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Hopefully, you'll never need Garmin's first camera (pictures)

Meant to capture fender-benders and car accidents, Garmin's new Dash Cam 20 is a gadget you'll hope to never need, but may one day be glad to have.

Antuan Goodwin
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Antuan Goodwin
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Garmin Dash Cam 20

The Garmin Dash Cam 20 is a dashboard video recorder that captures a continuous loop of the action outside of your windshield.

Read CNET's full review of the Garmin Dash Cam 20.


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G-sensor

When the internal G-sensor detects a shock (such as during a car accident), the Dash Cam protects the video from the moments leading up to the bump and a few moments following.

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2.3-inch screen

After a few moments of recording, the Dash Cam's 2.3-inch LCD shuts off to reduce driver distraction.

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Interface

The screen can be used to position the Dash Cam, to view recorded footage, and to adjust a variety of settings.

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Suction cup

The device is attached to the host vehicle's windshield with this strong suction cup mount.

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MicroSD card

Garmin includes a 4GB microSD card, but the Dash Cam can accomodate up to 32GB.

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Don't look at me!

Most of the time, the Dash Cam just hangs unobtrusively, attracting little attention.

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Video sample

Video is captured at up to 1080p and is pretty crisp. However, you'll have to get pretty close to other cars to read their license plates.

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Dash Cam still photo sample

The Dash Cam can be removed from its mount and used to capture still photos.

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Dash Cam still photo sample

The 1,920x1,080-pixel-resolution images have a washed-out quality, but I was able to discern the scratches in this yellow paint.

Read CNET's full review of the Garmin Dash Cam 20.

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