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Old 10-24-2012, 04:19 AM   #1
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I'm sort of at a loss here, and I hope CP can help me out.

I'm interested in getting a dash cam - preferably wide angle, resolution doesn't need to be spectacular, and not more than $100 or so. There's just so much junk out there, it's overwhelming.

And just to be clear: I will not use a smart phone. I'm looking for a dedicated device that stays in the vehicle.

To anyone who has a dash cam, or can recommend one, please post your feedback.
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Old 10-24-2012, 06:10 AM   #2
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seen them for very cheap on RFD before, usually on tigerdirect flyers and stuff. in the 30-50$ range
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Old 10-24-2012, 09:49 AM   #3
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I have one, but I paid more than your price range. There is a ton of cheap Chinese and Russian crap out there. You get what you pay for. If you can find a western manufacturer for cheap, that would be good, but in reality, the cheap Chinese stuff is going to crap out on you. I guess the expensive Chinese stuff can crap out as well, but mines held up so far.

I have a v1000GS that I got off eBay.



http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2011/11...-your-car.html
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Old 10-26-2012, 12:33 PM   #4
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So what exactly is the reason for having one of these? I watched the video above and I can't imagine that type of fraud is very common here when the soft tissue cap is 4k. Do you have it encase you get into an accident or to make youtube videos of bad drivers?

Do you leave it in your car all the time? Did you hide the wires somehow?
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Old 10-26-2012, 12:42 PM   #5
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It would eliminate any of the "he said/ she said" types of arguements. I had one of those once; a lady ran a stop sign and in court she said that I had gunned it to try and hit her. Little old lady vs. 18 year old kid with a sports car; the judge was about to side with her. Fortunately I had taken pictures of the skid marks, or else I would have been in trouble too.
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Old 10-26-2012, 12:59 PM   #6
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It's just a proactive measure in case you are in an accident. Then there is some documentation of what happened. It's just a safety thing. I've never had to use mine, knock on wood, but i've only had it for about 8 months. I don't make youtube videos of bad drivers, but I suppose you could.

It's in the car all the time, it's permanent. I hardwired mine in. I have both my radar detector and dash cam running off a tapped auxiliary fuse. All wires are run hidden for a clean look. A lot of people just use the cigarette lighter method, maybe because of laziness or lack of electrical knowledge, but they are really not that hard to hardwire yourself with some basic knowledge.

Camera comes on when I turn the car on. Camera goes off when I turn the car off. I have a 16 gig card (I think) in the camera and it just loops over itself. It's 4 - 6 hours of HD recording. My camera also records GPS location and speed.

There are cameras on the market that will turn on when it senses motion. If you are parked in a parking lot and someone is backing up, the camera will turn on and if that person happens to back into you, you will have a recording of it.
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Old 10-26-2012, 02:43 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worth View Post
It's in the car all the time, it's permanent. I hardwired mine in. I have both my radar detector and dash cam running off a tapped auxiliary fuse. All wires are run hidden for a clean look. A lot of people just use the cigarette lighter method, maybe because of laziness or lack of electrical knowledge, but they are really not that hard to hardwire yourself with some basic knowledge.

Camera comes on when I turn the car on. Camera goes off when I turn the car off. I have a 16 gig card (I think) in the camera and it just loops over itself. It's 4 - 6 hours of HD recording. My camera also records GPS location and speed.
Interesting. I like that setup a lot. So did you just tap into the interior fuse box and run the cable under the trim of the dash/headliner/a-pillar area? Did you mount it behind your rear view mirror? I guess the theft of the camera isn't a concern? Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I would be really interested in this if I could mount it cleanly and have record automatically.
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Old 10-26-2012, 02:52 PM   #8
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Yeah, fuse box is on the DS, up the A-Pillar, tucked in the headliner, down the cable tray for the mirror and the cam sits behind the mirror. I can't even really see it when i'm driving.

The GPS module is in my sunglasses case holder on the ceiling, and my sunglesses still fit there, so its' a good hidden spot.

You just have to make sure you tap the correct fuse.

