Dashcam recommendations?

[nem]

Anyone use a dashcam in their mgs5?
Im looking for recommendations, especially since we have usb up by the mirror.. I want something with good quality, with that i mean that i want to be able to read licenseplates/signs even in low light conditions.
I bought some random chinesium cam for my old car and it was horrible quality. Of course it was marketed as "4k" etc. Doesnt really help if the bitrate and cmos is bad..

 

[Loada]

I went with the NextBase 622 - note that it only comes with the adhesive mount (at least in the UK) so I ordered the official NextBase "sucker" mount and used that instead. Connects to the USB socket in the rear-view mirror mount in the windscreen, which is handy. Has a half-decent (not perfect!) app and is easy enough to use. I picked up the rear-view camera that plugs into the camera itself and points backwards recently because it was cheap in an Amazon deal. I didn't go with the NextBase official SD card cos it was expensive and got a SanDisk Max Endurance 256GB card instead.

 

[electric dream]

When I was look to fit a front facing dashcam, I noted that the pod on the front windscreen the that the rearview mirror is mounted, was offset quite a bit to the passenger side, so mounting a dashcam on the windscreen next to the pod on the passenger side, plus the curvature of the windscreen, makes for a poor view of the drivers side on coming road.
With these problems in mind, I opted for the Vantrue E1 Pro 4K dashcam, which have a very small form factor.
This I have mounted on the pod, just in front of the rearview mirror, which then does not obscure the driver's view out of the windscreen and is easily reachable by the driver, but it does have voice control which works well.

Vantrue E1 Pro 4K Mini Dash Cam | GPS, WiFi, HDR, Voice Control, LTE Ready

This dashcam is available with Amazon Prime for £113.99 at present.

VANTRUE E1 Pro 4K HDR Dash Cam Front STARVIS 2, 5G WiFi Dashcam with CPL, GPS Voice Control, 15s Buffer Parking Monitoring, Car Camera Night Vision, 1.54 inch 160°Hidden Dash Cam for Cars, Support 1TB: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

I have also fitted one of these Vantrue E1 Pro's as a rear dashcam.

 

[nem]

I have also fitted one of these Vantrue E1 Pro's as a rear dashcam.

View attachment 37970
View attachment 37971
View attachment 37972
View attachment 37973

I see you have the same camera in the rear, is there usb/12V outlet in the trunk? I havent checked this myself yet to be honest..
Also, are you happy with the quality in low light conditions?

 

[electric dream]

I see you have the same camera in the rear, is there usb/12V outlet in the trunk? I havent checked this myself yet to be honest..
Also, are you happy with the quality in low light conditions?

My wife has had idiots run into the back of her car on two occasions, so I wanted to get a rear camera in as soon as possible. At present, I do not have time to route a power cable to the front of the car to pick up a power source, so for the time being I have temporarily rigged up an 8Ah lifePo4 motorcycle battery which sits in the free space in the "Tool" section of the boot.
As for the quality in low light conditions, our MGS5 has not been out in the dark as yet, but I was more than happy with the footage I have seen on Youtube reviews, and the E1 Pro's "PlatePix" stills images.

 

[Tinnycan]

I have a VIOFO A139 pro 3 Channel.
4 yrs in mg ZS now. Not a problem at all. 128 gb card in sd slot. Hard wired in with official cable.

 

[Amun]

I use Viofo A119 v3 cameras. I have two in my ICE car and have just fitted to one from my previous EV into the MGS5. It's fitted under the cars camera box, similar to @electric dream. I haven't put one in the back yet due to a lack of power, but agree that rear cameras are advisable.

 

[Nicko453]

Anyone using Viofo VS1 using the in-built USB port near the rear view mirror for power? Looking to buy one but the installer recommends running a new, hard-wired power connection which I'd like to avoid if possible.

 

[Amun]

If you use the USB port near the mirror then you lose the guard facilities as it's not hard wired in. It dorsn't bother me, but it might some people.

 

[LeedsLoiner]

I paid through the nose for an Halo, supplied and fitted by dealer. Absolute garbage, no screen and you can only see videos on your phone when you are in the car, if you can get it to work. Not while driving of course.
Proper rip-off, and really difficult to use. I really hate it and am really thinking of scrapping it and going back to one of the cheaper ones. The one I had in my Honda was really good and fairly cheap, but I cannot remember it's name. Luckily my granddaughter has it now so next time I see her, I can have a look.
I really hate this Halo rubbish. Dealer really saw me coming

 

[GaryMG4]

Had Nextbase 622 front and rear fitted, works fine but battery failed after a year (possibly sooner), no joy with customer help desk, just kept going back and forth through their scripted questions. I even tried just asking for a repair cost and still got nowhere. Still works fine (apart from battery) but not impressed by their customer service.

 

[Rei]

I've had an ePrince one for... Oh my, 13 years now. It's been great, the only thing it needed was a new battery after about 8 years. I got one from AliExpress and soldered it in.

I needed it today because some pillock backed into me and drove off! I can't see any damage so I'm not sure if it's worth reporting to the police. I don't want to make an insurance claim, and they want your insurance details as part of the report.

Anyway, it very clearly shows the registration number. It's only a 1080p model with a very old sensor by today's standards, but I think far too much is made of that kind of thing. Okay, you can't see the number plate of someone zooming past in the opposite direction, but who cares? They didn't get close enough to hit you.

If they hit you at high speed they are going to have to stop no matter what, and you have the evidence to prove it wasn't your fault. If they hit you at low speed then even an old dashcam is enough to get the number plate.

The two main things are how well it works at night and parking mode. For night stuff I think the main difference is ones with good HDR stop the number plate being blown out when lit by your headlights. For parking mode they are all crap. The fancy ones have secondary batteries and special time lapse modes and stuff, but the thing you really want is the ability to only run it when you are parked away from home where you have a driveway and CCTV anyway. None of them have that.

The ones that only record after detecting a knock are useless because you need to capture the knock. The ones that record all the time while parked but only save it when knocked are probably okay, as long as they are nice and sensitive.

Worth having a rear camera too. Anyone care to share how they routed wires to the back? Or the front for that matter, if you aren't using the USB port by the mirror.

 

[5teep]

I've always just used a gopro stylee camera, (currently a Wolfang GA420) they come with lots of mounting options and even more available separately. Just check it has 'dashcam mode' in it and remove the battery when you install it.

 

[Rei]

View attachment 37971

Has anyone tried replacing the plastic/rubber bungs at the bottom of this photo? You could make a hole in one but you can just buy replacements if you don't want to damage the original. Then there is a flexible duct on either side that is labelled "car body" so I'm guessing with some effort you could fish the cable through there and have it emerge behind the trim inside.

Maybe more effort than it is worth, electric dream's method looks quite tidy.