Lawrence2252

I was in the market for a dash camera because of all the recent insurance fraud and heard how insurance companies were not covering claims without a witness (also tons of hit and run/vandalism).

After reading tons of forums, talking to friends, and reviewing tons of dashcams, I finally decided on the FineVu CR300HD.

The main features I looked for when looking through the millions of choices were hard wiring, parking mode, loop recording, and wide-angle recording. I didn’t want to plug the camera through the cigarette jack because it just looks sloppy...

I read about how a lot of people were using GoPros for dash cams. The GoPros are good cams, but they just don’t have the proper functions I feel a dash cam needs, like loop recording and the parking mode.

The loop recording rewrites over old recordings, which saves a ton of time and hassle, but the parking mode is the best part I think. Unlike other dash cameras, the FineVu records even when the car is parked. I feel that recording while parked is even more important than recording while driving (the hit and runs are really the ones you need witness and evidence for...)

The parking mode has motion detection, a G-sensor and it makes sure it doesn’t drain your battery if your car is low. (it's also got 1080p, 30fps, can read licence plates really easily, good view at night, and all that good stuff)

It has a ton more features too, you can check out the site I ordered from:
http://www.blackboxmycar.com/

The guy who runs it is really nice, his name is Alex. Knows his stuff, and has done hardwires for C63s and other cars. He did mine, clean. (He is in Vancouver, but ships anywhere) Tell him Lawrence sent you!

Here are a few pics of it installed in my car. We are organizing a photo shoot of the camera and my car, I’ll post those soon!

Let me know what you guys think!

Guilty

Awesome post buddy!! I was going to get one (I even posted a thread here to ask for advices) but I had a lot of unexpected expenses so I didn't pull the trigger yet. This makes me want to buy one!!

SaphGreyC63

Very clean install. Looks sharp.

bluejae

i've got the same one... had it for about 4 months now... hardwired... i use 2 32gb class 10 card... at the end of the day, i'll take the one that was recorded out and put the other 32gb card in... this way i have almost no down time...

crazy thing is... finevu just came out with a new model... and now i want that one... lol

here's a tip... i used some black vinyl that i cut up to black out everything... i covered the chrome bits, all the lettering... it looks a lot more stealth

CoolBDPhenom03

There's a good deal going on at Amazon for the GoPro Hero2. I bought a Contour ROAM for my bike so I'll probably just move it over to the car. I'll have to find the link later but there's a company (pivothead.com?) that makes sunglasses with an integrated HD camera built into the bridge. Kind of pricey but super portable.

N1ck

Very nice! The vids on their website are very informative. I hope this thing will be in my car soon!

Lawrence2252

The thing about the GoPro and Contour Roam is that they lack features you want in a dash cam. They are great cameras, don't get me wrong, but are made for a different type of recording. If they had loop recording, and a parking mode, they would be great!

AMGFANs

Did the hard wires similar for the sedan where you have to follow along the rear passager door and hide it inside the rubber and then goes to the trunk?

bluejae

same reasons as mentioned above... afaik... gopro will stop recording when the memory card is full... which is perfectly normal but not for a dash camera...

parking mode is awesome too... you never know what could happen to your car when you're away... i've caught 2 hit and runs while my car was parked... thankfully it wasn't my car but the car parked next to me...

i'm not sure how the OP's was installed... there are some wires that can be reached if you lift up the front passenger mat... there is also a compartment you can remove which is under the glove box to the right... basically it would be to the right of your passengers right foot... the wire was then run along the top of the windshield, down the pillar, and tapped into an always on power source... the extra wiring and the on/off switch was put inside that compartment... although i hid the access to the on/off switch, i figured i wouldn't need it...

KJI3jflarryfe93

Mr. Lawrence 2252, thanks for the info about this camcorder.
you have now done what most Russians do, becoming their own director of home made safety driving movies.

Are you happy with this camera you bought?
If you use the built in battery, how long does it last on one charge?
the sensor for low car battery is it dependable to switch off automatically at a certain point?

Does all accesories include in the package seen below the camera on Blackboxmycarshop?



That window suction fastener does it stick on window well and not falling off?

Thanks

SB...C63

[QUOTE=bluejae;5363075]i've got the same one... had it for about 4 months now... hardwired...

I went to the site and was wondering what you thought of the stealthier blackvue models? Do you by chance know if cam settings are compatible with mac OSX. I dont own any windows based pc.Where are these cams stocked and whats delivery time to US.

Z63amg

Wow there is that much fraud where do you live ?

