Side view dash cams

[maxxo]

Hi all,

I am sick of the way other people are driving here in the UK, it's only a matter of time until something happens....
anyway I already have a Viofo A129, however i'd like to have side view dash cams
ideally quite discreate, maybe a central contol unit and small cameras for the sides

Anyone got any advice?

Thanks

 

[estore009]

How about our small B1W dashcam? It should be easy to install due to a small footprint!

 

[SawMaster]

It's pretty easy to do side cams if you have any fixed non-opening side windows, and the B1W is often a great fit when done this way. If you have no such windows things get a little tougher as the cams will have to be mounted in such a way that passengers don't bang into them entering or leaving the vehicle. And as always you must avoid having a cam or wiring interfere with any airbags. Sometimes a Taxi/Uber type cam can give you enough side coverage towards the rear but roof pillars and human bodies can interfere with the view then so it's not a perfect solution. Dual remote cams like the K2S can also be great for side cams, and more than a few people have a 2-channel 'wedge' style cam for side coverage.

Regardless of cam choice here. you're going to get a lot of motion blur with vehicles going in the opposite direction, so if identifying them via the license plate is a high priority that needs to be handled by your front and rear cams, although you can often get a great face pic from a side cam going frame-by-frame in review; it's just not going to always happen.

Kind of sad that we need so much protection from our cams but I agree- with today's traffic I feel somewhat naked without side cams. And only in an emergency will I drive a vehicle without at least a front cam; I have an extra one set up and ready to go with a suction mount and ciggie-plug PS just for that purpose.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Yes if you have fixed glass on the side ( doors or otherwise ) side cameras are easy and you can use just about any camera, but the coming dual remote will be optimal for this as their camera units are so much smaller.
But really i have driven for many years with side cameras and it is very rare i have to go to those for footage for my youtube uploads of idiot drivers.

So from a liability standpoint and front and rear camera will be fine, only if you want to out idiots in public are more cameras needed.

 

[maxxo]

How about our small B1W dashcam? It should be easy to install due to a small footprint!

Now that cam does look interesting, 2 of them (one each side) would work quite well, although it's got me thinking if i really need side cams or not.

It's pretty easy to do side cams if you have any fixed non-opening side windows, and the B1W is often a great fit when done this way. If you have no such windows things get a little tougher as the cams will have to be mounted in such a way that passengers don't bang into them entering or leaving the vehicle. And as always you must avoid having a cam or wiring interfere with any airbags. Sometimes a Taxi/Uber type cam can give you enough side coverage towards the rear but roof pillars and human bodies can interfere with the view then so it's not a perfect solution. Dual remote cams like the K2S can also be great for side cams, and more than a few people have a 2-channel 'wedge' style cam for side coverage.

Regardless of cam choice here. you're going to get a lot of motion blur with vehicles going in the opposite direction, so if identifying them via the license plate is a high priority that needs to be handled by your front and rear cams, although you can often get a great face pic from a side cam going frame-by-frame in review; it's just not going to always happen.

Kind of sad that we need so much protection from our cams but I agree- with today's traffic I feel somewhat naked without side cams. And only in an emergency will I drive a vehicle without at least a front cam; I have an extra one set up and ready to go with a suction mount and ciggie-plug PS just for that purpose.

Phil

Motion blur is a concern of mine, now the viewing angle from the front and rear cams of the A129 is impressive and in most cases would work, I have 2 non opening quater windows each side so it wouldn't be an issue and my car is too old for curtain airbags so it makes runing cables a lot easier.
It is indeed sad that we have to have so much protection, the standards of driving are awful now and it seems like every day i see something dumb happen.....if i'm driving someone elses car that doesn't have a cam i use my phone to record the road on a windsheild mount.

 

[kamkar]

Yes you will have motion blur on side cameras on most days with low light and at night, but on a sunny day you can get almost razor sharp captures with 2 cars meeting on a 2 lane road and both doing 80 kmh or more.

 

[kamkar]

The issue are the same with front / rear facing cameras, but here less noticeable as traffic are coming towards the cameras and so it is only when the vehicle are off to the side you really notice it. ( the sweet spot to capture a plate )
Side camera on the other hand you always have things rushing buy, so when they drop down to low exposure timings to provide bright footage, you really see the motion blur.
With the normal weather in Denmark thin time of the year i don't expect to capture any plates at all, cuz a thick layer of rain clouds eat up a lot of light, but as you can see fluffy white summer clouds with some holes in between it can be done just fine.

Front and rear cameras you can catch a plate in pitch darkness aside for your car light, BUT ! the difference in speed between your camera car and the target car cant be more than crawl speed,,,,,, and that you generally only see if / when getting overtaken.