Which front facing cam to use as rear facing?

[Hirschaj]

I have a FitcamX that is nicely integrated as my front facing cam already. I want to add a rear cam and it will be much easier in my car to avoid running a wire from front to back. I have a power outlet in the back that I can easily access.

I’m looking for a small cam similar to Garmin Mini 2 (wide angle, decent low light performance, fairly discrete) but I’m not sure what other good options exist. Do you all have any recommendations?

PS - I tried searching for a similar thread but could not find one.

 

[Panzer Platform]

VIOFO WM1

Looks like VIOFO will be releasing a new camera shortly called the VIOFO WM1 as per their FCC listing. A small camera with no screen, records 1440p and has Wifi. Some external photos:

dashcamtalk.com

 

[kamkar]

Welcome to the forum Hirschaj.

I personally prefer the small rear cameras of dual channel systems, as these let me install them so the camera peek out above the top heater element in my rear window. ( my wiper in the back still reach there )
Also as i have a 5 door small hatchback, that are pretty flat and vertical in the back people drive up pretty close to it, and i like things to be stealthy, even if they are not as i test some cameras and so often have 3 rear cameras there.

A option could also be the Garmin mini 2 it is a damn small camera, though as it are the type that "hang" off the glass it will probably be hard to not get a heater element in the footage, thats OK too as ling as its not right in the middle of the footage.

 

[Hirschaj]

VIOFO WM1

Looks like VIOFO will be releasing a new camera shortly called the VIOFO WM1 as per their FCC listing. A small camera with no screen, records 1440p and has Wifi. Some external photos:

dashcamtalk.com

That looks like it could be a great option. Any idea when they might actually release it?

 

[Hirschaj]

Welcome to the forum Hirschaj.

I personally prefer the small rear cameras of dual channel systems, as these let me install them so the camera peek out above the top heater element in my rear window. ( my wiper in the back still reach there )
Also as i have a 5 door small hatchback, that are pretty flat and vertical in the back people drive up pretty close to it, and i like things to be stealthy, even if they are not as i test some cameras and so often have 3 rear cameras there.

A option could also be the Garmin mini 2 it is a damn small camera, though as it are the type that "hang" off the glass it will probably be hard to not get a heater element in the footage, thats OK too as ling as its not right in the middle of the footage.

I was able to route a wire through my sons Challenger from front to back (avoiding running any wires in front of airbags) really easily. It’s much more difficult in my Porsche Taycan. I can’t even get the A Pillar off in that car (I’ve cranked on it pretty hard to try and get it to release) and nobody on the Taycan forums has figured that out yet.

My Taycan is also a hatch back (Cross Turismo) and it’s quite easy to route a wire from the top of the window in the rear hatch down to the power outlet in the back of the car.

I’m definitely considering the Garmin Mini 2 but wondering what else might exist that could be a better/different alternative. Thanks for the warm welcome and the advice.

 

[kamkar]

Doing a dry run just the wire draped as close to the intended route out back vill be a good idea, dashcams are know for some time causing problems with sat and dab reception, so doing a test run before a actual install might be smart if there are issues and the wire need to be moved to the other side in a attempt to see if thats better.

No problem in my small car it dident even come with a radio, and the smartest in it is probably the ABS brakes even if it is a 2012 model.

In Denmark its pay for 2 cars get one, so really anything nice and i will have to hit the lotto big before i can even consider going there.

Most expensive car i ever had was a brand new Suzuki gran vitara 2006 TDI, it cost 30.000 USD and it was on reduced tax plaes, meaning the rear seat was removed.
Fully taxed the car would have been 47.000 USD,,,, quite a expensive rear seat i never used anyway

 

[Panzer Platform]

That looks like it could be a great option. Any idea when they might actually release it?

There is no official release date.

 

[TonyM]

A small wedge camera can be fairly discreet for a single channel rear camera, such as the Viofo A119 Mini. You might find a camera with a screen to be obtrusive, although the screen can be set to turn off after a few seconds.

Tube-shape cameras without a screen are also quite good as discreet rear-facing dashcams (Blackvue and Thinkware, amongst others). They are similar to the 'rear camera' on some dual channel models, but slightly larger.

