Almost EVERYONE is Wasting Money on Dash Cams.

[James]

Buy a Thinkware F70: https://geni.us/ORAo
Buy a Biuone A20: https://geni.us/PK2Ch
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Buy a Pruveeo D30H: https://geni.us/sl2dqAc
Buy a Rexing V1-4K: https://geni.us/sOG6
Buy a Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2: https://geni.us/TN9q
Buy a Rove R2-4K: https://geni.us/n8xqqeE
Buy a BlackVue DR750X Plus: https://geni.us/L83rlR
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Buy a BlackVue External 4G/LTE Module: https://geni.us/AIIy2
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Buy a Thinkware Multiplexer Kit: https://geni.us/IZGz

 

Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.

 

It’s been YEARS since dash cams hit the market, but it feels like we’ve been stuck at a standstill. Why is it that camera quality is so lacking? Are there really no good options when shopping for a dash cam to attach to the windshield of your car? (The second half of this video is pretty stunning!)

 

 

[GodAtum]

THANK YOU! I have bought over 100 dashcams over the last 20 years and none of them have ever been good. So I was forced to go the DIY route and use a webcam connected to a laptop hidden under the seat.

[swimtome]

I know everyone is going to post why u no test my dashcam:  But :

 

I was hoping to see Roav (not Rove) which is actually owned by Anker. 

I now wonder if Anker stumbled on this issue because the Roav website doesnt even list any Dashcams anymore. 

I did find this Amazon listing for the C2, and if Labs needs my Roav Duo or my C1 let me know.

 

The C1 is typically my daily driver and is at least on par with what we see here, some readable texts, some readable plates.  I think its towards the better end, but it did already let me prove fault at least once so that's what counts

Edited August 15, 2022 by swimtome

[AbbaHalevi]

I do wish @LinusTech  had given the real tech tip: Leave your microphone on and in a situation where you might need the plate SAY IT OUT LOUD. 

 

Got drilled into my head during research faze and it did pay off for me.  Hit and run at an angle, so odds are even a great camera would have had a hard time getting the plate.  Spoke the plate right after I stopped moving, the guy took off 2 seconds later.  Thankfully he got a nice visit from the police within the next 24 hours.

 

Obviously this isn't fool proof, but its a good tip to keep in your back pocket for a rainy day...

[An0maly_76]

What most don't think about is that these things sit in the car when it's extremely hot or extremely cold, in conditions you wouldn't subject your child, your pet, or yourself to. Ever left your phone in the car on a hot day and either had it shut down to protect itself, or actually quit working from the heat? Same with this. If you can, park in the shade when not driving, your dashcam will last a lot longer. I got a VanTrue N4 about this time last year, no complaints.

[sub68]

2 minutes ago, An0maly_76 said:

What most don't think about is that these things sit in the car when it's extremely hot or extremely cold

I was thinking of that too, my family runs a GPS unit (for back up camera) in one of the cars and it overheats once in awhile.

[user_name]

Wow, a topic I can finally comment about!  I’ve been following the dash cam market since around 2014, back when the only markets that used it were in/around Russia and all models were 360p-720p with flip-down screens and green timestamps. And I’ve encountered the exact same issues Linus talked about in the video when trying to purchase my own units. I ended up having to avoid any and all Amazon reviews, and needed to go and download raw, uncompressed footage of any camera I was looking at. If I was lucky, the manufacturer would have made it available to download. If not, I’d have to rely on users purchasing their own units + uploading their own raw footage to random places online. A very painstaking process but my area has a lot of hit-and-run’s, so it was necessary. 

 

I did notice video quality on dashcams start to “peak” around 2018 (where they more or less looked the same with no quality improvements), but now it make sense when he talks about how theyve been using identical hardware for multiple years. Reminds me of the smartwatch industry, using old processors in new bodies. 

 

I’m also surprised they didn’t talk more about the website they briefly showed, DashCamTalk. Their forums are full of dashcam reviews and they provide raw footage from the cameras for people to download, alongside the same footage recorded using another dashcam. It makes direct comparisons really easy. 

 

Hope to see Labs’ testing will be able to make purchasing one less of a wild goose chase in the future. 

[sub68]

To me I like the garmin unit, there CS is top notch (experience from using there watches).

Since they manufacture in Taiwan and Software is state side it seems decent.

But most of this is trust over years of using random stuff from them.

[Lurick]

9 minutes ago, An0maly_76 said:

What most don't think about is that these things sit in the car when it's extremely hot or extremely cold, in conditions you wouldn't subject your child, your pet, or yourself to. Ever left your phone in the car on a hot day and either had it shut down to protect itself, or actually quit working from the heat? Same with this. If you can, park in the shade when not driving, your dashcam will last a lot longer. I got a VanTrue N4 about this time last year, no complaints.

Got the same, I didn't setup my VanTrue N4 to record when the car is off so only when on as well since. So far it's survived summer without issue

[Middcore]

13 minutes ago, user_name said:

Wow, a topic I can finally comment about!  I’ve been following the dash cam market since around 2014, back when the only markets that used it were in/around Russia

 

What is it with Russia and dashcams? Did they become popular because the police are so corrupt?

[mariushm]

Lots of accidents and I think also cheaper insurance if you have dashcam.

[Senzelian]

I was searching for some of the webcams that were mentioned on Amazon and then came across a couple of webcams that are specifically made for Fords.

I assume that they have the same terrible quality, but they at least seem to be a lot more convenient as they don't need a cable running through the middle of the interior. 

 

Didn't know this existed, so I thought I'd share. 

 

 

[user_name]

12 minutes ago, Middcore said:

 

What is it with Russia and dashcams? Did they become popular because the police are so corrupt?

