How to choose the right dash cam for my Mazda CX-5?

blsieng

Member
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Mazda cx5
These days, a dashcam is more than just a newfangled luxury purchase for capturing offbeat footage. It can provide evidence for insurance claims, and be used to identify perpetrators who commit crimes against you or others. Have one dash cam it seems important

How I can get the most value for my buck when buying a modern dashcam, my budget is poor.
 
I have Mio 358 (about $100) on my Mazda6.
Key features you need to watch out for:
1. resolution: at least 720p. Better to be 1024p or higher.
2. night: low light sensitivity.
3. view angle. At least 120 or more.
4. optional: I prefer an LCD display on it to view w/o other device. GPS coordinates, multiple camera, etc.... (more $$$)

Watch out that, if you get a nameless device from eBay, it might not have passed radiation certification.
You might run into EM interference with it.
I had an old one from eBay for $40. It interfered with my GPS antenna...
 
I have a Viofo A129 Duo (front and rear cam). Cost me $130 CAD. However if you want something cheap that works, try an unbranded A118C-B40C. 1080p/30fps, LCD screen, discrete design, good viewing angle. I purchased mine from Gearbest.com for less than $35 CAD and it works great in my wife's Civic.

Make sure you buy a "high endurance" type of microSD card, do not use a regular microSD. Transcend's High Endurance cards and Samsung's EVO cards are working great for me, but my regular Sandisk became corrupted and irreparable after a couple of months.
 
Also consider if what is usually called "Parking Mode" is important to you and the additional cost/installation isn't problematic. This allows the camera to record as needed after the car is stopped and parked somewhere. To avoid too much battery drain, this is usually event-based (movement of the car etc). The unit will need to be hardwired to the fuse box or at least connected to something that has constant power (certain accessory sockets) for this to work, and I'd recommend where possible adding something to prevent killing your battery. For example, I used a product from Snap N Go for my Blackvue cam, and that product is relatively cheap and plugs into the diagnostic port and the cam. There are two settings--automatic shut off 5 minutes after the car is turned off, and another mode where it provides constant power but monitors the battery output and cuts off power if it drops too far. Blackvue itself makes a similar protective product but is more expensive (and doesn't use the diag port). I had the Snap N Go in both my last CX-5 and my current one, and it works perfectly for me. There are also tap kits that will provide power to dashcams from any powered rear view mirrors (ones with Homelink, compass etc). I used that with an older cam model I had and that also worked well with no issues and avoided long wiring needs.
 
I have a Viofo A129 Duo (front and rear cam). Cost me $130 CAD. However if you want something cheap that works, try an unbranded A118C-B40C. 1080p/30fps, LCD screen, discrete design, good viewing angle. I purchased mine from Gearbest.com for less than $35 CAD and it works great in my wife's Civic.

Make sure you buy a "high endurance" type of microSD card, do not use a regular microSD. Transcend's High Endurance cards and Samsung's EVO cards are working great for me, but my regular Sandisk became corrupted and irreparable after a couple of months.

$130, It seems a little expensive.
 
Also consider if what is usually called "Parking Mode" is important to you and the additional cost/installation isn't problematic. This allows the camera to record as needed after the car is stopped and parked somewhere. To avoid too much battery drain, this is usually event-based (movement of the car etc). The unit will need to be hardwired to the fuse box or at least connected to something that has constant power (certain accessory sockets) for this to work, and I'd recommend where possible adding something to prevent killing your battery. For example, I used a product from Snap N Go for my Blackvue cam, and that product is relatively cheap and plugs into the diagnostic port and the cam. There are two settings--automatic shut off 5 minutes after the car is turned off, and another mode where it provides constant power but monitors the battery output and cuts off power if it drops too far. Blackvue itself makes a similar protective product but is more expensive (and doesn't use the diag port). I had the Snap N Go in both my last CX-5 and my current one, and it works perfectly for me. There are also tap kits that will provide power to dashcams from any powered rear view mirrors (ones with Homelink, compass etc). I used that with an older cam model I had and that also worked well with no issues and avoided long wiring needs.

"Parking Mode" It feels very useful, so I can catch who scratched my car. (drive)
I also learned about some parking mode dash cam from this article: https://www.azdomes.com/blog/best-parking-mode-dash-cam-2019/
Two dash cam are mentioned here, BlackVue DR750S-2CH and GS65H. One is cheap, the other is much more expensive.
 
