I've been thinking about getting a couple dash cams for our cars. Theres so many on the market it's tough too choose.

I'd like one with motion sensor, night vision, and battery powered so I don't have to have wires dangling.

Anyone have any suggestions?

-HB

 

I'd be up for this too !

 

I've been looking for something that will record forwards and back to a solid state drive or flash card (probably better as one only needs a small amount of space), and is discreet. Thats the problem I've got... I don't want a big 'radar detector' looking box on my mirror, but would rather have something small that uses tiny lipstick sized or pen sized cameras on the A-pillar trim or on the rear-view mirror.

Did any of the many solutions you saw provide this? I've not seen any yet that I'd consider using.

Ideally, the recorder the cameras feed to would sit under the seat, and also record acceleration, date, time and other data along with video.

 

I've used most of the cams for motorcycle racing, and the Replay XD is the best I've found. Great whether it's outside or inside or on your helmet. Super easy to use and bomb-proof.

http://replayxd.com/cameras/replay-xd-camera/

 

A few had sd cards but they're all pretty big and clunky.

 

Interesting! Does this unit have a build-in battery or it has to be connected to a power source all the time?

 

from their spec shhet:


Power AC Power 100~240 V, 50~60 Hz
Rechargeable Internal Li-ion Battery 3.7 V, 750 mAh*
up to 122 Minute Record Time*

 

What about a device to mount the iphone in the car?

 

Totally self contained. I've also had the POV system with remote recording and two other small cams. The Replay is the best by far. Some people like the gopro hero, but it's square, which sucks, and it's hard to use.

If you need track mapping and other telemetry functions I'd get a separate micron or starlane tach, but only on a dedicated racecar.

 

This might work too:

http://www.optrixhd.com/discovery-channel-article

 

DIY option... you could easily mod this to work with an iPhone or small camera.

You could also go with something like this:

Drive Recorder Ver.1

 

I bought 4 of these and fitted them to all the cars in the family:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-Color-LC...ht_2771wt_1175

Pros:
Inexpensive
Build in Li-ion battery
cigarette lighter charges battery, and acts as on/off trigger
accepts SD/SDHC cards
writes in selectable file sizes and rotate files once full
Strong mounting system
Nice clear LCD screen for monitoring or playback
Infrared lights for night vision

Con:
Not native 12v. Cigarette lighter plug has 9v converter so you can not directly tap into fusebox.
May interfere with GPS reception (it did on my Cayanne)
Not discrete as I like it to be
Infrared does not work on far away objects

They've been in our cars for about 7 months now and been through one accident already. Unfortunately it didn't catch the offending driver in the act since my wife accidentally rotated the camera when she put on the sunshade. But it works as expected, and is a great peace of mind.

 

I've ordered the DR400G HD and will report back about how well it works in the Targa once it shows up. If its discreet enough and functions well enough I see putting one pointing forward and one looking out the back.

 

will u be hard-wiring the camera ?

or are these using Li battery ? rechargeable ?

 

very interested too to see how the DR400 HD will perform.

does anyone have videos?