Reddit mentions of AUTO-VOX G1W-C Capacitor Model Dashboard Dash Cam - Heat Resistant

I use something called f500l, which is no longer available. A quick search of dashcam turned up hundreds of hits. This one looks promising, but I can't guarantee how good it is:

http://www.amazon.com/AUTO-VOX-Battery-Install-Dashboard-Dashcam/dp/B00KHKUBLQ/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1413959359&sr=8-9&keywords=dash+cam

Here's some basic info I found when I did my initial search a few years ago, and from what I've learned over the course of using a 1080p dashcam for three years. I hope this helps a little.

1. Recirculation. This is a software feature that stops and saves a recording after a pre-set number of minutes, then automatically starts another one. Typically this is 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Any longer, at 720 or 1080 resolution, and the files are too big to copy and edit, etc. Mine is at 1080p, and at 5 min the files are about 220mb, which is fine for a current PC to handle. Without circulation, a 32GB SD card yields a single file of almost 20GB, which is way too big to mess with. Auto recirculation avoids these huge files, and this is the reason I didn't buy a GoPro. If they added that simple feature, I'd be a customer.
   
   
2. Find something with a video review so you can see clips shot during the day AND NIGHT. Some cheaper cams shoot great in daylight, but are too grainy at night -- not good enough to read license plates. If there are no Amazon video reviews, check YouTube with the exact make/model. I bought the f500l because it's the most popular one in Russia, the heavyweight champ of dashcam videos, and it shoots high quality vids. Again, this one is long gone, so you can't get it now. I believe the CCD size and probably ISO rating determines quality of night shooting, but these details are almost never listed in the description, so you have to go out and watch the vids to see how good they record at night.
   
   
3. Get a Class 10 SD card. This refers to speed. Anything less than 10 leaves large gaps between vids -- when it's saving and starting a new recording. Mine is Class 10, and the gap is only about 1 second. My 32GB card lasts more than 10 hours at 1080p. It would really suck to get into a crash while the cam is saving a file and hasn't started a new one!
   
   
4. You may want to try a used Galaxy III. Some people on the web, lifehacker.com I think, suggested using that for dashcams. You can side load from your computer, or use wifi, to download a blackbox app -- you're not going to get phone service on this phone, obviously. In other words, you'll be using it as a handheld computer with video cam, not a phone. This gives you a decent quality HD camera for around $30. If my cam breaks, I'll probably go this route.
   
   
5. Anybody should go to youtube and type "why you need a dashcam". I know the odds of truly needing the video evidence is small, especially in the USA, but it still happens here. A cam is a really cheap insurance policy.
   
   
6. Side benefit: after three straight years, I have only recorded one accident, and I wasn't involved. I now have, however, a gigantic file on my home PC labeled Idiot File where I save clips of ridiculous driving from others. It's entertaining. For $30-$50, or $100-$150 for a high quality cam, there's no good reason to put off getting a dash cam.
   
   
7. I paid a guy to change my cig lighter socket to be always on, even with the ignition off and key out. Unless I'm at home sleeping, I'm always recording. My thinking is this: if I'm shopping or at a movie, or at work, somebody could hit my parked car and take off. A dashcam can't guarantee you'll see a plate, given the angles and such, but there's a really good chance you will get that info, even if you're nowhere near the car. The power usage is small enough that my car battery never drains.
   
   
8. Reality check: dashcams aren't popular enough in America to be 100% sure of a cam before purchase. Detailed, professional reviews are rare. I'd say to try something in the $50 range after verifying there are video samples in the reviews. That way, if it's a dud, you can buy another brand and start over. Or, try the used smartphone approach. That seems like a good idea. Smartphones aren't really phones anyway. They're handheld computers, and telephony is just another app. Put on a blackbox app and forget about the phone idea.

I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KHKUBLQ/

I paid around $65 in September. (I also bought a 32 GB class 10 memory card for extra recording time--roughly 5 hours at 1080p.)

It records a pretty nice video in daylight, and video that's good enough to show what happened at night.

One day, it stopped recording anything. I think I filled the memory card by saving (locking) too many video segments, but I reformatted the memory card, and it started operating normally again. (What was I going to do with all those saved videos anyway? Watch them and go "what an idiot!" a second time?)

It's only $56 today (which includes an 8 GB memory card, suction cup, power cord, and mini-USB cable). $56 is awesome, but to tell the truth, I'd buy it again if it was $100.