A119 - 160 degree lens = 110 degree horizontal angle

[BCHobbyist]

Decided to measure the horizontal Field Of View angle on the newest A119 dashcam as of Jan 28 2017. Performing the measurement in-doors on a sheet of paper marking the extreme left and right positions then drawing lines back to lens focal point results in 110 to 108 degrees. Viewing the 1080p video clip of the measurement shows a slightly wider view of not more than 2 degrees so (+/-) 2 degrees.

I was very surprised at the difference from the advertised 160 degrees view on the box. It would be of interest what the A118 / A118C / A119 early and newest A119S horizontal measurements are and how they relate to their advertised angles.

Repeated this test on two other non-Viofo dashcams which are marketed as having 140 & 155 degree wide angle lens yields 120 & 125 degree horizontal angles on paper. Many dashcam vendors use the diagonal degree or naked lens measurement for marketing purposes (bigger is better). It's not false advertising but it sure can be confusing.

If the naked lens itself has a 155 degree FOV but the sensor can only use 125 degrees which measurement should be advertised on the box/website?

 

[jokiin]

it's pretty much standard that the diagonal measurement of the lens is what is advertised which is generally nothing like the achieved horizontal numbers, very confusing to say the least

 

[BCHobbyist]

it's pretty much standard that the diagonal measurement of the lens is what is advertised which is generally nothing like the achieved horizontal numbers, very confusing to say the least

after all my research on which dashcam best fit my needs from Thinkware / Blackvue / Street Guardian / XiaoYi / VIOFO it narrowed to Thinkware and VIOFO. Thinkware had the 'bling' and VIOFO had the 'shock & awe' ! In the end it was the A119 resolution options 2560x1440p/30fps & 1920x1080p/60fps image quality 'awe' and $100 'shock' ! What concerned me was the advertised 160 degree wide angle lens. I later decided to ignore the advertised lens coverage and view as many raw video clips as possible. Lucky for me both Canadian distributors of the VIOFO products are within a short drive.

 

[jokiin]

if it really was 160 degree there's a good chance you never would have even considered it, viewing the real world results is always better than just looking at the spec on paper

 

[BCHobbyist]

if it really was 160 degree there's a good chance you never would have even considered it, viewing the real world results is always better than just looking at the spec on paper

If VIOFO had advertised the 110 to 120 degree FOV I would have purchased 7 months ago but since I had to research more I now have the newer A119 with CPL which I planned to DIY using a filter from France.

There are a handful of true 160 and 180 and even 'fisheye' dashcam units out there, never heard of their company names before but they are selling so there is a market. Could be for industry or fleet vehicles or inside cabs or tornado chasers or just 4x4 bush-crashers. The current dashcam industry is marketing for the 'accident evidence protection' consumer which I am not but nice to have.

 

[jokiin]

There are a handful of true 160 and 180

plenty quote those spec, have yet to see one beyond about 125° horizontal though

 

[BCHobbyist]

my friend you must get out into the world of YouTube more often ;-)
here are some dashcams that look to be greater than 140 degrees horizontal, note the dash curvature in each video.
my favorite is the first and last video in the list, I recognize only the last brand. enjoy

 

[jokiin]

the first one uses two sensors and the result is stitched together in software, those have a wide view, not a great picture but it is wide, the bulk of the others are nothing like the quoted figures, plenty of barrel distortion but not particularly wide in most cases, I perhaps should have clarified that the ones that do offer very wide view are typically low end product and not really that useful anyway