[sumeshmani]

Has anyone tried to run a dash camera or action camera off a portable power bank?
If yes, please share details.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by SDP

Its pretty wide, but with careful positioning, one can avoid windshield.


Edit: Agree with you. Prowler has set it too low.

For me it has to be easy enough to detach when I leave the car parked in the hot sun and at the same time does not block my view of the road.
I have had failure of electronic clock/thermometer left to bake in the car. Hence I always remove the camera when the car is parked. Even the Garmin GPS gets very upset when left to cook in the car.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I checked and found it to be 170 degree, that is probably too much for most purposes. Also I prefer the camera to be very discreetly placed, don't want people to know I have a camera upfront.

I agree on the need for discreet placement of the camera. I am still trying to find a good placement.

[latentpotential]

Discretion: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-6...264988715.html

This is the most discreet kind of dashcam I have found so far, but no reviews to rely upon yet.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by Prowler

For me it has to be easy enough to detach when I leave the car parked in the hot sun and at the same time does not block my view of the road.
I have had failure of electronic clock/thermometer left to bake in the car. Hence I always remove the camera when the car is parked. Even the Garmin GPS gets very upset when left to cook in the car.
...

Yes, I agree that one should be careful. But, think of it this way. If its a 'dash'-cam, its supposed to be somewhere near the dashboard and the dashboard would get baked if you are on a road-trip driving cross-country in Indian climate. So wouldn't the dashcams be designed for this use-case?

I do understand that the SJ4000 is a action-cam and NOT necessarily a dedicated dashcam. So your concern is actually valid. I have had mine permanently on the windshield for 10 days during my Nov'2014 3000kms Karnataka trip. 90% of the driving was during day time. Did not face any issues with heat.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by SDP

Yes, I agree that one should be careful. But, think of it this way. If its a 'dash'-cam, its supposed to be somewhere near the dashboard and the dashboard would get baked if you are on a road-trip driving cross-country in Indian climate. So wouldn't the dashcams be designed for this use-case?

I do understand that the SJ4000 is a action-cam and NOT necessarily a dedicated dashcam. So your concern is actually valid. I have had mine permanently on the windshield for 10 days during my Nov'2014 3000kms Karnataka trip. 90% of the driving was during day time. Did not face any issues with heat.

A parked car in sunlight can have interior temperatures touching 65 degree C. However, how often would you see such temperatures while driving with AC on or windows open?
Leaving a device with Lithium Ion battery in a parked car in sunlight is never a good idea, no matter what brand.

That said, I have used mobius as well as SJ1000 and SJCAM M10 and they do fine in summers. I just don't leave them on the dashboard.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

A parked car in sunlight can have interior temperatures touching 65 degree C. However, how often would you see such temperatures while driving with AC on or windows open?
Leaving a device with Lithium Ion battery in a parked car in sunlight is never a good idea, no matter what brand.

That said, I have used mobius as well as SJ1000 and SJCAM M10 and they do fine in summers. I just don't leave them on the dashboard.

Good point. I missed the driving the car in sun with AC on v/s parked in the sun with windows rolled up part.

Noted. Thanks.

[Gannu_1]

Disclaimer:

I am not a market rep. for Xiaomi nor am I advertising the device here. Just sharing some info. of the new action cam Xiaomi has come up with recently.

Not sure if it was posted on the forums before, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has brought a new GoPro competitor to the market called the Xiaomi Yi. Aliexpress is retailing them for as low as 95 USD shipped to your doorstep (link 1, link 2).



Official link (Chinese) - Xiaomi Yi

Core specs:

Lens - 16MP Sony Exmor R BSI CMOS F2.8 155° wide angle lens
Resolution - 4608 x 3456 max
Time lapse photography - 0.5 s/1 s/2 s/5 s/10 s/30 s/60 s
Timer shooting - 3 - 15 s
Trajectory of shot - 7/Sec
Video - 1080p (60fps), 1080p (48fps), 1080p (30fps), 1080p (24fps), 960p (60fps), 960p (48fps), 720p (120fps), 720p(60fps), 720p(48fps), 480p (240fps)
Sound - sampling 96KHz, 2 channel, 92dBA SNR
Battery capacity - 1010mAh
MicroSD card support - 128 GB max.
WIFI Yes
Bluetooth 4.0
Dimensions - 60.4 mm (L) x 42 mm (H) x 21.2 mm (W)
Weight - 72 g

















Sample photos:






















Sample video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6A2sRYV01k

Reviews:

Originally Posted by DIY Photography

There are significant gaps between the HERO4 and the Xiaomi, in both stills and video, and I don’t think that will come to anybody by surprise. That is to be expected with the GoPro costing almost 8 times as much. Keep in mind that the HERO4 was ‘handicapped’ for the video comparison, as it’s able to record 4K/30fps, so the gap is even bigger than depicted here. Overall though the Xiaomi Yi Action Cam is definitely a decent camera and it even outdid the HERO3 Black in certain situations.

