Dash cam recommendations please

[deWolf]

We are looking to get a dash cam for our tow vehicle (Dodge Ram 3500). Those of you who have purchased one, what did you purchase and are you happy with it? If you were going to buy a new one today, what features would you absolutely have to have?

Thanks bunches!

[LCBoyer]

I bought one at Wally World. It works

[Cate&Rob]

We have a relatively inexpensive (<$40) dash cam that I have seen marketed under various brand names.(Ours is Xtreme)

It comes with a 4GB card which will save about an hour of video clips but can be upgraded to 32GB for about 8 hours.
At highest resolution recording, it claims to be 1080P HD . . . but I really wonder about this because this is not high enough resolution to read licence plate numbers, even at relatively close range. On the other hand, it does seem to be about the same resolution as I have seen on dash cam video posted on youtube and can easily identify vehicle makes, colors and what's happening.

It has a flip down screen which is very useful for aiming. I don't know how you would aim one of the more expensive ones without a monitor screen.
The unit is light weight and the suction cup mount works well . . . except in sub-freezing weather . . . which is a bit of a PITA.
The power cord is long enough to follow the headliner and down the A pillar so mounting near the mirror does not leave a visible cord hanging down.

The night time infrared capability works, but resolution is poor and gets washed out by bright lights or oncoming headlights.

If I were shopping for another one, I would look for better resolution but it would have to have a screen for aiming.

When positioning the camera view, remember to aim high enough to capture traffic lights. We recorded a transport truck running a red light and requiring others to take evasive action. When I looked back at the video, I realized that I did not capture the red light, so the video could have been interpreted differently.

Rob

[Second Chance]

We ordered this one from Amazon. It is working well so far. Some of the things I like about it are: 1) the way it mounts (up high, out of the way, and NOT a suction cup mount); 2) the length of the power cord (made it very easy to route around the windshield and under the dash out of sight); and 3) it has all the bells and whistles - including the G-force sensor, etc.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rob

[TucsonJim]

We use the same one Rob (Second Chance) links to above.

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

Rob & Jim . . .
Can you read the licence plate numbers of cars/trucks that pass you ?

Rob

[Second Chance]

Rob & Jim . . .
Can you read the licence plate numbers of cars/trucks that pass you ?

Rob

Haven't tried. With 1080P, I would assume so.

Rob

[Cate&Rob]

Haven't tried. With 1080P, I would assume so.

Rob

Would be interested to know this. Our cheaper camera also claims to be 1080P, but once a car is two lengths past the truck, the licence plate is not readable on the video. This would seem to be an important thing to be able to record . . . and certainly worth the additional cost if your unit can achieve this.

(another) Rob

[Second Chance]

Would be interested to know this. Our cheaper camera also claims to be 1080P, but once a car is two lengths past the truck, the licence plate is not readable on the video. This would seem to be an important thing to be able to record . . . and certainly worth the additional cost if your unit can achieve this.

(another) Rob

I'll pull the card out of the camera and check...

Rob

[TucsonJim]

I've been wondering the same thing since I just installed our camera. So I just pulled the card and looked at some video. If the vehicle is close, I could read them quite well. This is a wide angle camera which is designed to catch all the action in the driver's field of view. So it's not specifically designed for long range detail With that said, I captured a few images from the videos so you can check out the quality:

Edit: After looking at how these images posted, the plates are difficult to read. However, on full screen images, it's pretty straight forward.




In this shot, you can see the license number of a vehicle in the next lane as they went past me. The image is pretty clear and sharp, but the signs in the distance are a little hard to read.


In this next image, you can see a vehicle right in front of me, and the lighting is ideal with the sun behind us. Very easy to make this one out.


The third photo capture is my son's vehicle right in front of us at dark. Although it's not crystal clear, it is readable.


In this final image, even though the sun is in the foreground, I should be able to read the plate clearly. BUT the reflection off the dash board is wiping out the clarity of the plate number. I need to do something to reduce the glare.

All in all, I'm happy with the quality of the videos from this camera.

Jim