I have second thoughts about what this dash cam can do.

[Hgv]

I purchased two days ago the viofo 139 pro , which according to many , has very good video quality .
I am not satisfied at all . I am watching the footage and the night footage is not as expected.
I tried filming a 15 min drive today to see how it compares to my samsung zflip3 mobile device.
Both videos have been copied to my laptop . Both have been played with vlc player.
The microsd card is kingston u10 v3 256GB .
The video from the smartphone is by far more detailed and crisp, the frames are the same 30 the resolution is 1440 x 1440 the bitrate 15 to 20 mbps.

The settings of the viofo 139 pro , are the initial and the resolution 4k @ 30 frames per second.

I was expecting better video quality from this dash cam , as it has the newest sensor, and moreover it is a product (dashcam) designed especially for this kind of task.

Any comments? I am wondering what is wrong.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I purchased two days ago the viofo 139 pro , which according to many , has very good video quality .
I am not satisfied at all . I am watching the footage and the night footage is not as expected.
I tried filming a 15 min drive today to see how it compares to my samsung zflip3 mobile device.
Both videos have been copied to my laptop . Both have been played with vlc player.
The microsd card is kingston u10 v3 256GB .
The video from the smartphone is by far more detailed and crisp, the frames are the same 30 the resolution is 1440 x 1440 the bitrate 15 to 20 mbps.

The settings of the viofo 139 pro , are the initial and the resolution 4k @ 30 frames per second.

I was expecting better video quality from this dash cam , as it has the newest sensor, and moreover it is a product (dashcam) designed especially for this kind of task.

Any comments? I am wondering what is wrong.

Can you please upload the sample footage from the A139 Pro so we can see what you're talking about.

 

[Ralph2]

I would hope the camera from your samsung zflip3 would be better than any.. and much cheaper dash cam.

 

[v81]

Should not even be comparing dash cam footage with video recorded by a mobile.

I had this discussion with my father when he compared his 129 footage with a previous dashcam.
The colour, balance, definition and range were in cinematic regards worse than the old camera...
... but the new camera was able to pull detail out of shadows and numberplate were much easier to make out in all conditions.

When judging footage consider the purpose of the camera, just not looking pretty is not a problem.

I'm no expert reviewer but here are my thoughts.
Judge viewing angle
Can you see activity in heavily shaded areas on a bright day?
Can you make out what's happening in the remainder of the frame when direct sunlight blows out a portion of the image.
How readily can you make out number plates and/or identifying features, road signs etc?

Judge it as a camera that will capture the details that are important to tell your story if/when something goes wrong, not as a camera for making a feature film.
The tuning of the sensor and software is different to the tuning other cameras receive.

 

[Hgv]

I would hope the camera from your samsung zflip3 would be better than any.. and much cheaper dash cam.

Well it seems that no-one is comparing dash cams to smartphones on youtube so that one can see what the expectations should be. if the viofo 139 is the best , I guess I had wrong expectations . samsung flip3 it is not only better , it is by far superior. now I cant use this phone as a dashcam , but I did expect at least the same quality .

 

[Hgv]

Should not even be comparing dash cam footage with video recorded by a mobile.

I had this discussion with my father when he compared his 129 footage with a previous dashcam.
The colour, balance, definition and range were in cinematic regards worse than the old camera...
... but the new camera was able to pull detail out of shadows and numberplate were much easier to make out in all conditions.

When judging footage consider the purpose of the camera, just not looking pretty is not a problem.

I'm no expert reviewer but here are my thoughts.
Judge viewing angle
Can you see activity in heavily shaded areas on a bright day?
Can you make out what's happening in the remainder of the frame when direct sunlight blows out a portion of the image.
How readily can you make out number plates and/or identifying features, road signs etc?

Judge it as a camera that will capture the details that are important to tell your story if/when something goes wrong, not as a camera for making a feature film.
The tuning of the sensor and software is different to the tuning other cameras receive.

I had them both filming at the same time . The one built for this purpose . The smartphone not . I was expecting the built for this purpose camera to have much better performance. It was just a test. I watched the footage of the the dashcam first. And then I thought of filming with the smartphone, which by the way , is not a smartphone well known for its camera. The video is not super like my iphones . The signs , the reflections , the parts of the screen with shadows . Maybe I have something wrong with the settings . i dont know. both videos have been downloaded to my pc , and both played with vlc.

 

[v81]

I had them both filming at the same time . The one built for this purpose . The smartphone not . I was expecting the built for this purpose camera to have much better performance. It was just a test. I watched the footage of the the dashcam first. And then I thought of filming with the smartphone, which by the way , is not a smartphone well known for its camera. The video is not super like my iphones . The signs , the reflections , the parts of the screen with shadows . Maybe I have something not with the settings . i dont know. both videos have been downloaded to my pc , and both played with vlc.

So are you saying the phone pulled detail out relevant to traffic surveillance better than the dash cam?
Interesting, just out of curiosity can you safely run a test of the 2 side by side?
I'd expect the phone to do better regarding general picture quality, but at the same i also expect the dash cam to be better tuned for it's purpose.
You might be onto something curious here.

