Dash cam, recommendation

[sergei]

I am looking for a dashcam. I prefer it to be a proper dashcam (and not re-purposed Go-Pro).
It must be 720p, it must hold at least 5 hours (prefer 10 hours). Compact and discrete.

Any suggestions?


Before anyone tells me why don't I google. When I google I get a lot of options, but being NZ no one brings most of them, and the ones that do, are stuck in 19th century and do not have a website...

[Grrrrrrr!]

Plenty of options on Dealextreme, not sure on specs etc.

[sergei]

Plenty of options on Dealextreme, not sure on specs etc.

I want to buy one in NZ, so I can return it if it is crap or broken (which it has high chance of being crap).

[sergei]

After doing research this looks good:
http://blackvue.com/en/contents/sub1.asp?idx=7

BLACKVUE DR400G-HD II

will search if anyone sells it in NZ.

EDIT: http://www.motoreyes.co.nz/products/blackvue-dr400g-hdii-motoreyes-with-16gb-micro-sd-memory-card

FFFUUUUUU @ the price.

Almost double the price in US.

[Akane]

sergei are you gonna record us some crazy Russian videos? Can't get enough of them.

[Cruiser]

Sergei, good find, it looks as though they are on sale at the moment too. There is also another model that's $100 cheaper and also records HD...

http://www.motoreyes.co.nz/collections/ ... emory-card

[Bling]

I haven't read it, but saw it on another forum so thought i'd share: http://dashcamtalk.com/dash-cam-comparison/

Includes the ones on that site. I want a camera, but bugger paying that much! Cheaper on Ebay

[Bling]

Could be worth a look, http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/product/D449 ... e-recorder

[Toby]

I just record everything on iPhone, pop it in it's mount in landscape and leave it running - trips don't generally last more than 30 minutes though, catch a bit of substandard driving but still haven't caught someone doing something crazy.

I don't use this but I will try it out tomorrow http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 2efQ6lXng#!

[sergei]

Could be worth a look, http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/product/D449 ... e-recorder

Unfortunately the features of it are a bit lacking:

Hi Sergei,


Thank you for contacting the Navman Team.



Below are the answers to your query:



Battery life in park mode (I assume it does motion detect recording?).

Maximum of 45 minutes.



Does it calculate speed from g-sensor?

No. It does not have any GPS capability



Does it have GPS expansion capability?

None at the moment. The gadget does not have any GPS capability.


What format it encodes the video (including the container: eg H264/AVI, MP4/MKV, etc.)?

H.264/MOV

What compression level it is using (ie how many hours can 32GB card contain)?

720p HD video: 16G for 360 mins (6 hrs)



Does it require special software do download video (can it work just in mass-storage mode)?

Yes, for as long as they have the needed codec.



Is g-sensor data in open format (unencrypted/non-obfuscated)?

All the files are unencrypted except for those with recorded events.



If you have any further queries in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us further.





Regards,





Ofel

Customer Support
DDI: +61 2 9879 9000
Navman Technology

It is a bit bulky (it would be fine if they made it slim, but it is a cube), and MOV container is a disappointment...

[MAC_HATER]

its most certainly a case of you get what you pay for

I bought a nasty cheap Chinese one off trademe:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =555192109

its ok, and it will do the job if someone $&#$% up and hits me, but its pretty grainy, it does record at 1280x720 but its like those nasty old cameras with the digital zoom, its recording big, but the quality is very very very average

it records the surroundings alright, and you can see traffic lights, and traffic signs come into view as you approach them, but numberplates are only visible when you are directly behind them, when they move off it becomes unreadable

it also doesnt like big SD cards, tried a 32 gig one that they say suits it, but every other time you turn it on it freaks out and wants to format it, but the 8 gig card works fine

will be looking at a much better one soon, maybe stick this one on the bike haha

[sergei]

its most certainly a case of you get what you pay for

I bought a nasty cheap Chinese one off trademe:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =555192109

its ok, and it will do the job if someone $&#$% up and hits me, but its pretty grainy, it does record at 1280x720 but its like those nasty old cameras with the digital zoom, its recording big, but the quality is very very very average

it records the surroundings alright, and you can see traffic lights, and traffic signs come into view as you approach them, but numberplates are only visible when you are directly behind them, when they move off it becomes unreadable

it also doesnt like big SD cards, tried a 32 gig one that they say suits it, but every other time you turn it on it freaks out and wants to format it, but the 8 gig card works fine

will be looking at a much better one soon, maybe stick this one on the bike haha

The one you have bought is a cheap copy of a good model, best way to spot it the real deal has functional HDMI port and costs about $150-200NZ.

