# Dashcams what do I look for?



## wasfitonce (Apr 27, 2009)

Thinking of buying a DashCam but there so many different types etc etc. What should I be looking for and suggestions of which one to buy?

WASFITONCE


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## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

Search for "Techmoan" on u tube. He has all the info.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Mini0801

It's on Techmoan and a good little gadget.




























Peter


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

I'm in the same position as ONCEWASFIT. Looking at Techmoan's site, he also rates the G1W and I've just come across this cam on Amazon and includes a 32GB SD card http://www.amazon.co.uk/E-PRANCE-No...8&qid=1410809802&sr=1-1&keywords=g1w+dash+cam

Seriously tempted.

Edit - just realised the Novatek is a clone of the G1W or am I missing something?


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## SNandJA (Aug 22, 2008)

deefordog said:


> I'm in the same position as ONCEWASFIT. Looking at Techmoan's site, he also rates the G1W and I've just come across this cam on Amazon and includes a 32GB SD card http://www.amazon.co.uk/E-PRANCE-No...8&qid=1410809802&sr=1-1&keywords=g1w+dash+cam
> 
> Seriously tempted.
> 
> Edit - just realised the Novatek is a clone of the G1W or am I missing something?


Don't think you are missing anything see the link I posted in the other post
G1WH Novatek Camera
same chipset/processor, same 140 degree wide angle and same max 1920x1080 video size
Steve


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## SNandJA (Aug 22, 2008)

It isn't capable of doing GPS so can't see that you'd get what can be seen in the images above?

NB It can't use Class 10 SD cards according to Techmoan video

Techmoan's review

Steve


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

I asked for, and was given a Mini 0801 camera for my birthday in mid-June this year.

It was easy to set up and the clips were of very high quality.

In July we went on holiday to France in the Motorhome and the camera was used to record our journey and the places we stayed.

After a couple of days travelling I realised that the camera was only recording intermittently and the video segments varied in length.

I thought it might be a problem with the power cable and connections but my 'standby' camera, a DR32, worked perfectly okay using the same power cable.

Then the camera refused to record at all on some occasions and the picture quality deteriorated.

After about a week I stopped using the Mini 0801 and had to rely on my standby camera for the rest of the holiday.

When I was back home I tried the Mini 0801 on a few occasions but it was so unreliable and eventually stopped working completely.

The person who bought the camera as a present for me contacted the seller in China and, after sending the camera back to China, the seller has given a full refund, including p&p, which has arrived in a Bank account yesterday – congratulations to the seller for their prompt and positive response.

Perhaps I was unlucky with the one I received.

These are the problems associated with the Mini 0801 camera ----

When on either the external or internal card the camera would stop recording (when continually connected to the 12v plug) for an hour or so on a long journey and then restart itself.
The recordings, when set at 5 minute segments, varied from 5 minute setting down to a few seconds and the clips were all an irregular length.
The camera would not stop recording after the power was turned off until the internal battery ran out and became very hot.
Then the internal card would not record at all.
To turn off the camera the on/off button has to be pushed in for at least 10 seconds - it was almost instantly for the first week or so.
Sometimes pressing any of the three buttons fails to get any response from the camera.
The sound quality is abysmal.

I've posted the above on the Techmoan site in the comments section.


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Which camera you buy may depend on how much you use them and how much you want to spend on one.

If you're only recording the journey to and from home to work or going shopping then I'd suggest you buy a cheap camera.

If you want to record everywhere you go on a long holiday to France, as I do, then a somewhat better camera might be better and hopefully more reliable.

Techmoan is a good site to see reviews but new and updated cameras come out virtually every day and it can be a problem buying one that suits you.

If I was you initially I'd buy one at the cheaper end of the scale and see how you get on with it – you might get fed up with it after a short while and, if you do, then at least you haven't wasted too much money.

:wav: :wav: :wav:


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Ours has worked continuously since we bought it, no issues, other than if you want to view or play the files off the camera it can be picky about folder names, but ours has been great.

Another motorhomer also bought one and had trouble, but hers was replaced.

