Best brand? In a nutshell.
I have a Kenwood DRV -A601W front and rear in my truck, front only in my car. It's user and budget friendly, about $275-$300 for the F&R combo one. The one in my truck is permanent mounted, the one in the car is suction cup mounted so I can move it from rental car to rental car. You can view/save/email files from your phone. I'm a technological dinosaur but I was able to figure it out. I bought it at Best Buy so I could return it in person if something went wrong. It also has a micro SD card. Not the best or most expensive but it works for me.
Side effect- It makes me a more conscious driver. The cost of the camera could pay for itself in my deductible if there is a crash and it's blamed on me but not my fault.
It was the best Kenwood at the time when I bought it 2-3 years ago but now there is a newer betterer updated model.
If you do a web search for dash cams, get ready to be overwhelmed....
YMMV
Side effect- It makes me a more conscious driver. The cost of the camera could pay for itself in my deductible if there is a crash and it's blamed on me but not my fault.
It was the best Kenwood at the time when I bought it 2-3 years ago but now there is a newer betterer updated model.
If you do a web search for dash cams, get ready to be overwhelmed....
YMMV
I won a dash cam at some drawing. I'm sure it was not an expensive model, not even an inexpensive one, but a cheap one.
It does work but the video is so grainy, I doubt anyone could determine who is at fault.
Dash cams are very prevalent in foreign countries judging by the number of video crash channels on YouTube.
It does work but the video is so grainy, I doubt anyone could determine who is at fault.
Dash cams are very prevalent in foreign countries judging by the number of video crash channels on YouTube.
I did a ton of research before I bought this one:
https://a.co/d/18KTxxM
What I like about it is that it’s virtually invisible from outside the vehicle. The forward camera mounts where nothing obstructs the wide angle view. It doesn’t interfere with the sun visors or my window shade.
That’s important because when hardwired or powered with an always active lighter port, it doubles as a parking monitor. If it senses an impact it will automatically record and lock the video file. The angle is wide enough that whatever you can see through the windshield is what’s recording. Front and rear cover 320 degrees total.
It also locks automatically and preserves the previous two minutes of footage when it senses an impact while driving. You can adjust the sensitivity, but even on the least sensitive setting locks when I hit a bad pothole or bridge expansion joint. The recording loops automatically when the sd card is full, but it’s nice that it won’t overwrite locked files.
I was able to modify the mount for the rear facing camera so I could mount it above the 3rd brake light on my truck. I already have a backup camera on the tailgate for backing up and hooking up my trailer, so mounting it above the cab allows it to record not just what’s behind me, but what’s in my blind spots as well. If you don’t have a backup camera or yours doesn’t have guidance lines, this one has that capability.
You can use the mirror/monitor several ways. You can show front only of you need better visibility below the line of sight over your hood or past the A-pillars. You can do split view if you want to see both forward and rear. Or you can use it as a full rear view mirror like I do. Another nice feature is that even though it’s recording in panoramic view, you can zoom and adjust the angle it shows on the monitor. I set mine so it just shows the top of my tailgate and my blind spots to the sides. That keeps the objects on the monitor from looking really small.
I’ve downloaded files and viewed them in my PC. They’re really good quality footage and the audio quality is great. My only real con is the name is dumb. When you start the vehicle it’s on the startup screen and can’t be disabled. I’ve had it on my truck for 2 1/2 years now with zero issues, so it gets a thumbs up from me.
https://a.co/d/18KTxxM
What I like about it is that it’s virtually invisible from outside the vehicle. The forward camera mounts where nothing obstructs the wide angle view. It doesn’t interfere with the sun visors or my window shade.
That’s important because when hardwired or powered with an always active lighter port, it doubles as a parking monitor. If it senses an impact it will automatically record and lock the video file. The angle is wide enough that whatever you can see through the windshield is what’s recording. Front and rear cover 320 degrees total.
It also locks automatically and preserves the previous two minutes of footage when it senses an impact while driving. You can adjust the sensitivity, but even on the least sensitive setting locks when I hit a bad pothole or bridge expansion joint. The recording loops automatically when the sd card is full, but it’s nice that it won’t overwrite locked files.
I was able to modify the mount for the rear facing camera so I could mount it above the 3rd brake light on my truck. I already have a backup camera on the tailgate for backing up and hooking up my trailer, so mounting it above the cab allows it to record not just what’s behind me, but what’s in my blind spots as well. If you don’t have a backup camera or yours doesn’t have guidance lines, this one has that capability.
You can use the mirror/monitor several ways. You can show front only of you need better visibility below the line of sight over your hood or past the A-pillars. You can do split view if you want to see both forward and rear. Or you can use it as a full rear view mirror like I do. Another nice feature is that even though it’s recording in panoramic view, you can zoom and adjust the angle it shows on the monitor. I set mine so it just shows the top of my tailgate and my blind spots to the sides. That keeps the objects on the monitor from looking really small.
I’ve downloaded files and viewed them in my PC. They’re really good quality footage and the audio quality is great. My only real con is the name is dumb. When you start the vehicle it’s on the startup screen and can’t be disabled. I’ve had it on my truck for 2 1/2 years now with zero issues, so it gets a thumbs up from me.
