A229 Pro Test & Review PP

[ws46060]

Night Time Telephoto Test Footage

Here’s the original raw files of my first NIGHT TIME test footage;
V1.3 240516 Front
V1.3 240514 Telephoto
CPL Filter: On
HDR: ON
(8) total clips
(2) Front Unit City
(2) Front Unit Highway

A229 Pro Telephoto Night Front - Google Drive

drive.google.com

(2) Rear Unit City
(2) Rear Unit Highway
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16aJqOEx-WwtUrspGI5xmxDNxCABm-opr?usp=sharing
After reviewing the footage I can read most all license plates on vehicles that come within 3 Meters to 20 Meters of the telephotos.
Here’s all 8 clips uploaded to YouTube for easy viewing.

Front Unit;

Rear Unit;

I must have missed something. Are there telephoto lenses available for the A229 Pro? How would I purchase it?

 

[Panzer Platform]

I must have missed something. Are there telephoto lenses available for the A229 Pro? How would I purchase it?

Hello, welcome to the club.
I was told they should be available for purchase in a few weeks.
-Chuck

 

[zingzongzang]

So I asked Viofo about the telephoto lens in regards to the poor performance at night with my tent. They said that the telephoto lens would not be helpful but that they are coming out with a waterproof camera that would go on the outside of my window which would give me much better performance. Sounds exciting but how would I mount it with a wire and how would it just not be stolen?

 

[TonyM]

Night Time Telephoto Test Footage

Here’s the original raw files of my first NIGHT TIME test footage;
V1.3 240516 Front
V1.3 240514 Telephoto
CPL Filter: On
HDR: ON

The night video clips are very good, especially considering you have a CPL fitted. HDR makes a big difference.

 

[z24]

In about 2 to 3 weeks, CPL will be also available.

hi im ready and can't wait to purchase this telephoto camera please give us more information on the release date!!

 

[ogzogz]

I haven't received the telephoto cameras yet. I hope it arrives as soon as possible and I can test it.
It would be a better combination if the telephoto camera could be installed instead of the interior camera instead of the rear camera.
I hope there is an improvement for this and users can make a functional choice about which camera to disable.

 

[Nigel]

I haven't received the telephoto cameras yet. I hope it arrives as soon as possible and I can test it.
It would be a better combination if the telephoto camera could be installed instead of the interior camera instead of the rear camera.
I hope there is an improvement for this and users can make a functional choice about which camera to disable.

The interior camera is 1080 resolution instead of 2K. To get the same amount of detail in a 1080 telephoto image as the 2K telephoto camera has, the 1080 camera would need to zoom in a lot further, and then the field of view becomes too narrow, it starts to miss cars when they are at optimal plate reading distance. Alternatively, you could keep the current field of view but not zoom in as much, but then the telephoto loses its advantage over the 4K front. Much better to use a 2K telephoto.

For use with the 2K A229 Plus, a 1080 telephoto would make sense, but not so much with the 4K A229 Pro.

Unfortunately, you can't plug a 2K camera into the 1080 interior camera port.

The obvious way for Viofo to solve this problem is by releasing a 4K + 2K + 2K dashcam.

Until then, just plug it into the rear socket, and then put a Viofo VS1 in the rear window!

 

[Panzer Platform]

It would be a better combination if the telephoto camera could be installed instead of the interior camera instead of the rear camera.

I think @Mtz explained a 1080p telephoto would have no advantage over 4K “main” camera.
The telephoto must be minimum 2K to be useful over 4K “main” camera;

Under ideal conditions we might need 4K “main” + 4K telephoto, but the processing power is “limited”.

Until then, just plug it into the rear socket, and then put a Viofo VS1 in the rear window!

No, A119 Mini 2. Lol

 

[Karagandinez]

No, A119 Mini 2. Lol

https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/viofo-vs1.49786/post-619630

 

[TonyM]

I assume the A229 Pro can be configured to run as follows:
- 4K Front camera
- 2K 'Rear' as Telephoto Front camera
- 1080 'Interior' as Rear camera
With a short cable to the 2K camera, and a long cable to the interior/rear camera?

I figure I would have to buy the A229 Pro in single channel, then add the telephoto and interior cameras.
Or, buy the 3-channel version, add the extra telephoto and keep the 2K rear in a box.
Hopefully Viofo will consider selling the telephoto in a 3-CH setup.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I assume the A229 Pro can be configured to run as follows:
- 4K Front camera
- 2K 'Rear' as Telephoto Front camera
- 1080 'Interior' as Rear camera
With a short cable to the 2K camera, and a long cable to the interior/rear camera?

Correct.

I figure I would have to buy the A229 Pro in single channel, then add the telephoto and interior cameras.
Or, buy the 3-channel version, add the extra telephoto and keep the 2K rear in a box.
Hopefully Viofo will consider selling the telephoto in a 3-CH setup.

When the telephoto becomes available you could request to buy the 3-CH but in this configuration;
Front Camera
Telephoto Camera with 50cm cable
IR Interior Camera with 6 Meter cable
And just charge the “normal” 3-CH price.

 

[Nigel]

I assume the A229 Pro can be configured to run as follows:
- 4K Front camera
- 2K 'Rear' as Telephoto Front camera
- 1080 'Interior' as Rear camera
With a short cable to the 2K camera, and a long cable to the interior/rear camera?

I figure I would have to buy the A229 Pro in single channel, then add the telephoto and interior cameras.
Or, buy the 3-channel version, add the extra telephoto and keep the 2K rear in a box.
Hopefully Viofo will consider selling the telephoto in a 3-CH setup.