We bought ours from JooVuu:

https://joovuu.com/gb/home/106-mini-0803.html

That is the mini0803, the latest incarnation.

Peter


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

I also like the look of the Mini 801/803 but can you get a suction mount as I'd like to use it in more than one vehicle. Looks like the Mini has a self adhesive pad for permanent mounting and none of the adverts mention an alternative mount.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Haven't seen one, but I'd guess it wouldn't be too difficult to organise something.

On our one, the GPS unit is in the bit left on the screen when you take the camera away.

Peter


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## wasfitonce (Apr 27, 2009)

*Dascams?*

Thanks everybody for your help, BUT I am still confused. Which camera should I buy? It would be in the MH all the time as I travel about 10000 miles per year. I don't want to spend say more than £50 but I understand its best to get one GPS.

More suggestions please.

WASFITONCE


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Dascams?*




wasfitonce said:


> Thanks everybody for your help, BUT I am still confused. Which camera should I buy? It would be in the MH all the time as I travel about 10000 miles per year. I don't want to spend say more than £50 but I understand its best to get one GPS.
> 
> More suggestions please.
> 
> WASFITONCE


From what I've found so far, most of the sub £60 dash cams give good performance and picture quality. But what some seem to lack, according to reviews on say Amazon, is consistent build quality and longevity. For every 10 good reviews, there's seems to be one or two that had problems soon after purchase.

Like you, we don't really want to spend more than £50ish, so anything you find will be of interest to us too.

Good hunting.


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

I've got two dashcams - one that I keep in my car and one that I move between other vehicles including the motorhome. The one in the car cost about £150 and has come out top of a recent Which survey on cameras - I bought mine before the survey. The one I move around was a cheapo off ebay for less than £20 and came out bottom of the Which survey. The difference between the two cameras is marked - the cheap one is useless in poor light, even in daylight car number plates can't be read and the build quality is flimsy. The more expensive one is excellent in all regards. However even the cheap one will probably record enough of an incident if it needed to be used to prove blame in an accident. 

If you spend less than £50 you will have to accept compromises - if I was to get another one I think I would choose the Transcend DrivePro 200 which came 3rd in the Which table (see pic below) and retails for £85 on Amazon. It doesn't have GPS though.


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## harbours (Sep 16, 2014)

I have them fitted front and rear and use them as dashcams when driving, but feel it is equally important for them to continue running while i am parked and away from the car.

They have already caught two events whilst parked giving a clear numberplate in one case and a clear face easily identifiable in the other and are probably more useful parked than driving ! 

(you have to wire them to be on all the time and use a switch etc. The parking mode and movement sensor most come with are useless)


Although dashcam technology moves swiftly, most of the good ones use the Nova 650 chip and this can be had as low as £40 which will give you sharp clear images and pretty much match the £150 dashcams.

Until the technology moves on and genuine night vision is available, I will not be upgrading and feel my £40 is well spent but had i spent £150 knowing what i know now - I would have wasted £110.


Once fitted, there is little need to go near them unless you have had an event and as for gps, I can see why some fidlers would like it, but many prefer not to have their speed recorded and see it as pointless !

The G1wh is widely recognised as the best dashcam for your money and is available on amazon prime so you are not dealing with a foreign delivery. There are one or two reasons you will see this cheaper elseware, non of which are positive !


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## adgy (Sep 22, 2005)

wasfitonce

Checkout the Mobius http://mobius-actioncam.com/

Many dealers selling then, so you should get a good deal.

Had one for a year now, no problems with it at all.

Cheers


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

The one I bought was recommended by Which Mag. And was also one of the cheapest. It's the Transcend 200 it seems to works very well.
www.transcend-info.com/ 
There is also a good video on YouTube under transcend drive pro 200

Wobby


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

harbours said:


> as for gps, I can see why some fidlers would like it, but many prefer not to have their speed recorded and see it as pointless !


We found it useful on playback as it gives Google Maps visualisation on-screen, so if there was something you saw en-route but didn't have time to notice what or where it was, the playback gives you that information.

Peter


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

Well, took the plunge today and ordered a G1W with 32gb card for £39.39 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IPDD59W/ref=twister_B00IPDD3SK


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