How to choose good Car Dash Cam

A dashboard camera is a specialized camera used for recording incidents or accidents when driving a vehicle. It is usually mounted on the dashboard or attached to the windscreen of the car. These days, a dashboard camera, commonly known as a dash cam, is more than just a luxury purchase for capturing raw footage. It can be used to provide evidence in case of an insurance claim or identifying perpetrators who commit crimes against you or others on the road. Apparently, most dash cams use smartphones to run their application. Some major tips to consider before purchasing a brand new dash cam include;

(a) VIDEO RESOLUTION

This is one major factor to consider before purchasing a dashboard camera. The video resolution will aid in capturing important details such as people’s faces, license plate numbers among others. At minimum, a 720p HD camera will ensure that the footage is sharp and clear. 1080p HD cameras are also available but they cost much compared to the others.The quality of the videos depends on image sensors, lens and the processor. Glass lenses are far much better than plastic lenses. Most of the dashboard cams available come with audio recording capabilities as well as an onboard mic.

(b) STORAGE CAPACITY

This is another very important factor to consider when looking for a good dashboard camera. At minimum, it is advisable to go for a 64 GB of storage because the camera is constantly recording videos to the storage space. The higher the dashcam’s resolution, the bigger the storage space is needed. In comparison, an hour of 720p video footage might consume 2GB of space while 1080p of the same footage may take up 6GB of space. Thus, it is very crucial to consider which is important between a higher resolution, a bigger storage capacity or both. This is because one factor will always affect the other.

(c) NIGHT VISION CAPABILITIES

Though this may seem like a less important factor to consider, night vision is very crucial because you never know when an accident may occur. In well illuminated areas, night vision may be unnecessary because city lights, headlights and street lights can provide enough light to record. However, not all areas are guaranteed to have enough light to aid in recording high quality images.

(d) SINGLE CHANNEL OR DUAL CHANNEL DASHBOARD CAMS

Single channel dash cams can only record incidents only from the front side while dual channel dash cams can record incidents or accidents from the front and back side of the car. A dual channel camera is more effective because it can reveal an instance where someone is driving rashly close behind your car. Dual channel cameras are particularly important in taxi business for recording everything that happens around the car.

(e) CAPACITOR BASED OR BATTERY POWERED

AII dashboard cameras are equipped with either a battery backup or a capacitor to save up the files when the camera stops to receive power from the vehicle.

Capacitor based cams are more resistant to heat and thus more suitable for use especially in extreme temperatures. They are also more long lasting and more reliable compared to battery powered cameras. However, these cameras are typically expensive and they also hold less power. Batteries on the other hand are cheaper but they leak, overheat and are prone to explosion. They however hold about 5 to 10 times more charge than capacitor based cameras. For more details about dashboard cameras, you can check out dashcamgeek.com