The following article was published originally in August 2021. We are sharing it now for your perusal, but take into account that the following information may be outdated.
About six months ago, I returned to my car one morning only to find all four tires slashed. I don't recall doing anything wrong to anyone, but someone was evidently upset enough to ruin my morning. Revenge actions aren't always personal; sometimes vandalism happens just for the sake of it. That's how I'd like to think, otherwise my car was the only one singled out in a row of vehicles.
The initial feeling is one of helplessness, and even the police had little to go on without documentation. A search online revealed real-time solutions. If there's no documentation from street cameras, and sometimes even if there is, the only option is a dashcam that records even when the car is in "sleep" mode. Options existed but were few - relatively expensive solutions ranging from NIS 1,500 to 3,000. Shortly after, the Discovery DS-1050 was launched, a dashcam that captures the vehicle from all angles even during parking, all for just NIS 500.
This is a dual dashcam from the beloved British brand Discovery, highly favored by taxi drivers in need of a dual camera that records even the interior of the car. The uniqueness of the DS-1050 lies in its ability to document any accident or unusual event even during parking when the driver is absent and the vehicle is idle. The set includes two cameras, front and rear, capturing and documenting day and night in the highest quality. The camera lenses have a 140-degree shooting angle in Full HD quality, with video recording resolution selectable from four quality levels, from P480X640 to P1080X1920, and rear video recording in P720 quality.
Furthermore, one can choose and set cyclic recording for three, five, or ten minutes. The camera features an important function of parking monitor, activating the camera to record for 30 seconds on any movement or suspicious impact even when the car is off and the driver is not in the vehicle. The camera views appear on a clear and bright 3-inch screen located inside the car and support screen saver function. Additionally, the device supports a 32GB micro SD memory card and has a 180mAh battery. The camera interface is user-friendly and supports Hebrew and English languages.
Value for Money - It's Your Choice
So, what did I think of the camera? Over the years, I've grown accustomed to quality. Both my wife's and my cars have a Nextbase camera installed, also a British brand, perhaps the best in its category. However, even though I would never replace it (I have a tendency to be sentimental about technological products), it's only a front camera with the same 140-degree angle, recording only the driver's activity during travel. Getting a camera with front, rear, and parking documentation for NIS 500 (the Nextbase cost me a similar amount at the time, purchased abroad) - that's a serious market breakthrough.
I didn't feel a significant difference in video quality, although I'll always be biased towards the camera that has served me for over five years. Still, bias aside, a dashcam that records more than necessary from one side can be found at a much higher price, so if I were to objectively recommend a camera today, it would be the Discovery.
In general, you need a dashcam so that if, God forbid, you find yourself in an accident situation, you can easily prove your innocence. Nowadays, dashcams can be found even for NIS 200, although it's reasonable to assume you'll encounter these prices in a less quality model. Getting a package deal with a camera recording front, rear, and during parking at such a price - that's something hard to beat. After having to use a dashcam twice to prove the other driver's fault, my hope now is that I'll never have to figure out what happened while the car was parked.