Vantrue N4S review

[Hack_man]

Vantrue supplied me with a N4S Dashcam for review and test. I appreciate that Vantrue is interested in both positive and critical discussions during the review.
They really want to "get it right" and take user feedback seriously.

It uses three SONY STARVIS 2 IMX 675 image sensors (front interior rear) with a resolution of 1944P for the front camera

Front+Inside+Rear:
1944P+1440P+1440P 30FPS
Front+Inside:
1944P+1944P 30FPS
Front+Rear:
1944P+1440P 30FPS
Front:
2592x1944P 30FPS

The N4S camera body is much wider than what I have been used to (relative to the VIOFO A229 Pro, Vantrue E350 or E1 Pro). It has a built in internal camera.

The buttons are very intuitive, to enter the menu settings after you power up, you just have to short press the record button once to pause recording and then short press the menu button to enter menu settings.
Scrolling thru the menu settings was very easy.

There is a huge difference in form factor between the E1 PRO (left in below photo) and the N4S (right in below photo)
The E1 PRO is a very competitively priced front-only camera as opposed to the 3 channel N4S

I completely agree with a post by @EricSan stating the magnetic mount (shown below) on the N4S is very difficult to remove once attached to the camera body. The magnet is VERY powerful and I decided not to yank any harder to release it.

Vanture included a nice batch of cable clips to aid installation

Two plastic mounts were included which attach either directly to the windshield or to the provided Electrostatic Stickers.

Included is a USB-C to USB-A cable for powering the camera on the bench or for computer data transfer

The rear camera has a really nice attached bracket which has excellent adjustability in two planes of motion.
The camera is specified to be waterproof for external mounting outside the car. This would be really nice on my car which has a ridiculously slanted rear window (and no wiper) which always collects raindrops and hinders the rear camera view.

Included was an extra rear camera mounting bracket with a slightly different and larger shape than what came attached to the rear camera.

They also included shrink wrap to make sure an externally mounted rear camera has a water tight cable connection

Last but not least is the car charger cable.

 

[Hack_man]

I noticed the operating high temperature spec for the N4S is a bit lower than some of the other cameras I have worked with.

Viofo A229 Pro ___ 150 F 65 C
Viofo A229 Plus___ 150 F 65 C
Vantrue E1 Pro ___ 158 F 70 C
Vantrue N4S______ 140 F 60 C

 

[Hack_man]

Dashcam footage to follow....

 

[EricSan]

I noticed the operating high temperature spec for the N4S is a bit lower

Did your N4S box include a manual? I don’t have one and didn’t see one on the website yet.

 

[Hack_man]

Did your N4S box include a manual? I don’t have one and didn’t see one on the website yet.

My N4S box included a Quickstart manual which had a QR code on the first page which linked to the download of the full user manual.
N4S specifications were on Pg 41 of the full user manual.
I could not find this manual on the Vantrue website.

 

[runtohell121]

Did your N4S box include a manual? I don’t have one and didn’t see one on the website yet.

It's possible that it doesn't come with one or the early units testers received just doesn't come with one, which happened before from my experience.

 

[viciouslancer]

Did your N4S box include a manual? I don’t have one and didn’t see one on the website yet.

Mine came with a manual. I'll see if I can digitize it for you 🙂

I'm still trying to figure out a good way to mount it, I partially wish it had a suction cup so it can be easily repositioned - I'm having a hard time avoiding the rear view mirror, sunvisor, car's lane-keep camera housing, windshield dots, rear brake light housing. Maybe I just need a different (larger) car lol - I have a 2016 Honda Civic Coupe Touring.

I would mount the rear externally, but I don't know how to keep it clean in rain/snow.

 

[Hack_man]

Mine came with a manual. I'll see if I can digitize it for you 🙂

I'm still trying to figure out a good way to mount it, I partially wish it had a suction cup so it can be easily repositioned - I'm having a hard time avoiding the rear view mirror, sunvisor, car's lane-keep camera housing, windshield dots, rear brake light housing. Maybe I just need a different (larger) car lol - I have a 2016 Honda Civic Coupe Touring.

I would mount the rear externally, but I don't know how to keep it clean in rain/snow.

I had the same mounting problem, mostly because I still have my A229 Pro mounted so that I can compare video footage between both cameras.
The problem, as you say, is avoiding all the obstacles you mentioned and not blocking windshield vision.

 

[kamkar]

Yeah real estate on the windscreen can soon go bye bye.
It would be easy if all just did the wedge shape, those i once had 5 systems on the windscreen, and most of them covered pretty much by my roof mounted mirror. ( mind you a fe of them was single channel wedges so quite small systems )

But the creative shapes often throw a spanner in the works, i have just installed a T800 from 70mai in my car and though it is conventional wedge shaped, well the interior camera just film the front side of the mirror even if it is offset towards the driver side, so like when i tested the excellent N5 from Vantrue i removed my mirror at least for a while / few months to get some of that footage in.

 

[EricSan]

My N4S box included a Quickstart manual which had a QR code on the first page

Ha- duh, just found it - thanks for that!

I would mount the rear externally, but I don't know how to keep it clean in rain/snow.

