[donburi] A329S Review

[donburi]

※This footage was recorded on public roads in Japan.
※I’m not very experienced with reviews, so I may say some odd things here and there—please forgive me.
※Machine translation is used.

I will evaluate this dashcam based on the following items:

[Recording field of view]

[Resolution & frame rate]

[Image correction (presence and strength of correction capabilities)]

[Audio quality]

[Startup speed]

[Overall daytime image balance]

[Daytime license plate readability (front/rear, oncoming vehicles)]

[Overall nighttime image balance]

[Nighttime license plate readability (front/rear)]

Recording Field of View
The field of view is the same as the A329 (not actually measured).
The interior camera is surprisingly wide‑angle, allowing you to clearly see what a person is doing if they approach your vehicle during a road‑rage incident.
The front camera and rear camera are inferior compared to the ZDR065.

Resolution & Frame Rate
You can select very high resolutions close to the maximum available on current dashcams:
Front 4K, Interior WQHD (2.5K), Rear WQHD (2.5K).
There are 30FPS and 60FPS modes, but 60FPS is only available in 1CH or 2CH mode.
3CH recording does not support 60FPS.
(Front + Rear or Front + Interior are the only combinations that allow 60FPS.)
Also, if HDR is enabled, 60FPS cannot be selected at any resolution.
Turning HDR off allows 4K60FPS on the front camera.

Enabling HDR in 3CH mode slightly reduces the bitrate, but even then, it is overwhelmingly higher than competing dashcams.
In 2CH 4K60FPS mode, the bitrate is significantly lower than in 1CH 4K60FPS mode.
In 1CH 4K60FPS mode, compression noise is barely noticeable, making it suitable for scenic recording.

Image Correction
HDR is available.
During daytime, HDR provides decent correction in scenes with strong contrast, such as exiting a tunnel.
However, there is a critical drawback: when driving with the sun behind you, HDR can cause oncoming vehicle license plates to appear doubled, making them unreadable.
This phenomenon also occurs with major manufacturers, so it is not unique to this model.

Overall, the naturalness of HDR correction (such as the smoothness of transitions) feels excellent.

Audio Quality
Recently, many dashcams seem to have worse audio quality compared to older models.
Considering that trend, the audio quality here is fairly good.
There is some distortion from compression noise, but overall the sound is clear.

Startup Speed
Startup is relatively slow at around 18 seconds in 3CH mode.
(ZDR065 is extremely fast, so I did not compare it.)

Overall Daytime Image Balance
The color tone is slightly warm, and the image looks close to what you actually see.
However, the white balance feels a bit unstable.
Compared to the A229 Pro, the A329S appears slightly brighter.
Still, compared to the well‑balanced A119 V3, which handles dark and bright areas gracefully, the A329S feels like it needs a bit more tuning.

Daytime License Plate Readability (Front, Oncoming Vehicles)
License plates of parked cars are reasonably readable.
Considering the field of view and other factors, I would place this model in the middle class among Viofo dashcams.
With the sun behind you, plates may appear slightly blurry—sometimes readable, sometimes not.
As mentioned earlier, HDR can cause doubling of oncoming vehicle plates, making them unreadable.

Daytime License Plate Readability (Rear, Oncoming Vehicles)
Parked car plates are reasonably readable.
Backlit plates may appear slightly blurry—sometimes readable, sometimes not.
As with the front camera, HDR can cause doubling when driving with the sun behind you, making oncoming plates unreadable.

Overall Nighttime Image Balance
Brightness in urban areas is standard.
In areas with few streetlights, the image is dark.

However, when headlights are turned off, the image is not very bright.
For some reason, enabling HDR on the rear camera makes the image darker—this did not happen with other Viofo models, so it seems to be an issue specific to the A329S.
Considering the potential of the image sensor, the tuning feels suboptimal (inferior to the IMX335‑equipped A119 V3).

Nighttime License Plate Readability (Front)
When headlights are not shining directly on the plate, it is readable.
When headlights reflect on the plate, overexposure is well‑controlled, and the plate remains readable.

Nighttime License Plate Readability (Rear)
Readability is generally good and matches the resolution.
However, the darkening caused by HDR makes plates slightly harder to read.

Final Thoughts

As a high‑end model, the A329S delivers performance worthy of its class.
However, despite using IMX678 (front) and IMX675 (rear), there are situations where it performs worse than the A119 V3 (IMX335).
License plate readability is excellent for both front and rear (except for daytime oncoming vehicles affected by HDR).

