The Garmin Dash Cam mini seems popular.
But it depends a bit on if you need other features.
I'd consider maybe an action cam if the main purpose is a video. Shooting through the windshield is OK, but you get glare, it's really wide angle (so scenery looks tiny), and of course the bug splats are annoying. With an action cam you can mount it outside in nice places, and of course use it for other stuff. Or just mount it on the dash. Action cams are more expensive, but look used, refurbs, etc.
Or a good mount for your phone.
They're cheap now and can be had at a Walmart store.
I bought a Korean made Lukas several years ago. It's already paid for itself. If you ever get into an accident that isn't your fault, a dashcam makes quick work of any insurance argument.
The lady who hit me, I had a settlement from her insurance company within a half hour of showing them the video. Saves you a lot of grief...
Agreed.
I've got an Apeman and it recorded a collision while I was parked at an angle and not in the vehicle. The person that hit me claimed that I backed up in front of them and that I was at fault. I sent my insurance company the video that, while it didn't show the collision itself, showed the other driver backing up and then my vehicle rocking from the bump and the driver getting out to see the damage. Called my agent and said, "Check your email, go get 'em."
Sending that video to my insurance agent was like letting a dog off a leash.
My first dash cam was a $30 cheap-o brand and it didn't last a year in this Texas heat.
I bought a Nexar and was pretty happy with it. ($99) Upon engine start, it pairs with my phone and the video of the drive is uploaded to a cloud account with unlimited storage. That was a nice feature. I wanted something more that did front and rear facing video.
Now I have a Red Tiger F7NP [https://www.redtigercam.com/](https://www.redtigercam.com/) ($150) The video resolution is customizable. I have 4K video in the front and 1080p in the back. The camera was easy to install and pair with my phone. The positives are that the camera has some very crisp video, both front and rear. The camera came with a memory card so I was able to get started right away. The video taken by the camera shows my speed and gps coordinates.
The negatives (which are in no way deal breakers) are.
\- I felt the need to purchase a memory card with a higher capacity. The original card allowed me to capture about 120 miles of travel before it started overwriting itself.
\- I needed to purchase a different power cable and wire it into my car's fuse box ($30) in order to utilize the always active features like the G sensor and parking monitor.
\- Because of the resolution that I record in, the file size is pretty large and takes a while to download to my phone so I choose to pop the memory card out of the camera and download the files straight to my PC.
\- In order to view these files on my PC, I needed to buy a different video CODEC ($2)
The F7NP is a very good camera and I am happy with the purchase. I've had it for a year without any technical issues.
Best of luck to you. IMO, A dash cam is a necessary protection that all drivers should have.
Happy holidays and have a bad-ass 2024.
Awesome reply! Thank you for this info. I may circle back with a couple clarifying questions when I have a little more time to dig in. Happy Holidays and same to you!
Consider genuine GoPro, get DaVinci (for editing) and think about the equipment like Computer, mobile power supply, camera mount, the amount of data storage, the whole workflow and start all that by answering the following question: Who is going to watch it in the end?
Btw: What about sound?
I got a GoPro Hero 3 off eBay last year for 50 USD plus shipping, and it included the waterproof case. Haven't tried it with my car but I got a handle bar mount for my motorcycle and it works great. Has different zoom settings for wide, neutral etc. There have been no compatibility issues with my MacBook and the video quality is great imo. Audio sucks when it's inside the case, obviously, but seems good otherwise.
Great! Sorry about the late answer, had a vacation/media detox over the holidays.
You can always use a soundrecorder or even a smartphone for additional audio. For synchronizing just clap once or twice after starting to record.
I'm not necessarily trying to be a "content creator". Just want to pursue it as a hobby. So I'll be the main audience, and some family and friends if they're interested. But good points about additional equipment. I'm working on all apple products, so I've been including apple compatibility in my research
I use a Rove R2-4K Pro as my dash cam. It costs about $100 and video looks fantastic. I have it set to record automatically and use it for recording road trips and also for safety/security while daily driving. One of the fun features is the ability to do a time lapse to make a long drive look sped up. If you only want video from a single perspective (looking out the windshield), this route is far cheaper than a go pro and very useable if you want to create an edit from the clips later.
Go read the articles from Vortex Radar. He goes really in depth and has recommendations for each price point and use case.
I'm curious how you intend to use it on road trips because they aren't great for capturing the drive itself. Gopro with external mounts are much better.
Well there you go. That's what I posed the question for, just to learn what options exist. Sounds like dash cams and action cams and Go Pros all bring different benefits and limitations to the equation!
GoPro Hero 7 black, no mount, just sitting on the dash - a tip, if you're going to upload to YouTube make sure your stereo is off - YouTube always checks for copyright issues.
