VIOFO A119 x2 vs. A129 Duo

Photolunatic

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Dash Cam
Viofo A119v1 > A129D > A119v3
Hi everyone!

Since 2016 I am using VIOFO A119 as a front camera. I really like it, as it works without any issues and VIOFO constantly improves the firmware. Not many companies are adding new functions (parking mode) after releasing the product to the market.

The biggest issue for me is the quality of the lens coatings (or lack of them?) as sun glare and flares in some conditions make the whole scene completely unreadable.

Currently, I am thinking what camera should I place on the rear.
I was going through many options, including action cameras but I feel that they are not built for this job.

On one point, I wanted to buy A119S as it claimed better night vision (my rear window is tinted). However, the sample videos I have seen do not convince me to pursue the purchase.

Now, as the A129 was released, the subject came back.
  1. Shall I invest in A129 and replace A119 or should I keep A119 and purchase the second A119 for the back (or you would recommend another model/ brand/ configuration)?
  2. How A129 lenses behave in tough conditions? Are they any better than A119?
  3. Is an A129 a generally better product than A119?
  4. Prons and cons of 1440 vs 1080. I kinda like the idea that 1080p will stress memory card less and transferring/storing smaller files is a big plus for me but what about the quality of the picture?

Thanks for stopping by.
I can't wait to hear your opinions.


Toyota-Auris_Touring_Sports-2013-1600-3d.jpg
 
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I've never had a Viofo 119 & I have only just upgraded my dash-cam setup from a mini 0806s (front) xplore C1 (rear) to a Viofo A129 duo.

The A129 is a great piece of kit especially for the price range, there is even some people de-installing more expensive dash-cams & switching to Viofo dash-cams.

I can't really comment on the actual video quality yet! but there is loads of YouTube videos that will help you decide, the camera it's self front & rear is fantastic.

I have a rear tinted window (Limo) but tinted correctly & I'm yet to test the rear Viofo 129 camera for night but if I was happy enough with the xplore I'm sure I will be more than happy with the A129 rear as it's a much better camera/lens.

As you know Viofo update the cameras so the support you receive is great & that is a main factor when it comes to choosing a dash-cam in my eyes & seeing that you have a 119 at the front you could have a few options open to you.

1) Buy a 119s or 119pro & install that at the front, moving your 119 to the rear (personally to me the front is more important) not saying the rear is not as I prefer the front camera to be of better quality etc.

2) Buy a 129 to replace the 119 & either sell the 119 on or install it in another car if you have one.

3) Maybe get your rear window tinted properly if it's tinted really bad (job wise)

I probably haven't helped you out much :LOL: but thought to just give you some food for thought :cool:

I purchased the A129 from here:
Viofo
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07DHKLH4F

And the Sandisk Ultra A1 128gb
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B073JYC4XM
 
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As to the glare, are you using a CPL? That should help considerably if you aren't, though it will darken low-light vids noticably.

I have none of these cams being spoken of, but have followed them since the A119 was first introduced. With earlier firmwares, the A119/S was way ahead in low-light. With the newer firmwares the difference is not as large, and with the A119 being better in daytime I'd choose it over the A119/S unless most of my driving was at night. There is also unofficial but public firmware development going on with these cameras which is extracting every bit of performance out of them, and making many expensive cams look like a potato in comparison. The A129 is following suit. IMHO these "A" series cams seem to be some of the best available and are probably the best value for the money you will ever see in a dashcam.

Phil
 
Previous Dash Cams

I have had a VIOFO 119 S on the windscreen and another on the top centre of the rear window since the 119 S camera was first launched.

I previously used DOD cameras which were fine - but took up too much windscreen space for my liking and had limited night vision. The VIOFO 119 S was a great improvement for both reasons.

The VIOFO A129 Duo

Having seen the videos of the A129 duo and the fact it can link with my phone - I decided to replace the 119 S cameras with the A129 duo. I admit that I didn't really need to - but I am unable to resist the latest gadgets. It drives my wife bonkers.

I'm very pleased with the A129 duo - night vision is much better than the 119 S but that seems to come at the expense of slightly poorer reg plate recognition on approaching traffic - other than in bright sunshine. I guess it is related to shutter speed being rather slow in dull weather or perhaps having to process the data input stream from two cameras .

I was able to re-use the CPL filters from the 119 S cameras but, as with the previous cameras, needed to apply a small piece of black insulation tape to them at the top and bottom to get them attached more firmly to the lens mount.

