Dash cam recommendations

[Gringo]

Ive put it off for years but now might be my time to join the dash cam club !

As a complete DC newbie I've been overloaded with choices, good and bad reviews on the same cam and stories of well known makes with on going early battery faults.
What's best, is a £40 cam worth buying or do I need to spend three figures ?
I'm hoping for advice from actual owner / users
I'm looking for a basic reliable day & night unit that requires little to no external input from me ( I don't have a pc, I do all stuff with my iPad )
I'd like it to sit there in the background doing its thing, just in case s**t happens and I need a witness lol.

Like I say, I'm compleatly in the dark so any advice will be welcome.
Thanks in advance Carl

 

[tisme]

I've had a couple of cheap DCs that were OK then bought an Isaw Extreme, it cost double but I can use it on so much more. On holiday it was a dash cam an underwater cam, bike cam and took pictures. If you can, spend a bit more and do more

 

[Gringo]

I can use it on so much more

I haven't been on holiday for 15 years , the only time I'm under water is in the swimming pool or the bath I don't want a bike cam and I already have a camera but thanks for the recommendation anywho.
Now if only the action cam came with an action lifestyle, inc the age and health to go with it ! lol

 

[oldtom]

Gringo, (Carl) I got to where you are at about 18 months ago and did some research. At that time, the NextBase 402G Professional model was getting great write-ups in car mags and from 'Which'. I bought it for something like £129 at that time but I see it in Argos now for £99.

It is very good in terms of the footage day or night and it pretty well works straight out of the box. Once installed you can forget about it as it just does the job that you are after which was my reasoning too.

My brother-in-law, who is a cheapskate, bragged to me about the £15 job he bought off flea bay. That lasted about two weeks and he won't be paying for another - doesn't see the point now strangely!

I'm sure there are others which do a very decent job but the NextBase 402 does what I need and I have just transferred it to my new car - must change the details in the menu, now that I remember.

Tom

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The RAC dashcam looks quite good. at least it should have instructions that you can understand. It was featured on QVC the other night. They have another slightly more expensive with GPS, so you can prove that you weren't going too fast:

http://www.qvcuk.com/RAC-205-Full-HD-In-Car-Camera-with-16GB-SD-Card-Carry-Case-&-Torch.product.508587.html?sc=SRCH&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-2-_-508587

 

[Gringo]

Cheers Tom,
I'd been looking at the next base dc's but the more recent reviews have been poor, many having premature battery failure. It may only be model spesfic but that's what prompted me to post here.

The Transcend drivepro 200 has my eye at the moment, good reviews, looks quite compact, dash powered or from a battery pack (5v) and its car insurance company approved.
£75 from Halfords, sd card included and as a British cycling member I get 10% off
Ironically it looks like I could strap it on my bike and power it from built in USB port.
I say ironically because I only ride for pleasure so I chose not to ride in traffic, on cycle paths I slow down around footpads and give a very wide birth to all quadrupeds also I don't think many rides are worth sharing, certainly not mine
Thanks Dave, I haven't yet had a proper look at the rac cam but it's similar to the transcend

 

[Gringo]

you can prove that you weren't going too fast:

In an accident the police could use your DC information for your benifit but with gps a full driver profile might not be in your favor

 

[oldtom]

I just looked at Argos' site and the NextBase 402G is now £95 but I expect an SD card isn't included.

If it helps, you can view the 'more info' description in their ad which is a PDF file of the whole user manual for the model.

The Transcend Drive-Pro 200 does at least come with an SD card and is cheaper.

Tom

 

[Gringo]

88% positive reviews of the 404G but the most recent ones are down to only 1 star ? that's a little worrying.
http://www.halfords.com/technology/dash-cams/dash-cams/nextbase-dash-cam-402g-professional#reviewDetails
The transcend is ready to go for £67 (10% discount) dose everything I think I need & insurance approved
I'm just waiting for someone to point out its shortcomings

 

[big_gems]

I have a thinkers f50. V easy to use. Set up is simple, plug in micro sd and amend settings and put back in and forget.
I have switched off GPS. Image is great, full HD. Fitted £75.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

[Gringo]

thinkers f50. V easy to use. Set up is simple, plug in micro sd and amend settings

THINKWARE f50
No screen, no playback !
They do have an iPad app but thers only 3 reviews for it and they say it crashes or dosent work.
Thanks but I'm still favouring a self contained unit

 

[big_gems]

No screen makes it smaller and more discreet. I hope to only use if in accident so would take card out put in comp and away you go. Horses for courses

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 

[Gringo]

No screen makes it smaller and more discreet. I hope to only use if in accident so would take card out put in comp and away you go. Horses for courses

Agreed but I don't have a PC !

 

[big_gems]

Fair point clearly made

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

[Cliff-C]

If you haven't already seen it, worth looking on YouTube at the reviews done by Techmoan. He is in the UK and has done many independent reviews of dashcams for both car and bike. Also has a video on the different functions available on dashcams and their usefulness or otherwise. Definitely worth a look.

Sent from my Paris using Tapatalk

 

[Gringo]

Changed my mind well a visit to halfords did it for me (along with some earlier feedback )
Dispite quite a large range online, halfords only have nextbase instore, limiting choice can help the indecisive lol
Seeing the latest incarnation of the 402, I was sold on the features especially the mount as it's also the electrical connection so no wires to unplug when you take it off the screen
So I've gone for the nextbase-412gw and having it fitted in store, the package includes hard wiring to a switched live along with a memory card, soft case and a few other bits. £125 (inc British cycling 10% discount)

 

[oldtom]

Seeing the latest incarnation of the 402, I was sold on the features especially the mount as it's also the electrical connection so no wires to unplug when you take it off the screen
So I've gone for the nextbase-412gw and having it fitted in store, the package includes hard wiring to a switched live along with a memory card, soft case and a few other bits. £125 (inc British cycling 10% discount)

It all comes down to picture quality if you ever need to resort to the camera footage following any kind of mishap or disaster on the road. If the latest NB 412 produces as good a picture as my 402G, you will be very satisfied Gringo.

I have just transferred mine to my new car but I think I'll ask the dealer for a quote to hard-wire it so I avoid a dangling cable and have no warranty issues.
Your deal at Halfraud's seems pretty reasonable to me and I hope it proves its worth for you.

Best of luck with it Carl,

Tom

 

[Gringo]

If the latest NB 412 produces as good a picture as my 402G, you will be very satisfied Gringo.

The blurb says "QUAD 1440p High Definition recording"

 

[cardenal]

Is it safe to leave it attached to the windscreen when the car is unattended?

 

[Gringo]

Is it safe to leave it attached to the windscreen when the car is unattended?

Depends where you park !
The one I've chosen should be very easy to remove as the mount and power lead are one and the same so there's no messing.
I think our works carpark is safe but not so for the public carpark out side the swimming pool.