The main drawbacks are:

Rear camera becomes darker when HDR is enabled

Startup time is significantly slower compared to other Viofo models

With more refined image tuning, it could be even better.
If used with EV‑1 (to avoid shutter speed and HDR issues), it should perform well.

Thank you very much for reading my review.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Nice work @donburi

1.) What are your biggest PROS & CONS with A329S 3CH (2025)?

2.) What improvements would you like to see for the next model?

3.) Can you tell us more about the consumer dash cam market in Japan?

4.) What percentage of average Japanese motorists purchase aftermarket dash cams for “personal use” (not professional / commercial use)?

5.) Do most Japanese motorists purchase dash cams online, or at local electronics stores?

6.) Do most Japanese motorists install their own dash cam, or do they pay extra for professional installation?

7.) What brands of dash cams are sold in local electronics stores?

8.) In 1980’s USA the best consumer electronic brands were Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp, Sanyo, Hitachi, Aiwa, etc.
Are there currently any good “Made in Japan” dash cam brands being sold domestically in Japan?

9.) Does Japan allow UBER / LYFT ride share platforms?
Or does Japan only allow Official Taxi Cabs?

10.) What are the basic privacy laws concerning dash cams in Japan?
Are you allowed to upload / share any footage recorded in public without any censorship like USA?
Are you allowed to submit recorded footage to prove your innocence to Police / Court of Law / Insurance Company?

11.) Have you seen Sutekina Sen Taxi (2014) 素敵な選
It’s how I learned why Japanese Taxi Cabs are so special 🤣

Sorry I have so many questions, but I’m really interested in dash cams, and I think you’re the only DCT Member in Japan.
Maybe it would be appropriate to start a new thread for these additional questions 3-11?
-Chuck

 

[donburi]

Nice work @donburi

1.) What are your biggest PROS & CONS with A329S 3CH (2025)?

2.) What improvements would you like to see for the next model?

3.) Can you tell us more about the consumer dash cam market in Japan?

4.) What percentage of average Japanese motorists purchase aftermarket dash cams for “personal use” (not professional / commercial use)?

5.) Do most Japanese motorists purchase dash cams online, or at local electronics stores?

6.) Do most Japanese motorists install their own dash cam, or do they pay extra for professional installation?

7.) What brands of dash cams are sold in local electronics stores?

8.) In 1980’s USA the best consumer electronic brands were Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp, Sanyo, Hitachi, Aiwa, etc.
Are there currently any good “Made in Japan” dash cam brands being sold domestically in Japan?

9.) Does Japan allow UBER / LYFT ride share platforms?
Or does Japan only allow Official Taxi Cabs?

10.) What are the basic privacy laws concerning dash cams in Japan?
Are you allowed to upload / share any footage recorded in public without any censorship like USA?
Are you allowed to submit recorded footage to prove your innocence to Police / Court of Law / Insurance Company?

11.) Have you seen Sutekina Sen Taxi (2014) 素敵な選
It’s how I learned why Japanese Taxi Cabs are so special 🤣

Sorry I have so many questions, but I’m really interested in dash cams, and I think you’re the only DCT Member in Japan.
Maybe it would be appropriate to start a new thread for these additional questions 3-11?
-Chuck

I apologize for the delayed reply.

1.
The biggest advantage is that it can record a wide area (especially the interior camera) in high resolution.
The biggest disadvantage is that the performance of the image sensor is not fully utilized (such as the optimization of shutter speed).

2.
I hope the main unit (front camera) can be made smaller—around the size of the A129 series.
The reason is that the A329 installed in my car is mounted behind the rearview mirror, and the clearance is extremely tight (just barely not touching the mirror). When I used the A129 Pro, I never felt it was too large, so I think it would be great if the unit were more compact.
Regarding the voice control function, I feel it should adopt a two‑step system like Garmin’s dashcams (first activate voice control, then speak the command) to prevent accidental activation (turning recording on or off unintentionally). I have personally experienced issues caused by misoperation, so I keep the feature turned off because it worries me.

