Dash Cams?

[JBeierDC]

Ive been recently looking into various dash cam setups to tinker on my bikes over the cold snowy months of otherwise motorcycle deprivement my wife tells me is called "winter" 

Anyone have any recommemdations /good experiences /absolutely stay away from /hey this looked good but melts in use /other thoughts about the dual camera "motorcycle dash cams"  

[M61A1MECH]

I do not have a dash camera, but if I did have an onboard camera I would probably have the one in this thread.

https://www.gl1800riders.com/threads/love-this-camera.466238/unread

[Flyinfool]

To bad that company only works with apples.

[BratmanXj]

I was looking at these and talking with a company rep at the 2019 Chicago IMS show.  Looked pretty cool and not very expensive.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZP6BCS/?coliid=I3JMI5KD4RJ4ER&colid=2UY1ATFEFRR5P&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[bpate4home]

1 hour ago, BratmanXj said:

I was looking at these and talking with a company rep at the 2019 Chicago IMS show.  Looked pretty cool and not very expensive.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZP6BCS/?coliid=I3JMI5KD4RJ4ER&colid=2UY1ATFEFRR5P&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

A draw back on this would be the image quality @720p.  

[BratmanXj]

On 1/15/2021 at 12:57 PM, bpate4home said:

A draw back on this would be the image quality @720p.  

720p looks fine on the 4" viewing screen, on most any smart phone, tablet or laptop.  Are you planning on watching your dash cam on a wide screen super high def large screen TV?  Is 1080i worth 3x the price?

Edited January 19, 2021 by BratmanXj

[videoarizona]

On 1/15/2021 at 11:57 AM, bpate4home said:

A draw back on this would be the image quality @720p.  

Sorry to Disagree. 720P is the purest of the real HD definition. 1080 isn't quite as good when it comes to motion. Added benefit, the storage requiremnets are smaller. Last thought, 720P is perfect for a dashcam as the quality is more than good enough for for forensic evidence and the flie sizes are smaller.

And please, hope no one gets swayed by the 2K and 4K cameras. Serious over kill if they are really 2K or 4K (doubtful if from China).

I am more concerned with the record/play options than resolution...YMMV...

[Flyinfool]

In a lot of the vids I have seen posted you can not read a license plate. The minimum I would want is to be able to read plates so I know where to send the police after the hit and run. Just a vid of what happened is pretty useless if you can not identify who done it. I really do not care a bout file size, memory is pretty cheap these days.

Yes there are a lot of dash cams claiming to be 2K or 4K that are not.

All the resolution in the world does not help if it has a cheap plastic lens that is out of focus.

Edited January 19, 2021 by Flyinfool

[bpate4home]

3 hours ago, videoarizona said:

Sorry to Disagree. 720P is the purest of the real HD definition. 1080 isn't quite as good when it comes to motion. Added benefit, the storage requiremnets are smaller. Last thought, 720P is perfect for a dashcam as the quality is more than good enough for for forensic evidence and the flie sizes are smaller.

And please, hope no one gets swayed by the 2K and 4K cameras. Serious over kill if they are really 2K or 4K (doubtful if from China).

I am more concerned with the record/play options than resolution...YMMV...

First, never be sorry to disagree, at least with me, its all an opportunity to learn. As far as 720, this was based on several cameras we used on a couple of rides as a group.  The two 1080 cameras were better quality than the three 720 cameras in that experience. This was in 2019.  All of the cameras we supposed to have stabilization. could this have been related to lenses absolutely. I don't even remember the brands involved as it was what ever each rider had. I've been wanting to do this on the new SVTC since I got it and want the cameras to be small and hidden as possible.  I also agree that memory cards are very affordable today.  

[videoarizona]

On 1/19/2021 at 2:11 PM, bpate4home said:

First, never be sorry to disagree, at least with me, its all an opportunity to learn. As far as 720, this was based on several cameras we used on a couple of rides as a group.  The two 1080 cameras were better quality than the three 720 cameras in that experience. This was in 2019.  All of the cameras we supposed to have stabilization. could this have been related to lenses absolutely. I don't even remember the brands involved as it was what ever each rider had. I've been wanting to do this on the new SVTC since I got it and want the cameras to be small and hidden as possible.  I also agree that memory cards are very affordable today.  