KJI3jflarryfe93

does anyone have this camera?
which one is better?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280955597307...84.m1438.l2649

Lawrence2252

I talked to Alex from blackboxmycar.com, and I told him people were wondering what the best way to install these were. He told me he will send me links and videos a little later, so I'll post them up! He even said he might make one just for us! Haha


I am using a power kit that came with the camera, and the kit makes sure that it stops pulling power from the batteries if it goes below 11.8v. I recently had my car shipped from Vancouver, BC to Toronto, ON, and it was able to record the whole trip without running my batteries below . The footage was pretty boring, but the loading and unloading was kinda cool && btw, they didn't revv my car or do donuts

I had a friend bring his car into the Audi dealership the other week with his camera on, and he caught them screwing up his oil change... Lucky he had it. He confronted them after and they apologized. I'm sure this happens a lot at stealerships, he's just lucky for having the dash cam and catching them!

&& the stuff that holds the camera onto the windscreen is some kind of glue. It's like glue but without the residue, like the kind that's really easy to peel off, and comes off as one piece. I've never had problems with it coming loose or rattling, I don't think I've ever heard that about these cameras

I actually recently just bought the BlackVue for my back. I think it's good to see the people behind you incase they rear end you (I always catch people picking their noses too, I should make a compilation!) and also so I don't always have to back into a parking spot to record hit and runs. I'll post up pics when I have some time of the BlackVue.


I just installed that one in the rear. I'll let it run a few days and I'll post a review of what I think soon!

bluejae

[quote=SB...C63;5364114]i did some research on the blackvue as well... it's a great camera as well... some specs are pretty close... but i went with the finevu because i love the face that it can swivel... i can turn it at a different angle if needed at anytime... maybe there is something to the side you want to get on video... then you just turn it... like if you're at a drag strip...

the blackvue can only tilt up and down...

although it's thinner... it's also wider...

for the blackvue, a separate power thing needs to be purchase to hardwire it so it monitors the voltage and doesn't drain your battery... for the finevue it's built in...

the blackvue had issues with overheating and the picture would go weird... they may have fixed this issue with the newer batches... finevu has had something similar happen but it wasn't with overheating but it had to do with the internal battery... but i believe this was taken care of through a firmware update...

the higher end hd model of the blackvue back when i was shopping only came in silver... the lower res model was black... i definitely didn't want silver because i wanted it to be stealthy... the finevu cr300 comes in black only...

i believe the application will have to run in windows... there should be a way to install like a virtual windows on a mac so you can run it...

see above...

blackvue is cheaper

mine was purchased in korea and brought over to the states

opala

I have the Blackvue DR400G-HD which is the version before the Season II.

I got the Blackvue over the Finevue because the Blackvue is a little less conspicuous. However, I think the Blackvue may be video quality degradation issues because of heat or sun (or both). Iʻm already starting to see some degradation in some of my recent videos.

Here are some samples in order of earliest made to latest.

Iʻm going to get the Itronics ITB-100HD and move the Blackvue to the rear window.
http://www.dsxuite.com.sg/

ruthless

here is the link to hiding the wires

ArthurJGuy

If I am following the system correctly this camera is recording at all times? I'd love to see what happens when I'm away from my car, it got keyed once and I felt like someone violated one of my kids.

KJI3jflarryfe93

Thanks for all the info guys.
Much oblige.

Is Finevu cr300hd company's latest version camera?
For how long has this one been out on the market?
Has there been any problems reported on this camera as opposed to their other cheaper cameras?

betrezra

In Houston that would attract thieves and get my window smashed. I would def go for a stealth install if avail. Great idea.

opala

If you have the camera hard wired then it will be recording at all times. There is an additional power monitor (For Blackvue. Built into Finevue?) that detects when the car battery reaches a specific voltage level and will shut off the camera to prevent a completely dead car battery. The Blackvue won't be good for the sides (assuming you have it mounted on the front windshield because it can't be rotated to the sides). The Fineuve can be rotated towards either side of the car (you'll have to pick which side seems more likely to get assaulted).

bluejae

they just released a new model cr500
cr300 has been out for a year or more i believe... before then they had another model

take a look at my posts above

02Drunkenup

hate to hijack the thread, but have you confronted the dealer about your recordings opala? i'd go ape**** after seeing dealer employees take my car out for a joyride

opala

These dash cameras are excellent at keeping an eye on your car while someone else is supposed to be taking care of it. I posted the dealer videos before and the comments I got from forum members were either all the way to the left or all the way to the right. I think most of the members wouldn't like their rides abused at all by the dealer they entrusted their cars to. Some people don't care what they do to their car. https://mbworld.org/forums/images/smilies/nixweiss.gif

Unfortunately, Fletcher Jones in Newport Beach deals with too many high end, customized cars. The C63 is common and not very special at this dealer and they're treated that way.

I hope others on this forum install car cams and post their dealer experiences. I think there will be a lot of surprises.

Z63amg

That's sucks that people gotta install that crap in their cars cause of fraud.