Dash Cam - any better than the other?

[4RunnerJay]

Hello all,

I’m looking into purchasing a dash cam. Anyone here with experience, which brand if any is better than the other?

There are to many options. I looked at the Wolf Box, but don’t want an entire mirror.

Thank you.

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[ToYoDaMan]

Hello. Still waiting for it to arrive but I wanted an install that kept it as close to oem as possible.

I went with the FITCAMX. We will see.

 

[ThunderKev]

I’ve been looking at getting a dash cam for a while. Its amazing how most of them all consistently have poor reviews.

 

[M2014RN]

Search for Vortex Radar on YouTube and research Viofo. He does thorough reviews on radar detectors, dashcams, and other electronics.

 

[4RunnerJay]

I’ve been looking at getting a dash cam for a while. Its amazing how most of them all consistently have poor reviews.

Hello. Still waiting for it to arrive but I wanted an install that kept it as close to oem as possible.

I went with the FITCAMX. We will see.

Thank you. This one is new to me.

 

[4RunnerJay]

I’ve been looking at getting a dash cam for a while. Its amazing how most of them all consistently have poor reviews.

Exactly!

 

[4RunnerJay]

Search for Vortex Radar on YouTube and research Viofo. He does thorough reviews on radar detectors, dashcams, and other electronics.

Thank you.

 

[Nodak]

viofo 329 series or the blackvue series.

the viofo are the cheaper version of the blackvue series. you get a little better features on the blackvue but some cant get over the pricing on them.

typcially the viofo are about 100-150 cheaper than a comparable blackvue

but those are my preferences for brands. but it seems blackvue is slowly being over run by viofo for features and specs over the last year, were as blackvue is sitting on its previous history as being the best.

viofo has come out with 4k @ 60 fps on the front cam where as blackvue is still sitting on 4k @ 30 fps and they were the first to come out with 4k @ 30 fps

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/

 

[Nodak]

forgot the big #1 thing in a new dash cam, make sure it has a sony starvis 2 optics as a minimum

 

[4RunnerJay]

viofo 329 series or the blackvue series.

the viofo are the cheaper version of the blackvue series. you get a little better features on the blackvue but some cant get over the pricing on them.

typcially the viofo are about 100-150 cheaper than a comparable blackvue

but those are my preferences for brands. but it seems blackvue is slowly being over run by viofo for features and specs over the last year, were as blackvue is sitting on its previous history as being the best.

viofo has come out with 4k @ 60 fps on the front cam where as blackvue is still sitting on 4k @ 30 fps and they were the first to come out with 4k @ 30 fps

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/

Thank you.

 

[Nodak]

Thank you.

or buy directly from viofo

 

[Twisted]

One thing I've learned about dash cams over the last 10 years is that all the ones with positive reviews paid reviewers for such with product or money. All the negative reviews tend to be the honest ones.

I want/need one but just can't find one worth a crap. I went and bought a Garmin a couple years ago thinking the big brand name would help but it never worked right and simply fails to turn on in less than a year.

 

[Nodak]

One thing I've learned about dash cams over the last 10 years is that all the ones with positive reviews paid reviewers for such with product or money. All the negative reviews tend to be the honest ones.

I want/need one but just can't find one worth a crap. I went and bought a Garmin a couple years ago thinking the big brand name would help but it never worked right and simply fails to turn on in less than a year.

i have personally used viofo.

started with a119 v2 in my 14R (2019-02-02) then got a129 pro for the 23 tundra (2022-11-05) and will be getting a329 for the 25 4R.

i always get a new dashcam with a new vehicle


and to this day the a119 and the a129 has worked without issues since i installed them.

 

[rocktheroad]

One thing I've learned about dash cams over the last 10 years is that all the ones with positive reviews paid reviewers for such with product or money. All the negative reviews tend to be the honest ones.

