[John B]

@ edagrade. You wont go wrong with the Street Guardian SG 9665GC V2 I am very pleased with mine and the back up is excellent.   

I bought mine from here at a good price      CRASH CAMERAS - Street Guardian Crash Cameras - www.strathfieldcarradios.com.au

[edagrade]

@ edagrade. You wont go wrong with the Street Guardian SG 9665GC V2 I am very pleased with mine and the back up is excellent.   

I bought mine from here at a good price      CRASH CAMERAS - Street Guardian Crash Cameras - [url=http://www.strathfieldcarradios.com.au] Car Audio | GPS | Cameras | Strathfield | Official Online Store[/i][/url]

Thanks for the link John B.
Price is pretty good really, although earlier comments from you in this thread indicate the product was expensive. To me it represents value.

A bunch of questions if you don't mind please...
Is your unit hardwired?
Would you mind posting a pic of the camera mounted please?
Do you wish for a dual cam setup instead?
Do you run a bigger SD card or just the 32Gb it was shipped with?

[John B]

@ edagrade. You wont go wrong with the Street Guardian SG 9665GC V2 I am very pleased with mine and the back up is excellent.   

I bought mine from here at a good price      CRASH CAMERAS - Street Guardian Crash Cameras - [url=http://www.strathfieldcarradios.com.au] Car Audio | GPS | Cameras | Strathfield | Official Online Store[/i][/url]

Thanks for the link John B.
Price is pretty good really, although earlier comments from you in this thread indicate the product was expensive. To me it represents value.

A bunch of questions if you don't mind please...
Is your unit hardwired?
Would you mind posting a pic of the camera mounted please?
Do you wish for a dual cam setup instead?
Do you run a bigger SD card or just the 32Gb it was shipped with?

No problem. My unit is not hardwired I just plugged it into the power point and ran the wire through the tray under the the dash to the left side up the door pillar under the rubber seal and under the roof lining to the camera that is fitted to the left of the mirror. The reason I mounted the camera to the  left is because the mirror is tilted to the right and there is more room on the left to get the camera more in the centre. Just make sure you leave enough space for the adjustment knob , it is also easier to get the card out if fitted on the left. The photo you have on this thread is how mine is mounted but on the left. I have a mini dash cam fitted in the rear as I felt it would be easier to just run the wiring under the tailgate plate and through the convoluted rubber that takes other wiring and then under the roof lining down to the covering at the right side of the boot area where the power outlet is, I removed the cover and  spliced a cigarette lighter into the wiring to the power point I then pugged the camera in and replaced the cover.I did this to save having the camera power plug poking out into the boot. I just use the 32Gb card as this will cover what I require. Hope this all makes sense and helps. There are other post that show the wiring going up the door pillar just search dash cams. Lots of cheap cameras out there but as you say this camera is good value for the money,also great for our Australian heat . Dash cam forum is very good for info.

[edagrade]

Great reply thanks John B.

My i30 SR Premium has the moisture/humidity sensor & auto wiper rain sensor cluttering the real estate near the rear view mirror, so I will need to be sure I don't mess with the functionality of that stuff or obscure view the light sensor for the auto dimming rear view mirror. Extra stuff to think about 

What sort of 'mini dash cam' for the rear are you using?
Is it mounted internally to the rear window?
Hard wiring an outlet behind the rear trim for it is a good idea.

[AlanHo]

Last week my wife and I were returning home from Lincolnshire when we were seriously tailgated by a white van - the driver of which was holding a phone to his ear in one hand and gesticulating with the other. Thus driving with no hands on the steering wheel. It was a single carriageway with a 50 mph limit. It was pouring with rain and there were regular patches of standing water so I was doing between 40 and 45 mph. He kept up this behaviour for about 2 miles. I operated the rear window wiper to ensure my rear camera got a good video of his dangerous behaviour. The road eventually became dual carriageway and he overtook and sped away, soon lost in a cloud of spray.

We decided to divert to Melton Mobray to buy some of our favourite pork pies - which added about 30 minutes to the journey. I now regret it.

As soon as we got home I removed the 32 GB SD card from the camera and plugged it into my PC - determined to copy the video onto a memory stick and send it to the police. (As I have done before you may recall)

Shock, horror, buggeration - the file had been over-written only 25 minutes before we got home. The 32GB card was recording in HD video and I had missed the section I needed by a whisker.

Hence I replaced the 32 GB card in my rear dash cam with a 64 GB one which has to be formatted with FAT32 - something Windows 10 refuses to do. I had to use 3rd party software to do it.

I obtained the software from here..
http://dod-tech.co.uk/supportcenter/formatting-64gb-microsdxc-cards-for-dod-tech-cameras/#PC

I also formatted a second 64 GB card with FAT32, put it into a small plastic case and stuck it in the glove compartment of the car. I am thus better prepared for the next time I need to take the card out of the camera after an incident.

