Car DashBoard Video Camera Vehicle Video Accident Recorder DVR

• 140 Degree Lens. 180 Degree ging for front lens. 270 Degree rotating screen: 1080P Full HD Resolution Video, 1080P: 1440*1080 15@fps, 720P: 1280*720 30@fps, 480P: 720*480 30@fps.
• Smaller Size. 1/3.2' CMOS,Low Illumination. 2.0" LTPS TFT LCD. Swith between Day and Night working status.
• Li-ion Battery Built-in. Recording Video while Recharging. Support TF Card from 512M to 32GB.
• Anti-shaking Function. Cycle-Recording. Auto-recording. HDMI Out. Preview Function.
• Package Includes: 1 x Car DVR, 1 x Camera Holder, 1 x User Manual, 1 x Car Charger, 1 x HDMI Cable, 1 x USB Cable.

After much research and deliberation, I ended up with this. It was originally in Russian but the manual was great and it took 10 seconds to get it to English.

I use a 8Gb MicroSD card, record in 1080P with 5 minute loops and this gives me about 2-3 hours of recording before it erases the oldest file. Each 5 minute video is approx. ~140-150Mb. Some people might complain that it erasing so fast is bad and what if they need something later; well, if there is an occurrence that you need to keep lock the file and it won't delete it. Otherwise, this is an install & forget device. It's great to have and isn't a nuisance and if an accident or ticket arises, will help you out immensely.

I work in Insurance and this is exactly what people need. The inaccuracies with human witnesses are too unreliable to be helpful during a claim or ticket dispute.

During the day, picture is great, if the sun is directly facing the camera; obviously there is a glare but that's unavoidable.

Can read street names, license plates everything it needs to do.

During nighttime, I personally do not turn on the 2 LED lights in the front, they are bright and don't add much quality.

Nighttime recording is a bit less detailed, given it's nighttime. But at stoplights it will record license plates and street signs depending on the type of sign. It shows the stoplights current color great and reflective lines in the street.

Audio is a bit meh, but what purpose does audio serve? None. Insurance / police don't care to hear you singing the Top 40 on the radio prior to the accident / that stop sign ticket violation, they care about visual proof.

The car cord is like 10 ft long, so when unraveling it, I would recommend not un-bundling all of it, just what you need to adequately have the cable connected and the rest tied up.

Overall, I am completely satisfied with this product and would recommend it to anyone looking for a dash cam.

(...) Daytime

(...) Nighttime

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I bought this for my car after watching to many Russian YouTube videos. I had problems with it at first but I figured out that this camera cannot handle a 32gb sd card like it says even a top of the line one. I purchased a 16gb class 10 top of the line sd card and haven't had any problems now. It's pretty awesome, it shows date time and so on, really good video recorded. Turns on and records automatically when I start the car. So for the price it's worth it just make sure not to get to large of a sd card, if it wasn't for that it would get 5 stars. And I wish that the windshield mount swiveled. But it's a really good suction cup. :)

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There are rightfully many mixed reviews about this car-cam on here. At first, mine had stopped working too, but it wasn't the camera's fault. In fact, the car-cam works perfectly fine if it's configured correctly. Here's how: 1. Do not buy a Class 10 micro-card. It will stop working soon after. Amazon recommends it by default, but it is wrong 2. Buy a Class 4 micro-card instead. The car-cam works with an older technology, so you must use the Class 4 type of card. I bought and used this one: Kingston 16 GB Class 4 MicroSDHC Flash Card with SD Adapter SDC4/16GB and it works 100%. With the Class 10, mine stopped working after the card filled up, or thereabouts. After I read some detailed websites about car-cams, it's imperative you use the Class 4. I hope this helps both new buyers and older buyers as well, since Amazon is recommending the wrong type of card. Other than that, the camera works perfectly fine for $55. The playback is good enough for road use. The on/off with the car ignition is awesome too. Been working for a few months with no issues.