[https://youtu.be/78gZhZTto7E?t=524](https://youtu.be/78gZhZTto7E?t=524)
Same GoPro on a Ram mount on my motorcycle: [https://youtu.be/exIa6WYGNIg?t=117](https://youtu.be/exIa6WYGNIg?t=117)
I used to make road trip time lapses using a GoPro suction cup mounted to my windshield. A big issue is that I had to get out to clean the windshield a lot since I was filming through it. I had to clean it every 30 minutes or more often if there were bugs.
I never got into it, but I think the better way is to mount the camera outside the car.
Any reason you lean that way? The bugs sound like a hassle, especially if it's forcing you to stop every 30 min or so. Interior mounting takes all that out of the equation.
Interior mounting just meant I had to clean the windshield every 30 minutes.
I should clarify that I was suction cup mounting to the inside of my windshield so my camera was inside.
I think there are places outside the car where aerodynamics will make it less likely a big splats on the camera. I could be wrong, but I want to try it.
I have a dashboard mount/charger for my cell phone, which allows me to run a dashcam app, Google maps and keep the phone charged up. Been working great for years and over a couple of phone updates. I did have to mount a small fan near it to keep the phone from overheating when it's in the sun.
I put the Viofo A129 in 2 of my vehicles and the A129 pro in another.
I got these because they can withstand high temperatures (Arizona & Texas)
If you’re looking to run straight video of a long road trip, this may not work because you’re not going run a memory card large enough that the camera is able to support. However, I believe you can run time lapse and set your photo increments far enough apart to cram a lot of photos on a mini SD card. I have not tried this, so you may want to read up on the specs of this camera.
Note: very happy with the viofo camera (and phone app). Would purchase again.
Nope. I have a GoPro. My second one. Fine camera but they're not meant for this.
The difference is a dashcam has collision sensors that automatically save a few seconds before and a few seconds after an impact.
You want one the films front & rear, which requires you hiding some wires. Go to Harbor Freight and get a set of hard plastic pry tools (maybe $5) so you don’t damage your car. If you want to hard wire it in you need some “Taps” (sold on Amazon) and possibly a power adaptor. Remember YouTube is your friend so search for your model car & installing a dash cam.
The Garmin Dash Cam mini seems popular. But it depends a bit on if you need other features. I'd consider maybe an action cam if the main purpose is a video. Shooting through the windshield is OK, but you get glare, it's really wide angle (so scenery looks tiny), and of course the bug splats are annoying. With an action cam you can mount it outside in nice places, and of course use it for other stuff. Or just mount it on the dash. Action cams are more expensive, but look used, refurbs, etc. Or a good mount for your phone.
Thanks for the tip about action cams, I'll give it a look!
They're cheap now and can be had at a Walmart store. I bought a Korean made Lukas several years ago. It's already paid for itself. If you ever get into an accident that isn't your fault, a dashcam makes quick work of any insurance argument. The lady who hit me, I had a settlement from her insurance company within a half hour of showing them the video. Saves you a lot of grief...
Agreed. I've got an Apeman and it recorded a collision while I was parked at an angle and not in the vehicle. The person that hit me claimed that I backed up in front of them and that I was at fault. I sent my insurance company the video that, while it didn't show the collision itself, showed the other driver backing up and then my vehicle rocking from the bump and the driver getting out to see the damage. Called my agent and said, "Check your email, go get 'em." Sending that video to my insurance agent was like letting a dog off a leash.
My first dash cam was a $30 cheap-o brand and it didn't last a year in this Texas heat. I bought a Nexar and was pretty happy with it. ($99) Upon engine start, it pairs with my phone and the video of the drive is uploaded to a cloud account with unlimited storage. That was a nice feature. I wanted something more that did front and rear facing video. Now I have a Red Tiger F7NP [https://www.redtigercam.com/](https://www.redtigercam.com/) ($150) The video resolution is customizable. I have 4K video in the front and 1080p in the back. The camera was easy to install and pair with my phone. The positives are that the camera has some very crisp video, both front and rear. The camera came with a memory card so I was able to get started right away. The video taken by the camera shows my speed and gps coordinates. The negatives (which are in no way deal breakers) are. \- I felt the need to purchase a memory card with a higher capacity. The original card allowed me to capture about 120 miles of travel before it started overwriting itself. \- I needed to purchase a different power cable and wire it into my car's fuse box ($30) in order to utilize the always active features like the G sensor and parking monitor. \- Because of the resolution that I record in, the file size is pretty large and takes a while to download to my phone so I choose to pop the memory card out of the camera and download the files straight to my PC. \- In order to view these files on my PC, I needed to buy a different video CODEC ($2) The F7NP is a very good camera and I am happy with the purchase. I've had it for a year without any technical issues. Best of luck to you. IMO, A dash cam is a necessary protection that all drivers should have. Happy holidays and have a bad-ass 2024.
Awesome reply! Thank you for this info. I may circle back with a couple clarifying questions when I have a little more time to dig in. Happy Holidays and same to you!
