Which dashcam to get?

[kevindd992002]

I've never used a dashcam so I don't know anything about them. Is 4K vs 1080p that of a big deal with dashcam's? Also, are rear dashcams and parking mode all gimmicky or are they really useful? I have a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek (XV) and I don't think it has the capability of providing power to the cigarette lighter while the engine is turned off unless you hardwire the dashcam directly to the system of the car.

Which dashcam is the best bang-for-the-buck? I know it's too late to be doing my research since Black Friday is just a few days away but I hope I can get your ideas while I still have time. Thanks for your help

 

[Harsh]

https://dashcamtalk.com/best-dash-cams-of-2018/

 

[kevindd992002]

I did read that article already and I was hoping some user input from this forum?

 

[DashOto]

4K is nice but 1080p is more reliable.
Rear cams are handy in the situations when their handy, I wouldn't get a 1CH personally even if I use only front cam footage 90% of the time.
Parking mode is a great feature overall, since you think you have to hardwire anyways, might as well.
You can disable parking mode if you don't want to use it.

What do you want to use it for?

 

[kevindd992002]

4K is nice but 1080p is more reliable.
Rear cams are handy in the situations when their handy, I wouldn't get a 1CH personally even if I use only front cam footage 90% of the time.
Parking mode is a great feature overall, since you think you have to hardwire anyways, might as well.
You can disable parking mode if you don't want to use it.

What do you want to use it for?

I see. Is the Viofo A129 any good for dual cams? I guess it's better to get a dashcam with wifi and gps already, right?

Well, it'a my first dashcam and I'll simply be using it in my own car for security purposes (not a taxi or anything).

Can all cars be hardwired? And is this bot detrimental to the car's battery in the long run?

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[kamkar]

GPS = yes, it don't really matter as your speed can always be assessed from the video footage alone if need be.
wifi are a option but it always seen haunted by ghosts so i would personally prefer a camera with a screen for the rare interactions with the camera.
Some are quite wifi addicted now, and will prefer to do all interactions with just about anything with their phone, i am not like that i plug my memory cards into my card reader on the PC and view my footage on a proper large screen.

It do seem like a few new cars can have problems with hard wire, but it is a few ones as far as i can tell by posts in here, and i assume if it is bad you can always go as far as the battery itself and connect there, but in general using a piggy back fuse in the fuse box are what most of us do.
How long you can have the camera running on the car battery depend on its size and state, but if you do deep discharge them that will cut off their expected life cycle, and of course now in winter time in a cold place the battery wil perform even worse due to low temperatures.
Also have in mind that often you have rain / dew / snow on your window while parked so then it don't really matter if the camera are recording or not.

Normally for hard wire you use a kit for it that have battery discharge protection, so you can never discharge your car battery below a voltage where you can start your car.
Also have in mind if you record a lot when parked, then you also have to drive a "lot" to charge your car battery, so if you only drive 1 hour every day and record all the other hours of the day, that will not work and it would be bad for the car battery also.

I am going to use parking guard soon, but normally i will have a cut off timer set to 30 minutes, and then once in a while i might change that timer to 2-3 hours if i park out on the town for that long ( don't happen often )
At home in my apartment i have CCTV on my car parked down below in the back yard.

 

[kevindd992002]

GPS = yes, it don't really matter as your speed can always be assessed from the video footage alone if need be.
wifi are a option but it always seen haunted by ghosts so i would personally prefer a camera with a screen for the rare interactions with the camera.
Some are quite wifi addicted now, and will prefer to do all interactions with just about anything with their phone, i am not like that i plug my memory cards into my card reader on the PC and view my footage on a proper large screen.

It do seem like a few new cars can have problems with hard wire, but it is a few ones as far as i can tell by posts in here, and i assume if it is bad you can always go as far as the battery itself and connect there, but in general using a piggy back fuse in the fuse box are what most of us do.
How long you can have the camera running on the car battery depend on its size and state, but if you do deep discharge them that will cut off their expected life cycle, and of course now in winter time in a cold place the battery wil perform even worse due to low temperatures.
Also have in mind that often you have rain / dew / snow on your window while parked so then it don't really matter if the camera are recording or not.

Normally for hard wire you use a kit for it that have battery discharge protection, so you can never discharge your car battery below a voltage where you can start your car.
Also have in mind if you record a lot when parked, then you also have to drive a "lot" to charge your car battery, so if you only drive 1 hour every day and record all the other hours of the day, that will not work and it would be bad for the car battery also.

I am going to use parking guard soon, but normally i will have a cut off timer set to 30 minutes, and then once in a while i might change that timer to 2-3 hours if i park out on the town for that long ( don't happen often )
At home in my apartment i have CCTV on my car parked down below in the back yard.

I live in the Philippines so we don't have winter here. But summer is super hot. The average ambient temp here is 33C.

That would be a problem then because I usually drive around 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes a day on the average because I live close to my workplace. So is there a solution to that problem? Won't the battery discharge protection kits be useful in those situations?

What's "parking guard"?

 

[jokiin]

in your climate parking mode is probably not a good idea unless you are able to park undercover

 

[kevindd992002]

in your climate parking mode is probably not a good idea unless you are able to park undercover

Why so?