Running the cable from the front to the rear cameras was a slight struggle. It is much bigger in diameter that most USB cables and was hard to push into the joint between the roof and the side trim - also the cable is not snug in door frame rubber seals. The plastic tool provided by VIOFO with the cameras was very useful and facilitated the installation.

I mounted the front camera behind the rear view mirror on the passenger side and was able to re-use the power supply previously installed for the 119S. This came from the drivers side of the car tucked into the joint between the top of the windscreen and roof lining. In the case of my car - it would have been impossible to run the power and rear camera connection cables on the same side of the car - getting two cables round the A Pillar hidden behind the lining would not have been possible.

The connecting cable from the front to the rear camera started off by being run across the windscreen to the (passenger side) A pillar, hidden in the windscreen/roof lining joint. It was then tucked into the joint of the A-pillar and roof lining - around the A-Pillar - and then into the door frame seal across the front door.

From there it dived into the joint at the top of the B pillar lining and then ran across the rear door frame in the rubber seal before being pushed into the joint between the C Pillar and across to the rear hatch where it was again tucked into the rubber seal - emerging at the centre of the car - thence to the rear camera with some slack to allow for the pivoting of the rear hatch.

Taking this route - the connecting cable was too long by at least 1.5 metres - but I was able to lose the excess by pushing it into the void behind the rear pillar lining.

It took me about 90 minutes overall - but I didn't have to do the power supply run to the front camera - it was already there.

I bought a 129 GB Transcend SD card for the camera which appears to be working fine. I previously used 64 GB Sandisk cards in the 119 S cameras but they only worked reliably for a few months - despite being formatted regularly. There is a post on this forum where VIOFO recommends Transcend cards - I hope he is right.

Regarding the WiFi facility. I had no problems installing the WiFi and it works fine in conjunction with my Samsung A3 phone. However - my initial thoughts are that it is more of a gimmick than something I will use regularly. If I want to view recordings it is not difficult to remove the card - connect it to my desktop computer and view it on my 27" monitor. Admittedly, it is easier to change camera settings using the WiFi link - but in my case settings are a one-off fit and forget.

Having said all that - based upon using it for the past two weeks - the A129 duo seems to be a great installation.
 
hi, i think that there are a few more important questions that were left - are there any technical/implement/practical reason why you shouldn't use two VIOFO a119 instead of the a129 that was designed for this purpose?
one thing i can think of is the ability to easily sync the video/gps reading of both rear and front camera (in case of an event or accident for example).
any ideas?
 
It's not too hard to 'synch' two cam's videos with various playback/editing software. Another aspect is that a 2-chanel cam needs twice the card size for equal recording time, but you only need one card then. Also, 2-channel cams often use a lower bitrate for the rear cam, and can limit what you can get from the front cam when both are in use. A separate rear cam can give you better performance, but may be tougher to access the card and to install.

For most folks, a 2-channel cam is good enough and easier to deal with, and it's usually cheaper than two cams of similar performance. It's mostly a preference thing.

Phil
 
Somewhat old thread, maybe OP is still around? Here's my take on it.

My first dash cam is A129 duo. My A119S list will be shorter because of that.

2x A119S:
Pro
  1. 1080p @ 60fps. Butter smooth. Would be my biggest reason to go with 2x A119s
Con
  1. Requires 2 memory cards
  2. Requires 2 outlets for power. Not an issue if your car has 2+ outlets
    • Hardwire could be a nightmare tho... esp if you choose to use parking mode. Maybe it's possible to piggyback both cameras to the same fuse tap? I'm not sure
  3. Potentially cost more or about the same with add ons? CPL filters, memory cards, hardwire kits/fuses, etc

A129 duo:
Pro
  1. Convenience
    • 1 system
    • 1 memory card
    • 1 card to update when new firmware comes out
  2. Smaller footprint for rear cam. Good if discreet/stealth is your jam. Also I feel like most rear windows are smaller so a smaller footprint helps with rear view visibility
  3. Wifi. I personally haven't used it yet but it's an available feature
  4. Newer. Could be pro or con. Tried and tested vs new product. Personal preference imo
Con
  1. Locked to 1080p @30fps when both cameras are in use (I'm told it's due to hardware limitations)

As for prices, I think it varies wildly depending on who is selling it and what discounts happen to come about. I got my A129 for a really good price so I'm a little more biased towards it. Only thing I wish it records both cams @ 6fps. Perhaps in the future models. Correct me if I'm wrong... I believe A119S and A129 uses the same sensor.

hi, i think that there are a few more important questions that were left - are there any technical/implement/practical reason why you shouldn't use two VIOFO a119 instead of the a129 that was designed for this purpose?
one thing i can think of is the ability to easily sync the video/gps reading of both rear and front camera (in case of an event or accident for example).
any ideas?
I'm told it's a hardware limitation for A129 to be locked @30fps with both cameras. Regardless of price, if 1080p @60fps is important to you, I would go with 2x A119S. I don't think A119S has wifi or bluetooth. I can't think of any other way for the cameras to talk to each other for sync purposes unless they are physically wired together.
 