3.
In the Japanese market, wide‑angle dashcams tend to be preferred.
Most Japanese users are satisfied once they install a dashcam and rarely maintain it afterward, so many dashcams sold in Japan include a “format‑free function.”
The format‑free function creates predetermined file blocks and overwrites recorded data within them, preventing SD card fragmentation and reducing the need for regular formatting (though it does not eliminate the need entirely).
Brightness at night is also considered important, while resolution is not emphasized as much.
The order of importance generally goes: recording field of view, nighttime brightness, resolution, and presence/absence of the format‑free function.

4.
According to what I found, about 60–70% of dashcams are purchased for personal use.
Meanwhile, around 90% of vehicles such as trucks, taxis, and large buses are equipped with dashcams.

5.
Some people choose manufacturer‑installed options, some buy online, and others purchase from electronics retailers.
People who are not interested in cars or who are not comfortable with machines often buy from electronics stores and have the installation done there as well.

6.
From what I’ve seen among family and through online searches, most people install a dealer‑option dashcam when buying a new car, or they bring an aftermarket dashcam to the dealer or an automotive accessories shop for installation.
In Japan, most people install dashcams not because they are interested in them, but for peace of mind and to have evidence in case of an incident.
Car enthusiasts or people knowledgeable about machines—such as former system engineers—tend to install them by themselves.

7.
Major brands include Comtec, Kenwood, Yupiteru, Cellstar, and Pioneer.
Here are the URLs for each manufacturer:
Comtec: https://www.e-comtec.co.jp/recorder/
Kenwood: https://www.kenwood.com/jp/car/drive-recorders/
Yupiteru: https://www.yupiteru.co.jp/products/drive_recorder/
Cellstar: https://www.cellstar.co.jp/products/recorder/
Pioneer: https://jpn.pioneer/ja/carrozzeria/recorder_sd/?ref=header

8.
Most manufacturers claim their products are made in Japan, but in reality, the design is done in Japan while production is mainly in China, and sometimes Taiwan or Korea.
There are likely no dashcams that are completely made in Japan. (Cellstar reportedly assembles in Japan, but it’s unclear whether the components themselves are Japanese.)
If I had to choose, I feel Comtec is superior.

9.
Ride‑share platforms are permitted. An app called GO appears to have gained significant market share.

10.
There are no particular legal restrictions. However, as in any country, persistently recording a specific person without permission may constitute a violation of privacy.
Dashcam footage may be used by the police, insurance companies, or courts.
There have been cases where dashcam footage was shown in court, accepted as evidence, and resulted in a guilty verdict.

11.
I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen that movie.
Currently, the main vehicles used as taxis are the Toyota Comfort (the most common), Toyota JPN Taxi, Toyota Sienta, and occasionally the Nissan Cedric.
Individual taxi owners use a variety of vehicle models.
The following YouTube channel mainly features collections of taxi accident footage:

https://youtube.com/channel/UC1_P4H8OxYHL9N6YFR68V3Q?si=t8fOAcp9q7E-NEQM

 

[Chuck McCoy]

2.
I hope the main unit (front camera) can be made smaller—around the size of the A129 series.
The reason is that the A329 installed in my car is mounted behind the rearview mirror, and the clearance is extremely tight (just barely not touching the mirror). When I used the A129 Pro, I never felt it was too large, so I think it would be great if the unit were more compact.

I believe the reason for making A229 & A329S Series camera case slightly larger than A129 Series is to dissipate more heat.
If you test E1 Pro you’ll know what I mean.
The smaller the camera case the hotter it will operate because it can’t dissipate heat fast enough.
Maybe one day we'll get a 5CH Box Unit.
The box can be remote mounted, and just 5 small cameras on the windows.

Regarding the voice control function, I feel it should adopt a two‑step system like Garmin’s dashcams (first activate voice control, then speak the command) to prevent accidental activation (turning recording on or off unintentionally). I have personally experienced issues caused by misoperation, so I keep the feature turned off because it worries me.

Yes, we've been asking for a Guard Phrase since 2023.
Example: "OK VIOFO, Lock The Video"

According to what I found, about 60–70% of dashcams are purchased for personal use.
Meanwhile, around 90% of vehicles such as trucks, taxis, and large buses are equipped with dashcams.

Wow, that’s sounds much higher than USA.
When I’m out driving around I would say only 20% of cars have aftermarket dash cams installed.
But commercial vehicles like big trucks, and busses is around 75%.
And UBER / LYFT Rideshare is 100%

Thank you for all the good info.
I might make a separate thread just for this info about the Japanese Dash Cam Market.
-Chuck