Lol! Agreed! Chance to learn....

Lenses, chips and cameras really make a difference. BUT the biggest difference is the entry of the Chinese into all markets. Most of their "stuff" is junk....seriously. Anyone can take a cheap large sensor (often a reject), throw in a few chips to record and a cheap plastic lens and call it 4K or 2K. By upping their "sharpness" edging, you get a "decent" picture, but not really. You can tell by taking the video of any camera and blowing it up....the lens, algorythms and chips will either shine or not. I guess I should have added 1080 to the mix, when I was suggesting Chinese cameras of 2K and 4K quality are not really that good at all. 

If you look at the price of a 4K Sony mirrorless camera ($1000 or more) and a Chinese version $279....that should say it all.

Regarding 720P. No it isn't the better resolution...but it's a better format (if done correctly) than 1080 for moving images. And to reiterate, it's fine for forensic evidence in the event it's needed in a crash. Just saying.....

It's hard to compare anything, apples to apples these days. The "apples" keep changing and the information needed is never given on Amazon, EBay or most other generic on line stores. Only professional stores will post all the technical information.

Kind of like 4K TV's these days. $600 to $4,000 for the same size. Gotta be a difference in there somewhere!  Grins...

BTW, I set my GoPro 8 to 720 60P for driving stuff, 1080 60P for scenery. 4K for scenery/human interest...editing stuff. (so I can move the image in editing and get a better final image in 1080 for streaming). If I buy a dedicated dash cam...it will be 720/60P.

 

[bpate4home]

15 hours ago, videoarizona said:

It's hard to compare anything, apples to apples these days. The "apples" keep changing and the information needed is never given on Amazon, EBay or most other generic on line stores. Only professional stores will post all the technical information.

Kind of like 4K TV's these days. $600 to $4,000 for the same size. Gotta be a difference in there somewhere!  Grins...

BTW, I set my GoPro 8 to 720 60P for driving stuff, 1080 60P for scenery. 4K for scenery/human interest...editing stuff. (so I can move the image in editing and get a better final image in 1080 for streaming). If I buy a dedicated dash cam...it will be 720/60P.

 

Absolutely true on the apples to apples comparison.  Reminds me of when we were looking at a minivan 30 years ago due to kids.  If you mentioned a Ford or Chevy for comparison The Dodge people would scoff and basically say nothing else is in the same class to compare. My comment to them was if you are not going to have an honest discussion I'll take my business and money elsewhere. No reaction until I started walking out then they were groveling to have me talk.  Ended up with a E150 conversion van and no minivan.  Best vehicle decision ever. Overall that E150 was so far superior to any minivan I had ever been in.  I was kicking myself after we got rid of it. 

Being an IT guy working with networking since the days of CP/M, 3Com 3+ share and Netware I was in the habit of comparing IT stuff to the lowest basic level I can get. Chipsets, processors, math coprocessors, CMOS, PAL chips etc. I guess I'll need to be doing this for the Dash Cam setup research 🙂 

[VentureFar]

Hi all

i just did a dash cam challenge for ultimatemotorcycling.com

I had two front/ rear 1080p cams set up on my Venture at the same time. One thing I did coming to stop lights was stop where I could read the plate in front of me and then creep up to view later where that same plate was readable on playback. It was about 2/3 closer. 
I just bought a “4K” Chinese action camera to see what it does on license plates. Unfortunately there is snow on the ground. Uggh. 
Regardless of image quality I believe we should all have a dash cam. 
VentureFar...
 

[Flyinfool]

From what I have read, a lot of the Chinese cameras that claim to be 4K really are not.

[VentureFar]

If I can get back into my house from the power outage in Portland I will go for a ride and try it out. With the 1080p, per my detailed review on ultimatemotorcycling.com I found I could not ever read a license plate in motion or standing still unless I got real close. When stopped at a light I would first stop where MY eyes could read the license plate ahead of me. I would then creep forward all the way to the bumper. I would review the video later and each time I would see in the video that I would be 1/2 to 2/3 closer to read the plate in the reviewed video. It will be real easy to see if the resolution is greater on this particular unit. 

I will report back. In about a week or so.

VentureFar...