Dash cam recommendations

[DG97]

Hi all, looks like i’m picking my Fiesta up next week, I’ll be looking to get a 2 channel dash cam fitted (front cam and rear cam). Looked at the BlackVue DR490L and the Thinkware F770. More likely to go with the Thinkware though. Anybody had much exposure to either model? Or does anyone have other suggestions? 

[karl46]

I have a Thinkware 770. Had no problems with it, remember though that it doesn't have a screen which is no bad thing, do you really need to watch on a screen what you can see through the windscreen. 

It's easy enough to connect your smart phone or tablet.

The speed camera warnings work well and you have the added bonus if you use them of the collision warning and lane deviation system.

Al in all I'd recommend it.

[jace1969]

5 hours ago, DG97 said:

Hi all, looks like i’m picking my Fiesta up next week, I’ll be looking to get a 2 channel dash cam fitted (front cam and rear cam). Looked at the BlackVue DR490L and the Thinkware F770. More likely to go with the Thinkware though. Anybody had much exposure to either model? Or does anyone have other suggestions? 

Have a look at a few reviews on youtube and dont always rule out the cheap ones,there are a lot out there do a good job at around £100 or so rather than

spend £300+.

[Nikstryker]

I use my GOPRO and an Android phone running dashcam software and Windows phone - cheap and cheerful.

One of the tastiest ones is the Thinkware F800 pro!

Just check the threads out on here most of the questions people post have already been answered by some of the real experts like Iantt, Stef123, tdci-peter and others who some of are actual real working mechanics or retired.

 

[Eatonm112]

I am a auto electrician and have fitted many dash cams and you cant go wrong with Thinkware or Blackvue. Although, given the option again I would go Thinkware f770 as I just like the way its been designed and that it has the option of turning it off when the battery falls below a set voltage this is down to the unit having a perm, ign and earth where the Blackvue is ign and earth only.

As with cheap crash cams I have tested two and found issues with them not recording reliably every time you start up and drive away and they need re booting often also. 

I have two Blackvue 2 ch systems in my car recording off a large battery bank 24 - 7 and have not had any issues yet other than having to re format the memory cards.

[DG97]

Thanks for all your responses, I have considered a couple of the cheaper options but found that either the night time recording quality was a little bit below my expectations or it did not support any form of the "parking modes" or neither do they have the low-voltage cut off. 

The F800 Pro seems like the ideal dash cam but to be honest, I think the F770 does exactly what I need and of course is cheaper so I think it'll be the best balance between needs/wants and costs. 

Looks like the F770 enjoys quite good reputation and I like that it doesn't come with a screen but is used via an app (although some may not enjoy using an app) - I think it makes it more discreet and compact and there is nothing more than I hate than seeing through other peoples car windows during dark evenings and you just see the dash cam screen recording. In my opinion the more discreet the better. 

I'm planning on having something installed around the 7th of April as that's when I'll have the most time. I think at the moment, that something will end up being the F770. Will let you know how I got on but thank you for all your opinions/advice.

[Nikstryker]

F800 has parking mode and I think it has low voltage cutoff.

Problem with parking mode is it drains your battery if you want to leave it at the airport while you go on holiday etc and if you have a dudd battery on its way out its even worse.
My mate uses his connected to a spare battery under the passenger seat.

Did you consider smartphone or Cheap sj4000? - night time vision can be excellent , parking mode would be a doddle and best of all it can be free or cheap as £3 plus a screen mount?

In Scotland we like it free lol so I can apprecaite your needs vs costs lol

A second hand cheap 16 megapixel smartphone with a lens addon to give a wider field width  and mount can be way better than any dashcam on the market in terms of night vision, resolution and capacity with sdcards up to 128gb and best of all the draw from your usb is very very small compared to dashcams - you can also take it out of your car if you have a crash to video potholes and damage and evidence from the other driver - it can also be plugged into your pc to download the footage easier - there are so many more advantages to a smartphone as it has gps positioning can measure your speed and you can also use it as an OBD diagnostics live with Torque and an obd module plugged in while you drive - no dashcam can do what your smartphone can.

 

[DG97]

F770 fulfills the parking mode and low volt cut off too, yeah I've had the same thoughts but then again, you can customise the voltage so you can adapt to winter/summer and leaving your car for a while. Have considered the spare battery route too but I think it's too much hassle for what its worth. 

