Dash Cams and Car Cameras

Resolution, lens angle and what the footage must show

Resolution is the headline spec: 1080p is the baseline, 1440p and 2.5K add detail, and 4K is sharpest in daylight. More pixels only help if the sensor and lens are good too, and night footage depends on both. Field of view runs from roughly 140 to 170 degrees; wider catches more lanes but makes distant number plates smaller. Dual-lens models add a rear or cabin camera, so check each channel's resolution, because listings such as 4K + 1080p mean the rear camera records at a lower quality than the front.

Power, memory card and cable compatibility

A dash cam records to a microSD card, and loop recording rewrites it constantly, so use a high-endurance card of a capacity the camera supports. A G-sensor locks the clip around an impact so it is not overwritten, and GPS adds speed and position to the file. For power, a supercapacitor copes with heat and cold better than a lithium battery in a parked car, and a hardwire kit allows parking recording. Rear-camera cables and mounts are model-specific, so match the camera name before buying.

Questions about Dash Cams and Car Cameras

Does a dash cam come with a memory card?

Some include a card and many do not, so check the listing. Choose a microSD card marked high endurance, make sure its capacity is within what the camera supports, and format it in the camera now and then to keep recording reliable.

Is a rear camera worth adding?

A rear camera records rear-end collisions and parking knocks that a front-only camera misses. Dual and three-channel kits include one; otherwise pick a camera and cable listed as compatible with your front unit, since connectors and lengths differ between models.

What does the G-sensor do?

The G-sensor detects sudden braking or impact and protects the current clip from being overwritten by loop recording. It can also wake a camera in parking mode if the model supports it. Sensitivity is usually adjustable so potholes do not fill the card with locked files.