B4b
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2015
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Pacific Northwest
- Country
- United States
- Dash Cam
- Seeking reliable applicants for a dashcam provider
I've been poling around and have looked at a number of Dashcams mentioned in the forums.
I initially tried the KDLinks x1, but sent it back, normally I do a bit of research ahead of time, but this one was a sort-of impulse buy. While I was not disappointed overall, I started digging around and realized that a battery-enabled DashCam probably won't be a good choice in my neck of the woods.
In any case, now I'm looking at a handful of DashCams. Here are my main 4 requirements:
#1 Reliable and good Picture Quality
#2 GPS
#3 Screen, if for no other reason but ease of placement
#4 Must be able to operate in the pacific northwest: Outdoor low/high 0-100 degrees (Fahrenheit) , in the car, probably about 170 degrees.
Reliability - Initial setup & adjustments, and it should just work without tweaking, firmware updates, power cycling, or other periodic adjustments or change in behaviors. Turn on the car and it records. Turn off the car and it stops.
Picture Quality - 108op at 30+ FPS OR 720P at 60+ FPS. The faster the FPS the more detailed the resulting video can be, right? Decent bitrate ~12 MBps or better. Quality Daytime video, Nightime video that's good enough to see whatever is in front of the camera.
Other considerations:
- CPL filter preferred.
- Dual Channel or Single Channel
- Parking mode intrigues me, but is not something I'm specifically looking for.
- Size/Discreteness - not a major concern so long as I don't block my view
- Price range not more than $300, less than $200 is preferred. Must be reliable at any price.
Specific Models:
I've looked at video from each of these cameras, some seem to have better PQ than others, but they all seem acceptable. At least if the video is truly from the cameras that they claim (sorry, I don't always trust the vendor provided video since it's probably been cherry picked, captured in ideal conditions, or outright doctored).
Street Guardian SG9665GC - Looks good on paper and there don't appear to be any major concerns.
Panorama S (with add on GPS) or G with built in GPS. This seems to be the go to camera for a lot of people here, and seems to be reliable.
Blacksys CF-100 - Price is right (at about $90 right now), specs seem good, and nothing that stands out as a major problem. the 1080P/720P recording split isn't a major concern.
Panorama X2 - Looks good on paper, but notes and threads here seem to suggest that the firmware and/or hardware has relibility problems, even with the beta firmware. I realize the problems are being actively worked on, but at the $300 mark, I'd expect to purchase and own a fully refined product. Lockups, memory corruption, concerns and a need to buy a very specific brand/model of micro card.
Mini 806 - Seems to be a good form factor, general picture quality, but reports here and elsewhere suggest this camera is just too unreliable (at least the initial batch).
I'd love to get my hands on all the cameras on my list and give them a go first hand. . I just don't have the budget to do so (at nearly $900 + tax for all 5 of the cams on my list it's a bit expensive), so I have to rely on honest unbiased reviews.
Ok, so thoughts here? Am I omitting any dashcams that I should consider? What is your experience with reliability on any of the cams I'm looking at in real world conditions?
I initially tried the KDLinks x1, but sent it back, normally I do a bit of research ahead of time, but this one was a sort-of impulse buy. While I was not disappointed overall, I started digging around and realized that a battery-enabled DashCam probably won't be a good choice in my neck of the woods.
In any case, now I'm looking at a handful of DashCams. Here are my main 4 requirements:
#1 Reliable and good Picture Quality
#2 GPS
#3 Screen, if for no other reason but ease of placement
#4 Must be able to operate in the pacific northwest: Outdoor low/high 0-100 degrees (Fahrenheit) , in the car, probably about 170 degrees.
Reliability - Initial setup & adjustments, and it should just work without tweaking, firmware updates, power cycling, or other periodic adjustments or change in behaviors. Turn on the car and it records. Turn off the car and it stops.
Picture Quality - 108op at 30+ FPS OR 720P at 60+ FPS. The faster the FPS the more detailed the resulting video can be, right? Decent bitrate ~12 MBps or better. Quality Daytime video, Nightime video that's good enough to see whatever is in front of the camera.
Other considerations:
- CPL filter preferred.
- Dual Channel or Single Channel
- Parking mode intrigues me, but is not something I'm specifically looking for.
- Size/Discreteness - not a major concern so long as I don't block my view
- Price range not more than $300, less than $200 is preferred. Must be reliable at any price.
Specific Models:
I've looked at video from each of these cameras, some seem to have better PQ than others, but they all seem acceptable. At least if the video is truly from the cameras that they claim (sorry, I don't always trust the vendor provided video since it's probably been cherry picked, captured in ideal conditions, or outright doctored).
Street Guardian SG9665GC - Looks good on paper and there don't appear to be any major concerns.
Panorama S (with add on GPS) or G with built in GPS. This seems to be the go to camera for a lot of people here, and seems to be reliable.
Blacksys CF-100 - Price is right (at about $90 right now), specs seem good, and nothing that stands out as a major problem. the 1080P/720P recording split isn't a major concern.
Panorama X2 - Looks good on paper, but notes and threads here seem to suggest that the firmware and/or hardware has relibility problems, even with the beta firmware. I realize the problems are being actively worked on, but at the $300 mark, I'd expect to purchase and own a fully refined product. Lockups, memory corruption, concerns and a need to buy a very specific brand/model of micro card.
Mini 806 - Seems to be a good form factor, general picture quality, but reports here and elsewhere suggest this camera is just too unreliable (at least the initial batch).
I'd love to get my hands on all the cameras on my list and give them a go first hand. . I just don't have the budget to do so (at nearly $900 + tax for all 5 of the cams on my list it's a bit expensive), so I have to rely on honest unbiased reviews.
Ok, so thoughts here? Am I omitting any dashcams that I should consider? What is your experience with reliability on any of the cams I'm looking at in real world conditions?
