It took a while to make it here (35 days in transit) but the newest dashcam has finally arrived. Initial impressions are positive, with fit and finish feeling a little more substantial than the last two.
Cost was slightly higher on this model at $39.06CDN (Micro SD card not included).
It’s in the car and powers up and records just fine, I’ll review the footage in a few days and see how it does for capacity and low-light etc (whether the battery keeps the clock current).
Update: 16 May 2012 – So far so good, the unit powers on and off when it should and the clock hasn’t required setting since its initial install. Will post a sample video clip shortly.
Update: 18 May, 2012 – Nothing, so far, to shake my initial impression of this unit.
It Seems to record about 3-4 hours of video in 5 minute clips on a 4Gb TF card. Field of vision is better than the previous units and I haven’t had to adjust any settings (or reset the date or time) since I installed it.
Update: 05 June, 2012 – Occasionally this unit will “freeze” where it makes a high pitched whining noise when the car is started (the screen remains blank for this), pushing a paperclip or thumbtack into the “reset” hole returns things to normal. I’ve taken to keeping the small LCD display open so I can see that the device is running whenever I start the car.
Update: 15 June, 2012 – Still seeing the odd “high pitched whine” lock-up, but a quick press of the reset button brings it back into normal operation without issues (odd really). Time and date are retained nicely and this occasional issue is the only one I’ve encountered so far.
A quick picture of the dashcam installed, I keep the small 2″ lcd screen open just to visually verify that the unit is up and running.
My dashcam was working just fine until …
We parked in the sunshine one afternoon and, when we got back to the car, the suction cup had released. It mounted again just fine, but a couple of days later, the camera came off the windshield again overnight.
This time the mounting hardware had failed. There’s a rather flimsy flange at the bottom of the shaft where it enters the suction cup. That entire flange had torn off. After tinkering with it for a while, I determined there was simply no way to properly repair it.
So I’ve ordered a couple of replacement mounts (at a nominal $3.25 per unit – ‘free shipping’) … but will now have to wait the inevitable ‘weeks in transit’ for their arrival
Is this the mount with a suction cup at one end and the threaded post at the other?
Yeah … same idea as the one in your post, except a bit more articulated at the camera end (I think) Doh! – I shoulda remembered that you’ve some ‘spares’ from your earlier trials
Anyhow. here’s the units I ordered. They seem to be a bit more robust than the original (if the photo is accurate, it even incorporates some metal
http://tinyurl.com/85hgm99
Yep, I have one just like that from my earlier efforts (might even be two come to think of it), we’ll be up your way again this weekend if you want me to drop’em off. I had thought I might try to use them for mounting the camera on the tank of the bike, but the surface is too curved for that.
Sure – if you can spare one, and you happen to be in the neighbourhood – toss one in my mailbox. I’ll return it to you when my ship comes in. Thanks.
Now that I have no dashcam running, this’ll fersure be the time some idiot does something spectacular in front of me … and I’ll miss recording it
Yep, no need to replace it – they’re spare parts from a unit I no longer even have, essentially they’re clutter. I’ll drop it (or them if I can find the other one) in your mailbox when we’re up your way on Saturday to see mom.
Yep, that’d be how Murphy rolls. Your travels will be filled with roof surfing, red light running clowns driving flaming imported and mad max modified vehicles. It’s just the way things go.
I placed the order for my replacements before it occurred to me that you’d have a spare. So they’re on their way here …’eventually’
Just one would do me just fine … you can keep the other in stock in case your mounts fails, too
Thanks!
My current dashcam uses a completely different style of attachment (a base with four tabs, that corresponds to slots on the mount), so these are of no particular use to me. Had hoped to use them on the CBRs tank, but that’s a non-starter….so they are no good to me at all (except, as I mentioned, as clutter).
May I ask where you purchased this unit ?
I see it listed on amazon, but want to be sure of getting the same unit that you have used.
Thank you…
I bought this one, like the others, on Ebay.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LCD-1080P-IR-Car-Vehicle-Dash-Camera-DVR-Video-Recorder-/261033737701?pt=US_Surveillance_Gadgets&hash=item3cc6d2bde5
This appears to be the same unit, but it’s hard to tell with Ebay auctions half the time.