Looking at the images and videos from all of these resolution settings, here is how I would likely use the E360 camera:
For drive mode, I think I prefer the "standard" (non-fisheye) 2560x1440 or 1944x1440 resolutions the best. There are so many different combinations of cameras and resolutions to set, it is difficult to make systematic images and movies from each setting and not miss a setting somewhere. While these resolutions are not the highest available, these settings (to me) seem to provide the best level of detail for normal driving situations. When coupled with the wide angle view of the E360 camera (210 degrees) is really impressive coverage for all-around protection! Higher vertical resolutions seem to include more sky and more of my dash, neither of which add very much to the protection of your car under ordinary situations.
For parking mode, I think I would likely select the panoramic view. The stitching between cameras is really impressive. Depending on the setting and the lighting, sometimes you can see where the images were stitched together, other times not, but this isn't an issue for me, it's still really impressive technology.
Like all products, there is no single "best' product for all situations. This camera excels at exactly what its name promises: 360 degree coverage. It's a pretty cool effect and works great! A friend of mine has a Tesla and the E360 comes pretty close to my recollection of what those videos look like. Due to the curvature of the lenses in the E360, you tradeoff angle of coverage for absolute resolution and visual detail.
To see what this tradeoff is, I made two images from the exact same vantage point at the same time (I was stopped at a traffic light) with the Vantrue E360 and my Viofo A139Pro, each at their highest resolution setting.
Here is the Viofo A139Pro Front Camera, 837kb, 3840x1600 resolution, 6,144,000 pixels, 140 degree field of view:
Here is the image from the Vantrue E360 Front Camera 391kb, 2592x1944 resolution, 4,976,640 pixels, 210 degree field of view, made a few seconds later from exactly the same spot:
Given the greater vertical angle of coverage of the Vanture camera, it is difficult to make precise filesize comparisons for the above images because the Vantrue camera includes more sky and more dash (which are more uniform in color/texture and thus will compress more easily when a JPG image is created).
Overall, the Viofo image is a bit more clear while the Vantrue image shows a much wider angle of view. In an effort to more accurately compare the resolving power of each camera, I zoomed in on both images so the traffic light consumed about the same amount of screen width. This is definitely NOT an apples-to-apples comparison because of the obvious differences in lens curvature and corresponding angle of coverage of the respective cameras.
Below is a 200% zoom from the ViofoA139Pro at 3840x1600 resolution, 140 degree field of view, 27 pixels per horizontal degree of coverage:
Below is a 500% zoom from the Vantrue E360 at 2592x1944 resolution, 210 degree field of view, 12 pixels per horizontal degree of coverage:
Now, before you get too wrapped up in the details, recognize that the lettering that you can see on the traffic light in the two above images is WAY larger than the lettering that you'll find on license plates, so NEITHER camera does an awesome job at capturing plates beyond about 15-20 feet.
The advice that everyone has about reading aloud the license plate number following an incident on the road so it is captured on the audio of the recording is applicable to BOTH cameras. It is important to recognize that there is never a "best" for any product. This is the hallmark question from the newbie on every special interest forum (speakers, audio amplifiers, racing bikes, cars, etc) is "Which of these XYZ devices is the BEST?" This question cannot be answered without context. Best for what purpose? Best in which context? Best for accomplishing what goal? The details of use are an important factor in determining which product best fits a desired use case.
The Viofo A139Pro is a sharper camera (greater number of pixels per horizontal degree of coverage), but still fails to capture plates beyond a few car lengths away. It has a much more narrow field of view, though, and using it in parking mode will certainly NOT capture who dinged my door in a parking lot.
The Vantrue E360 is not as sharp, but provides TOTAL coverage of my car (greater angle of coverage from each camera). It will certainly capture enough detail to let me identify who whacked the side of my car while parked. I also like the wider angle of view that it provides, this is especially useful at 4-way intersections or on a busy multi-lane highway commute. This is better coverage, and potentially more useful coverage, of an accident that could happen from the side. The Vantrue E360 will show what my Viofo will not - The Viofo's angle of coverage out the front window (140 degrees) is a bit narrow for all situations that you might encounter.
I don't have any complaints about the E360 at all. It's a great camera. I want to do some parking mode comparison next.
