EF99

I thought there were threads on this but didn't find any. Wanted to get some brands and model numbers of dash cameras that people are using, and the pros and cons. Maybe there are some memorial day sales to take advantage of.

BTW, when people post videos of the instrument panel while driving, where are you mounting the camera or do you have to manually hold it to get that view?

brooklyn86

I have a GoPro HD and love it. It comes with, and you can buy, different mounts for different applications.

For example, you can mount upside down to the moonroof for a cool interior view. (See below. Not me but a guy I know)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Tl7Dt6Z7bUA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Or you can mount it on the outside to get the wind effect and get a better sense of speed. (Below is my buddy in his sti)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gn5UwFi_HBM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

EF99

While searching for dash camera info I came across this article with a link to a dashcam video of a Ferrari running a red light at high speed and hitting a taxi. Happened a couple weeks ago. Not for the squeamish.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...tles-taxi.html

Stereodude

Are you trying to get a camera to record spirited drives / autocross / track events? Or, are you trying to get something that records your commute / vehicle for insurance / theft / damage purposes?

EF99

More of the latter, but I also want to be able to re-orient the camera and record a view of the instrument panel (for example to capture the speed/rpm/gear for an intermittent problem, for troubleshooting purposes) and good quality audio of engine noises in the background.

If I look at the more costly dash cams, in the $300-500 range as a staring point (i.e. assuming these should be the high water mark for capabilities), I'm not very impressed with what you get for the money. Most have a fixed focus so don't do the closer instrument panel video very well. Most have horrible audio dynamic range with preamps that overload and distort easily. And most are really not that good at detail (e.g. to read a license plate number you need to be within about 1 car length) in spite of their high resolution claims.

Next I looked at some of the cheaper ones, in the $75 to $100 range, and while the video sharpness is degraded some from the more costly ones, they aren't that much worse for the fine details. On the more costly ones you can't see potentially vital details like license plate numbers or faces unless you are very close, and the cheaper ones...well you can't get much worse than the poor performance of the costly ones. The wide angle lenses are even worse as far as distorting things (but I can see how they might have value recording laps on a track).

So I'd say so far I've not found anything that impresses me in the price vs performance. If you just want reasonably good shapes and colors of distant (>10 feet or so) objects they are fine. If you want fine details, and variable focus to capture under 2 feet away, and good audio dynamic range I haven't found anything yet.

EF99

I'll be more specific for my immediate needs. I want to be able to film (video and audio) the instrument panel and steering wheel. I want it to be stable (not the jerky blur of a hand held or wearable camera) and it can't be hand held so that means some rigid mounting location for the camera, and I want the video of the instrument panel to be crisp/clear, and preferably good quality audio but that's not as vital at the moment.

I can probably build the mount if needed. Something that clips to the sunroof shade slider or the inner retractable handle at the interior roofline on the drivers side would probably work to get the right field of view.

Any recommendations with these requirements? Maybe a regular digital camcorder would actually be a better way to go (probably doesn't even need to be HD), though they are a bit large for the way I imagine mounting it (but they would also be useful for other purposes besides car use, which is a plus).

forza1976

go pro for the win... I've had one since the day they released them and I swear by it for any type of track day or just goofing off!

blackhawk878

There was a thread regarding dash cams over on AZ. Not sure if it meets your intent though. Clicky

skiracerblah

If you got money to blow and want the best that's available out there:
http://www.chasecam.com/

McLaren Formula 1 team uses these during testing, mandatory equipment for all cars in SPEED World Challenge, and a bunch of other race teams use em.