Fair points, but honestly, even some higher-end cams I've tested struggle with night footage under certain conditions. Rainy nights or heavy fog can throw off even the best sensors, making license plates unreadable no matter how much you spend. I've seen expensive HDR models still get overwhelmed by glare from headlights reflecting off wet pavement.
In my experience, placement and angle can sometimes matter just as much as the camera itself. A friend of mine had a mid-range cam that was pretty mediocre at night until he repositioned it slightly lower on the windshield—suddenly, way less glare and clearer plates. So yeah, spending more can help, but it's not always a guaranteed fix. Sometimes tweaking your setup or experimenting with positioning can squeeze better performance out of a mid-tier cam without breaking the bank.
"Sometimes tweaking your setup or experimenting with positioning can squeeze better performance out of a mid-tier cam without breaking the bank."
Couldn't agree more. I've experimented with several high-end dashcams myself, and even then, certain weather conditions—especially heavy rain or fog—can severely limit visibility. I found that adjusting the angle slightly downward helped reduce glare significantly. It's reassuring to know others have had similar experiences; sometimes it's not about spending more, but rather about thoughtful adjustments and careful placement.
"I found that adjusting the angle slightly downward helped reduce glare significantly."
Interesting point—I've been struggling with glare myself, especially at night. Did you notice any trade-offs in terms of capturing license plates clearly when angling downward? Might give it a shot anyway...
Good tip on angling downward—I agree it helps with glare, especially from headlights at night. One thing to keep in mind though: if you angle too far down, you might lose some clarity on distant license plates or street signs. I'd suggest making small incremental adjustments and testing it out at night. Also, double-check your dashcam's resolution settings—sometimes bumping up the quality can offset any slight loss in detail from the angle change.
Good points overall, but honestly, I'm not convinced that just bumping up the resolution will fully compensate for angling the dashcam downward. From my experience, resolution helps with clarity to an extent, but if your camera is pointed too far down, you're still going to miss critical details at a distance—especially at night or in poor weather. I've tried it myself; even at max resolution, license plates and street signs become unreadable if the angle isn't right.
Also, higher resolutions usually mean bigger file sizes, which can fill up your storage pretty quickly. Unless you've got a massive SD card or you're diligent about regularly transferring footage, you might run into storage issues sooner than you'd expect. Plus, higher-res recordings can sometimes slow down playback or make reviewing footage a bit of a hassle, especially on older computers or mobile devices.
Personally, I've found that angling the dashcam slightly downward to reduce glare is helpful, but there's definitely a sweet spot. Too low, and you lose valuable context from distant objects; too high, and headlights blind the camera. I'd recommend testing different angles over a few nights and reviewing the footage carefully to find that balance. Resolution tweaks can help, sure, but they're not a magic fix if your angle is off.
Just my two cents based on trial and error...