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[kamkar]

If you park in the sun the inside of the cabin can go over the MAX temperatures of the camera hardware, in a hot place like the Philippines at least in the summer you have to park in the shade to have a chance.
Even here in Denmark on the good rare summer days with 30 Degree C or a little more parking mode will be problematic i assume.
For sure you will at least need a camera that don't record real time footage but time lapse instead to minimize the level of heat the camera generate on its own.

As you know a car parked in the sun, when you open it you or at least i think " god damn" and i like heat a lot, much more geared for that than the climate here in Denmark.
So the " god damn" temperature of the sun and closed car cabin + the cameras own heat generated in parking mode, can easy push the total temperature up over what is good for the hardware.

I assume in some really hot places the cabin temperature are close to what the camera hardware can deal with in storage mode, IE not recording but just sitting there.

 

[jokiin]

Why so?

if you park out in the sun your in cabin temps will easily exceed 80°C, if you're running cameras at those sorts of temps they're going to fail at some point

 

[kevindd992002]

if you park out in the sun your in cabin temps will easily exceed 80°C, if you're running cameras at those sorts of temps they're going to fail at some point

If the cameras aren't running while the car is sun bathing, won't it fail as well?

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[SawMaster]

if you park out in the sun your in cabin temps will easily exceed 80°C, if you're running cameras at those sorts of temps they're going to fail at some point

Excessive heat will definitely kill a cam whether soon or eventually, but there's a 'workaround' of sorts. I knew I'd have similar issues so I chose a cam which was noted for it's good heat tolerance and I considered it as being expendable. I feel it's 4 years of service has paid for it's cost which has been longer than I anticipated it would last. It's the nature of all electronic gadgets that at some point they will fail so with all of them it's really just a question of whether you feel that it's given you your money's worth when that time comes. Just know that you're abusing a cam by using it in excessive heat and don't have any expectations on how long you can get away with the abuse.

Phil

 

[SawMaster]

If the cameras aren't running while the car is sun bathing, won't it fail as well?

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Not necessarily. Electronics will tolerate a lot more heat in storage than while current is running through them. Best practice is to not use your cam until ambient temps are within the manufacturer's recommended range. With dashcams, storage failure usually comes in the form of melted or distorted plastic cases and/or a loss of cam focus. Rarely does the heat harm the electronic parts before this renders the cam unserviceable.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Yes if not recording then with a good camera the heat should not be a problem, if things go bad one of the first things are normally the focus of the lens will slide, the camera can also to some degree melt, but this should only happen with really poor dashcams made with cheap plastic.
But as i said above if you then add the heat the camera generate when recording in a parked car, then in a hot country you can fast be at the thermal shut down temperature of the camera.
But just sitting there in a parked car should not be a problem unless you live in one of the hottest places on earth, and park your car facing the sun.

At home i have CCTV on my parked car, so it is only when i am out shopping i would need parking guard, and normally my shopping are done in 30 minutes MAX

 

[kevindd992002]

Excessive heat will definitely kill a cam whether soon or eventually, but there's a 'workaround' of sorts. I knew I'd have similar issues so I chose a cam which was noted for it's good heat tolerance and I considered it as being expendable. I feel it's 4 years of service has paid for it's cost which has been longer than I anticipated it would last. It's the nature of all electronic gadgets that at some point they will fail so with all of them it's really just a question of whether you feel that it's given you your money's worth when that time comes. Just know that you're abusing a cam by using it in excessive heat and don't have any expectations on how long you can get away with the abuse.

Phil

What are these "workarounds"?

Yes if not recording then with a good camera the heat should not be a problem, if things go bad one of the first things are normally the focus of the lens will slide, the camera can also to some degree melt, but this should only happen with really poor dashcams made with cheap plastic.
But as i said above if you then add the heat the camera generate when recording in a parked car, then in a hot country you can fast be at the thermal shut down temperature of the camera.
But just sitting there in a parked car should not be a problem unless you live in one of the hottest places on earth, and park your car facing the sun.

At home i have CCTV on my parked car, so it is only when i am out shopping i would need parking guard, and normally my shopping are done in 30 minutes MAX

Ok, makes sense.

With all that said though, which dual channel camera is the best bang-for-the-buck? Can I go wrong with the A129? The other premium brands (> $200 price point) are just way beyond what I'm willing to pay for.

 

[SawMaster]

The 'workaround' is considering the cam expendable- just a cost you pay to get what you want.

Phil

 

[SawMaster]

Right now the A129 is probably your best choice at this price level. But I'd urge you to consider the SG9663DC as Jokin does design and test for higher heats than most do, and his cams are one of the two brands which have the best reputation for good life in high heats. The original Mobius with caps added was my selection, but only one channel and not up to today's best standards in a few areas due to the age of it's design. It's still a viable choice if you don't need much at nighttime.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

I have no personal experience with the A129, but there don't seem to be a lot of grief about them in here, so seem like a okay choice.

 

[kevindd992002]

Right now the A129 is probably your best choice at this price level. But I'd urge you to consider the SG9663DC as Jokin does design and test for higher heats than most do, and his cams are one of the two brands which have the best reputation for good life in high heats. The original Mobius with caps added was my selection, but only one channel and not up to today's best standards in a few areas due to the age of it's design. It's still a viable choice if you don't need much at nighttime.

Phil

Is the SG9663DC known to be on sale on Black Friday?