uski
Member
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2016
- Messages
- 34
- Reaction score
- 38
- Country
- United States
- Dash Cam
- Blueskysea A12 + Viofo A119 + Viofo A118C
Hi,
I was a previous user of A118C model and I recently upgraded to A119S.
I'm going to post some videos here to help users decide, but as we know a dashcam is not all about the videos but also its capabilities.
So before I make another post with sample videos, I want to share my first impressions here, and compare with the A118C.
First, the A118C is a very good dashcam, and I have no complain with it, except maybe the lack of parking mode. The reason I upgraded to the A119S is because the sensor is significantly better on this later model.
- The A119S provides 60fps instead of 30fps which helps limit motion blur and provides more images of critical events
- The A119S sensor has a better dynamic range which means there are less overexposed or underexposed areas in scenes with a lot of contrast
- The A119S sensor is much more sensitive at night (less motion blur, less noise, ...)
These 3 reasons alone are sufficient to make me switch.
When I unpacked the A119S I felt I had spent my money well. There are many accessories provided :
- Got the GPS mount, but not sure I will use it (don't necessarily want my position, speed, ... to be recorded in the videos - even if the speed can be calculated from the distance the vehicle moved between a few frames)
- There are spare mounts and adhesive provided if the user needs to remove the mount and put it somewhere else
- They provide a short and a long USB cable, which is generous
- Unlike other cameras, the USB adapter is separate from the cable which allows for more flexible installation options, and it also has a spare port which can be used to charge a phone or other gadgets
- The camera itself, wow, it feels solid. Definitely not a $40 dashcam !
As with the A118C I really like the discreet look. I am a firm believer that a dashcam must be as invisible as possible and that you don't want to disclose you have one until the other party made its statement, first because if they lie then they dig a grave because it will be apparent they lied thanks to the footage, and also because if they know you have a dashcam they might be tempted to assault you to take away the evidence from you, so better just not say anything and hand over the evidence to the cops/insurance when needed.
The A119S is hence the perfect dashcam form factor !
I got the CPL filter too. It's a nice addition but be aware it reduces the amount of light which reaches the camera, and that can increase the motion blue in low light conditions. So my advice is first to try without the CPL filter - and if (and only if) you really need it, then you can use it. Try not to use any cleaning product on your dashboard that makes it shine, it must stay flat black so you don't need a CPL filter.
Too bad it still doesn't have a parking mode. It could be wired in permanently and use an accelerometer to detect when the car is moving or not. When it moves, it records, and when it doesn't, it records only on a shock. Maybe for the A120S, but for now it's OK.
I'm now going to proceed with installation and testing and I will make separate posts for that, because this post is already too long 😀 but I wanted to give information for people looking to buy one.
Is the A119S the best dashcam ? There is no best dashcam, it depends of what you are looking for. For me, good light sensitivity to prevent motion blur (important to read the license plates), and very discreet form factor, are prime considerations.
It even has forward collision warning and lane departure warning - I don't necessarily need it (my car has it already) but it's a nice addition. So the A119S fulfills my needs perfectly and its features are very good. For me, it's the best !
Thanks for reading and stay tuned !
-- uski
I was a previous user of A118C model and I recently upgraded to A119S.
I'm going to post some videos here to help users decide, but as we know a dashcam is not all about the videos but also its capabilities.
So before I make another post with sample videos, I want to share my first impressions here, and compare with the A118C.
First, the A118C is a very good dashcam, and I have no complain with it, except maybe the lack of parking mode. The reason I upgraded to the A119S is because the sensor is significantly better on this later model.
- The A119S provides 60fps instead of 30fps which helps limit motion blur and provides more images of critical events
- The A119S sensor has a better dynamic range which means there are less overexposed or underexposed areas in scenes with a lot of contrast
- The A119S sensor is much more sensitive at night (less motion blur, less noise, ...)
These 3 reasons alone are sufficient to make me switch.
When I unpacked the A119S I felt I had spent my money well. There are many accessories provided :
- Got the GPS mount, but not sure I will use it (don't necessarily want my position, speed, ... to be recorded in the videos - even if the speed can be calculated from the distance the vehicle moved between a few frames)
- There are spare mounts and adhesive provided if the user needs to remove the mount and put it somewhere else
- They provide a short and a long USB cable, which is generous
- Unlike other cameras, the USB adapter is separate from the cable which allows for more flexible installation options, and it also has a spare port which can be used to charge a phone or other gadgets
- The camera itself, wow, it feels solid. Definitely not a $40 dashcam !
As with the A118C I really like the discreet look. I am a firm believer that a dashcam must be as invisible as possible and that you don't want to disclose you have one until the other party made its statement, first because if they lie then they dig a grave because it will be apparent they lied thanks to the footage, and also because if they know you have a dashcam they might be tempted to assault you to take away the evidence from you, so better just not say anything and hand over the evidence to the cops/insurance when needed.
The A119S is hence the perfect dashcam form factor !
I got the CPL filter too. It's a nice addition but be aware it reduces the amount of light which reaches the camera, and that can increase the motion blue in low light conditions. So my advice is first to try without the CPL filter - and if (and only if) you really need it, then you can use it. Try not to use any cleaning product on your dashboard that makes it shine, it must stay flat black so you don't need a CPL filter.
Too bad it still doesn't have a parking mode. It could be wired in permanently and use an accelerometer to detect when the car is moving or not. When it moves, it records, and when it doesn't, it records only on a shock. Maybe for the A120S, but for now it's OK.
I'm now going to proceed with installation and testing and I will make separate posts for that, because this post is already too long 😀 but I wanted to give information for people looking to buy one.
Is the A119S the best dashcam ? There is no best dashcam, it depends of what you are looking for. For me, good light sensitivity to prevent motion blur (important to read the license plates), and very discreet form factor, are prime considerations.
It even has forward collision warning and lane departure warning - I don't necessarily need it (my car has it already) but it's a nice addition. So the A119S fulfills my needs perfectly and its features are very good. For me, it's the best !
Thanks for reading and stay tuned !
-- uski
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