Horrible Image Noise on Front Cam - Is this Normal?

[CharlieG]

I'm hoping someone can help me, I feel like I have something wrong in settings. This doesn't look like the 4k videos from reviewers on youtube at all.

Take a look at the photos below. Do I have a bad camera or is this what I should expect quality wise? This looks like video from my 2007 canon point and shoot digicam.

This is my first dashcam and I the only 4k comparison I have for video are smartphones and my GoPro, both of which can put this thing to shame. I wouldn't expect this to match that quality, but I thought it would come closer than it does. These stills are from H265 Max bitrate, but the issue is still prevalent in H.264 (i just have to watch the vids in VLC because Viofo's encoding doesn't work on Macs). I am viewing on a 4k screen as well.

The screenshots below were taken in native resolution. I have shots that are both moving and not moving. The shot with the Acura SUV turning close to my hood was taken stopped at a light, and the others is while turning. I am uploading JPG @90% compression, but I also have PNG in the dropbox folder below. They look about the same. The rear camera looks much BETTER than the front (though it's lower resolution). I do not see the noise in the rear that I do in the front.

Notice the noise all over everything, the trees, the car turning in front, the road, grass, everything looks like ISO 3200 at sundown.

Settings and Setup

• A129 Pro Duo, Hardwired with 3 wire kit from Viofo and installed via fuse taps.
• All connections were soldered and then covered in marine heat shrink. Ground is connected to the body and measures less than 2 ohms to negative battery terminal.
• 128GB SanDisk High Endurance for these shots, also have a Sandisk evo plus in the same size. Both U3 and formatted in the camera. I also tried the SDformatter utility in overwrite mode (gonna DL that footage later today)
• CPL Filters front and back, oriented correctly.
• Max Resolution Front and Back
• H.265 Max Bitrate
• Wifi Off (front video measures at 50 Mbits/sec to be sure)
• Front +1/3 EV, rear 0 EV
• Mounted using included mounts, windshield is not tinted and was cleaned meticulously including a new microfiber and IPA to finish it.
• No WDR
• I can't think of any other settings that would be pertinent

Now onto the fun stuff, please click the pics and then choose fullscreen if you want the largest resolution.

Dropbox Link to raw files: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uwprk27nphb4jh6/AAAUhnrktVtGWtTKck2ANOQ8a?dl=0

Stopped

Turning / Moving

Bonus in H.264 with no CPL, looks a bit better but still grainy.

 

[jokiin]

a bit grainy, heavy overcast day will have an impact on the results though

 

[CharlieG]

Here is a sunny day. Still noisy though. I may be expecting too much. Sometimes I wonder why GoPro doesn't just make a dashcam!

You may not have viewed them full screen. This is the issue that I am concerned about. This isn't zoomed, it's just a crop. The lady is 8-10 feet from the dashcam...

 

[Nigel]

I suggest using EV 0, and a higher bitrate, the bitrate on the video file you included is only 35Mb/s, rather low for 4K.

I posted some of my framegrabs to show what it can do here:

Viofo A129 Pro Dual Dashcam - 4K Front + 1080 Rear

Viofo A129 Pro Dual Dashcam - 4K Front + 1080 Rear The dash camera we have been waiting for, a 4K version of our favorite A129 Duo that records real 4K at a decent bitrate, and works at night! There are a few people with early versions of this camera now, so here is a thread to post your videos...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[CharlieG]

I suggest using EV 0, and a higher bitrate, the bitrate on the video file you included is only 35Mb/s, rather low for 4K.

I posted some of my framegrabs to show what it can do here:

Viofo A129 Pro Dual Dashcam - 4K Front + 1080 Rear

Viofo A129 Pro Dual Dashcam - 4K Front + 1080 Rear The dash camera we have been waiting for, a 4K version of our favorite A129 Duo that records real 4K at a decent bitrate, and works at night! There are a few people with early versions of this camera now, so here is a thread to post your videos...

dashcamtalk.com

Now I am confused? The youtube video or the one in the dropbox folder? Oh yeah that was a sunny day video. Let me get the one with the car driving by... I will edit this post once it uploads. The sunny video was taken a day or two ago on High Bitrate

 

[jokiin]

You may not have viewed them full screen. This is the issue that I am concerned about. This isn't zoomed, it's just a crop. The lady is 8-10 feet from the dashcam...

I viewed it full screen, I have a native 4K monitor also, I did see the issue you are referring to, your sunny day video looks a lot better, even though it's a difficult scene for any camera

 

[CharlieG]

Here is the video at the light. Also is your motion blur like this? Or is that a cloudy day thing too? It probably doesn't help that my main screen is a 43" 4k monitor that I sit two feet away from. I see every tiny detail! I am going to airplay this to my TV later tonight and see it there.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/593p7r3hb2h87ra/NEW%20-%20Stopped%20at%20Light.mp4?dl=1

 

[CharlieG]

I suggest using EV 0, and a higher bitrate, the bitrate on the video file you included is only 35Mb/s, rather low for 4K.

