donburi
Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2021
- Messages
- 48
- Reaction score
- 51
- Location
- 47都道府県のどこか
- Country
- Japan
- Dash Cam
- Comtec ZDR055 Viofo A329 A119V3 Cellstar CS-93FH
※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.
※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.