I'm told it's a hardware limitation for A129 to be locked @30fps with both cameras. Regardless of price, if 1080p @60fps is important to you, I would go with 2x A119S. I don't think A119S has wifi or bluetooth. I can't think of any other way for the cameras to talk to each other for sync purposes unless they are physically wired together.

Yes, hardware cannot keep up with 60FPS front while using the rear cam too. This 'fault' goes with all dual-channel cams. It seems nobody is making a SOC chip which is powerful enough for anything better yet, but it should happen someday. You can't really 'synch' two sperate cams during recording- that has to be done in the viewing platform (post-production) but it can be done there manually with many video viewers/editors. If you power up two identical cams at the same time, you will get close to being in 'synch' which wil make the 'editing-to-synch' process easier.

Phil
 
IMO if you got something like an SUV with two power outlets including one in the back, then getting two A119's is a viable and good option. Wiring that thick cable from front to back for the A129 seems like a nightmare. Make it simple by just pluggin them cams in at front and back. Of course if parking mode is important to you then the hardwiring becomes complicated.
 
On one point, I wanted to buy A119S as it claimed better night vision (my rear window is tinted). However, the sample videos I have seen do not convince me to pursue the purchase.
I have both. Without a doubt the A119S has better low light capability.
 
I have both. Without a doubt the A119S has better low light capability.
Are you using the factory or modified firmware? The modified firmware has closed the gap between these two cams considerably (and that's with both being modded). But in extreme darkness the A119S still reigns, just not by as much when using factory firmware.

Phil
 
DarthMaul
60fps makes the cam work harder at exposure and in low light situations it is working even harder and usually results in a loss of image quality. Where 30fps reduces the load on the cam and the exposure and results in a better clearer image especially at night.
 
@DarthMaul Thanks for the info on the DR750, I'd forgotten about that one. Probably Blackvue's best cam ATM.

As I understand things, a lower FPS rate allows each pixel in the sensor more time to capture light at night, thus increasing the brightness of the raw image being sent to the processor so that it needs less electronic enhancing. It does seem to result in better low-light images whatever the reason, but the lower FPS also increases motion blur in daytime. One FPS rate can't be best for such vastly different conditions. IIRC, one older cam would switch back and forth between 30FPS and 60FPS at pre-set times automatically. The concept was good, but better would be to use ambient light levels in making the decision to change FPS. The use of Starvis sensors has certainly upped the low-light game to a new level.

Phil
 
Thanks, everyone!

I ended up selling A119 on eBay and purchased A129 Duo + 64GB MLC microSD + CPL as the December deal was at £129
I installed the front quickly and then realized that the back won't be that easy (still not installed) as my car is a 5 door estate (wagon). I know, silly me...

I had no time to play with it yet. I only flashed FW 1.5 (will look into mods soon). I kinda miss hi resolution of A119 as my PC monitor is also 1440p
I learned today that there were 2 different lenses
DCTeam-A119S-Lens1+Lens2.png
Mine looks more like Lens1, with the inner ring.
viofo_a129_coated_lens_fov_130.jpg
Did anyone at DCT covered which is actually better?

I am surprised that recording as .TS files were not implemented (yet?)
 
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As to the glare, are you using a CPL? That should help considerably if you aren't, though it will darken low-light vids noticably.
I've got CPL with A129. I used bare A119 before
It improves the picture but the price tag of £12.99 seems unjustified. At the end of the day, it is 10% of the advanced camera price for only a 1-inch square piece of plastic.
In my opinion, CPL should be included with a camera.

I have none of these cams being spoken of, but have followed them since the A119 was first introduced. With earlier firmwares, the A119/S was way ahead in low-light. With the newer firmwares the difference is not as large, and with the A119 being better in daytime I'd choose it over the A119/S unless most of my driving was at night. There is also unofficial but public firmware development going on with these cameras which is extracting every bit of performance out of them, and making many expensive cams look like a potato in comparison. The A129 is following suit. IMHO these "A" series cams seem to be some of the best available and are probably the best value for the money you will ever see in a dashcam.

Phil
Agree that A-range provides the best bang for a buck. It's a lot of a dashcam for a 100
 
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