Seeking dash cam suggestions

[fintail]

Hello

I am new here, and seeking a recommendation for a dash cam. I have never owned one before, but have thought of it for some time. I have a few desires/requirements, and am not sure which models can meet these. I am more concerned with these and image quality than price.

My first request is that the camera can run solely from battery power. I do not want to have dangling wires or have to disassemble the a-pillar trim. I do not take long drives, if something could run for maybe 3-4 hours on the battery, that would be fine. I also would be using it in 2 cars, so I do not want to hardwire anything to the car (maybe a relatively simple mounting system would help too). I am not concerned with using the camera while parked, it will be for driving. I do not demand GPS function, I am most interested in video capture.

Additionally, I would like something small, to kind of hide in front of the rear view mirror. I have been looking at models, and perhaps a FineVu would fit these requirements? I also like the small size of the Lukas models I have seen.

I appreciate any suggestions that can be given.

Thanks!

 

[jokiin]

My first request is that the camera can run solely from battery power.!

you'll have to stop right there and reassess your needs, you won't find what you're looking for

 

[DashCamMan]

Hi fintail,

Someone else asked a similar question before...I will repost my response here.

If you are not plugging the camera in your car, you will lose one main feature for a dash cam - auto start and auto stop. You will need to manually start the camera and turn it off when needed. The dash cams that we have reviewed on our site all have auto start, auto stop and loop recording making them ideal to be used for dash cams.

If the auto start and auto stop is not important to you, the best camera that meets your requirements is the 808 #16 Key Cam.

This cam is very small, has good video quality, the battery lasts about 45 minutes, the battery can easily be replaced and the camera does loop recording. There are external battery packs that you can purchase which will give you hours of recording time as well. It does not have a screen and it costs less than $40.

The most popular place to purchase from is eletoponline365 on eBay. Over 7,000 of these cameras have been sold from this vendor.

To find out more about this camera you can visit the RCGroups.com forum or the Chuck Lohr site.

I believe Mtz has this camera as well. I imagine he could provide more info on it.

 

[fintail]

Thanks for the quick replies. I am really new to this, and had a feeling I might be asking for too much with all of those requirements

I suppose I could deal with plugging something into the lighter, if the cord was small - I am kind of a neat freak and like everything integrated, but at the same time am afraid to cut into the interior to hardwire something. Size of the camera is probably the most important, I want it to be discreet and smooth looking.

That small camera is certainly priced nicely, I will look at that and maybe give it a try. I am not against a fancier unit (some of the Korean models look very nice), just not looking for something the size of a big pro SLR camera permanently attached to my car.

Thanks again

 

[Roberthodgson]

Checkout the Finevu CR500HD from Blackboxmycar.com or another authorized dealer (not EBAY) it has an optional power module that can be attached to your fuse panel and will provide power directly to your camera. So you can have your power adaptor hidden under the dash and the cable run in the trim. It will be a clean install and you should only see a few inches of cable going to the camera from the roof liner.


If you are uncomfortable installing the power unit and running the cable hidden in the liner a radio installer will probably install it for you at a very low cost as there is not much to do. Alex at Blackboxmycar.com may have a installer he could recommend in your area.

 

[fintail]

Thanks. I like the look and quality of the Finevu, along with the relatively small size.

My car has an airbag in the A-pillar, so I am leery to remove the panel, as well, the car is relatively new, and I worry about harming the warranty by wiring this in directly. I see the specs for the Finevu lists a battery, is this just the backup?

 

[jokiin]

I see the specs for the Finevu lists a battery, is this just the backup?

yeah they need to be wired in, can be done without splicing any wires, see an example here that might give you some ideas http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16300