 

I did actually briefly consider it but I think it doesn't quite fill my discreet expectations (the phone anyway, not the SJ/gopro route). I think the advantage of going the hardwired route with a dash cam is that once it's done, it's there and you forget about it. I don't think I could get as good of a mount and phone combo to hide away as the F770 can be hidden away (plus with the phone, I don't really have the rear cam option). 

 

Hahaha, it's a case of I do ultimately want to keep costs down but at the same time - I want quality (I think we all want that combination in life though), the F770 whilst not exactly cheap, isn't pushing the boat out too far away from the harbor and the recording quality is good in my opinion.

 

Appreciate your opinions!

[Nikstryker]

Yeah rear camera is a bonus i am considering sticking in one of those cheap B&M cameras on sale at the mo for £5 lol
I also know what you mean but my SJ4000 is permanently in the car and it has CAR MODE so when i switch the engine on it starts up immediately.
The only downside is it doesnt have gps , speed display but it is wifi enabled and 1080p wide angle and i think it cost £49.99 a few years ago - nice little camera has done me well!

Told you I was tight as a gnats!
I am so tight I wouldnt give you a fright if I were a ghost!
lol

My mate Dave is a nutter - he drives around with his quadcopter following his car its one of those fancy £500 quadcopters that follow you made by 3DR - you should see the vid from above its pretty amazing he has always been very inventive  - I have told him he is well ahead of current trends as i dont think anyone has even thought of this kind of dashcam yet but he wont stick the vidz up on youtube in case the rozzers see it and bust his *****! The only problem i can foresee is if he goes under a bridge then its £500 down the Thomas Titter!

 

[jace1969]

DG97  have a good look at some reviews on the F770 and the F800 pro as i did look at them and compare them to others as a lot of reviews put them side by side

and i aint that keen on the night view even compared to my cheap wedge Viofo A119s or my olderA119 as there is a few they compare mine with and mine kills them.

Dont forget £300+ against a £75 one,i was going to upgrade mine to the F800 pro this is why i looked into them a lot but the only plus is the WIFI side and stuff.

Just saying shop about as a few on here has cheap ones and are amazing.

[Nikstryker]

The problem with night vision really is you need infra red projectors mounted outside the windscreen as they dont really work behind glass - ask anyone who installs ip cameras its the same problem - The alternative is to have a good camera with enhanced optics and a large aperture which most dashcams dont have thats why I use my smartphone now at night - If you can find a dashcam with Zeiss optics and Nikon then you are onto a winner - I havent found any!

 

[jace1969]

Here just one of many links off YouTube but bare in mind the prices,the night vision on the Pro seems black and white or very close to it.

A person on here put a clip on when he put his Pro in but it still looked black and white on the night time.

Mine is the older version of the bottom one A119 but i do have the A119s on rear for night as better view in low light or no light,my front is better than the S being 1440p

but falls behind at the night so that's on the front being i have headlights to run off.

 

[Nikstryker]

Just started using Torque with track recorder - 100 Times better than any dashcam - amazing amount of info on screen - RPM  / SPEED / GPS LOCATION / TRIP MILES COVERED / MPG / COOLANT TEMPERATURE / G-SENSOR and the ability to add any of 100 ECU parameters to the screen on a  wide aperture and 16 megapixels 5.5 inch screen at full HD recording 1080 , 128gb sdcard for massive storage at 1080 full HD I dont see any dashcam beating Torque.

As its running its also gathering OBD data and checking for ECU errors - there are also addons to auto upload the video to website, satellite map and i've just added a fuel economy addon to check my consumption - amazing piece of software £2.49 cheaper than a dashcam.

Only caveat is you need a decent phone to run it on but mine only cost £70.

I can also recommend AUTOBOY its also a good but basic free Android Dashcam app!

I am currently preparing an article & reviewing a few dashcam apps on various phones for a UK review website so also just done one with Dashcam GT+ on a Nokia Lumia and its quite good as well - lots of info on screen so there is scope on any phone to be used as a dashcam!

