There’s tons upon tons of dash cams out there, with so many different brands and so many different kinds of dash cams. If you’re picking based on your current vehicle or need, be sure to check out our earlier infographic guide here.
But what’s the best dash cam out there? There’s no pound for pound best dash cam as there are different kinds of drivers, and different kinds of vehicles. There’s a lot of new tech out there too- so that means you’ll have to consider a ton
But we’ll help answer that question for you, and help find you a perfect fit in this blog entry.
Clarity
Of course, you'll need a dash cam that captures in great picture clarity; you have a couple of capture resolutions, such as 720P, 1080P & 4K. As most of you are familiar with already, 720P captures at an okay quality, 1080P is good, and 4k resolution is very, very good.
Of course, resolution is important for image clarity; the bigger the resolution, the better the images are captured and displayed. This is where your need factors in, and what use are you looking to get out of your dash cam. Here's a quick and easy guide for all of you wondering what's the best resolution for specific needs:
Now when it comes to application, here are some details that we can share that relates to common usages:
720P: Is usually enough for the everyday driver, but don't expect extreme clarity. You'll be able to make out vehicle makes, models, certain individuals that are in close proximity to the vehicle, and some road signs. Usually, a dash camera that captures in this resolution isn't expensive.
1080P: Is much clearer than 720P, and can capture details farther away. Can usually make out the make & model of vehicles, and can even pick up on finer details on the road, such as faces & smaller signages. Perfect for those that rely on their vehicles to make a living- such as rideshare and taxi drivers (dashcams are very in with uber drivers, too!), truck drivers and other people that are in the transportation space.
4K. This is the best of the best when it comes to resolution. Perfect for those that are looking to record their road trips & vacations, and even more better for 4WD enthusiasts meaning to record their adventures! Take note that the dash cam footage that's generated takes a lot of storage space, so make sure that you have a massive SD card to go along with a 4k dash cam if you're planning on getting one.
Like we said- there is no objectively best dash cam out there for everyone, and it all depends upon the driver, especially in terms of image resolution and clarity- but we hope this helped a bit in making a decision!
Additional features
Dash cams have come a long way from just being "dumb" cameras attached to windshields or rear view mirrors; there are tons of features out there that make the dash cam a must-have on most vehicles.
If you haven't changed dash cams in quite some time, or you're looking to finally get one for yourself, here's a quick run through of the different features you might see in the modern-day dash cam:
Dash cam with GPS tracker: This syncs up with your recording and will allow you to track where you've been. Great for picking important details especially if you're trying to tag a location to a specific event (for example, you were hit by another vehicle and you're filing a report for it).
Dash cam with night vision: While "night-vision" isn't the exact term, you'll need a dash cam with good enough sensors to be able to mimic the human eye's compensation with seeing in low-light conditions. Plenty of us don't just drive in the day, after all! Look for dash cams with integrated chipsets and image sensors to make sure that you have a dash cam that's able to see in the dark.
Dash cam with parking assist. Plenty of dash cams have displays nowadays, which can then shift to a reversing camera that's installed at the back plate of the vehicle; it's not a must-have, but consider that cars have massive blind-spots in the rear, and as a driver you should take all the visibility you can get.
Another important point worth talking about are dash cams front and rear cameras; with dual dash cams, you're not only recording outside your vehicle but inside, too- perfect for rideshare operators or those drivers that want to record inward, too.
Dash cam with Bluetooth/WiFi. Your dash cam is a media device after all, and it needs to be able to connect to the internet, or connect to other devices wirelessly via Bluetooth. This helps with extracting the video from the dash cam, or directly uploading the video to a cloud storage of sorts, or being managed by a mobile device via IoT.
Dash Cam with motion sensor. These days, you never know who could be eyeing your vehicle, especially if you leave it parked outside for long periods of time. A little more security is appreciated, and a dash cam with a sensor can act like the security camera for your vehicle.
Dash cam with SD card compatibility. Your dash cam needs to roll with the times, and there's no better indicator of the times than the available tech. Today, we've got massive SD cards able to record hundreds of gigabytes of video data, and that's always great for drivers using dash cams.
So when you're picking your perfect dash cam, keep these additional features in mind and see if they fit what you need (and do away with the features that you don't!)
Remember these details as they'll be very important in helping you pick in the future! If you're looking for great dash cams, make sure to check out our dash cam listing for the best dash cam australia has to offer!