jeebowhite Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Hi Guys, I will be updating this over the next few days with some examples, and other thoughts :) for Christmas, the wife bought me a GS8000L dashcam. I had dropped the hint a few times, and it seems that she picked up on the hint ;) I must say, to start with - I am glad that she got me it! Whilst she hasn't told me the price she paid for it, I will put as much useful information together as possible :) Price: The price of this unit starts from £19.99 from Hing Kong, or if you want a local version, the price is £27.45. Build Quality: Build quality feels very well put together. It doesn't feel cheap or 'plastic' but feels rather rugged! Dusk / Night driving: Excellent video quality. I took a few different video's but this one I find does it justice! plus, it also shows a complete douche who cut me up. (thanks for that Mini Cooper, X2 BCP, who seems to drive like a pratt :) Day Driving: Functions: (main functions) Camcorder, Camera, Playback mode. Camcorder: 1080 (Full HD) 1920x1080 1080P 1440x1080 720P 1280 x 780 WVGA 484x480 VGA 640x480 QVGA 320x240 Loop Recording (not really explored it yet) Motion Detection - Cant say its really worth it. Specifically driving in night, it struggles to recognise that there is movement and so the filming stops mid way, so I disabled it. It seems that it only catches movement in the dark that is immediately in front of the car (few feet range) Audio recording (On / Off) Date / Time stamp imprint on the video (On / Off) G Sensor (2G, 4G, 8G, Off) Camera: Timer Resolution Still trying to work out, there are many! Sequence - Seems to be just a burst shot AntiShake. I find the camera is excellent quality, but on its HD setting runs a very large file (as expected) so you would need a large memory card (class 10 would be best) to get the most out of it. Overall, so far I am very impressed with the camera. and I think the quality of the video's speaks for itself, and for less than £30, its very good quality. The battery isnt the greatest, it does need to be plugged in to make sure that you get the best out of it. I will provide feedback, but if anyone is interested, feel free to ask questions :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixmasterlooney Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I like this james any pic of it? Sent from my GT-I9300 using Ford OC mobile app 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 What's the video quality like? I can't read the reg numbers in any of the above videos but I guess you can put that down to Youtube video compression, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 I will take a snap tomorrow of the setup and get it uploaded tomorrow. Big D, Yeah a lot of it is the compression ratio. I have the video's on my computer (original clips) and it has a very good picture, and I could see the numbers clearly when they are stationary and moving is fairly clear, but of course, its no ANPR or Coppa Cam, so it isnt going to catch a number plate from a mile away. I will have a look through some video's and see if I can find the car with the biggest distance between me and it, where you can read the number plate, get you an idea of it! :) Edit: Night time driving, I had about 11 feet between the cars. Daytime was about the same. I need to try again though as this was through a wet windscreen! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 its no ANPR or Coppa Cam, so it isnt going to catch a number plate from a mile away.That's fine tho - if someone's a mile away and driving like a d1ck, I generally wouldn't care so much anyway. It's when they're doing it right up my backside that it mostly bothers me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Agree entirely! I have audio on, so that if I see these douchebags, I read out the number plate, so its caught on audio, then worst case scenario, if there is only a partial plate visibility it can still be matched to the car (in the event of police involvement!) I have this one pointing out the front, and I hope to get one setup on the rear window too! then I have both angles covered! Pictures are on my laptop, so I will soon be uploading them, so you can see the camera in situ. Sadly, my nice camera on my nice smartphone died, so I had to use the cheapo smartphone and so the camera quality is worse :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 OK So Pictures: The camera itself sat on a desk: Fitted in the car (looking straight in) And from a slight angle And its setup alongside my rear view mirror: I have it set so that after a few minutes, the screen switches off as it continues to record to ensure there are no distractions! So that's what it looks like anyway! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I'm tempted. Wondering though - are there any other mounting options other than sticking it on the window? Because doing that leaves "sucker marks" and for me, those are often a sign to thieves that there's a gadget worth nicking in the glovebox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incontro Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Looks good from the outside James - do you usually take it out of the car with you though to prevent the thieves from striking? Eagerly awaiting more pics/video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 I have so far suckered it to the "protected" area above the rear view mirror. As long as I leave it, it stays sucked, and when I get out the car, you cant see the sucker marks there, so no temptation :) Alternatively, I am tempted to use a small piece of velcro stuck to the protected area, and then have one attached on the sucker. so rather than 'suckering' it to the window, I can just velcro fasten it. Easier removal altogether, and makes it more difficult to lose if I take the mount with me :P Steve, So far I have been taking it out of the car as I have been continuously fiddling. I have been hunting through all my tech geekery and hunted down larger memory cards, so did a little bit of a data shuffle and installed a 32GB class 10 Micro SD card :D so now I can get some more