My Volvo S60 has a bit of a lip on below the trunk lid where it transitions to the vertical area where the license plate is mounted. It could be mounted externally there, just above the rear plate, but then I would have to undo the trim piece for the external trunk release to run the cable there. The cable is thick enough that the trim piece wouldn't seat flat and flush anymore, so I'm a little concerned about water intrusion as a result. I think this mounting option will be highly dependent upon the specifics of your vehicle.

Yeah real estate on the windscreen can soon go bye bye.

Starting to notice this with just two cameras on the front window now...

 

[kamkar]

Well if you have a modern car, it probably have a sensor island, that take up the room of 2 - 3 dashcams.
I am fortunate my little stupid JAP mini car have so much room, and the smartest in it aside for myself is the ABS system.

 

[Hack_man]

I've learned something thanks to Vantrue's support.

When I first setup the N4S, I changed the default 1440P resolution to 1944P because I naturally figured higher resolution was always better.
But when I looked at the images they looked distorted.
The video I took at a resolution of 2592x1944 had strange proportions - the truck below looks very oddly shaped. Turns out it's got to do with the associated 4:3 aspect ratio.
I took another video using the default resolution of 2560X1440 which has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and it looked fine.

Below is a picture of my truck with a resolution of 1944P
The proportions are off.

Here is the same shot with a resolution of 1440P and now it looks fine.

What is even more interesting is the 1944 resolution actually seemed to be worse for reading text and look how stretched the sign is (next image).

This sign looked much better using a resolution of 1440P (next image)
I've also noticed I have to adjust the CPL filter better to eliminate some of the speaker reflections.
I'm not seeing what is the benefit using a 2592X1944 Resolution since it uses a slightly higher bit rate, looks more distorted, and I am less able to read the sign. Now I think I understand why the default resolution was 1440P.

 

[Hack_man]

I'm comparing my 4K Viofo A229 Pro (3840 x 2160P 4K) to the Vantrue N4S (2560 x 1440P Quad HD). It's not a truly fair comparison since they use different image sensors and resolutions but I was surprised how close they looked. I was traveling at 38 MPH. Neither camera could read the oncoming traffic plates but both could make out the street sign on the right.


VIOFO A229 Pro traveling 38 MPH

Vantrue N4S

VIOFO A229 PRO

VANTRUE N4S

 

[EricSan]

I'm not seeing what is the benefit using a 2592X1944 Resolution since it uses a slightly higher bit rate, looks more distorted, and I am less able to read the sign. Now I think I understand why the default resolution was 1440P.

I noticed this very same thing, and posted a similar set of images here.

I'm not sure of the value of the 1944P maximum resolution, so I've set my camera to 1440P instead. You can "stretch" the 1944P from 4:3 to 16:9 with some video players, but the extra resolution doesn't seem to translate into better clarity.

The Vantrue colors are a bit more saturated than the ones from Viofo. I see the same with a comparison to my Viofo A139Pro.

 

[Hack_man]

I noticed this very same thing, and posted a similar set of images here.

I'm not sure of the value of the 1944P maximum resolution, so I've set my camera to 1440P instead. You can "stretch" the 1944P from 4:3 to 16:9 with some video players, but the extra resolution doesn't seem to translate into better clarity.

The Vantrue colors are a bit more saturated than the ones from Viofo. I see the same with a comparison to my Viofo A139Pro.

I think the reason Vantrue provided the 2592x1944P setting is to support devices that natively display the 4:3 aspect ratio, like old computer monitors and TV's.
I'll try to find out......

 

[Hack_man]

I heard back from Vantrue regarding why there is a 2592 x1944P setting even though it slightly distorts the image due to the 4:3 aspect ratio.

"The 1944P (2592x1944) resolution setting is mainly provided to maximize the performance of the image sensor and processor. The SONY Starvis 2 IMX675 sensor we’re using has a native resolution of 1944P, so offering this option allows users to take full advantage of the chip’s capabilities without wasting any imaging potential.

While it’s true that 4:3 aspect ratios may not look as natural on widescreen displays, some users still prefer the higher vertical resolution for capturing more detail — especially for traffic lights, tall vehicles, or overhead signs.

Of course, users can always switch to 2.5K if they prefer a more traditional widescreen view."

 

[Vortex Radar]

"and we get bigger numbers in our marketing material! More P's and K's is better!" 🙂

To be fair though, what they're saying is true regarding the sensor's native resolution and capability. Sony themselves even recommend 2592x1944 as the recording resolution for the IMX675. That said, I do think many people may prefer a more familiar aspect ratio and/or not bothering wasting time recording the dash and sky.

 

[EricSan]

Ha, I was thinking it was a “more is clearly better” kinda thing to take advantage of the total resolution of the image censor. After looking at the videos, I prefer the 1440P settings. Funny, though, the lower vertical resolution isn’t a crop of the image from the sensor, it’s the same image with less vertical resolution and a more normal aspect ratio.

 

[haiou_f]

Hello, can you compare the differences between the N4S and A229 Pro at night

 

[Hack_man]

Hello, can you compare the differences between the N4S and A229 Pro at night

Yes that is definitely on my list. The challenge is it gets dark so late this time of year so I'll have to work a late night trip into the schedule.
Ice cream run!