Smallest cam

[Fairynuff]

What is the smallest cam, the cam that takes up the least space on the windscreen?
I want to put a cam on the wife's SLC but the front windscreen area is VERY small.

 

[Nigel]

Don't know much about the car, but a Viofo A119, or A129 behind the mirror is normally invisible until you look behind the mirror.

There are some reasonable dual remote cameras about these days for motorbikes, which probably have the smallest cameras available and have the advantage of being waterproof for convertible cars, if you don't mind hiding the recorder unit in the glove box or somewhere else accessible for access to the card. But they don't typically have a parking mode and are restricted to 1080 resolution.

Can you give a bit more detail on the requirements?

 

[kamkar]

All cameras are small, well sort off.
It would be more reasonable if you could post a picture or link to a picture of the layout on the SLC windscreen, cuz it is probably more a case of finding a camera shape thats most suited to the layout of that model.

 

[Fairynuff]

Here is a pic of the screen from inside the cabin. I have to say that the pic makes it look quite big. There is already a huge object behind the rear view mirror, I am wondering whether positioning the cam below that might block out less of the usable screen

 

[jokiin]

position a camera here and it will be out of view and won't obstruct anything from the drivers perspective

 

[Nigel]

I am wondering whether positioning the cam below that might block out less of the usable screen

Probably OK there, because of the angle of the glass, wedge shaped cameras like the Viofo and SG will not take up much height there, they will almost be lying down flat. The only issue is that it may potentially fail the MOT as an obstruction, but there doesn't appear to be anywhere you would want it that would technically pass. In reality most MOT testers would let it pass as long as it isn't causing a problem and is more or less hidden from the driver's view by the mirror, and you could always remove the camera from the mount for the test.

What is on the bottom of the big box beyond the mirror? A wedge shaped camera might stick to the bottom of that lying completely flat and be hardly noticeable. Difficult to use the camera screen with it there so maybe get one with wifi.

 

[kamkar]

Yes a wedge camera offset ( mindful of what side SD card are on camera, but i think the norm are Left side of the camera when installed )
Or that sensor array housing actually look pretty flat so of the bottom of it are also a option, though then LCD screen will be hard to read mounted so you have to slide it of mount to handhold it when doing settings changes, and manual event button will be hard to see.

 

[TonyM]

position a camera here and it will be out of view and won't obstruct anything from the drivers perspective

I agree that a wedge camera alongside that housing could work well. As others have said, watch out for where the microSD card slot is located, which side the cables are, and the direction of travel to slide the camera off the mount.

My SG9665GC would fit there neatly, with its cables at the top of the camera, and the slide direction up/down the screen. When I'm driving I cannot see the camera at all behind the rear view mirror.

The newer SGGCX2PRO has the same physical format so should work just as well.

 

[SawMaster]

You've got some options on form-factor. Remote cams will be smallest, wedge cams have been discussed, there's matchbox cams like Mobius and F1, lipstick cams like B1W and DR750s, and plenty of box cams like Garmin 56 and some Nextbase models. From the point of usability, about the only requirement is that it view through an area covered by the wipers. An empty mount should pass MOT in any sensible mounting location. Once you determine the form-factor it's just a matter of choosing among the cams of that genre to find what you like best. Do be aware that this approach might severely limit what features and cam performance you get, so if that matters a lot you might compromise on form-factor to get a better cam.

Phil

 

[viofo]

Garmin Mini will be OK.

 

[SawMaster]

Did they even get the overheating issues worked out with the Garmin Mini? Nothing very new on that here on DCT

Phil

 

[Paul Iddon]

What is the smallest cam, the cam that takes up the least space on the windscreen?
I want to put a cam on the wife's SLC but the front windscreen area is VERY small.

There was this one - unsure if it is still available. Nothing special though.

LINK to my review.

Paul.

 

[SawMaster]

There's also the RSC "Nano" which seems to be Voiofo's old "WR-1" model. Don't know if the reported audio issues were ever fixed though. "Smallest" can be a relative term base on perspective and this one's pretty small overall, but end-on Mobius has it beat though it's longer.

Phil

 

[TonyM]

end-on Mobius has it beat though it's longer.

I have a Mobius on a 3D-printed wedge which has a rather small projected area and can sit right next to the windscreen sensor housing. Mine is mounted on the frit and peeks out just below it. On the OP's screen there is no frit alongside the sensor housing, so something like the SG9665GC (or newer derivative) with the cable management box might be a neat solution.