Dashcam recommedations?

[Orton Rd]

Looks like it's time to get one, mrs says they are all 'crap' going on the relatives which never seem to work for long. lazada has loads of cheap Chinese stuff but probably not very good. What is a reasonably priced make for front and rear cover?

[Saltire]

I paid just over 1000 baht for mine and its worked for 2 years now.

 

It's very basic though and only forward facing. I would definitely get a forward and rear setup next time, as you say.

 

I also went for the 4 Gb SD card thinking 'it loops round when full' so why pay more. Wrong.

 

I had a near miss recently and looked at the content on my laptop for the first time a few days later just to see 'how close' to death I came. I soon worked out that a 3 or 4  hour journey filled the card, so my 'incident' was not on the card at all. While not a huge problem in hindsight i would opt for a larger card as it would be better to be able to look back at least a few days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cheeryble]

Missus has been using one a long time on he told car seems ok she's away at moments not sure of source. I'll show a pic I reckon you’ll find it on Lazada or somewhere. Not expensive

 

I drive an elderly Vitara with poor low rear vision I'd be very interested to get one of those reversing screens like many new SUVs etc have.Perhaps if anyone knows about these I could learn on your thread. I believe the screen can be in the interior mirror anyone tried these .......I was hoping for the "Grid" which is safe to reverse into doubt if the mirror ones have these, but they'd be easy to fit. They would of course need a camera in the rear somewhere.......maybe the mirror itself has a forward camera too.

Hope I'm not butting into your thread but may be good for u too.

 

 

 

[cheeryble]

I paid just over 1000 baht for mine and its worked for 2 years now.
 
It's very basic though and only forward facing. I would definitely get a forward and rear setup next time, as you say.
 
I also went for the 4 Gb SD card thinking 'it loops round when full' so why pay more. Wrong.
 
I had a near miss recently and looked at the content on my laptop for the first time a few days later just to see 'how close' to death I came. I soon worked out that a 3 or 4  hour journey filled the card, so my 'incident' was not on the card at all. While not a huge problem in hindsight i would opt for a larger card as it would be better to be able to look back at least a few days.
 
 

Really? I think they should loop.


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[richard_smith237]

Lots of threads on this... 

 

Always had BlackVue dash cams installed in my vehicles... 

Forward and rear facing. 

They don't have a screen - you connect to the Cam via Wifi and view images and recordings. 

It records 3min 'sector' and loops over old files when the SD card is full. 

It has adjustable G-Settings which when exceeded locks the file so it can't be recorded over (unit the SD card is formatted)

It has GPS and 1080k recording - wide angle of view. 

 

The latest models DR900S-2CH record in 4k UHD

 

https://www.blackvue.com/dr900s-2ch/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1qKWk9jg4QIVjDUrCh3JPgIzEAAYAiAAEgJFHvD_BwE

 

I don't hesitate to recommend BlackVue and don't hesitate to buy them for my own vehicle (on the 3rd Blackvue dashcam - the others remained in my previous cars when I sold them on).

 

They're not cheap, but you pay for what you get. 

 

 

For my Motorcycle - I have the Innovv K2 (which operates in much the same way) - Forewards and rear facing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[guru]

Proof Super HD platinum edition 2 Dual. Forward and rear cameras.

 

http://proof-carcam.com/en/project/dvr-car-camera-super-hd-platinum-ii-dual/

 

 

[NokNokJoke]

If the camera doesn't loop, it's not a dash cam, or you have something turned off in the menu by mistake.

(Or the card is corrupt)

 

The VIofo A119V2 is reliable, and has capacitor instead of a battery.  (Better for thailand heat)

 

 

 

[dotpoom]

They hardly cost an arm and a leg....is it really necessary to do "research" into what the best ones to buy are.

  I usually buy if the price seems reasonsble (as I do with most items like air/cons, phones etc.,).

   When they do give problems it often can be fixed by the "settings".

[Saltire]

18 hours ago, cheeryble said:

Really? I think they should loop.


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Yes it loops sorry for my wording. What was 'wrong' was my choice of SD card.

 

 

[cooked]

I reckon it will take you about 6 months for you to find out if your dashcam is any good, by which time an even newer model will be on the market.

For what it's worth, I bought a DrivePro 3500 4 years ago and it is still working. THB 3600. 

Whether there is much point apart from getting 5% off your insurance is debatable. In my unfortunate experience, the Farang is always in the wrong, despite dashcam evidence. 

[topt]

@Orton Rd good site here for comparisons/reviews forums -

 

https://carcamcentral.com/

 

As another poster mentioned been several threads but I know the search function can be difficult....

 

I also have a Viofo A119

[evadgib]

18 hours ago, NokNokJoke said:

If the camera doesn't loop, it's not a dash cam, or you have something turned off in the menu by mistake.

