Dash cams

[ftpiercecracker1]

Yes, i used the search, but what i found was inconclusive at best.

 

 

Why i want one:

I live in south FL need i say more? 

 

 

Who is running what?

What is a reasonable budget for a mid to upper quality unit?

Are there any not made in china?

What features should it have/would be nice to have?

[Eagle]

Do your research.

 

Then do more research. I failed to do step 2, and bought one that wasn't worth the price of admission. Controls were wonky, instructions were virtually non-existent, and it had an internal short (or loose) circuit.

 

One thing I figured out, after buying one that didn't have GPS, was that for insurance protection (which was the whole point of wanting a dash cam), you want one that includes in the display the date, time, your speed (keep that right foot under control when recording1), and GPS coordinates. Many of the better ones have those features, but not all of them.

 

[derf]

In order to get a decent quality unit you're looking at a couple hundred bucks or so.  Below that too much and you start to venture into the grey area of "cheap" cameras.

 

GPS and speed data, as mentioned above, are a "must have" in my book.

 

I prefer having both a front and rear facing camera.  Helps when you get rear-ended.  In a regular cab pickup, you may be able to get away with them integrated as one unit.  Just make sure it's got a clear line of sight out of the back of the cab when two people are sitting in the truck.

[Pete M]

I've got one of these in the front and the back windows.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/GPS-Camera-HD-Car-DVR-Dash-Cam-Video-Recorder-G-Sensor-1080P-WiFi-Parking-Mode/283512976933?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

bought specifically because it swivels and thus can be mounted on any angle of glass.  it's cheap and made in china, but the picture is ok and I was able to get it linked to my phone without too much frustration.

[ftpiercecracker1]

Hmm, so it sounds like "you get what you pay for" isnt exactly true for dash cams.

 

I am willing to put $150-200 into one.

 

This is probably a dumb question but do they need to be connected to the internet?

[Pete M]

mine don't.  they have an micro SD card slot and loops over old stuff.

[kook911]

I have two different kind. The one in the wife’s car is a garmin unit.  About $200 when I bought it and it is very nice.  Has all the features you want date, time, speed etc.  Then the one I put in my Jeep was a cheap China made.  Picture is ok at best.   It a lot of options and it took some time to figure out as the instructions were a little lacking.  I would spend the money on a nicer unit vs some cheap $25 dollar one.  I have heard great things about YI camera on amazon. They are priced about the $50-$60 range and worth the look.  Be when the cheap one goes out, Yi will be the next one I buy. 

[macbon]

I like my Garmin Dash Cam 45 because it is very small and the video quality is really good.