in sports suspension mode so it's hard and it's fine over the bumps. The cord does indeed plug into the mount - basically it sticks to the window and then rotates 90 degrees to lock it into place.

Closer pics of the mount and anything else to add to that review thread would be much appreciated. Thanks! I'll keep an eye on it for updates.

 

[Google]

Panorama S is the way to go. It's rated Best All Around by dashcamtalk itself. (for all good reasons) It has a solid capacitor instead of a temperature sensitive battery. The WDR Night Vision is outstanding. The mounts included are very solid, better than most. http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/roadcam-now-shipping-award-winning-panorama-s-to-canada.6023/

"You get what you pay for"

According to this website, the G1W is the best bang for your buck. I'd be more inclined to go with that dashcam at this time.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

According to this website, the G1W is the best bang for your buck. I'd be more inclined to go with that dashcam at this time.

It depends what your long-term reliability expectations are. The G1W is a good starter cam sure. Panorama has automatic motion parking mode in latest firmware. (Based on A combination of G sensor data etc). It's a truly set it and forget it rocksolid appliance very low defect rate, super high quality assurance.

 

[Google]

There is no doubt in my mind the Panorama is a superior device. However, you can get like 3 or 4 of the G1Ws for around the same price. I have the Panorama saved in my Amazon wish list. But, I will soon be buying the G1W for the wife and maybe one for myself too.

 

[sludgeguts]

It depends what your long-term reliability expectations are. The G1W is a good starter cam sure. Panorama has automatic motion parking mode in latest firmware. (Based on A combination of G sensor data etc). It's a truly set it and forget it rocksolid appliance very low defect rate, super high quality assurance.

So, what is the long-term reliability of the Panorama Vs the G1W? Because if the panorama is 4x dearer than the G1W then I would expect it to be 4x better and last 4x longer.
To be honest, if I get a year out of a cam like the G1 then I'll be happy because in a year's time, I'll upgrade to the next "best bang for your buck" cam & won't feel like I've wasted a fortune

 

[niko]

There is no doubt in my mind the Panorama is a superior device. However, you can get like 3 or 4 of the G1Ws for around the same price. I have the Panorama saved in my Amazon wish list. But, I will soon be buying the G1W for the wife and maybe one for myself too.

It always good to start your experience of dashcam world from good budget dashcams like G1W. Although RMA ( failure / returns / complaints ) are many times higher than from high-end dashcams, but what you pay is what you get.
We can not compare 50usd vs 200usd, they are from different class - and price ranges. High end beats ANY starter or even mid-price range dashcams in all aspects, starting from built, reliability, performance and ending with functionality, which mid- and budget daschams don't have. It's all depends of your needs and how much risk you willing to take with buying budget dashcam. I dont say that Panorama ( or other high-end dashcams ) are fully"bullet-proof", but their failure is very little, especially Panorama having one of the lowest RMA.
Questions is: - why you need dascham ?, - to record an accident, that very moment when accident happens, right ? Try to imagine now that budget dashcam has much bigger failure rate not to record that very important accident moment when you need it due to some failure ( battery, data prepossessing, video clip saving , etc ). I know this is 1:1mln probably, - but there is still higher risks than if to go with quality product.

Anyway, it is normal that majority of newbies always starting with budget dashcams and slowly go over to high-end by the time goes by, we all went trough this, me also having behind my back many dozens of budget daschams and its good way to learn what is good and what is not, what is for your needs.

 

[Dashmellow]

It is important to remember that there is a middle ground between a budget G1W and a Panorama. I own the GT300W and at the time I bought it, it was in the neighborhood of 100 USD. All in all, it offers remarkably good image quality, day and night and captures license plate numbers pretty darn well, albeit with some room for improvement. I've had this GT300W for about a year now and it has proven itself to be a 100% reliable workhorse in both hot and cold weather and I've come to trust that it will work when I need it to. It has turned out to be an amazing value for the money. No doubt the Panorama is an excellent camera, but at more than twice the price of the GT300W I don't see it at being more than twice the value, all things being equal. By the time the GT300W is no longer useful new technology will be available and I will upgrade. At some point in the future, I intend to buy a high end camera, perhaps even a Panorama or maybe an A7 when the technology matures. In the meantime I don't believe anyone could go wrong buying in the "100 dollar sweet spot" that balances quality, value and performance.

