dashcam

[tmontague]

hey guys,

I'm in the market for a dash cam to legally protect me in case of a crash.

I'm curious if any of you are using one and what your recommendations are? I'm looking for one that does the following:

-can be hardwired to my car to auto run when my ignition is on
-nice and small to sit above my rear view mirror (don't need a screen on it)
-will auto loop onto itself until an accident happens

Hoping for something below $70

I've read reviews online and have some ideas but I'm curious as to what the YW community uses

[CoryM]

I'm using the A118 which checks all your boxes. It's probably the least visible of the dashcams, and fits tidily on the Yaris. GF is using the A118C in her car which is the newer version with capacitors and software updates. There is a A119 out now too which I know nothing about.
https://www.blackboxmycar.com/collections/under-150

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I have a Thinkware F50. Great dash cam for the price (can get them for 90 bucks). One major factor was it uses a capacitor instead of a battery. I see no point in batteries for a dash cam since they would only record for a few minutes anyway (I'd hardwire a cam in if I want it to record when I'm away from the car). A capacitor is safer to use, especially in hot climates.

Furthermore, if you hardwire the F50 in, you can use the parking mode that it has built in.

Here's a day quality vid (I removed the audio as music is playing, and YT will delete the audio anyway due to "copyright infringement."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIp8hbTNW-Q


And a night quality (I drive on a highway with no lights, so basically rely on my headlights).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWM_lG1M7PM


I'm debating on whether to get another F50, or chance the Viofo A119 to use in the Yaris (the F50 stays in the FR-S).

[tmontague]

Thanks for the input guys. The Viofo 119 (with capacitor) is very high on my list as well as one other small cylindrical cam that I forget the model number of.

I'll look into the f50 as well.

I'm assuming you guys hooked it up to 12v ignition switched power?

I'm curious as if anyone has used the parking motion detect feature and hooked it up to constant 12v power?

I know the Viofo 119 is not really meant for this feature though

[Kaotic Lazagna]

The FR-S has a hidden 12v outlet in the glove box, so I plugged the power cable in there (also means I can't use the parking mode).

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Well, I just pulled the trigger and ordered the Viofo A119 from Adorama. With the GPS logger, it was $89 bucks with free expedited shipping. Without the GPS logger, it would have been $89.95. No brainer. lol. I thought about getting the A119s, but after looking at multiple videos, I actually think the video quality is worse than the A119.

Since the Yaris only has one 12v outlet (at least that I'm aware of), I ordered an Indipro Tools Y splitter/outlet multiplier. That way I can have the dashcam always plugged in, and have the other outlet free for a GPS or phone charger.

[funky2nite]

I installed 10+ in second gen yaris chinese model dash cam $14 ticks all your boxes never faulted any of the installs. 2017 New Original Podofo A1 Mini Car DVR Camera Dashcam Full HD 1080P Video Registrator Recorder G-sensor Night Vision Dash Cam
http://s.aliexpress.com/aIJ3UBv2
(from AliExpress Android)

[Kalispel]

An OEM integrated dashcam system would be more useful than that Safety Sense C garbage that they are making standard on the Yaris now.

[Steve35]

dont' use one but I saw this

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...est-dash-cams/

Steve

[kevinj93]

Just fitted this one yesterday:-

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/361928100...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It connects to unswitched +12 Volts, Accessory power and ground. There is also a video out line which feeds into my A/V head unit. It starts recording when you turn the ignition on, snd stops recording 8 seconds after you turn the ignition off. The camera is gimballed so you can adjust exactly where it points.

I had to do a little bit of filing on the casing to make it fit around the mirror mount. Only about an eighth of an inch width each side.

I see other units on eBay that have the same casing, but can connect to your phone by WiFi to control them and play back video.

Although this unit is claimed to be full HD 1080p video, it actually records to the micro SD card as a 720p AVI file using MJPEG compressIon and 32k, 8 bit uncompressed audio.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Kalispel

An OEM integrated dashcam system would be more useful than that Safety Sense C garbage that they are making standard on the Yaris now.

I think TSS is actually useful since it does address the three most common causes of accidents (distracted driving, night visibility, and fatigued driving).

I'm sure there are legal reasons as to why automakers don't have built in dash cams. It's also far easier to install a dash cam than install the systems needed for TSS and actually make it run properly. One of my dash cams has pre-collision and lane departure, and they don't work at all.

[Matt22]

Can anyone direct me to instructions on how to hardwire my new dashcam? I bought a FalconZero F360+. My car is a 2009 Yaris sedan base. Thanks in advance!

[tmontague]

Use a mtimeter and check your under dash fuse panel for ignition switches 12V power. Use a fuse tap and splice in your power wire for the dash can to it.

You will then have a dashcam that auto turns on and off with your ignition.