[edagrade]

Your story AlanHo kind of plays out my concern of capturing & storing events events on long journeys, especially with a dedicated rear camera as its not practical to reach back & press a save button to lock the event away in a file. I imagine a 2ch system would save both channels when button is pressed?
Interesting about Win10 not working with FAT32 formatting.
It seems data storage to SD cards & older file formats is quickly becoming outmoded. What is the next best thing... solid state storage & wifi or USB to upload the data to another device?

[AlanHo]

Win10 will read a FAT32 card - but will not format a card above 32 GB in that format - it used EXFAT. If I use a 64 GB card formatted in EXFAT the DOD Dash Cam only uses the first 32GB.

I will now keep a spare SD card in the car and if an incident takes place that I wish to keep - I will stop the car when convenient and swap the cards.

Sooner or later a tiny dash cam will be launched that is just a zoom lens (Fitted with a circular polarising filter), sensor and circuitry to WiFi the video stream to a fixed VRC in the car with a 1TB hard drive mounted in a caddy.  The VCR being able to record from front and rear cameras simultaneously.  ARE YOU READING THIS DOD.

[John B]

Alan on my camera I can push a button that will save that frame if an event occurs so it will not be overwritten . True you would have to pull over some where safe to do it , not a fan of someone who is driving trying find the button to push. If you have a passenger show them what button to push if required.

[John B]

edagrade .   The Mini dash cam I use on the rear is the one in the following link. My rear dash cam is not attached to the window but to the panel above by 3M adhesive strip. I did use a plastic bracket with adjustment on it to lower the camera to the correct height. The rear camera is not hardwired as the adaptor plug supplied with the camera is plugged into the socket ( behind the panel ) that I  hard wired into the original wires running to the i30 rear socket  . I insulated the socket behind the panel and velcroed it to make sure it did not move ( just in case ) This does not effect using the i30 socket on the outside of the boot panel if required. I think even if you have a dual camera you will still have to pull over to push the save button for the front and the rear, in doing so it would be no problem to push the save button on the rear camera.   It has worked well for me. Even with a bigger card you could be unlucky to have it over wriiten if it is full. These are just my thoughts and personal choice. Could be a problem with  extra things on your front screen, the only thing is the camera is a lot smaller than it looks on the adverts

http://dashcamsaustralia.com.au/shop/dashcams/dashcams-australia/mini-0805-gps/

[edagrade]

Seems a great setup for the rear John B!
I figure yours is a Mini 0805? It would do fine as a front cam too!

I'm reluctant to stick a cam to the rear glass too due to the window tint. I kinda think it might be an idea to mount a camera to the hood lining. That would save running wires through to the hatch. Would the 200mm or so between the camera & glass make for a lousy video?
 
There is soo much to consider. This makes it a challenge for those like me who really wanna 'work it all out' before a purchase 

[The Gonz]

Are there any good-value mirror-integrated models or are they still gimmicky and expensive? It's nice to have your rear view mirror magicaly become a viewscreen when reversing or playing back forward vision.

[John B]

@ edagrade. Correct, mine is a Mini 0805 that I used to have at the front until I went for the Street Guardian. I did not attach it to the rear window because of the tint and rear demister . I felt that it might be a bit too far back if attached to the hood lining also I think it would be hanging quite low and could get knocked when placing something tall in the cargo area, not a problem if fitted to cargo rear door panel .  I set my camera up so that the lens was aimed between the lines of the demister element easy to do when attached to the panel on the rear cargo door. The Mini 0805 has worked well in my i30. I am still a bit wary as the Mini 0805 has a battery, not good in the Queensland heat. Took me a while to come up with my set up but got a lot of help from Dash cam talk. Have a look on there as they have a forum for the Street Guardian and the  Mini cameras plus diagrams and photos to help.

[John B]

Are there any good-value mirror-integrated models or are they still gimmicky and expensive? It's nice to have your rear view mirror magicaly become a viewscreen when reversing or playing back forward vision.

My brother had one fitted ( not sure of the model )  and complained there were to many reflections and could not see a clear image, he ended up sending it back and getting his money back . This of course could differ with different models. Maybe some of the other guys on here may have more knowledge of them.

[Dazzler]

Some Toyota Vans have the reversing camera in the mirror. It makes for a fairly small display because it only uses part of the mirror to keep the aspect ratio of the camera (not super clear either)

[edagrade]

Thanks all for your insights & sharing your experience - it really is priceless 
I'll pay more attention to the DashCamTalk site to help me figure it all out.
I share your concern about dash cam batteries & heat - another good reason to favour SG.