I have a Viofo A129 Duo (front and rear cam). Cost me $130 CAD. However if you want something cheap that works, try an unbranded A118C-B40C. 1080p/30fps, LCD screen, discrete design, good viewing angle. I purchased mine from Gearbest.com for less than $35 CAD and it works great in my wife's Civic.

Make sure you buy a "high endurance" type of microSD card, do not use a regular microSD. Transcend's High Endurance cards and Samsung's EVO cards are working great for me, but my regular Sandisk became corrupted and irreparable after a couple of months.

How long have you been using it? Have you ever any trouble with it? For example, stop working suddenly. Is the video clear?
 
I have Mio 358 (about $100) on my Mazda6.
Key features you need to watch out for:
1. resolution: at least 720p. Better to be 1024p or higher.
2. night: low light sensitivity.
3. view angle. At least 120 or more.
4. optional: I prefer an LCD display on it to view w/o other device. GPS coordinates, multiple camera, etc.... (more $$$)

Watch out that, if you get a nameless device from eBay, it might not have passed radiation certification.
You might run into EM interference with it.
I had an old one from eBay for $40. It interfered with my GPS antenna...

Thank you very much for these suggestions. :)
 
I use one meant for model airplanes. Does nothing fancy, turns on when the car is turned on turns off when the car is turned off. It basically looks like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dno7o93rKk
but the unedited files can be paused and not blurry because I record at 60fps. The edited file on youtube seems to be interlaced.
 
I have an oldie, but pretty good Mini 0805. It's been treating me well, except the battery dies once in a while and I need to replace it. Next time I will hack it, I will install an external battery.
 
$130, It seems a little expensive.

It's $130 CAD, not USD. It's a great dual cam option that is a good compromise between value, quality and feature set. The A129 Duo has 1080p/30fps on both front and rear cams, Sony Starvis sensors on both cams, wireless mode for reviewing video/downloading to your phone/laptop, Parking, Motion Detection, and Time Lapse Modes, 256gb microSD support, and a super capacitor battery (much more reliable than Li batteries in dashcams). There are cheaper cams out there for sure, but I liked this one the best. I also like that it is 2 separate cams. One is mounted to my front windshield and the other to my rear windshield. For me, this shows a more useful view of the rear vs. recording inside the cabin.

"Parking Mode" It feels very useful, so I can catch who scratched my car. (drive)
I also learned about some parking mode dash cam from this article: https://www.azdomes.com/blog/best-parking-mode-dash-cam-2019/
Two dash cam are mentioned here, BlackVue DR750S-2CH and GS65H. One is cheap, the other is much more expensive.

The cheap one uses a Li battery. I would not buy it because of that.

How long have you been using it? Have you ever any trouble with it? For example, stop working suddenly. Is the video clear?

I've only been using it since Sept 2018, but it has worked well in -40 to -50 degree Celsius temperatures. Never any issues with the cameras. Video is clear enough, I was able to use it to catch a moving hit-and-run incident and plates were clearly visible. Insurance used the footage to waive my deductible and also to charge the offending driver.
 
My experience is dont go for anything sub $100, they're usually garbage and you will have to replace them with better ones which ended up costing you more dime. the Ankey ones is pretty decent, if you're looking for something higher quality and smaller footprint I'd recommend the new Dashcam 45 or 55 from Garmin, cost about 200 but totally worth it in my book.
 
You do not want to go cheap on dashcams. You value your car right?
Always do your research, and from my experience get front and rear dashcams w/ front being at least 1080p res. Make sure it has parking mode. wireless video transfer is also a good option.
 
You do not want to go cheap on dashcams. You value your car right?
Always do your research, and from my experience get front and rear dashcams w/ front being at least 1080p res. Make sure it has parking mode. wireless video transfer is also a good option.

Think about how much your deductible is for your insurance if you get charged with an accident that's not your fault, plus the added premiums when your insurance goes up. $200 would be a cheap investment imho, to CYA. I have been looking at the different cameras for about 5 months, Rexing seems like a good alternative on Amazon, but it's had 2 new model releases since I started looking. Newest one has firmware updates available.
 
If i were to get a new dashcam now, i would go with Garmin,
they just released all their new models and love that fact that i can actually get customer service =)
Also has the parking mode option.
Highly recommend it.
 
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