[RT365]

Should I pay the $600 plus installation or should I get something else?
I only want the best.

Your advise is appreciated.

[sharp]

For $600 I'd go with a reputable aftermarket brand. This web site can be a good start https://dashcamtalk.com/

Alternatively, the built-in Drive Recorder can be used instead, but the image quality isn't that great. Still, it is better than nothing.

[Orient330iNYC]

The bmw branded cameras are mediocre mid range with a bmw logo on it. You want a camera with a sony starvis2 sensor. I personally feel viofo has the best bang for the buck, latest imaging sensors at a reasonable cost. Thinkware and blackvue are more bells and whistles, but at the end of the day you need something to reliability record clear video.

Bmw drive recorder has poor video quality and does not continuously record. It will snap a 40 second before and after snapshot, but often does not record minor impacts.
You can manually record, but you have to have your wits about you to find, press, and hold the parking cam button on the center console within 20 seconds of an incident.

Its just better to have a stand alone.

Also, invest in quality high endurance microsd cards. Dashcams are brutal on them. Replace regularly. Use the largest card you can get to reduce the write cycles.

I run a 512gb wd purple card in my front dash cam ( 4k 30fps) same in my rear ( 2k 30fps) and 256gb samsung pro endurance in my sides (1080p 30fps)

[awesoM]

Why even need a dashcam? The bmw recorder records up to 40 seconds before and after in an incident does it not?

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by awesoM

Why even need a dashcam? The bmw recorder records up to 40 seconds before and after in an incident does it not?

thats the problem. what it considers an incident. the threshold is pretty high. and the video quality is pretty bad. it roughly looks like 720p.i remember reading someone with an X5 had no recording of a hit and run side swipe.

you can manually trigger by holding the parking camera button down for x seconds, but its pretty difficult to remember to do so under duress.

and its 40 seconds total, 20 seconds before, 20 seconds after.

its biggest flaw is that its not constantly recording- if bmw only allowed it to record constantly to a USB drive in the console, that would alleviate the trigger issue.

[e30 4 life!]

The BMW branded cams are trash. Completely avoided recording me getting rear ended by a troll

[awesoM]

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

thats the problem. what it considers an incident. the threshold is pretty high. and the video quality is pretty bad. it roughly looks like 720p.i remember reading someone with an X5 had no recording of a hit and run side swipe.

you can manually trigger by holding the parking camera button down for x seconds, but its pretty difficult to remember to do so under duress.

and its 40 seconds total, 20 seconds before, 20 seconds after.

its biggest flaw is that its not constantly recording- if bmw only allowed it to record constantly to a USB drive in the console, that would alleviate the trigger issue.

We got rear ended in our IX and my wife jumped the curb in another incident and it caught it all on camera. But totally see where you are coming from.