Dash cams are the ultimate car accessory for both modern and post-apocalyptic use. In the modern world you can use them to record car accidents or other strange events to give to the police, your insurance company, or post on YouTube to gain fame and fortune.
Once the apocalypse comes, the government dissolves, and the world is run by bands of marauders combing the wasteland of America for gasoline, these cameras will allow you to record every shirtless psychopath with a mohawk that hits your car so that you can track him down later to exact revenge. By using our list if the 5 best dash cams, you’ll never hunt down the wrong psychopath again. We guarantee it.
Blueskysea G1W
If you aren’t sure whether or not you want to go nuts and buy one of these beloved little cameras, then the G1W will almost surely push you over the fence. It is less than $60 and gives you a no-frills video experience that is easy to use. It can capture the whole road with a 120 degree lens that shoots in lovely 1080p at 30fps. Most offerings under $100 will give you a jerky, stop motion feeling if you are driving slightly faster than a funeral procession, but the G-sensor in the G1W allows it to shoots clear and smooth, even when you’re burning rubber out on the highway.
All of your recordings will go onto the SD card you insert, so they are very likely to survive a serious collision. The G1W includes a 2.7 inch screen where you adjust all your settings. If you can operate a digital camera, you can handle the G1W. Once you have it ready to go, it is easy to forget about it. The G-sensor will wait until you have an accident to record, unless you specify otherwise, and it will sit there, happily vigilant. The one drawback to the G1W is the mounting slide. While it can withstand heat, it feels cheap. You may want to consider an aftermarket mounting. [Purchase]
GS1000
The GS1000 is actually a slightly worse camera than the G1W when it comes to playback, but it is the only inexpensive camera that is decent and includes GPS. It has the basic 1080p 30fps camera coupled with a highly functional G-sensor. The issue is with the 1.5 inch screen which can be hard to see and the irritating interface. Once you get it set up, it will give you almost everything the G1W has to offer with the addition of GPS. If budget and GPS are of dire importance to you, then the GS1000 will give you the whole shebang for only $75 bills. [Purchase]
Vicovation TF2
The Vicovation is probably the wrong choice for anyone that doesn’t drive a Land Rover or some other urban assault vehicle, merely because it is large. Putting it in the windshield of your Miada means you will be able to shoot amazing action video, you just won’t be able to see the road while you do it. But, it is large because it shoots incredible video, even at night.
The recording power is the standard 1080p at 30fps, which makes it dull as dishwater until you realize that it is the only dash camera that can wear its sunglasses at night and still outperform almost anything out there for low light vision. It is stacked with a 3 Mega pixels CMOS and can kick out anything it records in full HD. Where the TF2 blows the competition away is in it’s ability to pick out shapes from shadows, even at a distance or an angle. It will run you $200, but you’ll finally be able to get great footage while driving over vampires. [Purchase]
LUKAS LK-7900 ACE
When it comes to these type of cameras, size does matter, and the ACE will prove to you and your girlfriend that good things can come in small packages. It is the smart bomb of group. It has a tiny design that makes it look and feel much more like a security camera. The wide angle lens catches everything for 135 degrees in front of you and the round design of the ACE allows the camera to capture vertically as well as horizontally for filming those meteor showers you plan on driving through.
It has the ho-hum 1080p recording at 30fps with G-sensor and loop recording, but the ACE stands apart because it can keep recording in conditions much worse than other cameras. It will function in both very high and very low temperatures. It has a ceiling of 176˚F and will still film the polar bear attacking your car at -4˚F. It also allows you to use a 128GB SDXC card for anyone that wants to shoot a lot of video. The night vision is the only weakness as it is passable, but not jaw-dropping. At $240 it is costly, but it works in conditions that other cameras simply can’t match and includes a GPS system. [Purchase]
DOD LS300W
Dash cams and action cams: two great things that go great together. The LS300W is the bridge between between the two that you will need if you want to capture any event from start to finish in stunning resolution. It includes a 500 mAh battery that will give you 15 to 30 minutes of filming after the camera is detached from the car, so that you can record all the carnage or excitement for posterity.
In addition to being the the perfection choice for action cam fanatics, it also has the best playback resolution of any consumer camera on the market. It brings blood, sweat, and tears to life, making the most of the 1080p recording. It is compact enough that it doesn’t interfere with windshield visibility, but the 6G sharp glass lens makes it powerful enough to make recordings that are cinema quality. It also gives you bells and whistles like file protection and password-only access that kick in as soon as the G-sensor goes off. You’ll spend $300, but it will totally be worth it when you unsnap it to film the next double rainbow you see. [Purchase]
Coming Attraction: Uniden iGo Cam 800
Other options give you just one camera. Isn’t that…cute? Despite the name, the iGo cam isn’t tied to Apple in any way. Rather, it is a dual camera system that doesn’t just shoot out of your windshield. The two cameras can be swiveled to shoot front and back or to give you a panoramic view of either direction. You could also just shoot straight out to the sides if you feel that would be useful.
To buy the iGo, you may have to ship it from Australia, but if you want true front and rear protection – and you do – then you probably won’t mind the cost. The suggested retail is only $150, though you may have to perform some wiring miracles to get it to work in the United States.