On the A229 Pro & Plus, the interior camera uses a different cable and connector to the rear, so you can't just swap cables, Viofo will need to supply a long version of the interior cable.

They already have three configurations of A229 Pro available, so I guess they will add another 3 channel version with 2K Telephoto, FHD Rear/Interior, and the appropriate length cables. Plus make the telephoto and a long interior cable available separately. (This is only a guess.)

The A139, where the two remote cameras could be swapped without issue, made things much easier! Hopefully we will get that again when a 4K+2K+2K camera arrives and is compatible with the current 2K Rear and Telephoto remote cameras, but remote cameras never seem to maintain compatibility, so we will probably get yet another new type of cable and the current Telephoto won't plug in!

 

[ogzogz]

I haven't received the telephoto cameras yet. I hope it arrives as soon as possible and I can test it.
It would be a better combination if the telephoto camera could be installed instead of the interior camera instead of the rear camera.
I hope there is an improvement for this and users can make a functional choice about which camera to disable.

I assume the A229 Pro can be configured to run as follows:
- 4K Front camera
- 2K 'Rear' as Telephoto Front camera
- 1080 'Interior' as Rear camera
With a short cable to the 2K camera, and a long cable to the interior/rear camera?

Yes, it actually amounts to the same situation as I mentioned above.

So, 3 cameras on the front (front, front telephoto and interior) do not make much sense.
FHD is quite sufficient for the rear camera. So the rear camera can be provided with a 3.5 mm jack.
Also, as far as I can see, Starvis 2 is not very good in the rear position for night driving.
To summarize, we can say that the new camera is taking shape for 2025.

we'll wait and see.

 

[Karagandinez]

On the A229 Pro & Plus, the interior camera uses a different cable and connector to the rear, so you can't just swap cables, Viofo will need to supply a long version of the interior cable.

I bought two extension cords, two and three meters, and now I have the opportunity to install the interior camera from the A229 Pro/Plus
in any place convenient for me.
These extensions also work with the rear camera and the HK4.

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Telephoto Camera with 50cm cable

The fact is that people are unpredictable and someone will want to put a telephoto lens on the rear window...

 

[Karagandinez]

I figure I would have to buy the A229 Pro in single channel, then add the telephoto and interior cameras.
Or, buy the 3-channel version, add the extra telephoto and keep the 2K rear in a box.
Hopefully Viofo will consider selling the telephoto in a 3-CH setup.

I think if you contact viofo or VIOFO-Support, they will help you buy the necessary equipment.

 

[Nigel]

The fact is that people are unpredictable and someone will want to put a telephoto lens on the rear window...

In many cars, you could just mount the Telephoto at the front and rotate it to point forward or rearward whenever you want. This would result in the rear window heater wires being just about in focus, but it also means that they are relatively small, so not much of an issue compared to having one in view when mounted on the rear. Of course, a centre rear passenger could change the view considerably!

You would get a little less magnification with it mounted at the front and facing rearward, but the wider field of view is probably desirable for the rear.

 

[Karagandinez]

In many cars, you could just mount the Telephoto at the front and rotate it to point forward or rearward whenever you want. This would result in the rear window heater wires being just about in focus, but it also means that they are relatively small, so not much of an issue compared to having one in view when mounted on the rear. Of course, a centre rear passenger could change the view considerably!

You would get a little less magnification with it mounted at the front and facing rearward, but the wider field of view is probably desirable for the rear.

When I have the opportunity to purchase a camera with a telephoto lens, then I’ll experiment.

 

[Karagandinez]

Also, as far as I can see, Starvis 2 is not very good in the rear position for night driving.

Well I do not know. For my taste, Starvis 2 2К beats FHD on the rear window day and night.

 

[Nigel]

When I have the opportunity to purchase a camera with a telephoto lens, then I’ll experiment.

Mtz does recommend having the Telephoto a little on the driver's side, so that the angle of the windscreen points it more at the oncoming lane. If you mount it like this then it will be pointing at the wrong lane when rear facing, and you don't want it blocked by the mirror, so yes, a bit of experimenting is needed if you want to have the option to rotate it rearward. Also, I'm not sure that it is going to be an easy rotate that you can do while driving, since it will need reasonably accurate positioning, and I've heard that the rotation is a bit stiff, for anti-vibration reasons.

Well I do not know. For my taste, Starvis 2 2К beats FHD on the rear window day and night.

You don't tend to have any headlamps on the rear of your car, so it doesn't work at the back as well as it does at the front, and the HDR normally doesn't do much at all, but I would much rather have Starvis 2 than Starvis 1 at the rear. With Starvis 2 you can easily read the plate of the car behind using the light of your tail lamps, while with Starvis 1 you often need to put your brake lamps on to get enough light.

 

[Karagandinez]

Mtz does recommend having the Telephoto a little on the driver's side, so that the angle of the windscreen points it more at the oncoming lane. If you mount it like this then it will be pointing at the wrong lane when rear facing, and you don't want it blocked by the mirror, so yes, a bit of experimenting is needed if you want to have the option to rotate it rearward. Also, I'm not sure that it is going to be an easy rotate that you can do while driving, since it will need reasonably accurate positioning, and I've heard that the rotation is a bit stiff, for anti-vibration reasons.

I have experience installing additional cameras on the windshield.
It is not possible to change this mounting location. At least for me.

VIOFO A229 Pro / Video and Screenshots

you need to download it Download is too risky. Can you upload the raw file to YouTube? -Chuck

dashcamtalk.com

VIOFO A229 Pro / Video and Screenshots

you need to download it Download is too risky. Can you upload the raw file to YouTube? -Chuck

dashcamtalk.com