Dash Cam - With a difference..

D

djstan

Active member
 Bristol
I'm hoping that this is a different query to the usual 'which dash cam should I get' (he says, optimistically) :D

Later in Feb, I'm driving down to the Alps to go skiing. I'm really, really looking forward to the drive :driving:

I'm hoping that there is going to be some amazing scenery on my journey through France, so I'd like to record the whole thing to play back another time. The journey is going to be approx. 14 hours long, although I might split it over 2 days to avoid too much fatigue.

I'm not really looking for a dash cam to record footage in the event of an accident, but to record as a memory of the journey.

I'm new to the whole cam thing, so it's a bit of a steep learning curve. I'm looking at cameras that could be mounted inside the windscreen, but also at others that could be mounted outside the car like a GoPro or a Contour. Either of these would be doubly useful as I could then use them on my pushbike when I go out on rides.

Does anybody have any experience of recording this type of journey? Any recommendations? What about mounting the cams to the car?

Current concerns are which camera to get, how to mount it, how to keep it powered, and how not to run out of memory. Any advice gratefully received! :D :thumbsup:
 
The GoPros are remote controlled via a phone, so you could only record when you want to instead of 13 hours of motorway and 1 hour of mountains?

Outside image is best - test mount it though as sometimes a reference point (like the tip of the bonnet) looks better than just scenery that makes you sick when watching it turning away in the mountains.
 
Ideally you would have to trial a few different areas on the car for positioning before your trip.
Some areas will be better than others due to vibration, visibility etc.
There are suction mounts available for most cameras that would enable it to be fixed in a number of places without sticking the mount directly to the paint.
One thing I would say though about watching footage after its been recorded is it is never the same as you remember it and never as good.
I had a camera on my bike for a while and just recently sold it as I was never quite happy with the results.
 
Drone is really the best thing, some stunning footage which includes your car. Pricey though.
 
Have a look at these people for mounts for anything from a GoPro through to a professional movie camera.
http://www.haguecamerasupports.com/car-mounts-suction-pads/

If you have a decent digital SLR you could use that with most of their mounts. If you don't want to mark your paintwork then avoid using suction mountings on body panels as they will mark your paint.
GoPro are recognised as one of the best in the action camera field, but at a cost. If you're looking for something for occasional use have a look at some of the Chinese copies such as the SJ4000 etc which give great results for a fraction of the cost. Check out Tech Moan for camera reviews http://www.techmoan.com/

Memory and battery life are you limiting factors, if the cameras inside the car you can power it by a usb lead and in terms of memory when I did a run down to Millau Bridge I used 32gb memory cards and dumped the footage to a cheap notebook each evening and formatted the cards for the next day. This is SJ4000 footage, the rendering on youtube doesn't do it any favours but select 1080p in settings and you get a pretty good idea of what it's actually like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNZnbzWfdVA&t=108s
 
Or you could put a mobile CCTV system with a DVR and up to four cameras on it. 128Gb memory, away you go. Cheapest though would be a couple of those dashcams located strategically around the car, plugged into the ignition circuit so they come on when you start the car. But in the mountains it will be sky wall sky wall sky wall, long straight bit, sky wall, etc.
 
I would suggest a GoPro and a few good mounts.

Can set to timelapse in the boring bits, hop out and mount somewhere artistic for the good bits, few exhaust clips a la Top Gear. Very easy to make quite a professional looking little montage. I did exactly this for a road trip around Tuscany and it turned out nicely.
 
I used a GoPro when I went to Switzerland last year. Only because I had one anyway for other sports.

Had it on a suction mount on the outside and inside. I used the windows inside and then bumpers, low down front and back, facing both forward and backwards, then boot on a pole looking down and bonnet looking back.

Battery life is poor on them, only around 60-90mins max. However, you'd be bored trying to edit and watch 14hrs of footage. I just did it on the furka pass and even then I got bored (didn't even do a film). As said above, it's not as good as you remember. I think mine has a 32gb memory card and I never filled that.

I'd go for a drone next time that can follow you for short sections.

As with everything, it's all down to personal choice, money, what you want it for etc.

I think go pros are excellent, after probably nearly a decade of using them for various things. You do pay for them, but the quality and functionality is excellent (and the phone app makes controlling very easy). I haven't really tried cheaper versions, so can't comment.
 
I had a simular question - but I read that go pros can over heat - so I went for the Thinkware and able to record 24 hours of driving in hd.

Has good quality images, Speed camera notification, and collision warning system.

23806371224_9acbb782d6_o.jpg


More details on the product
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thinkware-F750-Dashcam-Definition-Camera/dp/B00V6J10GC


Some Videos
https://youtu.be/R5aYBKeOgyQ

https://youtu.be/CfXSl6AYN88

Video of me doing the north coast 500: https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ash_BWINQ584zRvTEBT-zlizIwvF
 
pvr said:
The GoPros are remote controlled via a phone, so you could only record when you want to instead of 13 hours of motorway and 1 hour of mountains?

Outside image is best - test mount it though as sometimes a reference point (like the tip of the bonnet) looks better than just scenery that makes you sick when watching it turning away in the mountains.
Click to expand...

Funnily enough I had to attend a driver awareness course yesterday, which included some footage of driving around in various areas looking for hazards etc. The view was full-screen with no bonnet, and every turn made me feel quite sick.

I guess having a fixed point of reference helps to combat that? Some of the footage I've seen of people going across America etc. with bodywork in the shot didn't make me feel like that.. :thumbsup:
 
pvr said:
Drone is really the best thing, some stunning footage which includes your car. Pricey though.
Click to expand...

Hadn't thought of a drone... Probably out of my price range for this trip though.. :thumbsup:
 
Rockford said:
I would suggest a GoPro and a few good mounts.

Can set to timelapse in the boring bits, hop out and mount somewhere artistic for the good bits, few exhaust clips a la Top Gear. Very easy to make quite a professional looking little montage. I did exactly this for a road trip around Tuscany and it turned out nicely.
Click to expand...

Thanks - this looks like the best option, having done a bit of YouTubing (is that a word?)
 
The_Dude said:
Had it on a suction mount on the outside and inside. I used the windows inside and then bumpers, low down front and back, facing both forward and backwards, then boot on a pole looking down and bonnet looking back.
Click to expand...

Yes I really like this idea - changing the view every now and then :)
 
djstan said:
Rockford said:
I would suggest a GoPro and a few good mounts.

Can set to timelapse in the boring bits, hop out and mount somewhere artistic for the good bits, few exhaust clips a la Top Gear. Very easy to make quite a professional looking little montage. I did exactly this for a road trip around Tuscany and it turned out nicely.
Click to expand...

Thanks - this looks like the best option, having done a bit of YouTubing (is that a word?)
Click to expand...

I love a bit of YouTubing (looking at my history almost entirely dominated by cars).

The timelapse feature is great, use the app to set it to time lapse and just drive on , you'll still capture the drive but can replay it in a heartbeat and just get a nice little blur of the 100's km of boring motorways!

Just by the way I do also have a drone and use the go pro with that for some quite epic shots! You don't need to spend a fortune, £300 will get you a decent setup with a 3D Gimbal for a Chinese replica of one of the big boys. Otherwise budget £1k+ for a proper US manufacturer.
 
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