(Or the card is corrupt)

 

The VIofo A119V2 is reliable, and has capacitor instead of a battery.  (Better for thailand heat)

Viofo A129 Duo Review

Viofo website

IDV Mini Camera

(The latter helps re road rage etc if you have to get out or can be used to record evidence of say aggressive dogs while walking your own)

HTH

[cheeryble]

I reckon it will take you about 6 months for you to find out if your dashcam is any good, by which time an even newer model will be on the market.
For what it's worth, I bought a DrivePro 3500 4 years ago and it is still working. THB 3600. 
Whether there is much point apart from getting 5% off your insurance is debatable. In my unfortunate experience, the Farang is always in the wrong, despite dashcam evidence. 

My experience over the years is, except in a rare exception clearly my fault when I was distracted trying to swat a mosquito, I’ve been paid fir damage several times, twice just paid on the spot, twice some days later with the help of the police. I now pay for full insurance so no hassle, but fairs fair it was not "always the farang’s fault."


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[cheeryble]

Most useful information here, though I may go for the cheap one.
Seems to me they’re all let down by have power leads dangling around......hard to make them neat.
Anyone used one that’s built into the rear view mirror?


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[evadgib]

25 minutes ago, cheeryble said:

Most useful information here, though I may go for the cheap one.
Seems to me they’re all let down by have power leads dangling around......hard to make them neat.
Anyone used one that’s built into the rear view mirror?

How To Hide Your Dashcam Wiring for Clean Install

(For a small fee a garage can do it while you have lunch)

HTH

[SoSoCNX]

I could not fix my 1 year old BlackVue and I did not want to pay Thai prices for new one . 

Last August I bought Viofo A129 Duo+GPS. So far NO problems, it is working in the hot days and nights. 

Hiding front cam wire and power cable was easy (i was extra careful not to trigger pillar airbag) but hiding back cam wires took some time. 

Soon I will "HOT" hard-wire, because i want to take full advantage of parking mode 

I paid 3,900THB including delivery 

[JAFO]

All I can say is you get what you pay for. Some have nice small screens but the video quality play back is horrific.

 

Blackvue is good, Cobra 840 is nice and small. Thinkware is good also. I'd do a YouTube vid search for a comparison. 

 

Good Luck

 

 

[myshem]

Xiaomi Yi is the best of the cheap dashcams.

Except if you are an idiot who wants to pay expensive for electronic devices that sit under the sun, you should buy this one which is perfectly enough.

 

[evadgib]

4 hours ago, myshem said:

Xiaomi Yi is the best of the cheap dashcams.

Except if you are an idiot who wants to pay expensive for electronic devices that sit under the sun, you should buy this one which is perfectly enough.

Here's a review but IMO you're better off being an idiot & opting for one that uses capacitors rather than an internal battery that might fail due to heat or humidity.

[MeePeeMai]

On 4/20/2019 at 9:35 PM, cheeryble said:

Really? I think they should loop.


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Mine loops but anytime you press the red "save" button (as in after an accident) it will save and store the video for 20 seconds before and 20 seconds after pressing the save button.  These emergency saves will not be overwritten in the loop.  Any or all of the videos can be easily erased at any time.

[MeePeeMai]

4 hours ago, myshem said:

Xiaomi Yi is the best of the cheap dashcams.

I've had this one for 6 months now and cannot complain.  I like all the features and the night vision/video quality is very good.  Lazada 

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, evadgib said:

4 hours ago, myshem said:

Xiaomi Yi is the best of the cheap dashcams.

Except if you are an idiot who wants to pay expensive for electronic devices that sit under the sun, you should buy this one which is perfectly enough.

Here's a review but IMO you're better off being an idiot & opting for one that uses capacitors rather than an internal battery that might fail due to heat or humidity.

 

You get what you pay for... actually in with the Xiaomi Yi you get more than you pay for because it really is cheap - so probably best of the budget options if you don't care for features like GPS or a very good recorded image (as reviews have mentioned - image compression artifacts, and you can't really read numberplate unless close) - although example videos look ok.

 

One of its biggest flaws is the Chinese menu without any other option (unless this has changed since 2017) mayhem hasn't mentioned his ability to read Hanzi characters like a native. 

 

 

So... If you can afford a car and consider a dash can an essential piece of kit.... you'd be an idiot for choosing the cheapest thing you can get your hands on instead of a premium piece of kit which can read number plates, has decent compression, doesn't have an internal battery which can overheat when parked in the sunlight in a tropical climate and a operating system in Chinese only.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MeePeeMai]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

One of its biggest flaws is the Chinese menu without any other option (unless this has changed since 2017) mayhem hasn't mentioned his ability to read Hanzi characters like a native. 

 

My Instructions given were in English and my menu is also in English.  (chose the "English" model on Lazada)

It is very simple to operate and there are many how to videos about it on youtube.  Best bang for the buck in my book (so far).

