Buying a Dash Cam

[witchcraftz]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

Dashcams are becoming a must. :(

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

You can take the bus or train like me, free CCTV usually included

[dwvw]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

Not to put that one down but resolution is probably something you don't want to skimp out on with a dash cam. 720p HD is just about the lowest quality you can get these days I believe, I just don't want somebody to hit you and get away because you couldn't get a clear read on a license plate.

If you are referring to the Compustar Dash, it has great resolution. Here is a video of a hit and run a friend of mines captured at night, it is very easy to get a pate number off of.

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

[MechEngg]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

If you are referring to the Compustar Dash, it has great resolution. Here is a video of a hit and run a friend of mines captured at night, it is very easy to get a pate number off of.

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

I'm glad your dash cam is good enough to capture a plate from <5' away. That was quite lucky on your part.
I stand by what i said earlier, 720p / 24fps is just about the lowest resolution you can get in any recording device these days. If the vehicle had been 20' away from the camera, i doubt that a plate number would have been readable.

The dash cam i have suggested here (mini 0806) includes multiple recording levels, including both more favorable 1080p/45fps and 1296p/30fps. The higher frame rate offers twice as many frames to get a good shot in, and both resolutions offered allow you to zoom in much much further to be able to capture that plate number or the face of the individual.

Either way i'm glad that your friend got the footage that he requires, but if i was in the market for a dash cam (and i am) the compustar dash one that you posted would not even get a second glance from myself.

[Wildfire]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

Does anyone else who has a dash cam find the find the footage after a near miss seems less dramatic?

Since I purchased my dash cam I have had a few near misses. I had one on Deefoot last year where a guy cut across three lanes (I was in the middle) to get to a exit. He missed my front left bumpber. When I have gone and reviewed the footage it does not seem that bad or close. But from the drivers seat it seemed close.
I had a near miss this morning going down Barlow (I was below the speed limit before anyone asks), and a pickup decided to make the turn (why..? I don't know, considering the Big Rig on my left seemed loaded as it was going slow). I had to brake pretty dam hard, any harder and I would have had some sort of locking on my wheels. It gave me a hell of a heart attack. But I don't want this to be a pickup truck guy hate post. My point being, does anyone find their actually footage less dramatic compared to actually being in the drivers seat?

Anyways, I looked at the footage at work and my boss said, it was not that close. I was fuming *&^%$.. hell no.

[witchcraftz]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

A dash cam only gives you a view of the front of the car without the rest of the feedback. Road conditions, steering wheel feedback, tire grip, inertia, and everything is missing form the video.

[Danaldson]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

yeah to me that doesnt look very close at all.

Kinda reminds me of when i do a sick jump on a snowboard, and then when you look at the go pro footage you're only like a foot off the ground.

[syncrovan]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

Looking at it more carefully, it seems without any braking, you would have been part of the truck. I think I can see the deceleration in the footage.

Again, when you look at it, the "element of surprise" is gone because you know what is going to happen....

[MechEngg]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

There are really 2 reasons for it not appearing as close:
1) The position of the dash camera vs your eyes
2) The real world feedback as Witchcraftz pointed out

I'm sure it appeared extremely close in the drivers seat (even if it was 4' away) and it would make me jump as well. Glad to see you were able to slow down in time and there wasn't a patch of ice below that guys truck to prevent him from moving through the intersection as fast as he did.

[PRY4SNO]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

That's some decent quality. Nice to see these are getting more affordable without sacrificing resolution.

I'd say he cut you off by making an ill conceived, slowly executed, left hand turn against oncoming traffic. Had you not braked so judiciously, and I can tell you had to, there would have been quite the mess at that intersection.

Funny thing is I got one for xmas two years ago and haven't taken it out of the box yet. Benefit of an 8-minute commute, I suppose...

[BaggedGLI]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

Bought one after I was pushed forward with the brakes locked up by a semi, he left, never found them even though I got the plate number. Still haven't put it in the car. My Allroad came with one, can't wait to capture all the stuff I see on my way in on Glenmore in the morning.

[Circuits]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

After a few close calls last summer with people almost hitting me on Deerfoot while trying to take pictures of the car... dash cam is probably going in this year.

[cam_wmh]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

There are really 2 reasons for it not appearing as close:
1) The position of the dash camera vs your eyes
2) The real world feedback as Witchcraftz pointed out

I'm sure it appeared extremely close in the drivers seat (even if it was 4' away) and it would make me jump as well. Glad to see you were able to slow down in time and there wasn't a patch of ice below that guys truck to prevent him from moving through the intersection as fast as he did.

Including the speed (Km/Hr), on the video would assist too -- seeing those rapid deceleration numbers, would paint the picture of heavy braking.

[Wildfire]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

I watched it again a few times, I can only see the deceleration by using the overheard lights top right as a reference (5 second mark). I guess it would seem different from where the camera is positioned in relation to the drivers seat plus the feed back as mentioned.. The human eye vs the type of lens in the dash cam itself would play a part.

I also noticed recently that when the temperature drops to around -25c. The dash cam does not record. It throws up SD card error. This stops when the cabin temperature has warmed up a bit. This has only started to happen recently, I don't know if this happens to anyone else so heads up. The suction mount is not the best, the plastic and suction mount came apart. I just glued it back together. I have no complaints though, its cheap.. it works.

[Stonewall]

Re: Buying a Dash Cam

This ones on sale today if anyone is interested:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...ailyDeal-Jun26