DIY Photography

Specs look impressive for a device that’s worth less than 100 USD and those sample shots but being a Chinese product, there are bound to be some niggles like firmware issues and such. Xiaomi’s devices were well received (or so I hope) so expecting this to be a good competitor to the SJ4000. Expect Flipkart to bring the device to Indian shores with local warranty and support but might take some time.

Anyone willing to take the bait to test this device out?

[nareshov]

What are my options given these requirements:

1. as discrete as possible (not the combo with rear-view mirror)
2. proper dash cam (not an action cam that's been shoehorned into a dashcam)
3. 1080p preferable (or should be able to make number plates legible if required)
4. capacitor-based (to suit our weather conditions etc.)
5. easy to (dis)mount when parked / not in use

?

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by nareshov

What are my options given these requirements:

1. as discrete as possible (not the combo with rear-view mirror)
2. proper dash cam (not an action cam that's been shoehorned into a dashcam)
3. 1080p preferable (or should be able to make number plates legible if required)
4. capacitor-based (to suit our weather conditions etc.)
5. easy to (dis)mount when parked / not in use

?

Go for a Mobius or Mini 0803/5 - both have very small footprint and hence are discreet. Image quality is top notch (for the price paid).

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I am not a market rep. for Xiaomi nor am I advertising the device here. Just sharing some info. of the new action cam Xiaomi has come up with recently.

But It doesn't have a LCD view finder. Some times it helps to check if your camera is running directly off the view finder.

Originally Posted by nareshov

What are my options given these requirements:

1. as discrete as possible (not the combo with rear-view mirror)
2. proper dash cam (not an action cam that's been shoehorned into a dashcam)
3. 1080p preferable (or should be able to make number plates legible if required)
4. capacitor-based (to suit our weather conditions etc.)
5. easy to (dis)mount when parked / not in use

?

1. That is difficult in practice.
3. You need 1080 p resolution to check the number plates clearly.
5. SJ4000's mount allows you to slide it off the base mount and dump it inside the glove box along with the cable when you are away. That is what I am doing. I am scared to disconnect the power cable every time I dismount. I read in their forum that the micro USB socket is flimsy and doesn't survive over enthusiastic usage.

I keep the permanently connected Rear View LCD Monitor encased in makeshift white card board box in the dash board. It has survived all these years. May be I should fashion another card board box for the Camera too.

[iVento]

Transcend Releases DrivePro 220 Car Video Recorder



Car safety is a hot topic and car video recorders are part of it. Transcend announced the release of its DrivePro 220 Car Video Recorder with built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi connectivity, a large F/1.8 aperture, a wide 130° viewing angle, battery, and a G-sensor emergency recording function. It really sounds like Transcend has it all covered.

The built-in camera can also be used with the Lane Departure Warning System and Forward Collision Warning System for extra safety. It monitors the lane markings and can warn you about speed limits, when the vehicle starts to deviate from its lane, or gets too close to the car in front of you. Additionally you can set it to protect your car while it’s being parked by automatic start recording on movement or impact.

The Transcend DrivePro 220 car video recorder comes bundled with a 16GB microSDHC memory car.

Source: Eteknix

DrivePro 220 Homepage

Product Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grUyyWRxJgM

[Samurai]

I feel DP100 is a better deal DP220 if you don't need GPS and other bells and whistles. It has the same lens and specs as DP220.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

My search for a low-cost dashcam...

And 2 years later, almost to the day, the Shenzhen car DVR died.

It's always been on as long as the ignition remained turned on.

It stayed put on the windscreen all the time, irrespective of the seasons. And it worked without complaint.

It had dropped to the floor a few times. And continued to work just as well subsequently.

2 days ago, it turned on as usual. Halfway through the drive, I realized the display had gone off. Further checking revealed it was dead. No measure, including resetting, or running it off another power source, would bring it back to life.

R.I. P.

Time to look for another low-budget dashcam. Maybe something with a little better resolution and wider angle of view than this one. But certainly not going up to the budget of a Transcend, SJ1000 or Mobius.

Suggestions welcome.

[msdivy]

A118 / B40 Car Dash Camera DVR with NTK96650 & AR0330 Chip

This is very discreet and has the same hardware as G1W. Costs around $62 - check out the review from Techmoan: http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2014/10...am-review.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3eDXKLNLys

Picture:


Has mute button too !

[Samurai]

I had considered the A118, but the night videos are just bad. Ultimately, we can't ignore video quality for discreetness. I did that with my first dashcam, and came to regret it.