In all fairness still, you seem to be critical of the The Galaxy Z flip 3's camera.
Let's get you back some perspective here, it is an absolutely decent camera.
Is it the best camera a phone has ever had, maybe not, but it's probably in the top 20% of currently available phones, and phone cameras in general have been brilliant the last 5 years.

Here we're comparing the phone....
Primary sensor - Sony IMX563 sensor, 1/2.55" imaging unit with 12 MP and 1.4µm pixel size
Secondary sensor - Sony IMX258, 1/3.06" with 13MP (only 12MP actually used as implemented) 1.12µm pixels.
Along with modern Snapdragon 888 and powerful software processing (it's fairly common place to use both cameras to generate images with heavy software assistance).
All most likely extraordinarily expensive gear under normal circumstances, but with the economy of scale still able to be built for not much more than a dash cam.

With the dash camera....
Sony IMX678 sensor, 1/1.8" imaging unit, with 8.3MP and 2 μm pixel size.
No secondary and minimal to nill processing off the sensor.
Built without the economy of scale that Samsung have for their fold.


I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the phone might win here.
You comparing an affordable dashcam with a phone that costs twice as much, has a bootload more processing power and can sample light from 2 independent image sensors.


Still I'm interested to see what you're seeing, so please if you can, go ahead and run them side by side and upload a pair of clips to youtube (or even better, Odsyee).

In my experience i've seen dashcam footage to be sometimes uglier than a phone, but often tuned for the task with a wider field of view and a deeper depth of field.

 

[Hgv]

So are you saying the phone pulled detail out relevant to traffic surveillance better than the dash cam?
Interesting, just out of curiosity can you safely run a test of the 2 side by side?
I'd expect the phone to do better regarding general picture quality, but at the same i also expect the dash cam to be better tuned for it's purpose.
You might be onto something curious here.

In all fairness still, you seem to be critical of the The Galaxy Z flip 3's camera.
Let's get you back some perspective here, it is an absolutely decent camera.
Is it the best camera a phone has ever had, maybe not, but it's probably in the top 20% of currently available phones, and phone cameras in general have been brilliant the last 5 years.

Here we're comparing the phone....
Primary sensor - Sony IMX563 sensor, 1/2.55" imaging unit with 12 MP and 1.4µm pixel size
Secondary sensor - Sony IMX258, 1/3.06" with 13MP (only 12MP actually used as implemented) 1.12µm pixels.
Along with modern Snapdragon 888 and powerful software processing (it's fairly common place to use both cameras to generate images with heavy software assistance).
All most likely extraordinarily expensive gear under normal circumstances, but with the economy of scale still able to be built for not much more than a dash cam.

With the dash camera....
Sony IMX678 sensor, 1/1.8" imaging unit, with 8.3MP and 2 μm pixel size.
No secondary and minimal to nill processing off the sensor.
Built without the economy of scale that Samsung have for their fold.


I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the phone might win here.
You comparing an affordable dashcam with a phone that costs twice as much, has a bootload more processing power and can sample light from 2 independent image sensors.


Still I'm interested to see what you're seeing, so please if you can, go ahead and run them side by side and upload a pair of clips to youtube (or even better, Odsyee).

In my experience i've seen dashcam footage to be sometimes uglier than a phone, but often tuned for the task with a wider field of view and a deeper depth of field.

Thank you for the very interesting opinion. I have posted in the viofo 139 subforum samples. It is the original . Take a look .
All the marketing that I read , I see , this processor xxx that sensor xxxx, we have an advantage , it all comes down to nothing much.
And ? If the dashcam cannot compare to a smartphone then to my opinion a dashcam is not worth the 300 euros. I d rather go for the basic, since the marginal better picture quality or maybe parking modes , is much less than the marginal cost which is x4 A400 60€ as opposed to 300 euros. These r my first thoughts.

Have a look, and we ll discuss further. Thank you very much , I appreciate it.

If I could, I would have returned it ASAP. ( **edited I should be the only buyer in Greece so far and thought lets go for the best , even thought, it was not tested bu the local market at all.) something 1080p from a major company like the grm mini2 or 7mais and having 2 or 3 cameras installed would be my second choice. Or maybe a 129 plus duo for 1/2 of 300eur. And I would have no further expectations for what I pay. Makes sense?

Another point. As I am dissapointed , and I asked by the firm for advise instead of having answers from the firm ( no replies whatsoever) , I had to post on the internet , to get some opinions.

What about the live chat ? I press the live chat , and all I get is" send a message ( laugh) and we will get back to you ASAP".. I sent a message on live chat and I get a reply 36hours later in my mail with a standardized typical reply.

Ok , reg the specifications I finally understood that doesnt mean much , as far as the the picture is concerned, maybe an economical choice with descent video ,is the wisest choice here.

And then again,

At least I ll have the benefit of a good parking surveillance maybe?