I posted some of my framegrabs to show what it can do here:

Viofo A129 Pro Dual Dashcam - 4K Front + 1080 Rear

Viofo A129 Pro Dual Dashcam - 4K Front + 1080 Rear The dash camera we have been waiting for, a 4K version of our favorite A129 Duo that records real 4K at a decent bitrate, and works at night! There are a few people with early versions of this camera now, so here is a thread to post your videos...

dashcamtalk.com

Thanks for the link!

I will update the EV. I looked at your videos and stills and they are as crispy as fried chicken! Although taken in mid-day sun!. Your driving at sunset pictures showed the same artifacts as mine. I live in a city which is as cloudy as Seattle unfortunately (near Lake Michigan, Great Lakes Region).

That video was taken a couple of days ago, before I increased the bitrate. I thought compared to other dashcams 35 Mb/s was pretty high though?

I viewed it full screen, I have a native 4K monitor also, I did see the issue you are referring to, your sunny day video looks a lot better, even though it's a difficult scene for any camera

Do you mean challenging because of the mix of sun and shadows?

 

[jokiin]

Do you mean challenging because of the mix of sun and shadows?

roads lined with trees with no leaves is a lot of info to encode, think yours isn't up to task you should see the mess a Blackvue turns that type of scene into

 

[Nigel]

Here is the video at the light. Also is your motion blur like this? Or is that a cloudy day thing too? It probably doesn't help that my main screen is a 43" 4k monitor that I sit two feet away from. I see every tiny detail! I am going to airplay this to my TV later tonight and see it there.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/593p7r3hb2h87ra/NEW%20-%20Stopped%20at%20Light.mp4?dl=1

Your conversion to jpg is not quite correct, here is my version:

 

[Nigel]

Your driving at sunset pictures showed the same artifacts as mine. I live in a city which is as cloudy as Seattle unfortunately (near Lake Michigan, Great Lakes Region).

That video was taken a couple of days ago, before I increased the bitrate. I thought compared to other dashcams 35 Mb/s was pretty high though?

In lower light it does prioritise shutter speed to keep the motion blur low and loses perfection in the detail, it is optimized for dashcam use, not movie making.
Like jokiin suggests, the 25Mb/s of Blackvue and Thinkware is far worse, but I think the grainy issue in the darker detail is not much to do with bitrate but a result of keeping shutter speed high and as a result not having enough dynamic range. Not sure if that is affected by EV or not, with my conversion it doesn't look so bad, although it is clearly still there.

 

[CharlieG]

Your conversion to jpg is not quite correct, here is my version:

I just screenshot the screen while paused using SnagIt. Do you use an export utility of some sort?

 

[Nigel]

I just screenshot the screen while paused using SnagIt. Do you use an export utility of some sort?

Then your playback is probably wrong. What video player are you using?

 

[jokiin]

I just screenshot the screen while paused using SnagIt. Do you use an export utility of some sort?

if you use VLC and take a screenshot it will save a full res image, even if you are viewing at a lower resolution

 

[CharlieG]

Then your playback is probably wrong. What video player are you using?

VLC or QuickTime. VLC I forgot I had a brightness bump on.

 

[Nigel]

If it is an old VLC then it might be worth an update, it used to get the darker levels wrong.

 

[CharlieG]

If it is an old VLC then it might be worth an update, it used to get the darker levels wrong.

That’s a great point. Everything is updated though. I got some full sun and night footage this weekend though! I’m looking forward to reviewing it. Will post updates but probably Monday. Hope all is well across the pond. I Appreciate your help!

 

[CharlieG]

This is just getting worse... This is in broad daylight. Should I remove my CPL? Could it be focusing on the hood? I have the sound absorbing glass that comes in all Yuon Denali's and Escalades, but I know lots of people in these trucks have dashcams. I am at a loss and pretty disappointed... I also have a heads up display, but this isn't anywhere near that.

 

[CharlieG]

Direct Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zsgw0ymlggehxce/daylight 2.jpg?dl=0

 

[Nigel]

Looking straight into the sun with strong shadows and trying to see detail on the back of black coloured vehicles is the most challenging situation for any camera. You seem to have the same issue as I had on my "into the sun" example, but a bit worse. It would be interesting to see an image with good lighting conditions so that we can judge if yours is actually worse or if it was just the situation it was in. Like I said before, it is optimised for dashcam use, it is trying to collect as much detail in the shadows on the black vehicles as possible, not attempting to get the best photographic quality, give it easier conditions and it will do better...

Did you set EV to 0?