Prevalence of insurance scams was what I saw. Back then, dashcams were a lot more chunky and hard to hide (plus the mounts were awful and difficult to adjust), so while I did see it used to record officers on traffic stops, wasn’t used as much as evidence against brake-check scams or sideswipe scams. China and Taiwan promptly followed suit because they had issues with similar insurance scams. 

 

Also ofc, to prove who was at fault in a car accident. Russian insurance companies were among the first to give discounts if you installed a dashcam in your car, so for some drivers it was a no-brainer. Cool footage they could upload online was a bonus. 

[bluehawk]

I made a thread earlier this year looking into doing my own dashcam setup because I was tired of the crappy dashcams. I still haven't gotten around to it, but I was going to use a raspberry pi and there was a camera module I found for it. 

[CraftByte]

After watching the video, I went to check what SoC my 4-year-old dashcam uses and was surprised that it apparently uses the NT96675, which sound newer than any of the ones in the video. Sadly, it only has an IMX307 with 1080p@30fps, but I have had really good experience with it regarding reading license plates etc.

 

I bought it after watching a TechMoan review on it and they are surprisingly stil available for around 85 USD.

.

[Bitter]

Street Guardian, while a bit more expensive has excellent US customer support (shout out to Ryan!) and seems to roll out updates pretty regularly for a few years after the camera has been made. I've been extremely happy with my dash cam from them and will buy another from the same brand again. https://streetguardian.info/

[~Expertise]

For the A119 V3, Thinkware, and Blackvue, the footage from LTT seems way too low quality compared to sample footage found on Youtube

 

 

[poochyena]

A mount like this, and use your phone. Much much cheaper and better quality

https://smile.amazon.com/Universal-Dashboard-Adjustable-Compatible-iPhoneXS/dp/B07HMG1H78/ref=sr_1_20?crid=19B7RM105LN5U&keywords=car+window+phone&qid=1660502523&sprefix=car+window+phon%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-20

[venomtail]

Irrelevant video as I think it completely missed the point. I agree that the dash cam market right now isn't in the best spot because it's extremely uncompetitive but making a video like this is like making a video about buying $400 pre-builts and then complaining that it can't run Cyberpunk 2077 smoothly at max settings. For a normal dash cam don't look below $150 like you wouln't look below $1000~ for a brand new PC to play the latest games at highest graphics.

 

Also irrelevant cause Garmin's normal line up isn't in the video. No one buys the mini as it overheats in the first place.

[t0rr3sp3dr0]

I really miss the Xiaomi 70mai dash cams on this review. They seem to have a great image quality and there are models under $100.

[minibois]

Great video, I loved the technical detail in it.

It seems like - just with computer webcams - companies have just been producing the same product for over 10 years with minimal innovation

[aisle9]

"Top rated on Amazon"

 

Dude, there's your problem. Dashcam companies hand out free shit left and right in exchange for a "fair and unbiased" review. It's almost as bad as cheap cordless vacuum cleaners and USB hubs. Or do you really believe that 17,000 people needed YUFOOL USB-C HUB FOR WINDOW PC MAC and 99.995% of them loved it enough to leave a five-star review?

 

If you want to give an honest shot to good dashcams, look at the ones Uber/Lyft drivers and truckers use.

 

Edit: I clearly had not watched past the first 45 seconds of the video when this was written.

[darknessblade]

Anyone else wants linus to make his own dashcam based on a "raspberry pi zero 2 W "

[T0biasCZe]

Personally, I use my older smartphone that i dont use anymore as i dashcam. it has good image quality, and it cost me nothing (because i already had the phone, and otherwise I would have thrown it away). And its also eco friendly since you are reusing already existing thing :)

[Luscious]

"Spent over $1000 on a dozen dash cams on Amazon"

 

 That's your first big stupid mistake right there.

 

"I did my homework"

 

 Umm... no. You didn't! You threw money at the problem like every unintelligent rich prick and got what you paid for.

 

For the last SEVEN YEARS I've been rocking a Thinkware F750 complete build out with hard wiring and rear camera installed. It has saved my bacon in at least two accidents where the insurance company would have put me at-fault/liable had I not had video evidence of exactly what went down.

 

I settled on the Thinkware after a trip to Best Buy to see what other offerings they had and checked them out in person. I also visited the Thinkware website looking at their offerings, see what accessories they make for their cameras and most importantly their warranty. Then I price checked across the different stores including shipping. THAT'S CALLED DOING YOUR HOMEWORK!!! The Thinkware is also a CES 2015 award winner, so you can add that for an accolade as well. 

 

Loop recording, high resolution, high frame rate and night vision are all important factors for a camera to work properly. Delayed recording when you leave the car and auto power off (beefy storage caps) is another important feature. Likewise you want to format the installed SD card at least once a month too to keep it in good working condition.

 

For anybody working with their car and especially doing rideshare investing in a dashcam will pay off big time. For rear facing footage in the cabin just plunk a GoPro on the dash - people will see it and know they are being recorded 

 

My F750 wasn't cheap with the rear camera and hard wiring kit (over $450) not including the cost of installation at my local Al & Eds. But for the last 7 years it has been working flawlessly. You will wear out SD cards over time but replacing those is trivial. Also a good practice is to keep spare SD cards with you in the car in case you do need to pull footage. Yeah, I can review the recordings on my smartphone to show the police on scene but that's not always practical or doable, as is using the Thinkware laptop software with audio, timestamps and other accident related details. That SD card is what counts as your physical evidence and the contents that the insurance companies will be interested in looking at. That also means you don't want to accidentally overwrite that thing.

 

As for buying today, I'd go with the Thinkware Q800 Pro. Similar to the F750 that I have and better bang for the buck than their flagship U1000.