Best dash-cam out there?

[PaulB]

When I exchanged my last car, the dealer gave me a higher-than-expected trade-in on the previous car which I was happy with - bit it did come with a cost. I forgot to take the dash cam out and they 'forgot' to do so as well so I never got it back! All things considered, I did do better out of the deal so can't complain.

But this has left me with another dash-cam to buy and there are SOOOOO many out there. Just looking on Amazon gives me a headache. There are so many independent recommendations out there as well. So I'm asking the good people of this forum, what lessons have you learned from the fraught - but ultimately fulfilling(!) - experience of having a dash-cam? What's the best value for money? What dash-cam is worth that extra outlay? What good and bad experiences have you had with these pesky things?

 

[vickster]

Might be newer or updated models but… https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/which-dashcam.255380/
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/car-dashcam-recommendations.241700/

 

[fossyant]

Nextbase seem to be highly regarded. I 'think' I've got an Apeman - does the job front/rear and was easy to fit with a fuse "piggy back" connector - no cable splicing.

 

[byegad]

I have a Nextbase f/r fitted by my garage. Virtually fit and forget. It says to format the card monthly. Has, at a push of a button, a minute save feature to save anything that occurs, otherwise, once full it records over the earlier footage.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I have a Nextbase f/r fitted by my garage. Virtually fit and forget. It says to format the card monthly. Has, at a push of a button, a minute save button to save anything that occurs, otherwise, once full it records over the earlier footage.

Best I've used too. I tried a few unknown names from ebay when I first fitted one but they never worked that well. One other advantage of Nextcam is you can slide the camera off it's mount leaving the wiring intact and it simply slides back in afterwards, handy if you are leaving the car in a dodgy area for a while.

 

[PaulB]

Nextbase seem to be highly regarded on Amazon. My previous one was a Garmin so I was looking at their key-fob size camera but one contributor said he was so annoyed after buying it, he wished he'd gone for the Nextbase instead.

 

[Drago]

Mine is a NextBase. I don't know the model number. Whether it is the "best" is open to mass debate, but it was relatively inexpensive, gives good picture and sound, has all the G sensor malarkey to automatically safeguard and image files of critical intertest, and has thus far been eminently reliable.

The only really nasty driving Ive thus far captured was in kent, and I didn't fancy potentually having to trog down there for Court so never bothered submitting it to KentPlod.

 

[Smokin Joe]

gives good picture and sound,

The sound is turned off on mine. Not long after I got it I witnessed a damage only accident, clear fault of the emerging driver who totalled the front wing of a passing car. I could not offer my services by providing the footage as seconds previously I'd realised I had left home without something I needed and let forth a very loud working man's prayer, clearly audible and potentially embarrassing should it be aired in the public domain.

 

[Drago]

I keep the sound on so I can shout out an offending vehicles VRM, just in case the camera doesn't catch it jt for some reason.

 

[PeteXXX]

Apeman C860A front & rear in the car. They're around £75

Nextbase 522GW in the truck as it has good night vision and no need for a rear cam. They're still pricey, but worth it, at £130 ish.

 

[CXRAndy]

Nextbase seem to be highly regarded. I 'think' I've got an Apeman - does the job front/rear and was easy to fit with a fuse "piggy back" connector - no cable splicing.

Problem with Nextbase is they tend to use capacitor backup. They suffer from overheating being left in the car on hot summer days. They have good UI and video quality is decent

Black Vue do excellent systems, but cost more.

Thinkware also do good packages U1000.

What seems to work best video was is high frame rate with a resolution better than 1080p, ideally 4k. However there are very few that do 60fps at 4k from a dashcam.

 

[PaulB]

Problem with Nextbase is they tend to use capacitor backup. They suffer from overheating being left in the car on hot summer days. They have good UI and video quality is

What's a capacitor backup and why is that a problem?

 

[CXRAndy]

What's a capacitor backup and why is that a problem?

Apologies, I got it the wrong way round, Nextbase has a small battery which tends to fails due to heat. Other brands use a remote battery backup. You can get additional battery backup for the Nextbase

 

[cosmicbike]

I've had a Nextbase 312W since 2015 in both my vans, never had an issue with them and they seem to work OK.