I've been mulling purchasing a dash cam here for a bit, great idea but the current designs are just retarded! (sorry PC people live with it). Instead of having something that resembles my desktop computer hanging from the rearview mirror or crossbeam and thinking there's a necessity to constantly view the damn thing instead of driving the car... how about something FAR more useful:

Make it so the processor, which need not be any larger than perhaps 1/4" x 1/2' x 1" (think of how much space your camera is taking up in your cell phone!) simply has 3 plugs in it, one for the front view camera, one for a rearview camera, and one to download the videos if need be. This can then easily be placed behind my dashboard or in the glovebox requiring minimal space and easy access. The cameras will be a separate tiny thing (maybe 1/8" thick, 1/2" x 1/2" which can then easily be mounted on the back of the rearview or wherever the person desires versus having something that resembles an older GPS pasted near the front windshield so not only everyone can see it, it looks like an eyesore, but it also entices thieves. Any/all video that wants/needs to be viewed can be done so through blue tooth onto any smartphone (some have this capability already) or downloaded to a computer via the micro-USB connector. If the camera itself can be blue tooth technology thus eliminating the need for cables from the processor, it would still need to be powered by leads from the rearview, all that much better! As with most currently on the market it should have night vision capability, 1080P, date/time stamp, and GPS location. Lastly it should continuously loop retaining at least 4 hours video so you never have to monitor storage needs. I can also be set to record if parked to catch thieves, bad valets, accidents happening when parked, or door dings too. Priced in the sub $200 range... all the technology and design work already done just put it together!

Drop the mic! I'm outta here!

 

I was going to fit my XKR with a dash cam, but I came to realize that it was more trouble than it's worth, and if there was any nicks or dings on the car due to someone else's carelessness, I would most likely just have to suck it up and fix it myself anyway.

The only thing it might be useful for is establishing an alibi for a murder.

 

I BOUGHT a dual dash cam for my XKR from SpyTecInc (through NewEgg). It was a K1S with GPS. It has two remote lenses and a small controller with screen that goes in the glove box or wherever else you want. The Cameras themselves are about 1 inch by 1 inch by about 3/4 inch with cables long enough that you can hide them anywhere. It was a very well built and complete unit and a snap to install (even though I never thought through where to put the Rear Facing camera on my convertible before I bought it). If you knew what you were looking for, you could sort of see the front camera, dependent on where you choose to mount it, of course. Mine was just right of the inside rear-view mirror mount.
ANYWAY.... I was quite happy with my purchase until I tried to use it. The MENU screen WOULD NOT display. Through random button pushes I could get to the PLAYBACK screen, and that worked flawlessly. Too bad I would never be able to change ANY of the settings. Ever. I got a full refund and now I will wait until I see some good reviews on it, not just the mediocre one that I left. If it would have actually worked, I'd have been really happy with it.
Oh well for me.
edit
Quite awhile ago I queried Steve (whitexkr) about including a dash cam with his backup camera system, but it may not be feasible. I'll still wait to see what he comes up with before I purchase a different dash cam, just in case.

 

That K1S system sounds like a very nice discreet solution, too bad it didn't work. It appears to have mixed reviews on Amazon, so they must have poor quality control, and you got one of the lemons.

 

I have this Blackvue model:
I have the GPS sensor for it as well. I like the motion-detection feature (front & rear) to record activity when I'm not around. The recording loops, and the amount of time it records is micro-SD card size-dependent.

Because the unit has built-in Wi-Fi, there is an app for it to do everything that the head unit does.

Uses Sony lenses.

 

Big Otter - though the functionality is great, video quality probably the same, the design is just silly. Again, there is absolutely no need to have a 4" viewing screen up on your windshield... is the user going to drive by the screen or look down the road himself? It is still almost the same as using a full camera mounted on your windshield. Why not simply have the actual camera portion, which is extremely small, mounted around your rearview out of sight of you and potential thieves, and have the processor portion, which is no larger than a smaller cell phone, to be mounted in your dashboard or glovebox? If/when you want to view the video either access it via your cell phone via blue tooth or plug in your laptop or blue tooth your laptop to see it? The functionality of what you have looks appealing to me, the design is terrible for my liking.

 

Agreed with Leeper, which is why I opted for the remote recorder and screen of the K1S. Still wish it would have worked.
AND, still waiting on Steve to finish up the rear view camera....

 

Oh, I completely agree - the front camera should be smaller (like the rear camera). I do like the convenience of the screen, to change menu items, view video clips and check that the cameras are indeed operating and oriented correctly (I can do all that from the app, but connecting takes time). To have the screen mounted remotely would be a great feature, instead of having it hanging down into what is already limited windshield space. If we were driving Yukons or Suburbans it might be a different story, but in our cars.......I had to change the original mounting location in mine because it blocked my view of merging traffic. Now it's up high and out of the way.

Where we disagree - if I read your comments correctly - is that I feel that having the camera visible is a deterrent to hooliganism when the car is parked. Cameras mounted anywhere tends to encourage better behavior, and when they see the light blinking, they know they're being recorded.

But your other comments, I agree completely.

 

My ride is a convertible, so I opted out of the rear facing camera and went with the Mini 0806. Following instructions I found in this post from ShadyJC I was able to grab power from behind the rear view mirror housing. The camera itself is tucked in behind the mirror and next to it's housing and is completely invisible to me when I drive. It can be viewed from the passenger side, which is where I access it to remove it and/or grab the 128 GB flash cards for viewing on my iMac.

