A119 Mini Test & Review PP

I do like the clarity of the Mini in daylight, as shown above, but I just can't be bothered rewiring for USB-C
 
I do like the clarity of the Mini in daylight, as shown above, but I just can't be bothered rewiring for USB-C
To do this, there are adapters from usb-mini to usb-с.
I read somewhere that people checked and everything works fine.
 
Must be mine then. I tested one I bought earlier this year and both my phone and tablet refused to play ball with the adapter.

All in all I think I'll stick with my V3's, they are doing all I need of them, plus they work perfectly with my Nextbase 2 wire hwk.

I'll carry on dreaming :)
 
Must be mine then. I tested one I bought earlier this year and both my phone and tablet refused to play ball with the adapter.

All in all I think I'll stick with my V3's, they are doing all I need of them, plus they work perfectly with my Nextbase 2 wire hwk.

I'll carry on dreaming
There are different adapters. Some are designed only for charging, others are full-fledged for data transfer.
 
Viofo Email Updates

On the Viofo official website at the bottom of the page you can enter your email address to receive updates. Over the past 3 years I’ve been signed up for the updates, and I get an email once every 3-6 months informing me of the latest dash cam model, or black friday sale.

I wish I could receive an email update to inform me a new firmware update is available for my dash cam, or a new version of the smartphone App is available for my iOS, or Android device.

Is this one of those things that will never work because it makes too much sense? lol
-Chuck
 

Attachments

  • Receive Email Updates .png
    Receive Email Updates .png
    175.1 KB · Views: 15
Two months ago when I reviewed the A119 Mini my biggest complaint, and “CON” of the camera was the low volume level of the audio. I have moved the camera from the front windshield to the rear window of my car for it’s “semi-permanent” home. I find it funny how good the camera’s microphone is at picking up wind noise when I roll all four windows down on my car now. Lol

I tested for wind noise when the camera was mounted on the front windshield, and there was none when I rolled all four windows down. So it must be my car. Either way the A119 Mini is EXCELLENT at picking up wind noise when when mounted on my car’s rear window. I just thought that was funny. Here’s a clip.
-Chuck

 
Hey guys,
@BlackboxMyCar sent me a PowerCell 8 Dash Cam Battery Pack for test & review, and I performed a run time test in normal recording mode, and Low Bitrate Parking Mode.

Using the PC8’s Output Cable with CLA Socket, and Viofo original car charger, and USB Type-C cable, the A119 Mini had a “normal recording mode” runtime of;
28 Hours 17 Minutes

Using the PC8’s Output Cable “unspliced” with Viofo Hardwire Kit HK4, the A119 Mini had a “Low Bitrate Parking Mode” run time of;
40 Hours 2 Minutes

I noticed during the last 2 hours of the A119 Mini’s run time test in NORMAL recording mode using the CLA socket, the Cellink Neo Plus APP indicated Output voltage at 11.5 Volts, (see attached screenshot).
In PARKING MODE the PC8 remained powered up for 1 Hour 29 Minutes after the A119 Mini was powered down by the Hardwire Kit’s low voltage cut off set at 11.8 Volts.

Here is a link to my full testing of the PowerCell 8;

Here is a link to my YouTube Review of the PowerCell 8;
-Chuck
 

Attachments

  • A119 Mini 11.5V .png
    A119 Mini 11.5V .png
    217.9 KB · Views: 4
  • Firmware Version .jpg
    Firmware Version .jpg
    665.3 KB · Views: 3
  • Viofo HK4 Hardwire Kit .jpg
    Viofo HK4 Hardwire Kit .jpg
    544.2 KB · Views: 3
A119 Mini Testing Update

Hey guys, Viofo sent me the new WM1 for test & review.
Since it shares some hardware, and is almost the same price as the A119 Mini I’m testing, and comparing them together.
Stop by, and see what the differences are.
-Chuck
 
Here is my usual test loop I’ve been using to test, and evaluate all dash cams since 2019.
This time I had the A119 Mini 2, Original A119 Mini, A139 Pro, and A229 on the front windshield.
Keep in mind my car is a 2004 model year with original windshield so it has plenty of rock chips from 19 years of highway driving.
You can really see the artifacts when I pass under street lamps.
Here are the settings & firmware levels for the four cameras.

A119 Mini 2: 2023_0509 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: On CPL Filter: Off
A119 Mini: 2023_0420 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: On CPL Filter: Off
A139 Pro: 2023_0321 (3840 x 2160) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 60Mbps HDR: On CPL Filter: Off
A229 Duo: 2023_0413 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 30Mbps WDR: Off CPL Filter: Off

1 .jpg

As an interesting side note take a look at the difference in file size for these 3 minute clips.
A139 Pro: 1.2 GB
A229 Duo: 640 MB
A119 Mini 2: 606 MB
A119 Mini: 390 MB

File Size .png

 
Last edited:
Here’s some daytime test footage of the A119 Mini 2, Original A119 Mini, A139 Pro, and A229 on the front windshield.

4 cameras on windshield .jpg

Here are the settings & firmware levels for the four cameras.
A119 Mini 2: 2023_0509 (2560 x 1440) 60fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: Off CPL Filter: On
A119 Mini: 2023_0420 (2560 x 1440) 60fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: Off CPL Filter: On
A139 Pro: 2023_0321 (3840 x 2160) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 60Mbps HDR: Off CPL Filter: On
A229 Duo: 2023_0413 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 30Mbps WDR: Off CPL Filter: On

As an interesting side note take a look at the difference in file size for these 3 minute clips.
A139 Pro: 1.3 GB
A229 Duo: 674 MB
A119 Mini: 577.7 MB
A119 Mini 2: 577 MB

File Sizes .pngInsert photo here

 
Here’s some daytime Highway test footage of the A119 Mini 2, Original A119 Mini, A139 Pro, and A229 on the front windshield.

 
Check out these screenshots from the A119 Mini 2, Original Mini, A139 Pro, A229.
I really like the narrow FOV of the Original Mini.
I wish all my dash cams were that narrow.

Mini 2 .png
Mini 1 .png
A139 Pro .png
A229 .png
 
  • Like
Reactions: gse
I have a remote control button, I have a question, how can I take a photo (jpg) with the camera?
 
I have a remote control button, I have a question, how can I take a photo (jpg) with the camera?
Alternatively take a frame grab from the video which is also saved, which tends to be slightly better quality!

Photos can be found in the Photo folder, with the correct timestamp, which makes it easy to find the same place in the video.
 
Check out these screenshots from the A119 Mini 2, Original Mini, A139 Pro, A229.
I really like the narrow FOV of the Original Mini.
I wish all my dash cams were that narrow.
We have a new small camera with a narrow lens coming. :)
 
I really like the narrow FOV of the Original Mini.
Too narrow and you miss too much off the sides of the image, and also lose the front of your car so that you have no reference for distance, the original Mini was near the maximum narrowness for a 2K camera, but did have a 4:3 aspect ratio mode to avoid losing the front of your car.

I wish all my dash cams were that narrow.
4K dashcams should be significantly wider so that less gets missed off the side of the image, extra width can be a big advantage of a 4K camera. 4K cameras don't need 4:3 aspect ratio modes.
 
Back
Top