Cheap dash cam- score!

[PininF]

I'd like a dash cam that turns on by itself when I start driving and turns off when not driving, so I don't have to remember to turn it on every time.

The blackvue does exactly that…it even has a motion sensor that while in park mode will turn itself on !
worth looking at.

[phaetn]

I'd like a dash cam that turns on by itself when I start driving and turns off when not driving, so I don't have to remember to turn it on every time.

This cheapie 4sigh does it, too. It starts automatically whenever there's current to the cigarette lighter, and turns off when it's cut. But it remains in a sleep mode (not recording), to turn on and record whenever the car is jolted (you can set the amount of force required to activate) whereupon it records for a set period of time (1, 2, 3 minutes).

It's not prefect, but it records in HD1080P and is TINY as a camera. I mounted it all over the car with its suction cup and was impressed. The only issue is wind noise, as with almost all cameras that have an integreated mic.

Spiderdan: you can flip a video using Windows Movie Maker. (90 degrees twice).

Cheers,
phaetn

[phaetn]

Just for fun I tried a number of non-dash shots today:
https://vimeo.com/107775474

If I can get the wind issue sorted out we're golden as I really like the views. The suction cup held, plus a couple of piece of duct tape as added insurance.

The camera lasts about 20mins if it's being used without the lighter as after that its battery runs out and needs to be recharged.

Cheers,
phaetn

[azruss]

I have a microsoft HD camera I plugged into my laptop and took it for a drive. Picture was fine. Couldnt get rid of the wind noise.

[phaetn]

Wind noise is always a problem. The only real solution is to have a separate recording device -- either a mic that can plug in to the camera or to actually record it totally separate and overlay it later like the pros do. I was looking for solutions and GoPro people use a foam scrubbing sponge for dishes and stuff it in the case. Apparently it's just the right density to still allow a good amount of sound in but vastly reduces the buffeting.

Yesterday I tried just sticking the camera in the car out of the wind. Turns out I can mount it to the windows when up and get a surpising amount of shots -- the only issue is that the mount only allows certain angles so the picture gets tilted ninety degrees which is an issue if using an uneven aspect ratio.

Here's my lastest attempt, which includes a couple of clips from out of the car that I recored the day before I tried the sponge trick (which I don't think will work based on the dash wind noise still present):
Commute to Work - Oct 2014

I'll post an HD version to Vimeo next week (my free account only allows one HD per week).

Cheres,
phaetn

[spiderdan]

Yep the wind noise sucks. I was going to add music over the videos, but I hate to get rid of that great motor/muffler sound. I tried a small band-aid over the mike hole and it seemed to help a little. I will try again but next time I will add a bit from a cotton ball. Used to work well keeping the wind out of ear infections.
At least were having fun!

[4uall]

Christmas 2014

http://gopro.com/ watch the homepage video with the Lamborghini's OMG!

[phaetn]

Lots of ups and downs because of the medical situation at home.

Happily, here is an up from the weekend. The whole reason I bought a Spider is so that we could all spend time together when my wife is feeling well. A couple of risqué lyrics, but my kids can take it: Family Tunes.



Cheers,
phaetn

[4uall]

[RRoller123]

Same here, Phaetn, we took a nice drive in the cool air last night and it was really good to get my dear wife up and out.

[supplyguy]

Phaetn - you inspired me, but I am cheap sometimes. Ordered the mount below for $11 and used my little digital camera to try a video drive. Was surprised the mount stuck on the trunk so well. Things I noticed in the vid: maybe I should remove the wrist strap...obviously flipping in the field of view. I also need to figure out the wind noise. Last, must do something about that bald spot on my head. Looking forward to trying more shots. (Update - I give up trying to load a video to this site. Minor rant.....as much as I love this site, and I have donated every year since I bought my Spider, the uploading of photos and vids remains more primitive technologically than my car. How much would I have to donate to fix this?)

http://www3.snapfish.com/snapfish/slide ... =snapfish/


http://www.amazon.com/Timetec%C2%AE-Uni ... B00HWCUDME

[phaetn]

Cool - I like that suction cup. I should get one! Now that I think about it, I have a bunch of older type cameras that would have the threaded hole for a mount in the bottom. They would probably work well.

Re. wind noise: the consensus is that using the foam from a dishwashing pad (you know, the type with foam on one side, and a rougher green scrubber on the other) has the best density -- at least for GoPros.

Unfortunately I couldn't see the vid -- Snapfish requires a sign up to view it. Other sources like Vimeo, YouTube (even Flickr) are easier for viewers to see and are still free.

Cheers,
phaetn

[4uall]

[DieselSpider]

I was thinking more along these lines for insurance purposes:

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/new-1-5-ful ... 42130.html

Inexpensive enough to get two and have one forward facing and the other rearward.

Sort from low to high for other economical choices:
http://www.rakuten.com/sr/searchresults ... m=6&sort=4

[vandor]

A quick scan did not show any customer reviews. My experience with cheap products tells me that a $25 HD camera will not work for long, if at all.
I think one of the most important feature for a camera like this if used for insurance purposes, is that it starts and stops recording on its own. If that feature does not work properly (and it does not on some $100+ cameras) then it's just paperweight.
Only customer reviews would tell if it works well or not.