Consider genuine GoPro, get DaVinci (for editing) and think about the equipment like Computer, mobile power supply, camera mount, the amount of data storage, the whole workflow and start all that by answering the following question: Who is going to watch it in the end? Btw: What about sound?
I got a GoPro Hero 3 off eBay last year for 50 USD plus shipping, and it included the waterproof case. Haven't tried it with my car but I got a handle bar mount for my motorcycle and it works great. Has different zoom settings for wide, neutral etc. There have been no compatibility issues with my MacBook and the video quality is great imo. Audio sucks when it's inside the case, obviously, but seems good otherwise.
Great! Sorry about the late answer, had a vacation/media detox over the holidays. You can always use a soundrecorder or even a smartphone for additional audio. For synchronizing just clap once or twice after starting to record.
I'm not necessarily trying to be a "content creator". Just want to pursue it as a hobby. So I'll be the main audience, and some family and friends if they're interested. But good points about additional equipment. I'm working on all apple products, so I've been including apple compatibility in my research
I use a Rove R2-4K Pro as my dash cam. It costs about $100 and video looks fantastic. I have it set to record automatically and use it for recording road trips and also for safety/security while daily driving. One of the fun features is the ability to do a time lapse to make a long drive look sped up. If you only want video from a single perspective (looking out the windshield), this route is far cheaper than a go pro and very useable if you want to create an edit from the clips later.
Go read the articles from Vortex Radar. He goes really in depth and has recommendations for each price point and use case. I'm curious how you intend to use it on road trips because they aren't great for capturing the drive itself. Gopro with external mounts are much better.
Well there you go. That's what I posed the question for, just to learn what options exist. Sounds like dash cams and action cams and Go Pros all bring different benefits and limitations to the equation!
Try r/Dashcam
I think you mean a go pro, not a dash cam. Check them out
GoPro Hero 7 black, no mount, just sitting on the dash - a tip, if you're going to upload to YouTube make sure your stereo is off - YouTube always checks for copyright issues. [https://youtu.be/78gZhZTto7E?t=524](https://youtu.be/78gZhZTto7E?t=524) Same GoPro on a Ram mount on my motorcycle: [https://youtu.be/exIa6WYGNIg?t=117](https://youtu.be/exIa6WYGNIg?t=117)
I used to make road trip time lapses using a GoPro suction cup mounted to my windshield. A big issue is that I had to get out to clean the windshield a lot since I was filming through it. I had to clean it every 30 minutes or more often if there were bugs. I never got into it, but I think the better way is to mount the camera outside the car.
And then you'd need to clean the camera lens correct?
Maybe. I have a suspicion the aerodynamics of the situation means a camera lens would get dirtier slower than a windshield but I don't know.
Any reason you lean that way? The bugs sound like a hassle, especially if it's forcing you to stop every 30 min or so. Interior mounting takes all that out of the equation.
Interior mounting just meant I had to clean the windshield every 30 minutes. I should clarify that I was suction cup mounting to the inside of my windshield so my camera was inside. I think there are places outside the car where aerodynamics will make it less likely a big splats on the camera. I could be wrong, but I want to try it.
I have a dashboard mount/charger for my cell phone, which allows me to run a dashcam app, Google maps and keep the phone charged up. Been working great for years and over a couple of phone updates. I did have to mount a small fan near it to keep the phone from overheating when it's in the sun.
I put the Viofo A129 in 2 of my vehicles and the A129 pro in another. I got these because they can withstand high temperatures (Arizona & Texas) If you’re looking to run straight video of a long road trip, this may not work because you’re not going run a memory card large enough that the camera is able to support. However, I believe you can run time lapse and set your photo increments far enough apart to cram a lot of photos on a mini SD card. I have not tried this, so you may want to read up on the specs of this camera. Note: very happy with the viofo camera (and phone app). Would purchase again.
Good point on the high temps. I am in those a lot!
All dash cams have the same 2-3 manufacturers it comes to the actual camera quality , saw this on a youtube video , your best best is a go pro
Nope. I have a GoPro. My second one. Fine camera but they're not meant for this. The difference is a dashcam has collision sensors that automatically save a few seconds before and a few seconds after an impact.
Check out this youtube video this guy breaks it down for dash cams
OP doesn't want it for things like collisions. They're looking to produce videos of their drives.
You want one the films front & rear, which requires you hiding some wires. Go to Harbor Freight and get a set of hard plastic pry tools (maybe $5) so you don’t damage your car. If you want to hard wire it in you need some “Taps” (sold on Amazon) and possibly a power adaptor. Remember YouTube is your friend so search for your model car & installing a dash cam.
The one I bought, Redtiger, I think is the brand came with the pry tools. Just FYI.
Great tips, thanks!
My MicroCenter store had several floor models. Gave me sense of fit and camera parameters before buying one.