[MAC_HATER]

The one you have bought is a cheap copy of a good model, best way to spot it the real deal has functional HDMI port and costs about $150-200NZ.

yeah, I knew it was going to be a cheap knockoff when i bought it, it was more a case of testing the waters, see how it went, and if it was alright keep it, but if not use it until i bought something better, and lend the cheap one out if friends want it or something

cheers for the tip though, i did notice that there are a few "models" varying in price that all use the same case, and my one does have a blank for a HDMI port as well, but obviously isint there

the manual for mine is hilarious, best engrish ive ever encountered

"PLEASE TO BE OPENING SD FLAP AND INSERTING DEEPLY"

[sergei]

"PLEASE TO BE OPENING SD FLAP AND INSERTING DEEPLY"

[Cruiser]

Unfortunately the features of it are a bit lacking:

If you want a quality unit with HD, GPS etc, you going to want to get one of the blackvue models, MotorEyes has some good deals on at the moment.

http://www.motoreyes.co.nz/

$190 off the DR400G-HDII and $100 off the DR380G-HD

[jaypines]

they are still $$ though. for that kind of money i'd get a dual camera setup like this one: ITB500HD but its from aus.

[sergei]

Unfortunately the features of it are a bit lacking:

If you want a quality unit with HD, GPS etc, you going to want to get one of the blackvue models, MotorEyes has some good deals on at the moment.

http://www.motoreyes.co.nz/

$190 off the DR400G-HDII and $100 off the DR380G-HD

DR400G-HDII is at $269 USD on ebay with free shipping. 320NZD, even if add GST, $370 NZ.
Until they sell close to this I will refrain from buying...
With the price they asking ($460), it seems that they buy them from ebay and sell them here. When I contacted them all they could offer was $50 off (it was $590) and free upgrade to 32GB card (as if it was best thing in the world). For the price they originally were selling I could have bought two cameras off eBay.

Guess what... the ebay seller still makes money...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-BlackVue-DR400G-HD-II-Season-2-Car-Black-Box-Drive-GPS-Recorder-16GB-/221185914151?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337fb53527

Besides, they are rippoff merchants:
http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MEMAPC78021&name=Apacer-32GB-Micro-SD-SDHC-Class-10-Up-to-12MBs-Wri
32GB class 10 MicroSD $57
vs
http://www.motoreyes.co.nz/products/32gb-micro-sd-memory-card-high-speed-class-10
32GB class 10 MicroSD $130

if they would setup a trade account at pbtech, they would buy those cards at about 40-45 inclusive. It looks like they are selling it at 200% profit.

[MAC_HATER]

wow those motoreyes SD cards are insanely over priced, no mention of brand either

have been looking on trademe for something to replace the nasty cheap one and something like this might do the job:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =557505453

it would be a good price if it can actually record proper 720p and 1080p, not the "fake 720p" my current one does

will keep looking regardless, but it looks like an ok one?

[sergei]

wow those motoreyes SD cards are insanely over priced, no mention of brand either

have been looking on trademe for something to replace the nasty cheap one and something like this might do the job:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =557505453

it would be a good price if it can actually record proper 720p and 1080p, not the "fake 720p" my current one does

will keep looking regardless, but it looks like an ok one?

Only thing that bothers me is that they printed "Carcam" in same font as "Canon" logo is. Why they keep doing stupid shit like this?

EDIT: here it is http://dashcamtalk.com/carcam-k2000/

It is 720p model (1080p is interpolated). and has some issues...

[Grrrrrrr!]

DR400G-HDII is at $269 USD on ebay with free shipping. 320NZD, even if add GST, $370 NZ.
Until they sell close to this I will refrain from buying...
With the price they asking ($460), it seems that they buy them from ebay and sell them here. When I contacted them all they could offer was $50 off (it was $590) and free upgrade to 32GB card (as if it was best thing in the world). For the price they originally were selling I could have bought two cameras off eBay.

I want to buy one in NZ, so I can return it if it is crap or broken (which it has high chance of being crap).

Make your choice.. do you want cheap, or do you want the protection of CGA etc. and are prepared to pay extra for it. Ain't no free lunch.