 

[Hirschaj]

A small wedge camera can be fairly discreet for a single channel rear camera, such as the Viofo A119 Mini. You might find a camera with a screen to be obtrusive, although the screen can be set to turn off after a few seconds.

Tube-shape cameras without a screen are also quite good as discreet rear-facing dashcams (Blackvue and Thinkware, amongst others). They are similar to the 'rear camera' on some dual channel models, but slightly larger.

Thanks for the advice. I’ve started to look into the tube shaped cams and they seem like a reasonable option. Some are actually quite small like the 7mai M500.

 

[Panzer Platform]

7mai M500

I've tested the DDPAI version called the mini5, and I would not be able to recommend the 70mai M500.
If you buy the 70mai, make you try it out for a day or two before installing it in your car with all the features, and functions.
Also try the APP for downloading videos to make sure you're OK with it.
And after you get it installed in your car make sure you use it every day within the 30-day Amazon return policy.
Also, since it will be on your rear window you won't be able to press the emergency lock button to protect a video file from being overwritten.
So you may want to consider a camera that has a remote lock button.

 

[Hirschaj]

I've tested the DDPAI version called the mini5, and I would not be able to recommend the 70mai M500.
If you buy the 70mai, make you try it out for a day or two before installing it in your car with all the features, and functions.
Also try the APP for downloading videos to make sure you're OK with it.
And after you get it installed in your car make sure you use it every day within the 30-day Amazon return policy.
Also, since it will be on your rear window you won't be able to press the emergency lock button to protect a video file from being overwritten.
So you may want to consider a camera that has a remote lock button.

Thanks for the warning. I’m having trouble finding good, small cams. The Mini 2 might be what I end up with.

 

[Panzer Platform]

These were my Pros & Cons from the DDPAI version, and most of these will apply to the 70mai M500.

Pros:
Excellent Picture Quality
Good Audio Quality
Small Size & Form Factor
USB Type-C Power Connection
Simple one cable installation

Cons:
No GPS Coordinates displayed on text overlay
No Custom Driver Name & License Plate on text overlay
Wi-Fi Connection Issues
No selection for loop recording (1 minute PC files, or up to 3 minute smartphone app).
No USB Data Cable included
H.265 Codec does not work
Built-in eMMC Storage (cannot expand with SD Card)
Only 3 hours of recording in 4K

Final Verdict:
Excellent Picture Quality 4K@30fps
Buggy Software & Operation

After looking at the specs of the M500, you would actually be better of with the Mini5. But again, I don’t recommend either of these cameras. lol

 

[Panzer Platform]

The Mini 2

The Garmin Mini 2 is a much better choice than the 70mai M500.
However you might be disappointed with the 1080p image quality.

2K with a STARVIS IMX335 image sensor is what I would consider the "minimum level" of image quality from a dash cam in 2023.
If you could find something as tiny as the Garmin Mini 2 with the IMX335 you would be very happy.

 

[Hirschaj]

If you could find something as tiny as the Garmin Mini 2 with the IMX335 you would be very happy.

I’d be thrilled. I’ll keep searching for something even remotely in the right ballpark as far as size goes which also has a sensor like the IMX335.

 

[TonyM]

The Mobius 1S is discreet, there is a wide angle option, and it has decent 1440p video. It does not have GPS, and you would have to find a way to mount it. It will not suit everyone, but it could make a good rear dashcam.

M1S F1.5 vs A139 - Night

A side-by-side comparison at night between the M1S (with F1.5 lens) and the A139. Both recording 1440p30 at max bitrate.

 

[Hirschaj]

Closing the loop on this for now. After looking at seemingly every dash cam they sell in the US I decided to give the AZDOME M300S 2 channel cam a try. It was the smallest I could find that had a decent sensor. I used the main cam as the rear facing and the other cam as a side facing on the passenger side. I think the video quality overall is quite good and I have not had any issues using the app so far. I still wish it was smaller but the size is not bad. At a delivered price of $85 it was easy to take a risk on. I hope it lasts until something smaller is released (like the WM1). In this photo you can see both cams when looking back from the drivers seat. Thank you to everyone who provided guidance and insight in this thread.