Poor mans car-cam

[Cos]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


The lens didn't fit, I can't find any that are the same size as the cheap little unit. Not a big deal though, it still works fine. I'll probably make a better one in the future, with a standard mini-cam, so the wide-angle lens will work.

So what would you do different. I am planning to start to make a couple of these in the next few weeks.

I need a new project.

[canadian.eh84]

i just bought a kit from over seas
it has 4 cameras 1 front / 2 sides / 1 rear and mic inside
paid about $1200


thing is installation manual is not english lol

[Crazyjoker77]

I'm also real interested in this but seems those camera's have been discontinued.

I have a gopro HD that I use but It doesn't really work well as a dash cam. I like the idea of it charging itself and self looping and being small in size and always working.

Whats else is available that's similar or who still has stock of that unit?

[dingmah]

There's tons of cheap ~$50 dash cams that automatically turn on/off for sale on eBay.

[Cos]

Originally posted by dingmah
There's tons of cheap ~$50 dash cams that automatically turn on/off for sale on eBay.

Yes but I have been having a hard time finding one that will loop record.

[Crazyjoker77]

Originally posted by Cos


Yes but I have been having a hard time finding one that will loop record.

As well I would really like for it to come with the 12v charger so I can hardwire it like the OP.

I'm trually going for a set it and forget it type of deal.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by canadian.eh84
i just bought a kit from over seas
it has 4 cameras 1 front / 2 sides / 1 rear and mic inside
paid about $1200

Not really in the "poor mans" category now, is that,

Originally posted by Crazyjoker77

As well I would really like for it to come with the 12v charger so I can hardwire it like the OP.

You can also pick up cheap chargers as well. A cig.Lighter -> USB one is only $10, then you just need the micro or mini usb cord.
Keep that in mind if you manage to find a cheap loop-recording camera, that doesn't have the charger with it.

Originally posted by Cos
So what would you do different. I am planning to start to make a couple of these in the next few weeks.

Honestly, I'm not sure how to do a better one now. As you said, it's difficult enough to find a cheap loop-recording camera, let alone one as small as my current set-up.

[Little Dragon]

What do you guys think about the eBay dash cams from china?

Most have loop recording and an LCD screen to boot.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/HD-1080p-Car-...#ht_4016wt_905

[Crazyjoker77]

Originally posted by Little Dragon
What do you guys think about the eBay dash cams from china?

Most have loop recording and an LCD screen to boot.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/HD-1080p-Car-...#ht_4016wt_905

I seen these awhile ago but just passed them over as ebay junk but did some research on them and came across a few videos that were taking with the cam and they were decent quality. I was only able to find one bad review and it was some redneck old man expecting it to be blue ray quality 1080p.(get real its a 2.5mm lens ffs)

I just ordered one from a US seller. It was only 70$ shipped so I figured it is worth trying out for that price. It is coming usps first class air so should be here rather shortly and I will post up my initial impressions.

[Disoblige]

^^ Looking forward to that. Thanks in advance!

[puya.ro]

got me one of these but in recording mode it just records a fat 20~ min video then shuts off... am i missing something ?

shouldnt it record 5 min clips or something ???

tried it on 512MB and 4GB microSD cards

[Crazyjoker77]

Well Been quite awhile kinda forgot about this thread but thought i would throw a update up on the ebay cam I bought.

The unit was pretty much what I was expecting and comes close to their claims.

It does record in 1080 but there is not much difference between the 1080 and 720 (other than file size)

The night mode is useless (turns on a set of white led that just end up reflecting off the window and blinding you) but surprisingly still takes good videos at night even with the LEDs turned off. (works good as a flashlight though!)

The mount is very stable and have not had to reattach it at all (unlike my sat radio mount) the camera quick mounts to it for easy removal.

The little lcd screen is real nice for replaying stuff without a computer and for making sure its aimed correctly.

It comes on and off with the car if plugged into a switched cig lighter. Only ran it once off the battery and it lasted 2hrs before i noticed it wasn't plugged in. (the plug has a converter built into it so you cant cut it off and hardwire it)

It can be set to record 30s 2m 5m 20m videos and automatically deletes the oldest file once its full.

It comes with a usb to hook it up to a laptop (drivers wouldnt load on a mac or vista) and you can replay the videos but I find it easier to just remove the Micro SD card and put it in a reader than to bring in the whole camera.

Has a HDMI mini port to hook it directly up to a flat screen

The sound quality on it actually really impressed me. You can clearly hear the conversation in the cab with the windows down driving around town, and was quite surprised that you could make out when I was rolling down the windows can hear the deaf chirps for the crosswalks when sitting at a intersection. It does suffer from wind noise on the highway if you have your windows down.

My only real complain that i do have is the file size is massive. at 1080 with sound a 5min video comes out to 580mb.

I'll try and post up a couple videos.

[The BMW Guy]

Please post asap!
And what seller did you buy from?

[Crazyjoker77]

Not the best video as its mostely highway driving with the window down so there is alot of wind noise.

At 1:50 you can watch the talon pulling a james bond style smoke screen when he downshifts...

Vid

[The BMW Guy]

^ pretty good quality for night time.
Which seller did you get it from?

Want to make sure I get the correct model as a lot of them look a like but are different.

[revelations]

Thats not bad at all.... any day time shots?