Reviewing and Testing the Vantrue S1 Pro Max

[jsmith]

@EricSan

Here's my setup in the Honda... My Volvo doesn't have an area like yours due to being the previous generation. You can see the Vibrations in my sample video.

 

[EricSan]

@TonyM - thanks for confirming the power issue. Seems odd that you can't physically turn it off once collision detection mode is engaged.

@jsmith - I can see the vibration, I'm not getting that with my setup. Looking at your setup, you might be able to use one of the windshield cable mounts to secure the cable and lend some stability to the rear side of the camera.

 

[EricSan]

I played around with some rear camera polarizers today. There is a dedicated one for my Viofo A139 Pro rear camera, so I ordered two. I was expecting something thin and flexible for some reason (that I probably made up all on my own) and what arrived was more rigid than I thought:

It installed quickly and easily on the Viofo it was was intended for, but I had a bit more difficulty putting it on the S1 Pro Max rear camera because the rear lens protrudes out from the flat surface of the camera face. This means I needed to add a little bit of space to clear the curvature of the lens. A layer or two (that was fun!) of VHB provided just (barely) enough clearance to stick the polarizer. You can see it's bent just a bit. I wonder how long the VHB will hold up or if I'll need to add another layer for space.

Here is the result - it's not super elegant, but it's functional. A quick test before installation showed that it removed window glare. I'll see how it performs on my trip tomorrow.

 

[jsmith]

@TonyM - thanks for confirming the power issue. Seems odd that you can't physically turn it off once collision detection mode is engaged.

@jsmith - I can see the vibration, I'm not getting that with my setup. Looking at your setup, you might be able to use one of the windshield cable mounts to secure the cable and lend some stability to the rear side of the camera.

Cable is too thick and stiff to attach secure with windshield mounting clip..Not possible to remove the 2 Tier Mount and only use the single hinge either.

 

[EricSan]

Bummer - I don't have any other suggestions at this point...

 

[jsmith]

Bummer - I don't have any other suggestions at this point...

My Volvo is the previous gen and doesn't have the same brake light mount as pictured in your image. So regardless of vehicle I utilized, the setup would be the same, meaning both would suffer from vibrations. I surmise this will be 90% of users, too. That arm screws do loosen some over time, exacerbating the vibrations, too.

Given I have 3 front cameras and 2 rear in the Volvo, I've placed the N4S and S1 Pro Max in the other vehicle (2014 Honda) which now has 3 front and 3 back cameras LOL (Viofo A129 front + Rear).

 

[Julian23]

I've tightened those screws down securely already. They seem to loosen over time. My camera is mounted via the 3M to windshield.

I think the weight of the larger 4K camera is to blame..... Can you take a picture of your internal mount? Curious how you see no vibrations.

There seems to be some play within the hinge that can not be eliminated by tightening the screws.
Even with the one piece part it will have some movement. I might try to support it with a V shaped piece of metal and double sided tape.

 

[jsmith]

There seems to be some play within the hinge that can not be eliminated by tightening the screws.
Even with the one piece part it will have some movement. I might try to support it with a V shaped piece of metal and double sided tape.

https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/reviewing-and-testing-the-vantrue-s1-pro-max.53368/post-645661

Per my images and sample video, you are 100% right. I'm not sure what to do honestly, as removing the two piece hinge will create problems mounting the camera. It won't have flexibility and is too big to move downward without hitting rear windshield.

 

[kamkar]

I have never liked much when running several systems and one camera feature in another cameras footage.
This was / is fairly easy to do with wedge cameras, but then brands go creative and throw in alternative shapes and that will take up a Lot of real estate on the windscreen if you go by the no camera in footage rule.

Also in regard to this, you can go very spread out, but then with many systems today not supporting sideways adjustment of front cameras lens, well you aim can get to be very much off thanks to a curved windscreen.

So for instance most of the Vantrue N series, with their shape and asymmetrical placement of the front lens to a side, it literally take up the space of several " ideal " shaped systems

I have also for a while wondered, cameras have grown a bit due to the higher and higher performance, and this have most often been seen in wider systems, and i am wondering why have no one added the extra space needed in the thickness / dept instead, as i see it it do not matter much if a system protrude more or less in a car, unless it is put in front of a mirror that is already very close to the windscreen.

In my car i have like 20 - 25 CM from the windscreen to the front of my roof mounter mirror, so i could easy mount a system that is 10 CM tall - 3 CM wide and 15 CM deep, hell i think i would have room for a active water-cooled dashcam with a build in 120 mm radiator.