I've had about 3-4 dashcams in the past, but I can't even remember their names since they were all those cheap $50 ones. I sold each one with the cars I had. The last one I kept was a Blueskysea B1W, just as a backup in case my previous one failed, but it never did before I sold the car, so now it’s in my daughter’s car.

When I got my 4Runner, I figured it was time to get a "serious" dashcam. I wanted things like 4K resolution and all those fancy night vision features and marketing buzzwords that probably only give you a 10-15% bump in quality over the cheaper dashcams that were decent years ago.

I went with the Thinkware U3000, which has all the marketing bells and whistles. The image quality is solid, and the night recording is good too. I didn’t have time to mount the rear camera, so I just tested the front. The radar feature was a big selling point for me since it only turns on in parking mode when it detects movement.

But, man, I've run into some usability issues. I had to turn off all the extra "advanced features" since my 4Runner already has some of those built in. The only one I kept is the beep when the car in front pulls away.

The worst part, though, is when I want to record something manually - it just starts recording right away. I was hoping it would save the last few minutes before I hit record and keep running for a bit before saving.

To top it off, this camera keeps erasing recordings. Most dashcams do this when they run out of space, but this one only keeps the last 2-3 videos and then overwrites them. I ended up wasting money on a big SD card! So if you witness an accident, you can't do much - usually, you need to focus first to avoid being part of the accident.

But, from what I’ve seen from my friends, I’m not sure I’d buy another dashcam. Their experiences seem even worse! And all of them are big, clunky, with a display that I don't want.

So there you have it - one true positive/negative review.

 

[Nodak]

I've had about 3-4 dashcams in the past, but I can't even remember their names since they were all those cheap $50 ones. I sold each one with the cars I had. The last one I kept was a Blueskysea B1W, just as a backup in case my previous one failed, but it never did before I sold the car, so now it’s in my daughter’s car.

When I got my 4Runner, I figured it was time to get a "serious" dashcam. I wanted things like 4K resolution and all those fancy night vision features and marketing buzzwords that probably only give you a 10-15% bump in quality over the cheaper dashcams that were decent years ago.

I went with the Thinkware U3000, which has all the marketing bells and whistles. The image quality is solid, and the night recording is good too. I didn’t have time to mount the rear camera, so I just tested the front. The radar feature was a big selling point for me since it only turns on in parking mode when it detects movement.

But, man, I've run into some usability issues. I had to turn off all the extra "advanced features" since my 4Runner already has some of those built in. The only one I kept is the beep when the car in front pulls away.

The worst part, though, is when I want to record something manually - it just starts recording right away. I was hoping it would save the last few minutes before I hit record and keep running for a bit before saving.

To top it off, this camera keeps erasing recordings. Most dashcams do this when they run out of space, but this one only keeps the last 2-3 videos and then overwrites them. I ended up wasting money on a big SD card! So if you witness an accident, you can't do much - usually, you need to focus first to avoid being part of the accident.

But, from what I’ve seen from my friends, I’m not sure I’d buy another dashcam. Their experiences seem even worse! And all of them are big, clunky, with a display that I don't want.

So there you have it - one true positive/negative review.

i was you, i picked up a thinkware u1000 and tried it for a few days, it was utter crap. took it back to best buy and go a refund.

eventually i went with a viofo, and i have been happy with them ever since 2019 with my 2 models. going for my 3rd once i get my new 4R.

i have mine record continuously in 5 min break files. FIFO (first in, first out) is the delete format. if i want to lock a file all i have to do is press a button and it will lock it from deletion. i would have to unlock it first then delete it.

also the viofo is set to a rolling delete based on FIFO rules. i run a 64gb card and it takes about a week to delete the old file. bigger card (newer ones run 128gb, 256gb and 512gb cards) so you can have up to 6 weeks of recordings on the largest card.

yes its kinda clunky but if you position it right you dont even notice it if you put it on the passenger side of the rear view mirror. let the mirror hide the bulk of the dashcam.

also forgot to add, i set mine to go dark mode after initial startup. no light and no beeps. you cant even tell its there


here is video overview of the a329

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