I could probably take a couple pictures for you if you want.
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Old 10-26-2012, 03:22 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worth View Post
Yeah, fuse box is on the DS, up the A-Pillar, tucked in the headliner, down the cable tray for the mirror and the cam sits behind the mirror. I can't even really see it when i'm driving.

The GPS module is in my sunglasses case holder on the ceiling, and my sunglesses still fit there, so its' a good hidden spot.

You just have to make sure you tap the correct fuse.

I could probably take a couple pictures for you if you want.
That would be "worth" a look.




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Old 10-26-2012, 03:29 PM   #10
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hey-o
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Old 10-26-2012, 03:36 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worth View Post
I could probably take a couple pictures for you if you want.
Quote:
Originally Posted by To Be Quite Honest View Post
That would be "worth" a look.
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groan TBQH.

After checking into 20 or so other models, I decided to order the V1000GS (~US$149, ebay). It was a little bit more than I wanted to spend, but not much, especially if it does what it advertises. It's a small price to pay for the added peace of mind now that I have this insane 55km commute each way, mostly on Deerfoot.

I would also be very interested in seeing how you set yours up, Worth.
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Old 10-26-2012, 03:51 PM   #12
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Quote:
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I could probably take a couple pictures for you if you want.
That would be awesome.
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Old 10-26-2012, 04:37 PM   #13
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OK, you guys are going to have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday though.
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Old 10-26-2012, 05:13 PM   #14
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GoPro seems to be very popular.

Unfortunately they cost a lot more than you are willing to pay.

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/categ...category=gopro
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Old 10-26-2012, 05:20 PM   #15
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Yeah, GoPro was one of the first I looked at, til I saw the price.
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Old 10-26-2012, 05:28 PM   #16
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GoPro just announced new models, including one for $199. I'm definitely getting one of the black models.

http://gopro.com/cameras/hd-hero3-white-edition
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Old 10-26-2012, 05:51 PM   #17
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Yours sounds awesome, worth. Do you have a link to the one you have?
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Old 10-29-2012, 04:57 PM   #18
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Sliver, I bought mine off eBay. If you google v1000GS you will find reviews and that sort of thing, but I don't think there is an actual web page for it. If you search on ebay for v1000GS you will get lots of hits.

Sorry for the delay on this write up. Busy weekend.

This is sort of an overview of the setup in my car.

On the left you can see the mute button for my Bel RX65 radar detector. I also have a windshield mount I use for my Cobb AccessPort. You can see the ODBII cable hanging out there. I just leave it there all the time, but I only plug in the AccessPort when I want to log or tune.

Under the mirror is the radar detector and the camera.


View from the outside. They don't stick out, you kind of actually have to look for them to see them. I don't think someone passing by will see them unless they really focus. The radar stands out more than the dash cam though.






You can see the fuse tap here. I think i'm running on a 15A or 20A circuit which is plenty to supply the camera and radar. They won't draw anywhere near that amperage.

You can buy fuse taps in Canadian Tire etc, but just make sure you have the proper size. Newer cars are using low profile mini fuses, and I don't really recommend using the mini fuse, because it doesn't really secure properly, but it has the same footprint. Take a fuse into the store with you if you're not sure.





All cables run behind the weatherstripping and you can see the cable come out where the mute button is for the radar.



The cables that go to the windshield tuck in behind the A-Pillar. All you really need is a flathead screwdriver. I didn't remove any paneling to do mine.





The GPS module I placed in the sunglass holder. Just used some 2 sided tape to secure it. Sunglasses still fit in there too. Had to take the headliner piece apart a bit to fish the cable for the module through.






I could even zip tie some of these cables together to tidy it up even more, but I can't see them, so it doesn't really bother me.



This is what I see in the car when it is all said and done. Can only see a bit of the cable from the dash cam.

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Old 10-31-2012, 11:21 AM   #19
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Awesome, thanks a lot, worth. That has to be the most detailed, best response in the history of Internet forums.
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Old 10-31-2012, 11:26 AM   #20
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Mind if I ask why you want a dash camera?
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