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Decent dash cam, you can easily read license #'s when your within 15 feet of the car in front. Does not offer a very wide angle of view, but will cover the nose of your vehicle, so you can show if someone cuts you off then brake checks you. Within 2 weeks my mount melted off my windshield from the sun. So if you live somewhere south of Colorado, you have to remove the mount every time you stop, and replace it every time before you go somewhere. I am currently making a super glue mount to my dash to put it back in working order (I don't care about ruining the dash). The cord will reach from anywhere inside the vehicle. Make sure you order a large SD card, I have a 4 GB in and get about 7, 5 min "1080p" (note: not really 1080p) loops.

: 1:13 Mins

I have gone back and forth, trying to decide which camera to get. I finally got this one. CHECK MY VIDEO and you will see that this was a GREAT investment. The Clarity of this camera is amazing. Dont be fooled by the quality, when uploading videos, the videos lose some clarity. HOWEVER, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ THE LICENSE PLATES from the video in its Raw being (but of course you have to be close enough).

There are people that complain about how this camera isnt great quality. Well seriously, for about $50, what did you really expect? If you want TRUE 1080p, then mount a digital camera or a Real camera to get that quality.

For those of you who only need this for insurance purposes or to save your own ass, buy this gadget!

My only complaint is the fact that the mount is a bit flimsy (NOT THE SUCTION--THE SUCTION TO THE WINDSHIELD IS PERFECT). It's the fact that when I lean in to push the Power button, or the Record button, the Camera comes off the mount. I dont know, maybe its just me? Maybe I am not mounting it in correctly...

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Swann Freestyle 1080p HD Waterproof Sports Video Camera

• 5.0 megapixel still photos
• 1080p high-definition video at 30 fps
• 3x digital zoom
• 1.5" TFT LCD screen
• Waterproof

I received this camera as a gift over the holidays and was really excited to use it. When I first tested it, the video was shifty and paused a bit every few seconds. I fixed this issue by formatting the memory card using the camera as the instruction manual suggested. One problem I was not able to fix, however, was the audio problems. I had intended to use this camera as a dash camera for when I go for drives with other car enthusiasts on the weekends. Unfortunately, each test recording I made had this horrible high-pitched squeaking noise that is impossible to ignore. Notably, this noise was present in all the recordings I made while testing each camera setting.

I assumed that I may have a defective unit so I contacted Swann (who are based in Australia) via email. I sent them a carefully written email message that clearly describes the issue and further included a brief video clip that contained the background noise so they could hear the noise for themselves. Unfortunately, they never responded to my email message despite my having sent it multiple times to their customer service email address. I also attempted calling them, but the customer service line repeatedly led me to a dead end -no human being and no way to leave a message.

After this, I did a search online to see if I could find other people's videos that were captured with the Freestyle camera. I found one such video in which, like me, they had mounted the camera to the dash of a car. In that video you can hear the exact same noises that my unit captured. In view of this, it appears likely that the problem is not with my unit but with the design of Swann's camera/microphone. Perhaps this explains why Swann never responded to my emails and calls.

In view of the above, I think the Freestyle camera is poorly designed. In addition, I think Swann's customer service is poor. I have now ordered the Go Pro Hero 2 Motorsports edition camera and I hope that my experiences with this camera and Go Pro will be better.

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I really really like the camera and the interface a lot. Everything about it is great, except for one thing. When you run out of space on the memory card, if you are in the middle of filming, the file isn't closed so basically you lose everything you filmed. The GoPro will end the video and make is usable. If this camera did not have that one little flaw, I would be thrilled with it. I lost videos of my kids at disneyworld because I recorded too long so it just created a corrupt file. Not Cool.

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: 0:51 Mins

Point-of-view (POV) or hands-free action cameras are a new category of digital cameras. They combine the features of a camcorder with a surveillance camera. They are small, lightweight and equipped with a fixed focus wide angle lens. This unique category was pioneered by GoPro HD HERO2: Motorsports Edition (2011 Model) for photographing various sports from sky diving to surf boarding. The Swann Freestyle has several features which caused me to choose it over the GoPro but I will not do a side-by-side comparison. I have used my Swann for about 4 months and I will share with you some observations which may assist your choice. The video was taken with the Swann Freestyle attached the handlebars of a bicycle. The video was edited using CyberLink PowerDirector 10 Ultra.

Positives:

1. Tripod Screw Mount: The tripod screw allows for mounting on any conventional tripod. The camera is so small that I routinely attach it to and hold it with 4 inch table tripod.