 

[DG97]

39 minutes ago, Nikstryker said:

Just started using Torque with track recorder - 100 Times better than any dashcam - amazing amount of info on screen - RPM  / SPEED / GPS LOCATION / TRIP MILES COVERED / MPG / COOLANT TEMPERATURE / G-SENSOR and the ability to add any of 100 ECU parameters to the screen on a  wide aperture and 16 megapixels 5.5 inch screen at full HD recording 1080 , 128gb sdcard for massive storage at 1080 full HD I dont see any Dashcam beating Torque.

As its running its also gathering OBD data and checking for ECU errors - there are also addons to auto upload the video to website, satellite map and i've just added a fuel economy addon to check my consumption - amazing piece of software £2.49 cheaper than a dashcam.

Only caveat is you need a decent phone to run it on but mine only cost £70.

I can also recommend AUTOBOY its also a good but basic free Android Dashcam app!

I am currently preparing an article & reviewing a few dashcam apps on various phones for a UK review website so also just done one with Dashcam GT+ on a Nokia Lumia and its quite good as well - lots of info on screen so there is scope on any phone to be used as a dashcam!

 

I think the phone idea is probably not my preferred solution, I think by getting a good dash cam (like the F770), I will get good recording, I think that the dash cam apps whilst will do an alright job, if I'm to use them, I may as well get a cheap 40-50 quid cam and it'll have the same effect. To be honest, I'm not really interested in the MPG/Coolant temps/ G-Sensors etc - MPG is covered by the trip computer and coolant temp I'm not that interested in. Just want something that is wired in, when i get in, it launches, records and I don't know it's there until I need it, I just don't think a phone will offer that unfortunately.

[Lydskyd]

Wow i just join and have learn something new.

I was looking to buying a dashcam system but will use my old smartphone and this Torque thing £2.49 wow that will save me £100 I dont have!

Can you tell me please where would get the app and is difficult to set up?

 

[Nikstryker]

1 hour ago, DG97 said:

I think the phone idea is probably not my preferred solution, I think by getting a good dash cam (like the F770), I will get good recording, I think that the dash cam apps whilst will do an alright job, if I'm to use them, I may as well get a cheap 40-50 quid cam and it'll have the same effect. To be honest, I'm not really interested in the MPG/Coolant temps/ G-Sensors etc - MPG is covered by the trip computer and coolant temp I'm not that interested in. Just want something that is wired in, when i get in, it launches, records and I don't know it's there until I need it, I just don't think a phone will offer that unfortunately.

Nah yer not getting me dude those parameters like coolant etc are all setup by the user you can choose what you wan ton the screen yourself from 100 choices.
I will post a video so you can see just how magic it is - the only problem with using smartphone is that you need a sturdy camera mount my current one is a bit wobbly whereas the gopro is rock solid so need to look at modifiying my old tubecam mount which is glued to the dashboard somehow!

Its a pleaszure Lyd glad I can help save you some money - i see you are Scottish lol we are all a bit tight up here haha

You can get Torque free from the android app store but i recommend buying the pro version for £2.49 its got a lot more in it and its more than worth it.
You need an Android phone it wont work with posh Apple phones or Blackberry or Windows phones!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque

You should also get one of these it plugs in the little pocket to the right under your steering wheel called the OBD diagnostics port.
It will also allow you to check your car and see if you have anyh faults - i notice you are a bit concerned you bought a dudd car so you can check with this ok!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELM327-V2-1-OBD2-CAN-BUS-Bluetooth-WIFI-Car-Auto-Diagnostic-Interface-Scanner-HB/352105537739?hash=item51fb2020cb:m:mMg9rdEzsabqSnSGucK205w

Any questions just ask there are loads of good guys on here who will always help a ladee in distress lol

 

[Lydskyd]

Thanks you for reply Nik I am not Scottish I am from Slovakia but living here is very lovely in Scotland but not Glasgow is not nice place!

I am try learn car mechanics so am doing college course

I am excite to use app for dashcam now and save money that is very good idea i never knew!

Thank you for help i appreciate velki

[Nikstryker]

Haha very true Lyd Glasgow is horrible place to be but it used to be ok!

I prefer Edinburgh for a day out shopping Glasgow is pound shop city wasteland cheap and tawdry - orrible!

A female car mechanic wow they are like hens teeth around here!