# Tell me about Dash Cams **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837 "2014-03-29T16:31:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837/1 "2014-03-29T16:31:34Z")
OK, the thread below has started me thinking that every car should have a dash cam in it. > **[Karma bites angry driver in the butt.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=719486)** > > I love this video. Angry tailgater speeds past car and flips her the bird. Then his truck slides off the wet road and crashes into a light pole. 😃 😃 😃 All caught on video. The guy left the scene but cops arrested him later at home. karma is a... Not so I can post these idiots on youtube, but just for personal protection. I would suspect, that without the video, the guy in the truck would swear on his mother’s grave that the lady in front of him was: [ul] [li]going 20 MPH under the speed limit[/li][li]slamming on her brakes every time he got close[/li][li]swerved towards him when he tried to pass her, and[/li][li]ran him off the road once he was around her[/li][/ul] Now, without any video, it’s just his word against hers. With the video, he is clearly discredited before he is even finished with his excuses. So, I will add Dash Cam to the items that should come in very car from the factory (along with battery charger, tire pump, gas can and automatic siphon hose, & GPS). Looking on Google, however, I get bewildered. These things can cost upwards of $300 (US). Jump over to eBay, you can find them, brand new, for 1/10th that. Literally, there are dozens under $30 delivered and for less than $50, you can get a bunch of bells and whistles. So, what do I need? I just want a cam that can store maybe 2 hours, preferably on a SD card, so I can record a whole day if needed on a cross-country trip. What other features should I be looking for? What is a waste? Thanks, ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837/2 "2014-03-29T16:46:14Z")
It’s hard to recommend any specific cheap dash cam since they are all knockoffs of knockoffs. However, for the most part they will work pretty well. Amazon is probably your best resource since you can read the reviews. For the most part they are setup and forget. They will generally start recording when the power is turned on. They will record segments of a few minutes. When the card is full, they record over the oldest videos. They loop recordings so that you never have to worry about the card getting full. [Techmoan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ0Tm9FFpKM) on YouTube often reviews dashcams and you can get an idea of their capabilities. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837/3 "2014-03-29T22:40:03Z")
I have them [front](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ural/media/videos/Movie_zps75ffad27.mp4.html)and [rear](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ural/media/videos/930annivwreck_zps55486640.mp4.html)because, people. The 20-30 dollar units from Amazon work fine. A 64GB card gives you about 12 hours of recording. I leave them on 24/7. My son caught the person who vandalized his truck at school. I taped a burglar cleaning out a neighbor’s shed. Shit happens everywhere. They’re very handy, and I think everyone should have one. ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837/4 "2014-03-29T23:47:30Z")
I’ve had the GT550WS for about 6 months so far. The camera records in 1080P at 30fps as well as doing a surprisingly good job at night. You want high resolution and high frame rate so you can capture license plates and recognizable facial images. I bought it with a SanDisk 32GB class 10 micro-SD card and shipping from Singapore, all for $125. If I remember correctly I ordered from fox offer or something like that. Search the web. I covered all the emblems and markings with a black marker and mounted it between the windshield and the rear view mirror. Very stealthy. Read reviews and user comments at [dashcamtalk.com](http://dashcamtalk.com) and [carcamcentral.com](http://carcamcentral.com). I intend to do what **ducati** does: front and rear 24/7. **Ducati** , can you tell us more? What cameras are you using, do they drain your car battery, how did you wire it up, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837/5 "2014-03-30T00:47:35Z")
Yep. You know how on the news they have those security camera videos, and the faces are so fuzzy it could be literally anyone? You don’t want anything you capture with your camera to be like that. Similarly, you don’t want to overwrite your video too often, such that the guy who vandalized your car 3 hours ago has already been overwritten. Finally, you want a CCD and lens assembly that isn’t utter crap. Bigger sensors means less noise in low light conditions, and good lens also help. So, reasoning it out : you probably want a big enough SD card for 12-24 hours of recording, you want 1080p resolution, you want a good frame rate, and you want good low light sensitivity. That’s why toofs payed $125 for his. You can go cheaper, but then you don’t need to bother with a dash cam. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837/6 "2014-03-30T07:31:28Z")
I recently submitted a similar question at this link: > **[Help me buy a GoPro camera.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=719527)** > > I want to buy a GoPro camera to mount on may dashboard. (Suggestions for a dashboard mount device also appreciated.) I commute to work in my 1999 Corolla in the Bay Area and there are so many batshit crazy drivers/pedestrians out there that I want to... Thanks to Astro’s suggestion in that link I did my research and settled on this device: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CXB186Y/ref=pe\_385040\_30332200\_pe\_309540\_26725410\_item](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CXB186Y/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item) For $299.99 and then received the following promotional discount: Promotion Applied: -$110.08 Ignorance defeated. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dash-cams/684837/7 "2014-03-30T18:25:20Z")
I have several [like this one](http://www.amazon.com/2-5-inch-Monitor-Dashboard-Accident-RECORDER/dp/B005680BX2/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1396203133&sr=8-19&keywords=car+camera+-+dash+cam), although I would like to upgrade to 1080p. I have all cameras hard-wired, so they can be turned on independently of the ignition switch. You can typically leave them on for a day or so, but they will drain the battery if you just leave them, obviously. I have [Optima batteries](http://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/shop/yellowtop)in most of our vehicles, and in my experience, they have plenty of power to run toys for a long time. The smaller batteries in small cars generally don’t have the amp hours that the big guys have. I put switch inline, so I can shut them off if I’m parking that car for more than a couple of days. Get at least one for every car you have, especially teen drivers. Not as a spy tool, but to give them a witness should something happen to them. [Like mine…](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ural/media/videos/Alexwreck1_zps6fc62702.mp4.html)