Car Dash Camera's / Black box camera's

Most people get a windscreen mounted cam and hide it behind the rearview mirror so they don't have to see it, rather than fit one of those mirrors. Also worth noting that recent cars often stick sensors in the back side (and sometimes the front) of their rear view mirror so you may lose other functionality in your car depending on how those things mount.

Last item - in the event of an incident, the police may seize your camera. How much do you want Officer Unfriendly ripping your entire rearview mirror assembly off the windscreen or support stalk in his haste to "git tha evidunce?"

LOL, I'm not a criminal so there wouldn't be any reason for a LEO to go "get tha evidunce" and rip my shit off due to an "incident". ;) I have a base model without any radar or sensors of any kind so I think I'm good there. :D I just don't like the idea of stuff stuck to my windscreen...mostly due to OCD and aesthetics. I'd rather affix it to my rear view mirror directly if that's possible.

Any opinions on these specific models and brand?
 
LOL, I'm not a criminal so there wouldn't be any reason for a LEO to go "get tha evidunce" and rip my shit off due to an "incident". ;) I have a base model without any radar or sensors of any kind so I think I'm good there. :D I just don't like the idea of stuff stuck to my windscreen...mostly due to OCD and aesthetics. I'd rather affix it to my rear view mirror directly if that's possible.

Any opinions on these specific models and brand?

Well the $140 one is incredibly overpriced. And I still wouldn't get the other one. As far as specific brands, its difficult with all these Asian companies because new ones pop up every day and a lot sell the same product under different brands depending on where you are or who you're buying from.

Check DashCamTalk for whatever camera you are interested in - they have fantastic reviews, in depth spec breakdowns, known issues, teardowns, firmwares, best bangs for your buck, etc. Lots of manufacturers actually hang out on their forums, so technical support is easy to get for a variety of different brands.

Looks like they now list the Mini 0805 as the best of the Mini series. If I can't revive mine, I definitely will be buying that one.
 
Also look at Car Cam Central. This video is a good start.

 
Thanks guys!
 
LOL, I'm not a criminal so there wouldn't be any reason for a LEO to go "get tha evidunce" and rip my shit off due to an "incident". ;)

Don't have to be a criminal for the cops to do that sort of thing - witness this recent incident between a biker with a helmet cam and the Dallas County Sheriff's deputy.

I have a base model without any radar or sensors of any kind so I think I'm good there. :D I just don't like the idea of stuff stuck to my windscreen...mostly due to OCD and aesthetics. I'd rather affix it to my rear view mirror directly if that's possible.

Do you have automatic headlights, wipers or an auto-dimming rearview mirror?

Also, you can get a rear view mirror mount for the always popular G1W line (as with other dash cams) - these clamp on your mirror's support stalk or arm and you attach the camera to it - here's one version: https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-GT550S-LS300W-Camera-Additional/dp/B00KM9A5F4
 
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Don't have to be a criminal for the cops to do that sort of thing - witness this recent incident between a biker with a helmet cam and the Dallas County Sheriff's deputy.

I have a base model without any radar or sensors of any kind so I think I'm good there. :D I just don't like the idea of stuff stuck to my windscreen...mostly due to OCD and aesthetics. I'd rather affix it to my rear view mirror directly if that's possible.

Do you have automatic headlights, wipers or an auto-dimming rearview mirror?

Also, you can get a rear view mirror mount for the always popular G1W line (as with other dash cams) - these clamp on your mirror's support stalk or arm and you attach the camera to it - here's one version: https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-GT550S-LS300W-Camera-Additional/dp/B00KM9A5F4

Auto headlights yes, sensor is on the dash. The others, no I don't have those features. :) Thanks for the tip on the G1W!
 
My new Mini 0805 arrived last night. I bought this one because I had an Amazon gift card that perfectly covered the amount, and I already had the GPS mount from my old Mini 0803. Early impressions are positive. It feels a lot better built, the buttons feel and sounds like there is actually substance behind them. The tolerances on the mount have been cleaned up so it fits in the base a lot better and doesn't wobble or hang at an angle. The menu system is the same as the 0803 so didn't take long to set it up. Didn't have any issue on my way into work. Will pull some day and night sample footage when I get home and upload it here.

I'm kinda curious as to how the ADAS works.
ADAS: Include LDWS (Lane Departure Warning System), FCWS (Forward collision warning system) and FCMD (Forward Car Motion Detection) function

I might play around with the lane departure feature this weekend a bit, but can't see myself actually using it.
 
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Sample video. First minute is daylight, 2nd minute is dusk, 3rd minute is night. Not thrilled with the image quality as you can't make out license plates in the day time, though surprisingly you can at night. Went digging through the camera menu and found that the default setting for image quality is medium. Will try the high setting tomorrow (or some point this weekend) and post sample video then.

 
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Private video
 
Another sample

First 35 seconds are with the quality turned up to high. Next minute is with the camera turned up to 1296p (and downscaled back to 1080p on Youtube). Last minute is back to 1080p with HDR on.

 
Since I use only 720p and 20fps this looks pretty damn good to me. Sometimes I can't even read european number plates if the car is ~10m away.

I have a question for you
My not-a-real DVR started crapping itself and I was looking for a replacement and I stopped at the classics - G1W or Mini 0805.
Does the Mini 0805 turn off on power off? Or does it work a while on battery power? If so, can this be configured?
(I've watched lots of reviews and there is an option in the menu for auto-off, but nobody explains what it is - stand-by/display/etc.)
 
Since I use only 720p and 20fps this looks pretty damn good to me. Sometimes I can't even read european number plates if the car is ~10m away.

10m? Thats a lot. I'd say this is about 10m from the Jeep infront of me and the license plate isn't even close to readable.

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It only starts becoming readable about here at about 4-5m maybe

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Does the Mini 0805 turn off on power off? Or does it work a while on battery power? If so, can this be configured?
(I've watched lots of reviews and there is an option in the menu for auto-off, but nobody explains what it is - stand-by/display/etc.)

Mine turns off on power off, but you can configure it to stay on for some time after your shut the car down. I'll check the settings after work and report back.
 
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There is something like 5-10-15-20-30 sec delay available. Not longer since the batteries in these are designed to last enough not to corrupt the last file, not any longer.
 
Thanks for clearing that up.
I actually only wanted to know if it turns off on power off.
If i get one, I am planning to ditch the battery and put the supercap I already have. So this works for me.

About the plates, I explained it wrong.
10m is maximum in perfect conditions is what i meant to say. But now looking at the videos I have it's more like one car length, so 5-6m also. But the letters on euro plates are bigger and wider, so it still sucks.

Here's the worst case scenario - direct sunlight and no CPL filter - you can barely read the number plate when it's ~2m from the camera.

And here's a relative good one - light, no sun and lots of number plates to observe everywhere.

It's a 808 #16 is someone's interested. I am using it because I can use a lens extension cable and made it stealth.
But it's acting out and shutting down randomly and the stealthiness is not worth it anymore.
 
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I've always wanted to make my own dash cam compilation. :D
 
So not going to drive myself if I ever visit Thailand. :lol:
 
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