[edagrade]

The SG9665GC V3 is now available - incremental changes over the V2.

[John B]

The SG9665GC V3 is now available - incremental changes over the V2.

V3 for $249 on Strathfields . That's a good price . I see that includes the CPL now   , had to pay $40 for my CPL when I bought my V2.   

[edagrade]

or $399 from SG Oz for a 128Gb card - that is dear!
Seems SG are working on dual cam products also - kinda keen to see what that is about.

[John B]

or $399 from SG Oz for a 128Gb card - that is dear!
Seems SG are working on dual cam products also - kinda keen to see what that is about.

Big price difference seeing Strathfields include  a 32 gb  card in that price.  The dual cam will be interesting I will keep a lookout for that one.

CRASH CAMERAS - Street Guardian Crash Cameras - www.strathfieldcarradios.com.au

[MrWB]

I'm looking at the Nextbase Duo.... I like the thought of having a rear camera also, but having it all in one unit keeps things a bit neater (and it's a lot cheaper than true 2 channel solutions / more usable than two completely separate units).

I just wish it was full HD or better, but it's only 720P front & rear.

I'd also seen the Vantrue N2 Dual that's similar and is 1080P front & 720P rear - but that requires a separate GPS module (not a major issue) and then records a lot of what's in the car at the rear. The Nextbase Duo has a zoom lens on the rear camera so that it can at least concentrate/focus on what's behind you, which is what you want from a dash cam unless you're a taxi driver....

[Dazzler]

Interesting post MrWB .. I would have to do some research on these to see how they manage to capture the rear view when the car is full of passengers. 

[edagrade]

Yeah the Nextbase Duo seems nifty. I really think rear vision is going to be pretty compromised, especially when installed in hatchbacks.

Seriously, in mainstream dashcams, the hardware & storage media currently used needs a quantum upgrade to get away from SD card hassles or flaky wifi to phone apps etc.
To my mind, an underdash powered central processing unit with a solidstate flash drive able to upload via USB (or wifi), 2 remote cameras with 1080P & 30Frames per second can't be that hard or expensive to bring to market?

Surely emergency services & police use better technologies with their dashcams etc than what is on offer from even the best of mainstream dashcam providers??

[Dazzler]

Yeah the Nextbase Duo seems nifty. I really think rear vision is going to be pretty compromised, especially when installed in hatchbacks.

Seriously, in mainstream dashcams, the hardware & storage media currently used needs a quantum upgrade to get away from SD card hassles or flaky wifi to phone apps etc.
To my mind, an underdash powered central processing unit with a solidstate flash drive able to upload via USB (or wifi), 2 remote cameras with 1080P & 30Frames per second can't be that hard or expensive to bring to market?

Surely emergency services & police use better technologies with their dashcams etc than what is on offer from even the best of mainstream dashcam providers??

Your scenario sounds awesome, but no doubt they would want an arm and a leg for something like that. Make it in China for under$100 then sell it retail for $800 or something! 

[edagrade]

yes, I might put my 'scenario' on to one of the dashcam forums... just for giggles.

[MrWB]

Seriously, in mainstream dashcams, the hardware & storage media currently used needs a quantum upgrade to get away from SD card hassles or flaky wifi to phone apps etc.
To my mind, an underdash powered central processing unit with a solidstate flash drive able to upload via USB (or wifi), 2 remote cameras with 1080P & 30Frames per second can't be that hard or expensive to bring to market?

Surely emergency services & police use better technologies with their dashcams etc than what is on offer from even the best of mainstream dashcam providers??

Your scenario sounds awesome, but no doubt they would want an arm and a leg for something like that. Make it in China for under$100 then sell it retail for $800 or something! 

I agree - this would be awesome, and really wouldn't cost that much to manufacture. I'm guessing it would cost a lot to buy though because it would be positioned at a price point above more basic offerings, and also probably touted at fleets, haulage, etc - eg businesses willing to pay more than most individuals - as well as hobbyists (again people willing to pay more than most)....

I have just plunged for the Nextbase Duo though, should arrive at some point today. Looking forward to having a play!

[Dazzler]

I have just plunged for the Nextbase Duo though, should arrive at some point today. Looking forward to having a play!

 

[edagrade]

There is talk of SG releasing soon a new dual camera setup. I'm holding off purchase till I see what that is about.
I was thinking to get a cam before my Cairns trip in Jan, but haven't been convinced the SG9665GC is the 'right' choice for me.

Given that I do more kms in my company car, I'm leaning towards having a dual camera setup wired/installed for both company & private cars, swapping over the hardware from each vehicle as required.

By the way, today I got my company car back from panel beaters. Bye bye to the Kia Cerato loan car - it wasn't a bad car actually!