Hi- I’m new to Dashcams and need some help. I live in the Bay Area with horrible traffic and some really bad drivers. There are car accidents daily because it seems people don’t care about being safe on the road. It’s getting to the point where I’m afraid of driving. I have two kids that I drive to school and we’ve almost been hit I don’t know how many times. I’d like to find a dashcam that has front and rear, parking mode, and really clear video. I’d like to be able to capture license plates if needed and I’d like audio and good night vision. I’ve been doing some research but I’m confused and stuck. Can anyone please help me? The BlackVue and the Thinkware seem not to have the best reviews. Thank you so much!!
Need help
- Thread starter LLCT
- Start date
Not sure why Blackvue and thinkware don't have good reviews but, they're two cameras that have the best parking modes. It also depends on how much you want to spend. Another good Camara with good parking mode is the Goluk T3. I currently have the Blackvue DR590 2ch system and it's been great. It's stood up to the Texas summer abuse with no issues. I've also had 2 Goluk T3s that have worked well too before I got the Blackvue system. Other people will be able to give their opinion on some other cameras but, I'm speaking strictly on actually knowing and having and not what I've read. People will also say Blackvue are no gold because it's picky about the SD card you put into it. My asnser to that is just to get a good one and no worries. Samsung EVO card are very good cards and there are others. Just don't get cheap no name brands. Others will chime in from here.
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
SawMaster
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2015
- Messages
- 9,450
- Reaction score
- 8,318
- Location
- SC
- Country
- United States
- Dash Cam
- Numerous and ever-changing
No dashcam does everything best; there is no perfect cam. "Pre-buffered" parking mode like the BlackVue, Thinkware, and Goluk mentioned isn't found in other cams. So these are the best for parking mode, but videos day and night are bettered by other cams. The parking mode of other cams lags a few seconds between motion being detected and the start of recording, so it might not capture details in a fast-moving situation. But you can get the better videos with them.
My advice is to list all the features you want in a dashcam in order of their importance to you. Find the cams that do well with your top priority, then go through that list with your second priority, then third etc. You'll very quickly find only one cam left on your list. If you don't like that cam, re-do your priority list and try again. I always list reliability first because you will get only one chance to capture an event. From there you may want best day vids, best night vids, parking mode- whatever.
Most all of the better cams has it's own forum here on DCT. Read what owners of that cam have experienced by way of problems and fixes, then decide if you are OK with all that. There are darn few bogus reviews or shill members here- these are real folks like you and me who simply want a good dashcam and are sharing their real experiences to help others find the right cam for them. If several folks have had a same problem it's something you need to look into closely, but do understand that dashcams are simply consumer-grade electronics so every now and then a dud gets past QC and into the hands of a surprised customer. How good customer service is matters a lot if you happen to get that 'dud'. Stick with the sellers multiply recommended here, and do the same with the SD cards, then you most likely won't have any problems. Which is what we want for you no matter what features you're looking for in your choice of dashcams.
And welcome to DCT
Phil
My advice is to list all the features you want in a dashcam in order of their importance to you. Find the cams that do well with your top priority, then go through that list with your second priority, then third etc. You'll very quickly find only one cam left on your list. If you don't like that cam, re-do your priority list and try again. I always list reliability first because you will get only one chance to capture an event. From there you may want best day vids, best night vids, parking mode- whatever.
Most all of the better cams has it's own forum here on DCT. Read what owners of that cam have experienced by way of problems and fixes, then decide if you are OK with all that. There are darn few bogus reviews or shill members here- these are real folks like you and me who simply want a good dashcam and are sharing their real experiences to help others find the right cam for them. If several folks have had a same problem it's something you need to look into closely, but do understand that dashcams are simply consumer-grade electronics so every now and then a dud gets past QC and into the hands of a surprised customer. How good customer service is matters a lot if you happen to get that 'dud'. Stick with the sellers multiply recommended here, and do the same with the SD cards, then you most likely won't have any problems. Which is what we want for you no matter what features you're looking for in your choice of dashcams.