We took a summer vacation through the Black Hills and on to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. The video footage (and sound) were very good quality as I set it to record on the highest possible frame rate. With 256 GB of storage, I simply formatted the cards when we started hitting the Parks (Chadron State Park and Fort Robinson in western NE) and pulled them when we left the Tetons to ensure I had the entire vacation footage for viewing in the future.

My point in that long narrative was simply to state that there are small, inexpensive, and discreet cameras available now that take about 15 minutes to install. Do I wish they were as small as the camera lens on my iPhone? Sure, but until they are I'm not letting perfect get in the way of good.

Mini-0806 Link

Mini-0806 Review (on Dashcam Talk)

 

I want to do something similar (although the wife thinks taking the XK through Yellowstone is nuts, with all the idiots slamming to stops whenever some critter comes into view). So I was wondering how many minutes of video did you get per 256GB set of cards at that highest frame rate?

 

LHR - I read the reviews on the camera you opted for, they have a low average (3.2 out of 5 stars). Those reviews would stop me in my tracks of ever considering it even if it were a product consideration. Glad it worked out for you but it seems, like was the case for Cee Jay, this technology is nowhere near where it should be. Not only is the design sadly lacking but it seems the quality and usability/functionality/user interface are sorely lacking as well.

It looks like no company has put anything other than a glancing effort in focusing on these items sadly. Strange, as said all the technology is already there as is the hardware they just need someone to piece it together not in the way all mfg's seemed to have addressed them thus far.

Hooliganism is a consideration as often times thieves look for the simple suction cup marks on a windshield to break in looking for either a GPS or good radar detector. The idea of having an actual camera mounted where it is easily seen from a distance within my convertible doesn't excite me, my dad had huge issues many years ago in his convertible where they slashed his top to grab his stereo... after having that repaired he never locked his doors again but they still knifed his top and grab the next one. No reason to make the cameras look like a camera you'd carry on your person sticking to the frond window - eyesore and invitation to problems IMHO. The camera can be the size of a postage stamp mounted on the back of my rearview not a thicker cell phone with a big screen

 

OK, I use a dash cam in all my cars including all my sports cars.5 vehicles, 5 dash cams. I have attached a link to my YouTube video using my GL8000S dash cam. The camera has 1-2-3 minute loop features, records in HD and the price is under $35.00. Hard to believe? Check out this video. The dash cam video came from my 2015 Corvette C7 in my local town. I see no reason to spend hundreds of dollars for a dash cam. In the Jaguar, the dash cam turns on and off automatically with the ignition. I use a 32GB SD card. A 16GB SD Card will work just fine.

Tell me what you think of the quality....view the entire video which is short. Background music from a USB micro drive. This video is 3 MINUTE LOOP RECORDING.

 

Damn Rich! That was Amazing! Not exactly what I'm looking for but with a price like that how can I resist?!?!

 

I think the quality of the video is just fine.

 

Although a long way from the intelligent design Leeper describes, I have a few of the A118 dashcams installed and love 'em. Very small, low profile, 1080p on endless loop; $60-75. Well worth it to me and far less than my deductible if I get into a "he said, she said; I wasn't texting, officer" mixup.

 

1) I saved roughly 35 hours or so of video from that trip, and the cards were full. I need to spend some time while it's still cold & crummy outside to pare that down rather dramatically, but the camera itself did a nice job of capturing what we saw as we drove. With audio. I may go in and turn that feature off the next time I take a trip like this.
2) We took our trip in mid-to-late September, and for us it worked out perfectly for us. There wasn't nearly the pressure on the roads that you'd see during peak tourist season, and the Aspen trees had turned and were a brilliant yellow.
3) I've attached a video like for those that would like to see the pretty Aspen trees and representative video quality. This was on a road south of Yellowstone and near the Tetons. Do yourself a favor and "mute" the sound.
3A) I had ordered a 'dash mat' to minimize the reflection from the dashboard itself, and naturally it was waiting for us when I returned from the trip. The Mini-0806 does come with a magnetically attached filter, which helps, but doesn't eliminate reflective glare. The dash mat really, really helps there, and it was cheap (somewhere around $70 or so).

Hope that helps!

 

Leeper - I completely agree with what you wrote up above. A couple of things:

1) The Mini-0806 was an inexpensive solution that I really put in place for the Yellowstone/Tetons/Black Hills trip. I'll add that it has performed well, and the company is pretty good about putting out firmware updates that help with performance, etc. For what I spent on it, it's completely meeting my expectations and more.

2) I've attached a couple of pics to show what my install looks like from the outside. It's "reasonably" discrete, but in an ideal world it would be seamlessly integrated with the back of the rear view mirror for the front and - since I have a convertible - I'm not really sure where I'd like a rear facing camera located. A rear-view mirror mount captures the interior and not much else with the top up, a rear window mount is useless when the top is down, and having one mounted by the license plate exposes it to the elements, road grime and potential mischief.

Dashcam design and technology continues to improve and if you discover something that might be of interest in this area, let us know. Thanks!




Close-up view





Full windshield view

 

Great quality video.....very sharp imaging.

 

Thanks for the info and video. I finally got a chance to watch it on something bigger than my phone (I wondered at first, why the close-up video wasn't as clear as I would expect, unable to read the road signs, but then I remembered I'm watch something that's been pared down to web bandwidth, so details get lost).
You've got me stoked to do Yellowstone in the XK!

 

Had the top down most of the journey. I brought along a car blanket for the Mrs. on those cool mountain crossings (Beartooth Pass). As our friends from "The Waterboy" would advocate, ...