Hi all, I’ve decided to get myself a dash cam for In my truck due to the increasing number of [Zb] drivers on our roads as we are all to aware 
, I just don’t know which to get as there’s a huge number out there ranging from £25 - £100’s what do you guys think I should be spending on one? And have you got any recommendations? Please could do with your experiences as I’m a bit baffled by the range in the market, I’ve got a snooper sat nav so I do understand that cheaper isn’t always better but I’m a bit confused at the huge price differences…
Thanks in advance,
sam
All our vehicles are fitted with the smartwitness svc 100 gps cameras range about £180.
software is all free to use and downloadable from the site.
You’l receive many recommendations and it all depends how much you wana spend.
There’s also been a truck load of threads on here about them too.
I use the X100F HD version from this company- ipixi.com/
Its a few quid but you get what you pay for.
Other makes are Road Hawk and Black Vu.
If you don’t want to spend that much I believe the cheapy to have at the moment is this one- ebay.co.uk/itm/151071891306? … EBIDX%3AIT Everybody seems to rave about these and there’s a very good unbiased review from a guy who calls himself Techmoan on youtube, there’s a link to his review in that ebay add for the camera. He’s always reviewing dash cams and he knows his stuff. That little cheap camera seems to be very good indeed.
I’ve had many different ones,including serval versions of the blackvues, I’ve also had several Vicovation models and Cowon and Iroad.
If you want the best image quality, then the Vicovation wf1 wins hands down.
If you want good image quality and ease of use, then the blackvue dr500g is very good, I have this one in my lorry still. I also have the dr550g front and rear cameras in my car, again, no issues with them at all. I’ve had them since before they officially launched as they were review samples from the manufacturer, and they are still going strong.
Some of the cheap chinese ones are good, but are more of a throwaway item if it goes wrong, the blackvues and vicos have a solid support network.
Mini 0803 is riddled with problems. There’s a lengthy thread on dashcamtalk about it. I use a Mobius on a suction cup, it’s key fob size, great image quality and never locks up or freezes. Does exactly what you need a dash cam to do. Only costs about £50. Had it nearly a year now and it’s in daily use between car and truck.
I use a Trascend Drivepro 200. It’s £100 but you have to buy a separate mount for £9 as the one that comes with it doesn’t work in a truck. Works well and there’s an app you can download to connect it to your smartphone.
Has it 2 months no problems so far
Yep, agree with Mattw996, I got the transcend from a recommendation on here and I think he got his due to my recommendation. The smartphone app is pretty useful too. I’ve had cheaper cameras and it’s true to say that you get what you pay for.
I had a £15 cam and it kept freezing up so went a step more expensive £35 but with a 16g card, and its been brilliant even in the direct heat of the summer.
vcam.eu/
Wow thanks guys loads of great info there in going to go through all of them one by one and then make a decision but money don’t bother me to much when it comes to things for work at the end of the day it’s our bread and butter and who know one day it might just save your licence thanks for all the posts it’s much appreciated
Another thing to consider is if you want GPS, wifi etc. This will of course affect the price. Blackvue have recently released some versions of their popular models without gps and wifi to reduce the price.
I find wifi useful as you can see the live view of the camera to set it up correctly and also use the smart phone app to change settings and save clips etc.
GPS is a contentious issue, as it can save you, or get you in the ■■■. If you had an accident and were speeding before hand, you could find your insurers or police wanting a word. On the other hand, it could prove something in your favour.
Here are a few of my written reviews I did, also got lots of clips and video reviews on my youtube channel if you want to see clips from any of them.
photoix.co.uk/review/blackvue-dr … am-review/
youtube.com/watch?v=Eo76bkytA3o
I bought this one from amazon, bloody brilliant and crystal clear, £50 approx.
Got mine off amazon. £11. Records in hd too. Good quality picture and does the job for me
As said above.
Ask yourself what you expect from it.
About 5 years ago I bought cheepo ebay one with 16GB card. Not the best picture but still works in my car.
Year or so ago was looking for something better and still have bought cheepo 25-35 quid +32Gb card what gives me 4hrs in720p resolution or 2hrs in 1080p. Still. You may not be able to clearly to see number plate.
Right.
What makes price range over 100quid?
The ones with gps.
Ask yourself.
Would you be happy show to officer that before accident you’ve been driving 32, 43, 56 etc.
So this feature can turn against you.
And btw. By the law
Camera can not be set in the range of wipers.
Display must be switched off.
(sorry. google it for full list)
Not so sure on the display part, it’s a grey area. Several car companies now have built in camera displays that show around the car, and they are legal. I think the law is more aimed towards tv and dvd displays rather than live view camera ones.
Another point worth noting, just because a camera says HD, doesnt mean the video will be any good. If the bitrate it records at is low, then the quality will be useless. Also many cheaper cameras upscale the resolution to make it technically HD, ie 720 or 1080 pixels, but they are just stretched out VGA and as such are highly pixilated when viewed full size. The whole point of a dash cam is to record an incident. If you can’t read the numberplate of a vehicle in front, it defeats the whole object.
Another concern is how and when it stores data. Some just constantly record and overwrite files and have no knowledge of the data on the clips, the more expensive ones have g sensors and motion sensors which can detect a bump and will then lock that clip away so it can’t be overwritten or accidently deleted.
Quite a few of the cheap cams have g sensor on them, both mine have and the quality will get you out of trouble in serious cases.
One thing is if “you” own the camera and it disappears 
if you have been a ■■■■ who is to know
That said as I have said In another thread the cam in my opinion improves my driving as I want to prove myself right as not guilty m’lord 
oh turn the sound off if your a crap singer 
I use THIS one…
The quality is great to be honest.
I mount it at the top of the screen because the camera hangs underneath rather than on top.
The only downside I see from this cam is the fact that there are silver bits showing forward so it’s not exactly ‘covert’ and you can plainly see it in the screen although I’m considering a black marker to sort that 
If you hang it from the top of the screen you can always argue that the sun visor covers it completely so it’s not blocking any ‘line of sight’.
109LWB:
Another concern is how and when it stores data. Some just constantly record and overwrite files and have no knowledge of the data on the clips, the more expensive ones have g sensors and motion sensors which can detect a bump and will then lock that clip away so it can’t be overwritten or accidently deleted.
All of them overwrite the oldest data! That’s the whole point of them- fit and forget. If they didn’t they would stop recording when the memory card fills up and would be as much use as a chocolate fire guard.
Zanfta:
Ask yourself.
Would you be happy show to officer that before accident you’ve been driving 32, 43, 56 etc.
So this feature can turn against you.
If you have a tacho, they’ll know all that whether you have a camera with GPS or not! The recorded speed can be read as accurately down to the last second.
A digital tacho head is even capable of recording harsh braking.