2. Underwater Housing: An underwater housing is included. With the Go-Pro this is an extra. Also included are an assortment of mounting hardware and a nice pouch to hold the camera

3. Laser Pointer: This is an advantage when the viewing screen is removed you want to point the camera.

4. Remote Control: The remote control allows you to start and stop the camera from several feet away.

5. LCD Viewing Screen: The screen makes for better composition, particularly useful with the wide angle field of view. Also, the screen permits playback viewing. The screen can be removed which should theoretically should extend the recording duration.

6. 8meg Photos: The 8meg still photos give enough pixels to process and crop the images. The images are soft and require sharpening.

7. Camera Controls: There are two switches and two buttons on the top surface of the camera. One switch turns the camera on and off. The other switch turns on sound activated video (which I have not tried). The red button turns on and off the video recording. The neutral button takes still photos.

8. Durability: The camera is small and boxy but very durable. It fell off a 4 foot ledge while I was recording. The LCD display panel fell off but the camera continued to record.

Negatives:

1. Customer Service: I contacted customer service asking them whether the camera would take time-lapse photos while it was plugged in and charging, thereby extending the video duration beyond 2 hours. They finally replied after one month. The answer was no.

2. Changing Settings: Most settings for the camcorder and camera reverts to the default settings when the camera is turned off. Changing settings requires stepping thru several menus on the tiny LCD screen.

3. Spartan Manual: The 7 x 10cm manual is 39 pages of small print. The complexity of the camera requires several good instructional videos, an on-line manual or a CD.

4. Vignette: The wide angle images have distortion and darkening at the corners.

5. Low light conditions: The camera clearly works best in brightly lit scenes.

This is an inexpensive way to get into POV video. It is a lot of fun and you will find many ways to use it. Do not buy it if you need a lot of hand holding from customer service and give yourself plenty of time to learn how to use the camera.

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I needed a small, waterproof HD camera to make some kayak fishing videos. A friend of mine has one of these and his videos look great, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I was especially excited about the prospect of a remote.

Everything with this package works the way it should. Crisp and vivid 1080p video, several mounting options, and the aforementioned remote. It's easy to use, comes with an LCD screen AND a charger and has a great laser range finder option. Another positive is that there are lights all over it so you can tell if you're recording. The readout on the top of the camera come in handy as well so you can tell if it's running or recording or in still photo mode.

I'll list a few pros and cons and compare it to the Go Pro Hero:

Pros....

Shoots crisp, clear 1080p

Loaded with features (LCD screen, remote, laser, mounts, charger and carry pouch all things you need to pay extra for with a Go Pro)

Standard screw in mount on bottom of both camera and waterproof housing

Quite a bit easier to navigate the settings than with a Go Pro

Access to USB/charger/HDMI plug-ins on sides handy and easy

Battery lets a long time

Ease of use

Cons...

Waterproof housing seems a bit iffy and not as sound as a Go Pro, although I haven't had any problems

Only shoots video at 170 degree angle

Audio quality is hit and miss (I've had bot good and bad experiences with it so far) but very sensitive outside the waterproof housing. Not bad overall, but you can fix it if you edit with iMovie. I don't know what these other folks were talking about with the audio issues

Remote is awesome, but the range of it is only 6-8 feet, and even less if you have the camera in the housing

Only shoots at 30 fps would like the option of 30, 60 and 120 fps

If you want to see a video that I made with it

It's mounted to the front of my kayak, so all of those shots are with this camera.

Overall, I like this camera so much, I bought a second one. For the price, it's a great package!

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I already own a GoPro Hero and GoPro Hero2. Plus I've spent a small fortune in the GoPro addons, attachments etc. Then I saw this little Gem on one of those day sale websites. They had it for $139, that's about the same cost as the LCD bacpac + a spare battery for the GoPro. So I wanted to see what this camera could do.

Well out of the box, I was super impressed with what it came with. LCD Panel, remote control, multiple mounts, waterproof case etc.

Pros

* I really like that the camera and the camera case have a regular 1/4 inch tripod mount. This makes it so much easier to attach to standard mounts, like the UltraClamp.

* Like that it has two different buttons for starting video and taking a photo.

* Like the laser for lining shots up.

