Dash cams?

ThePrettyDamned · November 2016

Can anyone recommend a dash cam for me? I drive every day and, having seen a bit of an incident yesterday, I wonder if it would be useful.

Do they constantly record, and erase after an hour or something? So you always have an hour of footage on it, and you stop it if anything happens.

Do these stand up in court? Will the police accept them as evidence?

Grunfeld · November 2016

I've been using this Transcend -- really happy with it.
No problems with it at all, Very clear footage in all light and night conditions. A 32 GB SD card holds about 5 hours in one minute files which seamlessly record the flow with the newest file over-writing the oldest one from 5 hours ago.
For what it's worth I also got one of these suction mounts because when I first got the camera I couldn't decide where I wanted to place it on the windscreen so I thought this would be a temporary thing but I've been using it ever since. Literally about 3 seconds from getting in the car to sticking the camera on the windscreen. The power cable tucks up behind the sun visor and runs to a "cigar lighter" in the back of the car. Basically, you can work it so all the cabling is out of the way and tidy.

I've said this before but you get so used to it that you can't imagine driving without one. Pretty sure too that footage can be used as evidence -- EDIT: and a google supports that it can.

DiscoStu · November 2016

Can they use your own footage against you in court?

fretmeister · November 2016

DiscoStu said:

Can they use your own footage against you in court?

Yes.

ThePrettyDamned · November 2016

DiscoStu said:

Can they use your own footage against you in court?

I'd assume so... Not sure.

I drive well, but the incident I saw yesterday wound up with two people arguing, it was dark and one of the cars didn't have the lights on (!). I know I'm a good driver, like most folk, but if some twunt hits me because they're on their phone or doing their makeup I'd like some proof.

ThePrettyDamned · November 2016

Grunfeld said:

I've been using this Transcend -- really happy with it.
No problems with it at all, Very clear footage in all light and night conditions. A 32 GB SD card holds about 5 hours in one minute files which seamlessly record the flow with the newest file over-writing the oldest one from 5 hours ago.
For what it's worth I also got one of these suction mounts because when I first got the camera I couldn't decide where I wanted to place it on the windscreen so I thought this would be a temporary thing but I've been using it ever since. Literally about 3 seconds from getting in the car to sticking the camera on the windscreen. The power cable tucks up behind the sun visor and runs to a "cigar lighter" in the back of the car. Basically, you can work it so all the cabling is out of the way and tidy.

I've said this before but you get so used to it that you can't imagine driving without one. Pretty sure too that footage can be used as evidence -- EDIT: and a google supports that it can.

Cheers, I'll look into that.

Emp_Fab · November 2016

Google ”records himself speeding”. Darwin would be proud.

Emp_Fab · November 2016

PS - don't be tempted by the dirt cheap ones on eBay claiming to be full HD etc. I tried two and they were absolute shit. Barely Sinclair Spectrum video quality at 5 frames a second. Get a branded name from a non-ebay site. Better still, use the Dailyroads Voyager app on your phone.

speshul91 · November 2016

I use a nextbase 112 hardwired to my fuse box. I get about 3 hours footage at 720, it overwrites the oldest file first, but you can protect them at the press of a button, it's also got an inbuilt g sensor.

I don't notice it's there now and being hardwired in there's no wires to worry about.