 

[niko]

I totally understand newbies not wanting to spend big-buck for their first purchase. In this case I would recommend capacitor based version of G1W with marking G1W-C

 

[Dashmellow]

I agree with Niko but I've been reluctant to recommend the G1W recently because there have been so many problems with fakes and quality but the G1W-C version is more likely to be a purchase one can trust. On the other hand if your budget is very limited a really good deal at the moment is the G1WH from Banggood. It is basically a GT300W or G1W in a different shell. In fact, it can be flashed with the GT300W firmware. The reason I recommend it is that until July 22nd it is available for only $46.69 USD with free shipping if you use the Banggood discount code f54ded.

 

[niko]

I agree with Niko but I've been reluctant to recommend the G1W recently because there have been so many problems with fakes and quality but the G1W-C version is more likely to be a purchase one can trust. On the other hand if your budget is very limited a really good deal at the moment is the G1WH from Banggood. It is basically a GT300W or G1W in a different shell. In fact, it can be flashed with the GT300W firmware. The reason I recommend it is that until July 22nd it is available for only $46.69 USD with free shipping if you use the Banggood discount code f54ded.

G1WH hardware and performance is almost the same as G1W-C, but myself personally like aplearance of G1WH and it also has better, more stronger bracket mount part on dashcam side ( G1W / G1W-C was wobbling in some cases ). Considering discount code, I would also go with G1WH if it would be my first purchase within budget dashcam range.

 

[sludgeguts]

Surely it's not an easy job calculating the lifespan of a dc though?
My f70 is in my car & is subjected to a far, far sweeter ride than the mobius in my bus. The former gets used a max of 45mins/day to work & back along town roads. The latter is used up to 9 hours/day and is subjected to allsorts of road conditions - the potholes on our country lanes are horrendous.
Could it be that someone buying a $300 cam will be using it in a 'soft' environment - ie, a higher end vehicle with decent shocks/dampers? Whereas someone who can only afford a cheap cam would be using it in a 'lower spec' car - so perhaps cams would be subjected to a harsher ride?
If my $50 mobius lasts the year I will be over the moon - $1/week is great value & I won't be heartbroken about buying the next generation of good budget cam.
But a $200 cam - I'd have to be using this for 4 years to get the same value, by which time, the tech will have raced well ahead. Also, the chances of a $200 cam failling as it ages would surely increase?

 

[russ331]

If I were shopping for a new compact digital camera for my holiday photos, I'd budget around $200 for one, which wouldn't get me anything special, given that a Canon G16 is $450.

Yet when it comes to DashCams, many of us suddenly become cheapskates, looking to spend only $50 - $70 on a device with the potential to save us a lot more money, or even save us from a driving ban, which could mean loss of job for some people.

I would pay $200 for the right DashCam, however, no existing $200 (or more) cam meets my criteria. A Panorama S would, if it's form factor was more like the A118, or upcoming GuardTrak GT2S.

Meanwhile, the Mobius (with capacitor conversion) is as close as I can currently get to what I want. That it's only $75 including capacitor is a huge bonus. When / if replacement time comes round, my dilemma will be whether I'll actually appreciate the performance difference I get for around 3 times the price?

 

[Hilts]

I'm with russ331 & Dashmellow in recommending the Mobius. I've also replaced the battery with a Capacitor and it's been super reliable.

I have recently 'upgraded' to a Mini 0803 with GPS module. This has replaced my Mobius in the front of my car, with the Mobius migrating to the rear and it is still doing a sterling job. However, I would still recommend a Mobius Action Cam, as it is so flexible for use elsewhere and great fun to 'play with'.

At the moment I am pleased with my Mini 0803, but the wobbly mount/unit connection has been frustrating and the FW still needs some tweaking/improvement.

The A118 arrived yesterday and has been installed in my wife's car. The picture quality is great and you can get one from FoxOffer for US$69.90, incl. delivery.