* Like the LCD panel being standard, although it turns out I don't use it much.

* Has a flat lens, so does not distort like the GoPro under water.

Cons

* The laser pointer is useless if you have it in the plastic case, it can't project out as the case blocks it.

* The audio isn't particularly great, but then it isn't with the GoPro either.

* The remote control doesn't have a very good range.

Video quality is very comparable to the GoPro, especially when using the 720px60 mode.

Conclusion

at the price I paid, these things are almost disposable, I was impressed enough that I bought another and a couple as gifts when they were on sale again.

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Swann DVR-421 PenCam Mini Video Camera & Recorder

• Swann DVR-421 PenCam Mini Video Camera & Recorder Executive-quality Black Ballpoint Pen, Hidden Pinhole Camera

I tried three of the little keychain video cameras that look like a key fob that are extremely cheap but I couldn't get them to work before I got this.

First the good parts:

It works.

It takes nice videos for about an hour each.

There is no need for a separate micro SD card, this has it's own memory.

It's small and easy to use, with just one button for on and off.

It has two lights, a yellow and a blue one. The yellow one tells you it's charging.

The blue one tells you it's filming.

Now the bad parts:

There is only one. It is awkward to hold or use without someone knowing it's a

camera.

If you have this poking out of the top of your shirt pocket, I would think lots of people would be aware of what it is. These have been sold everywhere for many years.

And if you are a woman, in particular it is going to look out of place. If you try filming while you hold this in your hand it will look even more odd. If you put this on it's side on a table you will get a video that is sideways.

However, I can carry this in my purse to have a video camera handy for those times when I need one and don't have my cellphone. I never know what life will present each day but with one of these in my purse I'm ready to film it.

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Picture and video quality are pretty good for that size. Easy to connect via USB connector to a PC. It's not super sensitive to light though, so don't expect great pictures in a medium lit room. But outdoors, it does great.

As some reviewers mentioned on costco site, you should of course remove the two small stickers on the phone, especially the one that says it's a 2GB camera, if you want it to be truly stealth!

I would probably have given it 5 stars for price/performance if I didn't have a problem with the first unit.

UPDATE 2/2012: Actually back in May last year, I got a replacement unit, and it worked fine for the 2 or 3 times I used it. Then the pen tip would not retract anymore. Camera and button still work, but the pen is useless.

So since I got a problem with both units, I lowered my ratings from 4 to 2. They REALLY have a quality issue.

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Comes with a mini CD which I am not sure how I got it loaded on my PC but did. Instructions are in very broken English and not clear at all but I managed to get it working by knowing how to click on the drive and execute apps. I am not sure if it loaded or if Windows simply knew how to run it because it does connect to the PC via a USB connection. I was not sure if it physically connected good enough because with it mini SD card in the pen the cable did not fit completly snug but it did. If you have an adapter to place the mini card in a regular card or a nini reader it would help. The video quality is very good. The audio quality is mediocre but I have only used it for one day. If you need to document confrontations with whomever this is quite food for the money. Press the button for one second and make sure the indicator light turns blue and you are recording. Recording while walking is really interesting; looking more like a "Blair Witch" quality recording. Again, the video is very clear and the audio is too but there is a volume issue that I have not overcome yet. It is quite sufficient though for documentation. Conversations can clearly be made out but you have to turn the volume all the way up on the PC and the application. I have seen other similiar pens for $150+ and assume this one is probably made by the same manufacturer. For $150 I would be disappointed in the audio, for $50 I am happy with the purchase.

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This is a great pen. You get video and audio on it. I couldn't believe how good the quality is. the video is clear, and the audio is awesome too. You just unscrew the pen in the middle and there is a USB plug inside. Just plug it into your computer, and it plays in the windows media player. When you unscrew the pen, you will find a tiny switch by the USB plug. This switch changes the pen from video mode to still picture mode. I can put the pen in my front shirt pocket, go to the strip club, and record everything!

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This hidden mini pen camera is tops! It really works. Well, once I got around the operator's errors and screwups this little gadget is worth every penny. I hope they continue to produce this pen, perhaps smaller without a doubt other devices for more uses. ECELLENT PRODUCT!!

Also, as far as I am concerned the audio is EXCELLENT!! Great product.

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