And welcome to DCT
Phil
Hi also brand new to dash cams as of last week, and do not mean to hijake the thread. Been searching the internet for answers but no luck. I have TaoTronic TT-CD05 and Vivitar DCM-110.
I cut the battery out of my Tao (it buldged and popped everthing off) and after cutting the battery it works perfect except it does not write on the sd car anymore any fix? Also using the same sd card my Vivitar does not write at all.
The card recorded everything up until I cut it so there is proof it works, also not corrupted cause i can play all old videos from Tao on my computer.
Thanks.
I cut the battery out of my Tao (it buldged and popped everthing off) and after cutting the battery it works perfect except it does not write on the sd car anymore any fix? Also using the same sd card my Vivitar does not write at all.
The card recorded everything up until I cut it so there is proof it works, also not corrupted cause i can play all old videos from Tao on my computer.
Thanks.
country_hick
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2014
- Messages
- 2,188
- Reaction score
- 1,964
- Country
- United States
Good dashcams get cloned badly almost never with great quality parts.
The clones can lack build quality, reliability, and the specifications of the original resulting in bad image quality and a short service life.
If you receive a counterfeit cam do not expect any help from the vendor.
As Jokiin has said, counterfeit goods and bad customer service go together.
Dashcams have their own section here listed by the manufacturer.
Each manufacturer has a list of authorized vendors.
It is highly recommended to only buy from those listed vendors.
Many fake sd cards are sold online. You might receive a class 4 8gb card sold to you as a 256 gb class 10 card.
Buy from a reputable reseller such as walmart, bestbuy, and other local merchants.
Amazon has good prices BUT ONLY BUY a micro-sd card on amazon if it is BOTH sold and shipped by amazon.
Black Friday will likely see lower prices on both dashcams and sd cards.
If you buy a sd card on ebay there is a good chance it will be fake.
I saw one sd card with large capacity 128 or 256gb. Lots of reviews existed for that card. All of them said it was fake.
When the card is selling at a discount of 50% or more it is almost certain to be fraudulent.
Spending an extra $5 to ensure you get the genuine sd card and dashcam is well worth it.
The clones can lack build quality, reliability, and the specifications of the original resulting in bad image quality and a short service life.
If you receive a counterfeit cam do not expect any help from the vendor.
As Jokiin has said, counterfeit goods and bad customer service go together.
Dashcams have their own section here listed by the manufacturer.
Each manufacturer has a list of authorized vendors.
It is highly recommended to only buy from those listed vendors.
Many fake sd cards are sold online. You might receive a class 4 8gb card sold to you as a 256 gb class 10 card.
Buy from a reputable reseller such as walmart, bestbuy, and other local merchants.
Amazon has good prices BUT ONLY BUY a micro-sd card on amazon if it is BOTH sold and shipped by amazon.
Black Friday will likely see lower prices on both dashcams and sd cards.
If you buy a sd card on ebay there is a good chance it will be fake.
I saw one sd card with large capacity 128 or 256gb. Lots of reviews existed for that card. All of them said it was fake.
When the card is selling at a discount of 50% or more it is almost certain to be fraudulent.
Spending an extra $5 to ensure you get the genuine sd card and dashcam is well worth it.
Last edited:
winter4w
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2014
- Messages
- 394
- Reaction score
- 92
- Country
- United States
- Dash Cam
- G1WH
I would suggest SG9663DC or Thinkware F800. I got the SG9663DC and love the video quality. It was one of the reasons I picked it over Thinkware. Also, their customer support is probably the best out there in the dashcam market. I think the poor reviews are due to heat issue and video quality. What made me not go for Thinkware was the video quality I felt was poor and I wanted something as good if not better than my previous cameras. If parking mode and features such as lane detection and other alerts are what you want I would go for Thinkware. If you want clear video along with awesome support I would go with the SG9663DC dash cam.