Capturing Every Move on the Go: A Camera For The Car

OneShift Editorial Team

24 Feb 2012

Recently I watched a video on the internet where this driver succeeded in his insurance claim because he had an in-car camera that recorded the entire incident. There are several advantages to having an in-car camera – Aside from assisting in providing of evidence during on-road incidents (you may even be a vital witness for incidents not involving you), having an in-car camera is like having surveillance for your car. In the situation that someone reverses into your car in the middle of the night while it is parked at the multi-storey car park for example, you can always refer to the playback and find out who the irresponsible culprit is.

There are different kinds of in-car cameras on the market to choose from and one comprehensive range is from DOD Tech Co., Ltd, a Taiwanese company established in 1993 that specialises in the development and production of electronic products, such as video recorder and security systems.

DOD is a leader in this market, providing a large range of camera products to suit the varying needs of different consumers. Quality of the recordings is high with assured clarity as DOD engages technology of real high definition and not interpolated like those of certain inferior brands.

Known for their car black boxes and full high definition video recorders, there are three main categories that might interest you – car cameras (sole for car use), portable cameras (can be used in-car or on the go) and mini cameras (so small they fit right between your fingers).

Portable car camcorder F520LHD comes in full high definition video resolution (1920 x 1080 at 30FPS) with a 120-degree wide angle lens, 8X digital zoom, motion detect recording and the ability to start and record automatically depending on how you adjust the settings. The F520LHD is of a limited edition champagne gold colour too.

Full HD video camcorders like the F880LHD has a high capacity lithium-ion rechargeable battery and can be set to start automatic recording only when the car engine starts, while the F900LHD even has a 180-degree rotating screen so you can twist and turn the lens however you want to shoot.

Car black boxes GSE520, GSE550, GSE580 and the V660 Nightvision are easily mounted in the car. The GSE550 even comes with a GPS logger hooked up with Google Earth. It also has collision data protection where the device will automatically be protected such that the last three files will not be erased.

The GSE580 is slightly bulkier than the other two with a more old-school design, but it is sturdier.

One great feature of the GSE580 is its automatic day/night switch where the recording mode adjusts on its own with the help of its Auto-Detection function. Hence, in the day it will record in normal mode and upon entering a dimmed setting, it will change to night recording mode automatically, without requiring manual operation. Further enhancing its night mode capabilities is its IR night vision, which needs to be activated via a night vision trigger so as to capture all motions in darkened times.

Fitting snugly in between your thumb and index finger is the MI800 mini 8 million-pixel digital camera that shoots 1280 x 960 full real-time videos, complete with motion detectors and a web camera function.

Interviews are now made easier with the PH720HD pen camcorder that can take videos with its the concealed lens as well as record audio voice files while you are taking notes manually. Besides recording 1280 x 720 videos, it can take photos (4032 x 3024) and also has as a webcam function.