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, MeePeeMai said:

 

My Instructions given were in English and my menu is also in English.  (chose the "English" model on Lazada)

It is very simple to operate and there are many how to videos about it on youtube.  Best bang for the buck in my book (so far).

 

Hows the image compression? can you see the number-plates of the other vehicles on playback?

 

A couple recent Thai reviews still show that beyond 5m or so numberplate are difficult to make out, but I think most Dash-cams would be the same.

 

It seems that the reviews I read (from 2017) were dated and Xiaomi have since added the English firmware. If they have upgraded their compression algorithms, then its a good cam. 

 

Thus, the Xiaomi Yi does seems an excellent deal for a budget Dash-cam. 

 

 

This review covers the cams well... 

The Xiaomi Yi - is considered the best budget cam for cool climates (US$45)

The BlackVue DR900s-2CH is considered the best Video Quality and Cloud features (US$480)

 

https://carcamcentral.com/guide/best-dash-cams-car-dvrs-black-boxes-of-2019

 

For the price difference you could have separate front, rear and side facing Xiaomi Yi cams and still save money giving you 360 degree coverage !!!.... But would you get that critical number plate in a hit and run?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Orton Rd]

The Xiaomi Yi looks good but no back camera with them like a lot have. that review link says not so good for hot climates though

 

At $45 it’s the cheapest camera we can recommend but, it isn’t a good choice for warmer locations as the video becomes blurry as the heat affects the focus. As well, many people find the silvery metallic finish too noticeable. It also uses lithium-ion batteries which have swelled and damaged the camera in the past.

[MeePeeMai]

I was surprised how good the image and video quality was but I'm not sure how far away the plates are readable (never really checked yet).  There are several different settings for higher quality images and videos but they will take up more space on your memory card.  I'm no camera guru so it's all gibberish to me as far as the image/video settings.  Takes up to a 64 GB SD card.

 

I'll pull some video from it tomorrow and see how far I can read the plates from and post back again.

 

 

One I got says: 

 

1296P UHD Ultra-HD Resolution  - 44% improved than 1080P, better than human eyes.

Ultra Smooth & Clear Pictures 1080P 60FPS

Low-power H.264 Video Compression Technology

165 Degree Super Wide Angle

2 times wider view than human eyes, show you 3 lanes easily.

 

[MeePeeMai]

2 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

The Xiaomi Yi looks good but no back camera with them like a lot have.

Yea but you could easily mount one on the back window using a 12 volt Y-splitter (if you don't have 2 cig lighters in your vehicle).  My truck has two slots so I plan on getting another one for the back window.

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, MeePeeMai said:

Yea but you could easily mount one on the back window using a 12 volt Y-splitter (if you don't have 2 cig lighters in your vehicle).  My truck has two slots so I plan on getting another one for the back window.

 

At the price of the Xiaomi Yi you could really go to town, mount them on the rear side widows and 360 degree coverage for when a Motorcycle jumps the lights and t-bones you !

 

 

 

[mike787]

Don't skimp on price for quality, Dash cam will help save your life in Thailand, your visa, and assets.  When deciding think big picture and quality.

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, MeePeeMai said:

was surprised how good the image and video quality was but I'm not sure how far away the plates are readable (never really checked yet).  There are several different settings for higher quality images and videos but they will take up more space on your memory card.  I'm no camera guru so it's all gibberish to me as far as the image/video settings.  Takes up to a 64 GB SD card.

 

I'll pull some video from it tomorrow and see how far I can read the plates from and post back again.

 

 

One I got says: 

 

1296P UHD Ultra-HD Resolution  - 44% improved than 1080P, better than human eyes.

Ultra Smooth & Clear Pictures 1080P 60FPS

Low-power H.264 Video Compression Technology

165 Degree Super Wide Angle

2 times wider view than human eyes, show you 3 lanes easily.

 

I'll try and do the same from the cams on my Car (a 5 yr old BlackVue DR500) and Motorcycle Innovv K2 (If I take the bike out, its too hot at the moment). 

 

Of course, it also matters how much compression we save with the video. 

 

 

A couple of questionable claims with the Xiaomi. 

 

1296P UHD Ultra-HD Resolution  - 44% improved than 1080P, better than human eyes.

 

Erm...  whats the point then... and whats the point of all the 4K stuff around if 1296p is better than human eyes !!! (accuracy at a distance perhaps).

 

165 Degree Super Wide Angle

2 times wider view than human eyes, show you 3 lanes easily.

 

My field of vision is significantly better than 82 degrees !!!! Human horizontal range is 210 degrees with 140 degrees vertical vision, but further clarified at 114 degrees horizontal arc for accurate depth perception. 

 

So, 160 is a good field but the marketeers lose credibility with their 'better than human eyes' claims (unless they had a rear cam, because we don't have eyes in the back of our heads, just mirrors with limited field and blind spots).