Purchasing a car cam can be a really excellent investment for a multitude of reasons. It can allow you to protect yourself from cases of insurance fraud such as a “swoop and squat” accident, it can prove your innocence in the case of accident liability, it can record footage of your vehicle while parked in an area with high vandalism or car theft, and it can even help you to make your vacation road trip a fun project.
Your car cam can be really handy if you choose the right one, and choosing the right one will take knowing a little bit about these convenient gadgets before taking the purchasing plunge.
Different Car Cam For Different Uses
The most important thing to know before investing in a car cam is that you’ll be looking for some slightly different specifications depending on your intended use.
If you’re planning to take a road trip and want to record your journey for some creative fun later, you’ll be investing in a different car cam than you would if you’re looking to protect yourself against fraud in most cases.
While there are cams that truly do it all, like the Falcon Zero F170HD+ GPS Dash Cam, many will prioritize some functions over others in order to create a more powerful car cam in a single area.
For those who want to really invest in long blocks of footage, like you would if recording a road trip, look into storage capabilities first to ensure you’ll be able to capture what you need.
A 32GB micro SD card storage capability, for instance, will allow you to record around 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted footage that you can use for video editing and creating a lasting memento later on.
For those who want a car cam for protection purposes, like in instances of insurance fraud, you may want to focus less on storage capability and more on stealth.
These stealthy car cameras can help you to keep watch on your surroundings without others catching on to your having a car cam, making them perfect for catching fraud in the act or even keeping watch on your vehicle while in high auto theft or vandalism areas.
One such cam that really prides itself on stealth and superior image capturing capabilities is the Itrue X6D Dash Cam, with a unique design that perfectly represents stealth in engineering.
Only a small piece of 3M adhesive tape keeps the Itrue X6D Dash Cam firmly mounted to your windshield, and it’s not easily detected in high visibility situations, and barely seen at all in low-light.
Consider Your Car
While you want to consider your reason for wanting a car cam, you’ll also want to consider your car. If you’re looking for a car cam to install into your sports car, you may not get the type of convenience you’re looking for from one of the larger full LCD screen models.
These larger models will take up a significant amount of space on the car’s windshield or dashboard, and may even be distracting to drivers as they obstruct your line of vision. In these instances, a car cam that prides itself on a compact and stealthy style may be a wiser and more satisfactory option.
Something small like the HiCool P3 Dash Cam can provide you the specifications you need, like loop recording, WDR night vision, and suitable storage, without taking up too much space on your windshield or your dash.
Those with larger cars should take the size of their vehicle into consideration, too. For drivers of vans, trucks, and SUVs, finding a car cam that prioritizes angles can help to take care of your blind spots and get you a nice wide view of your car’s surroundings.
Dual front and rear views can ensure you’re capturing the entire surrounding area of your car, and one such car cam perfectly suited to those with larger vehicles is the KDLINKS DX2 Dash Cam.
This car camera boasts a 165 degree front angle and a 125 degree back angle, creating a full 290 degrees of full views.
The 2 lens system is perfect for covering the full surrounding of a larger vehicle, and capturing what you need to capture in all circumstances.
Consider Your Budget
Just as today’s car cameras come with any type of specification you could hope to have, they also come in all price points.
Naturally, these varying price points will include different sorts of technologies, but if you can whittle down just what you want out of your car cam, you’ll be able to get the features you need most from a price that’s friendly to any budget.
A few examples of different car cameras in different budgets include:
1. Pruveeo F5 Dash Cam
In the low budget range, the Pruveeo F5 Dash Cam packs a heavy practical punch for under $40. This car cam has a stealth design, 140 degree angles, IOS and Android app support that allows you to download HD video using wifi and a smartphone app, and seamless recording.
For a useful camera that doesn’t break the budget, the Pruveeo F5 impresses on all cylinders.
2. Rexing V1 Dash Cam
The Rexing V1 Dash Cam is just under $100 and also combines a stealth design with a small and useful LCD screen.
This car cam covers a 170 degree angle area, boasts crystal clear video quality, has a loop recording feature, and uses Wide Dynamic Range to ensure auto-adjustments for clear video in day or night.
3. ThinkWare X500 Dash Cam
In the higher budget range is the ThinkWare X500 Dash Cam at just under $300. Perfect for a road trip, the ThinkWare X500 includes a 32 GB micro SD card for storing videos of up to 8 to 10 hours, a built in GPS tracker, and features to increase driver awareness.
As an optional accessory, the ThinkWare can also include a hardwiring cable to allow drivers to keep surveillance on their car while it’s resting parked.
Other Car Camera Features to Look For
No matter what your reasons for purchasing a car camera is, it is always important to consider the image quality of your chosen device. I’m talking about a feature related to:
- The resolution of how clear you want your video footage to come out
- The camera’s field of view, which determines the area being captured on your video footage
- The frame rates, which determine how smooth your footage is going to be captured (standard is 30fps, but it can go up to 60 fps)
- The night vision, which will determine how clear your footage will be when shot in low light conditions.
While image quality may be the most important factor to consider when buying a dashcam, there are also other features to watch out for.
Always consider how the dashcam can be mounted. Is it by suction or by adhesive?
Most dash cams can be suctioned onto the dash, but some can also be mounted from the windshield. Those with adhesive mount stick to the dash or windshield, which can be harder to unstick and move, but it doesn’t require as much space.
Don’t forget about its wireless connectivity features as well. While those with built-in Wi-fi are preferable, those who do not have access to a stable internet connection or those who frequent remote areas may find Bluetooth connections more useful.
GPS features can also count for additional functionality to your dashcam, even if you may not use it frequently. This will allow you to track your car or log location and speed data wherever you are.
These are just some of the features that come first to mind. Other factors to consider may include storage, footage protection, audio recording, built-in display, battery, auto-start, loop recording, etc.