Car camera – is it a good investment?

A car camera on the vehicle's windshield that records movement in front of the car

Artur Owczarek

Brand Product Manager Moje AutoHe has been involved in the automotive industry for years. He is passionate about cars and detailing. On his blog, he shares his knowledge and experience, offering tips on how to effectively care for your car and extend its life.

Using a car recorder is practical and necessary in many situations. This device, mounted on the windshield, records events on the road in real time. This form of record may be evidence in disputes with other drivers or insurers. Find out how to choose the right model.

Which car camera? What should you consider when choosing?

A car camera placed on the vehicle's windshield

Many people who wonder which car recorder will be right for them face a big challenge. There is a wide selection of models available on the market. They differ in price, recording quality, additional functions and assembly method, and even design. To make the choice a bit easier, we have prepared a helpful list of guidelines that are worth paying attention to when purchasing.

Resolution – the higher the camera resolution, the better the recording quality. This high one allows you to capture small details, such as vehicle registration numbers or people's faces. This is especially important when it is necessary to use the material as evidence in disputes. In such a situation, good image quality from a video recorder may be crucial. The most common resolution is Full HD 1920 × 1080 pixels, which should be treated as the basic one. More and more often, car cameras record images in higher resolutions, i.e. QHD, 2K or even 4K.
Number of frames – higher frame rate means smoother image. This is important especially in fast traffic. An appropriate value of this parameter guarantees a more accurate analysis of events, especially in dynamic situations. Currently, 60 frames per second is slowly but surely becoming the standard.
Viewing angle – a car camera should have the widest possible field of view. Why? This allows the recorder to capture more. Most often found in stores video recorders with a viewing angle of 120 degrees. However, there are cameras that "see" at 150 or even 180 degrees!
Audio recording – not all video recorders have a recording function with sound. However, this is a feature that may come in handy. If the car camera has the ability to record sound, it will record our voice comments during the recording. Additionally, it can be used as evidence in the case of aggressive road users.
A motion sensor – this is a useful feature. A car camera equipped with such a sensor turns on automatically when you start driving. Additionally, it will activate when a person or another car approaches the car.
Mounting method – car cameras can be mounted in various ways. Most often, they are glued to the glass on special pads or mounted on the holder included in the set. The choice of method depends on the user's preferences and the aesthetics of the vehicle's interior.
Recording method – it is worth paying attention to such functions of car cameras as: recording in parking mode or automatic saving of the recording after detecting a shock (e.g. a crash).
Additional features – for many people, additional functions may be particularly important, such as: GPS for saving the route, night mode enabling recording in low light, or the ability to connect an additional camera (e.g. mounted on the back of the vehicle). Additionally, there is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Increasingly car cameras they also have functions of other devices – for example GPS navigation. Such a device is not only a driving recorder, but also shows us the way.
This may interest you: Road rules – 9 most important rules
Car camera – which one to choose to get the most out of it?

Investing in a more expensive car camera model usually pays off. A higher price usually translates into better optical quality and lower failure rate of the device. In addition car cameras higher classes offer better recording parameters. They are also more resistant to difficult working conditions. All this means that they will last longer. Contrary to appearances, they may turn out to be cheaper in the long run.
However, if you are interested in a proven, yet cheap one car recorder, nothing is lost. There are many models on the market worth buying, despite the economical housing or mid-class optics.
Good to know! Some car cameras are equipped with GPS modules that not only accurately record the driving route. They can also record the position of the car while driving and any road accident. This may be useful evidence during the proceedings.
What memory card for a car camera?
Choosing the right memory card for car camera is as important as finding the right camera. It is worth considering the speed of operation, resistance to external conditions and capacity. Larger capacity allows for longer recording. This may be crucial in the case of long trips or when we cannot frequently empty the card of saved materials.
How to increase the usability of your camera?

Remember - the camera "sees" and records what is in front of the windshield. Therefore, it is very important to keep it clean. From time to time, use a specialized glass cleaner with ammonia on both sides of the glass.
We propose Moje Car Window fluid with ammonia – the greatest advantage of this preparation is the ability to remove virtually all dirt with zero risk of streaks and stains.

Moje Auto Glass cleaner with ammonia that provides shine without polishing.
Alternatively, you can consider window cleaner in the form of a concentrate that needs to be mixed with water. My Car Windshield washer fluid concentrate with excellent performance parameters, effectively removes insects and many other pollutants. This allows the camera's eye to follow every movement of drivers and pedestrians in front of you.
For winter, spring and autumn - a preparation that prevents the windows from fogging will also be useful. For this we recommend our product – My Car Nano Anti-vapor. Thanks to it, you don't have to worry that the steam on the windows will spoil the recording from the car camera.
It is also worth taking care of your eyes and the screen of the driving recorder. After all, even with the cleanest glass, we will not record a perfect recording if the viewfinder is dirty. This is what we recommend My Car LCD cleaning product and ours APT Black microfiber. Together they will cope with dirt perfectly!

Moje Auto Window cleaner with ammonia
Where to buy View product

Moje Auto Nano Anti-steam – a preparation that prevents windows from fogging
Where to buy View product
To sum up, a car camera is undoubtedly a good investment for every driver. It is particularly important now, when road traffic and the number of road accidents are increasing. So be sure to consider buying it and feel safer.