Anyone using a dash cam or in-vehicle DVR system, they seem to be all the rage in Russia... There are some really cool looking and compact ones on Amazon but have mixed results of reviews.... , I know you could just as easily use a GoPro but the vehicle cams have impact sensors and motion detection along with GPS features... I am mostly interested in raw video of the interesting things you might see out your windshield but can't always get a picture of...

 

I have the same thoughts. Awaiting replies to this thread.

 

Well I pulled the trigger on the E-Prance 801 and a 32gig card ~$90 Amazon...
I'll get it setup this week hopefully for our weekend trip to Galveston and see how she flies...

 

Let me know how you make out.

When I can finally afford my Model S or X, I plan to install a dash cam front and rear, that film 24/7.

I've seen some for $40 or so on Amazon. If filming 24/7, I should get at least 8-12 hours of video, I'm thinking?

That way I'm covered driving, and when I leave it in a parking garage.

My wife's car's been hit twice in her parking garage. Hard enough to crack the rear bumper!

If we had two dash cams (or 4)! on it, then we'd have the proof we need to ID the person who did it.

In today's society, you just need them. I have 12 on my house running 24/7. All doors/windows covered. It may not stop someone from walking out with my TV, but it will show them, their car, the date & time.

I'm looking for one I can wire to 12v from the car, and if I use an always hot source, it should always be filming, just recycling the 'tape' when it hits capacity.

 

Well got past the first hurdle... as soon as I plug it into my PC to see what's on the SD card Norton finds the "Suspicious.Cloud.9" virus removed it, now on to getting the settings setup up following the Engrish users manual...

 

Seems a bit extreme, and I have to politely disagree. I prefer living in a neighborhood with zero crime (at least in the 8+ years I've lived here). I don't do it intentionally, but I've lost track of the number I've times we've gone to bed and left one of the garage doors open. Yes, I live within 30 miles of downtown Detroit.

I have many of my good handtools on peg board out there and also a Snap-On rolling 3-piece tool chest. We never lock the door from the garage into the house, and have ~$60K worth of cars in the garage and driveway, with the keys hanging up just inside the door.

 

please forward me your address so I can visit

Camera's are cheap insurance and I can view around the home anytime anywhere.

I've watched my septic tank being cleaned. Driveway being sealed. Friends stop by where I can remotely open/close my garage door...

It's a nice feature. Any new home should at least have the wiring installed... it's not expensive either.

Don't equate my cameras for me living in a high crime area. I work with high-tech for a living, and thought they'd be nice to have... now that I do, I love them.

 

I too have security cameras setup, its a great way to know when the kids have gotten home, if we have a UPS/FeEx package on the porch if one of the garage doors got left open after we have all left. Its also been pretty handy to see what kind of weather the neighbor hood is enduring when we are out of town

back to the topic... here is sample of the video I took with the E-Prance 801, I will point out that You tube really reduces the video quality its a whole lot sharper straight from the video file.
UPDATE: it appears that the video now shows as HD and you can see the license plate of the vehicle in front of us at a stop. I'll try and update with a night time video at the first opportunity..

 

how do you turn the camcorder on/off?

it records audio? can you turn audio off?

Yes, youtube will upload your vid, then process it, it does the lower resolution runs first, but within a few hours/days it will show 1080 as an option.

Video looks more than clear enough to show who hit what how and when.

 

It has a power button on the side to turn off or on, you can also set an auto off for once power is removed/turned off

Yes the audio can be turned off or on... its actually kind of nice to have as you an narrate to it as you see something unfolding...there are programs available to strip the audio if you needed to..

the buttons for the most common items are easy accessible like turning video off and taking a still, turning the audio off...

I have mine mounted temporarily just behind the rear view mirror on the passenger side.. I really can't see or readily access the cam at that area but it is out of the way and not a distraction with its little blue slow blinking recording light...

the cam can be detached easily from its base and you can review the video on the unit itself on its 1x1.5 screen...

I need to find a better way to conceal all the wiring, the unit plugs into a 12v outlet but I *think* it steps it down to 5v.... it has the mini USB ( blackberry) type connector...