 

[jsmith]

I have never liked much when running several systems and one camera feature in another cameras footage.
This was / is fairly easy to do with wedge cameras, but then brands go creative and throw in alternative shapes and that will take up a Lot of real estate on the windscreen if you go by the no camera in footage rule.

Also in regard to this, you can go very spread out, but then with many systems today not supporting sideways adjustment of front cameras lens, well you aim can get to be very much off thanks to a curved windscreen.

So for instance most of the Vantrue N series, with their shape and asymmetrical placement of the front lens to a side, it literally take up the space of several " ideal " shaped systems

I have also for a while wondered, cameras have groen a bit due to the higher and higher performance, and this have most often been seen in wider systems, and i am wondering why have no one added the extra space needed in the thickness / dept instead, as i see it it do not matter much if a system protrude more or less in a car, unless it is put in front of a mirror that is already very close to the windscreen.

In my car i have like 20 - 25 CM from the windscreen to the front of my roof mounter mirror, so i could easy mount a system that is 10 CM tall - 3 CM wide and 15 CM deep, hell i think i would have room for a active water-cooled dashcam with a build in 120 mm radiator.

The wedge shape is a much better form factor. It is stable, not sensitive to vibrations, creates a clean look, and utilizes minimal space.

+1 on that Vote, too.

 

[kamkar]

I remember testing 1 channel wedge cameras, some times i had like 4 -5 beside each other on the windscreen, and not featuring in each others footage, but you did have to mount them with a few CM in between them to pull that off.

The excellent Vantrue E1 PRO i recon you could also put a few of beside each other and have them not film each other.

 

[EricSan]

The sun came back out after the rain storms this evening, so I made a quick trip to see how the new rear polarizers work. They aren't perfect (I still see some reflection and a bit of flare at the bottom on the Viofo), but there is clearly notable improvement. In both of the images directly below, the sun is directly in the frame, which will create maximum reflection conditions on the rear window. For $12 each and free delivery, they work well enough to have been worthwhile. I recently adjusted the exposure on the A139 Pro to darken it a little. Time to bring it back up now that I added the polarizer. The Viofo rear color/saturation is definitely enhanced with the added polarizer. I don't have a good before and after for each camera as it's too difficult to add/remove the polarizer to make a more direct comparison.

And here is another comparison point between the two cameras:

 

[dinkydong]

Does the s1 Max Pro supports a hybrid parking mode like the A329s where you can select a normal parking mode like motion detection for x no of hours and it will switch to a low power collision detection after that ?

 

[TonyM]

Does the s1 Max Pro supports a hybrid parking mode like the A329s where you can select a normal parking mode like motion detection for x no of hours and it will switch to a low power collision detection after that ?

No, it does not

 

[TonyM]

@EricSan

Here's my setup in the Honda... My Volvo doesn't have an area like yours due to being the previous generation. You can see the Vibrations in my sample video.

View attachment 82512

Have you tried closing up the bracket to see if that reduces the vibrations?

Here's how I have the rear camera installed in my car:

 

[opt1mus]

@EricSan

Here's my setup in the Honda... My Volvo doesn't have an area like yours due to being the previous generation. You can see the Vibrations in my sample video.

Are we sure that it is not the road ? Can you upload the front video from this ?

 

[jsmith]

Have you tried closing up the bracket to see if that reduces the vibrations?

Here's how I have the rear camera installed in my car:

View attachment 82548 View attachment 82549

I really hope you are using the clear anti static pad here... I can't tell whether you are or not. You've got the camera mounted on defrost lines.... Without anti static pad, if you ever remove the camera, the defrost lines are coming with. So fingers crossed the antistatic pad is being used.

 

[jsmith]

Are we sure that it is not the road ? Can you upload the front video from this ?

The front doesn't have an extendable base.... it mounts direct to windshield....

 

[TonyM]

I really hope you are using the clear anti static pad here... I can't tell whether you are or not. You've got the camera mounted on defrost lines.... Without anti static pad, if you ever remove the camera, the defrost lines are coming with. So fingers crossed the antistatic pad is being used.

I've never used an electrostatic sticker. I have already repositioned the camera to one side because I decided not to have the vertical defrost line down the middle of the video.

 

[kamkar]

I was wondering that aim.
My OCD would have been off the chart with footage like that.