Caerus
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2014
- Messages
- 186
- Reaction score
- 229
- Country
- Canada
- Dash Cam
- DCTeam, A118, A119S-V2
Settings:
Resolution: 1080p @ 60fps
WDR: on
Exposure: 0
Firmware: Modified 2.6
CPL: no (I definitely need it, but current A119S CPL has issues with this new lens)
Lens: Version 3/A129, F1.6, 7 Element, 140° Wide Angle
(Edit: Didn't clip the video. I start driving around 40 seconds or so.)
Using the modified 2.6 firmware the clarity is pretty good even with youtube compression, and the picture isn't crazy overexposed, despite exposure left at 0. I personally don't have a problem with wide angle lenses as I like being able to see more of the surroundings, but it can skew determining distances, and the amount of fisheye this one makes is high. You might not want this newest version of the A119S if any of that bothers you.
You notice right away though, the comical amount of fisheye. The pillar on the left while I'm parked is already bent, and once I start turning you can see the world bending around the fatness of my tiny car. The fisheye is more noticeable on the left side than on the right. I'm not sure if that's because I have my camera mounted on the right side of the rear view mirror arm slightly pointed towards the centre, or if my lens isn't perfectly aligned. The vehicles on the left in the parking lot begin to turn into paper cutouts as you drive by them, more noticeable as I turn past the vehicles parked along the back and the trees. The vehicles on the right aren't affected as much.
As soon as I leave the parking lot you can see why a CPL filter is needed here (they need to release the updated one supporting this lens quickly). The sun is at the perfect angle to cause a ton of reflection from the dash and windshield. You can also notice how much fisheye this camera has by looking at the vents reflected in the windshield. Those are flat and straight in the car. Some curvature because of the curved glass sure, but the lens makes it even more pronounced. The camera did cope with the constant changing of lighting conditions really well though. I chose this video because the time of day and angle of the sun can mess with a lot of cameras (my old A118 comes to mind). As the sun shines over the building and between the trees/leaves, the quick switching between light and dark, and the shadows, the camera didn't struggle with the changes at all. It didn't become a pixelated mess, the exposure didn't flip out, and the trees/leaves remained in focus. This is also aided most likely because of the modified 2.6 firmware. In the last bit once I drive past the stadium and the sun is constantly flashing through the trees, the camera still didn't struggle much.
Overall I'm impressed. The picture quality is really good. It adapts to lighting well. I don't have problems seeing most license plates. When reviewing my other videos they might not be visible in motion, but if I pause the video they're usually readable. And night video is surprisingly good. Just the cartoonish amount of fisheye is a bit much sometimes.
Resolution: 1080p @ 60fps
WDR: on
Exposure: 0
Firmware: Modified 2.6
CPL: no (I definitely need it, but current A119S CPL has issues with this new lens)
Lens: Version 3/A129, F1.6, 7 Element, 140° Wide Angle
(Edit: Didn't clip the video. I start driving around 40 seconds or so.)
Using the modified 2.6 firmware the clarity is pretty good even with youtube compression, and the picture isn't crazy overexposed, despite exposure left at 0. I personally don't have a problem with wide angle lenses as I like being able to see more of the surroundings, but it can skew determining distances, and the amount of fisheye this one makes is high. You might not want this newest version of the A119S if any of that bothers you.
You notice right away though, the comical amount of fisheye. The pillar on the left while I'm parked is already bent, and once I start turning you can see the world bending around the fatness of my tiny car. The fisheye is more noticeable on the left side than on the right. I'm not sure if that's because I have my camera mounted on the right side of the rear view mirror arm slightly pointed towards the centre, or if my lens isn't perfectly aligned. The vehicles on the left in the parking lot begin to turn into paper cutouts as you drive by them, more noticeable as I turn past the vehicles parked along the back and the trees. The vehicles on the right aren't affected as much.
As soon as I leave the parking lot you can see why a CPL filter is needed here (they need to release the updated one supporting this lens quickly). The sun is at the perfect angle to cause a ton of reflection from the dash and windshield. You can also notice how much fisheye this camera has by looking at the vents reflected in the windshield. Those are flat and straight in the car. Some curvature because of the curved glass sure, but the lens makes it even more pronounced. The camera did cope with the constant changing of lighting conditions really well though. I chose this video because the time of day and angle of the sun can mess with a lot of cameras (my old A118 comes to mind). As the sun shines over the building and between the trees/leaves, the quick switching between light and dark, and the shadows, the camera didn't struggle with the changes at all. It didn't become a pixelated mess, the exposure didn't flip out, and the trees/leaves remained in focus. This is also aided most likely because of the modified 2.6 firmware. In the last bit once I drive past the stadium and the sun is constantly flashing through the trees, the camera still didn't struggle much.
Overall I'm impressed. The picture quality is really good. It adapts to lighting well. I don't have problems seeing most license plates. When reviewing my other videos they might not be visible in motion, but if I pause the video they're usually readable. And night video is surprisingly good. Just the cartoonish amount of fisheye is a bit much sometimes.
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