I couldnt find a comparison of parking modes on youtube, so I cant tell the differences and the drawbacks.

I have been dissapointed as well.. High expectations.
Triggered mode OR time lapse OR low bitrate . I do want time lapse and triggered events in the same setting. it is intuitive.
It's intuitive that someone would expect , with a common sense, to have time lapse or low bitrate plus the events that have been recorded in normal rate, and indications to watch the events , and the rest of the timelapse footage , after that.

The parking mode should INFORM ME, for an event, and then , I ll check my car all around .

I mean ....should I check my car every time all around , each time after park to see if something happened because I prefer time lapse?
If a see something wrong with the car then if it is in time lapse , or low bit rate , I have to watch the entire video ? crazy . Makes no sense .Anyways .

*** Edited. I guess I am a beta tester after all. fantastic

Someone should make videos on you tube , to inform , regarding the drawbacks of each dashcam cam firm , regarding the functionality, and of dashcam market overall .

Anyway , please take some time to watch the footage , I would appreciate your feedback. Thanks

PS , I know ....I am complaining here.....whereas I should have someone by the firm to complain to or maybe someone explaining to me if the settings are wrong . Sorry for that.

 

[Hgv]

Another point is that I cant mount the 139 pro on the left side of the mirror. I really would prefer left side.. I would expect for example a 320 degrees rotation maybe? I only manage 220 degrees rotation (*** the viofo website says 290? Oh well , so not true.) Well around the mirror there is a huge dark area of 10 cm on each side . Well if I mount it upside down is the only way I can figure out in order the lens to be on the left side, but the the lens never look straight , actually they look to the sky as they dont rotate that much( ~)220.. Any ideas?

** next day edit . I guess not. Great.

 

[TonyM]

Viofo are a Chinese company. They have been on their national holiday, which is one reason why they do not reply immediately to your questions.

Some mobile phones, and some action cameras such as GoPro, are capable of very good quality, high resolution, high bitrate, image stabilised video. They can only do this for short periods of time before they overheat and they also fill up a memory card very quickly.

Dashcams are more like CCTV security cameras. They are designed to record continuously, perhaps for many hours inside a hot car. The bitrate is lower so you can fit more than just a few hours of recording onto a memory card. The image processing is tuned to recording evidence rather than looking attractive, so that often means high contrast and sharpening. Keeping the bitrate lower and operating at a lower temperature also helps with reliability.

Going back to your original comment,

I am not satisfied at all . I am watching the footage and the night footage is not as expected.

The A139 Pro has HDR turned on as default. In some cases that is better for capturing video evidence, but I would agree that it does not look nice, and perhaps it is not what some people would expect. You might be happier with the result if you turn HDR off.

 

[Hgv]

Thank you I ll try this .
I didn’t get any answer on the left side mount . I guess that’s out of question .

I m not interested , about the blows and whistles ( lane assist , and traffic signs and lights , and speeds and gps , and monitors.
My vehicle is full of it.

A must have was I crisp picture , A good parking mode , and preferably a mount out of the sight of the passenger, do the job quietly and reliably.

We r lost in specifications. Wrong choice .

 

[Hgv]

Thank you I ll try this .
I didn’t get any answer on the left side mount . I guess that’s out of question .

I m not interested , about the blows and whistles ( lane assist , and traffic signs and lights , and speeds and gps , and monitors.
My vehicle is full of it.

A must have was I crisp picture , A good parking mode , and preferably a mount out of the sight of the passenger, do the job quietly and reliably.

We r lost in specifications. Wrong choice .

The maturity level of the dashcam market Is low. I realise know. If I bought the newest sensor and the most suggested firm. I think that new entrants and big names , will make things more straightforward. I hope this market will catch the attention of the big names ( maybe already did) . I appreciated your thought and advice. Thanks.

 

[Michael23]

Hello,
Just a FWIW...
I do not require a dashcam with all the bells & whistles & costing many hundreds of dollars, rupees, quid or whatever.

I am very happy with my choice of 2 or 3 of the lower cost units that suit my needs.

Both the SENEO & AZDOME dashcams have many features that I never turn on or have use of.
Like Lane departure, voice control, wifi, parking mode..... etc.

But, GPS location, speed & direction, distance travelled are important, so I am lucky that both dashcams have those features built-in.
All for less than $100.00 AUD.

Image quality is excellent in both.....but like all dashcams, not so good at night on an UNLIT, out in the sticks, back road.
In city lighting both are very good.

Dunno what all the fuss is about.

Why not try some of the cheaper varieties? You can always send them back for a full refund.

Stay safe guys 'n' gals.

 

[speculatrix]

My Viofo was good during the day but terrible at night with lots of flare. then I realised I'd left the protective, and hard to see, clear film over the lens (because I'd fitted a circular polariser it made it harder to see). Was much better after removing!

 

[Droewors]

OP, you trippin'. I think the video quality is fantastic. What are you expecting?? Upload a sample video that you keep complaining about homeslice.