recording space. But, I think I will probably continue to remove it from the car as and when I remember, its not overly obvious during the night, but during the day its a bit more clear its there. I am also tempted to try and leave it running one night with Motion Detection active, so that if I get any fools in the vicinity, it should capture a bit of action there, I will probably trial it with its IR lights (although I dont see them being a great amount of use!) but it should give me an idea of what exactly it can do left to its own devices! Video's I will keep uploading. The problem is, its very difficult to see the actual qualiy, due to compression on the likes of youtube, so I might snip a bit of data in HD, and just upload a movie file somewhere to the tinternets and then share a link. It will be a big download for a short clip but should hopefully show a bit more of its true ability. I drove to work this morning, got in the office, plonked down the camera, and then had to dash out for a hospital appointment. Foolishly, I left the camera on the desk! Ironically, on my way back to the office, I was following a recovery van that was blue and yellow battenburgs on the front, and a small marking on the rear that looked like POLICE. Nothing out of the ordinary, but given that he was travelling on the outside lane at 80+MPH, then as he overtook a car, started trying to cut in front of it, only to nearly take the car's driver door and bonnet off. Thankfully the car was more prepared, and ended up swerving into the nearside lane. That would have been quite a video to share! as well as that, there was a couple of dangerous manouvers going on, but again, damn me for leaving the camera in the office! I am sure it wont be long before there are too many more stories to show. But, if anyone wants any particular video's, pictures or information sharing, let me know. oh and in case anyone was wondering. Just to the top left of the camera (just above the USB cable going into the top of the camera) that is my microphone for the handsfree, it just makes it look a tad more messy up there than it actually is! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Another question, what's the battery life like (assuming I don't want a cable dangling down to the 12V outlet)? Also, can you rotate the cam through 180 degrees if there's someone playing silly buggers behind you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixmasterlooney Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 James i really like your dash cam set up, that too is on my hidden list. Few points to make, I was able to read the number plate of the car infront on the first video (Setting youtube video quality to 1080p) eveything else wasn't too bad the night shot was decent, overall the quality is good in my opinion Alot of dash cams around using the same internals as this however i've never heard of this specific model GS800L and for the price and video quality i am impressed. Where it lets down though is on the size and mount, i can forgive the mount because with all honesty it's a dash cam not a spy cam however the size is a bit disappointing, not that it's bigger than any other camera out there for the price category but the issue with that is how safe do you feel leaving it in the car? Or do you take it out everytime you stop? Outside of the car it does look rather discrete though, For the price it's a winner. How have you wired it in? 12v socket or hard wired? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 James i really like your dash cam set up, that too is on my hidden list. Few points to make, I was able to read the number plate of the car infront on the first video (Setting youtube video quality to 1080p) eveything else wasn't too bad the night shot was decent, overall the quality is good in my opinion Alot of dash cams around using the same internals as this however i've never heard of this specific model GS800L and for the price and video quality i am impressed. Where it lets down though is on the size and mount, i can forgive the mount because with all honesty it's a dash cam not a spy cam however the size is a bit disappointing, not that it's bigger than any other camera out there for the price category but the issue with that is how safe do you feel leaving it in the car? Or do you take it out everytime you stop? Outside of the car it does look rather discrete though, For the price it's a winner. How have you wired it in? 12v socket or hard wired? Unfortunately, once you start paying over £50, thats when you get discretion and quality at the same time! I find that its still relatively discreet though, I have had colleagues around my car and didnt even realise that I had the camera in there until I pointed it out. Its not super hidden, but its not flashing yellow either. I have to say, I leave it in the car all day. I have taken it into the town centre, and left the camera in the car whilst I have gone shopping. In the time since Christmas, I have left it in the car overnight, and to be fair, I would say that our area is not shy of a few scallies, and I haven't felt uncomfortable leaving it there yet. At the moment I have it just plugged in as a 12v. I have run it tucked up in the ceiling, it then runs down the A pillar, and alongside my ignition barrel mod, it then runs under the steering and pops out in the drivers footwell. I have it loose at the moment,and just plugged into a 12v extension, however the plan is that when I can fathom out how to remove my radio, I will be looking to wire in an ignition live 12v power source, and then will plug it in behind the dash and leave it permanently connected. As I plan to have it doubly fused, not that either should blow, but this way its double protected! Another question, what's the battery life like (assuming I don't want a cable dangling down to the 12V outlet)? Also, can you rotate the cam through 180 degrees if there's someone playing silly buggers behind you? battery life isnt overly great, having said that I haven't really tested it, I will try and remember to run it on battery power tomorrow and see how long it lasts and let you know :) Unfortunately, this one isn't a rotating one, you can however install them either way, so pointing forward or backwards, however you cant just turn it round mid drive. This is why I hope to (at some point) set up a camera facing out from the boot, so I have both angles covered! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 OK, So I did a battery test, and the results were poor! I got about 15 minutes! its not worth trying to run it without power! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixmasterlooney Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Dash cams generally aren't too big on battery life most is only there incsse you loose power randomly video does not cut. Some cams have additional bartery packs but pricy Sent from my GT-I9300 using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanW Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I keep meaning to get me a dash cam...seems that everytime I have the money, I can't find the one I want!! I'm looking at the F70 - a dual cam set up. I will get around to it eventually lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixmasterlooney Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I keep meaning to get me a dash cam...seems that everytime I have the money, I can't find the one I want!! I'm looking at the F70 - a dual cam set up. I will get around to it eventually lol Any links? never seen a dual cam before but i have seen two separate camera front and back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Dash cams generally aren't too big on battery life most is only there incsse you loose power randomly video does not cut. Some cams have additional bartery packs but pricy Sent from my GT-I9300 using Ford OC mobile app Definatly, I dont plan on running mine without to be honest... I keep meaning to get me a dash cam...seems that everytime I have the money, I can't find the one I want!! I'm looking at the F70 - a dual cam set up. I will get around to it eventually lol I think I know which one you mean... http://dashcamtalk.com/i1000-f70/ That one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanW Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 http://dashcamtalk.com/i1000-f70/ That one? That's the one...heard quite a few good reviews about it. Since it ships from China, I'm thinking Chinese New Year present to myself lol (which should arrive by my birthday)Sent from my SM-P600 using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 lol, its not bad, the only thing I dont like about that though, is that it sits in the front window, and you dont really get a good image of the rear of the car. Maybe its just my pickiness, but I think that I would prefer a dedicated camera in the back of the car looking out the back window, giving the best image it can get? rather than a 3 foot void, then the window, and then the image its trying to capture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 A further update. The dashcam is going well! I identified that the Mrs bought me it as a chinese import, at a cost of £22.99. And I must say I am still very happy with it. Quality is still good, the general behaviour is good and I still need to find time to tinker. One problem though.... The cam came with a charging cable for the car, unfortunately it didnt last very long. It stopped powering the camera. I tested with other cables, and all works fine. Contacted the seller who offered a £2.00 Refund, to allow me to purchase a new charger from elsewhere. However, I have a USB extension lead and a USB cable that I have emalgomated together, and wired that in to do the exact same job. Works a treat! and as the cables are a bit thicker, I trust they should last a little longer! Otherwise though, I am over the moon and will (as I fiddle with it) upload further images, videos and reviews about the features :) I must say though, if you need a dashcam, that is very good quality, and you dont have a massive amount of money in the bank, buy this one. So far I have identified no reason to dislike it, a quirk or two that could have been thought more about but does not affect the usability in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregers Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I think I know which one you mean... http://dashcamtalk.com/i1000-f70/ That one? this is the 1 ive installed,as it has its very own rear camera i have it set in the rear hatch,and the front cameras directly in front of my rear veiw mirror so that it does not interfere with my line of sight,but i can still see the image,when i 1st installed it i couldnt help but zoom in on the camera,but after a very short time ive learnt to ignore it,i leave mine in the car and when i unlock it automatically starts the camera,like others have said the battery life is pants,but mine is connected to the lighter socket. oh and i too bought a 32gb card.got mine from amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2011fiesta Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I keep meaning to get me a dash cam... I've had one for just over a year now, and feel a little uneasy when ever I'm without it. lol You should check out my dash cam thread.... (got some good/shocking vids on from youtube too)... http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/36568-you-never-know-when-your-driving-is-being-recorded-dash-cams/page-1 The dual view camera I'm using at the minute is this one > http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/36568-you-never-know-when-your-driving-is-being-recorded-dash-cams/page-5#entry240259 ..I believe iNath and Jimrex may use this one too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1g_dav3 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I've started using my phone, I might pick up a cam soon enough. I just have it mounted backwards on the mount and an app that runs as a dash cam for now :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higgsy Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 jeeb your photos of the cam aren't visible anymore 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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