Paul Iddon
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2016
- Messages
- 1,776
- Reaction score
- 1,394
- Location
- Preston
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Dash Cam
- Viofo A139 Pro 4K, A129 Pro Duo 4K, A229 Duo 2K, & NB 522GW
There are already plenty of other reviews around so it's worth a Google to see more about this dashcam.
Thank you to @viofo for the dashcam, much appreciated.
So lets start of with a few images from the day it arrived:
My friend @c4rc4m has already uploaded an unboxing video that you can watch on this link >>> Unboxing <<<
And now my thoughts
First opinion is very impressive. The form factor is better than the A119 Pro and others from Viofo - but the first thing I noticed is how thick the cable is that runs to the rear camera - it really is very very thick! Tucking it out of sight wasn't any problem though.
There are the usual settings - video resolution, video length, G-Sensor, parking mode etc - all that you would expect. The video quality does exactly as expected, and the audio is very good (almost too good!). Reading of license plates is certainly good enough.
It all came nicely packaged up as you can see, and installation from start to finish was quick and easy - though I have done a few now so no surprise there.
The two cameras are both 1080p front and back - the front camera wedge shaped, the rear a little more discreet. I like what I see here and it is on sale at a great price point from Viofo direct or retailers online (such as Amazon and Ebay).
The video has of course got two files, and the audio is embedded in both but plays back singularly (I half thought there would be two tracks getting in each others way, if you know what I mean.
The cameras use the Novatek NT96663 and IMX291 (front and rear) and there's an optional bluetooth incident button for the dash (available soon) and the unit has WiFi (get the app from the usual places) which will come in useful for changing settings on your mobile phone instead of the unit and for watching and downloading captured files. It will take a 128Gb card, so I'm informed, though I have only tested with a 64Gb card.
One problem I found (not new) was interference with my Bluetooth DAB radio - apparently not uncommon where the signal kept dropping off - in the end, I had to reposition the DAB antenna (it's not a posh built in one, and the antenna sticks to your car). Now I have done that, things are better (I can listen to the footy on TalkSport!)
Video wise, no surprises - both front and rear perform as expected - clarity is fine, but the reflections on the glass of the windscreen and the rear window are evident. There will be a forthcoming CPL from Viofo (certainly for the front, not sure about the rear though). This will no doubt improve vision, so a performance increase to come then. The screen offers 4 different options for viewing - front, rear, front with rear PIP and rear with front PIP.
Freeze frame in the main, gives clear enough detail if you need to capture license plates (during the daytime is obviously giving a better hit rate) but at night, as you would expect, you would need to be driving slower or stopped to get the best chance. However - as for recording any incidents, the A129 will do admirably well.
The forthcoming bluetooth button will be a great addition - you can stick this anywhere you choose which will mean if you do need to grab some read-only captures, the need to reach the top of your dashcam will be gone and you'll be able to tap your dongle (you could stick it on the middle of your steering wheel or close by on the dashboard).
All the usual suspects appear via the simple menu interface and these too are available by connecting the A129 to the app on your smart phone, making things much easier to read because of the screen on your mobile will be bigger and clearer. Access to this is gained by holding the the PIP button (right hand side button on the dashcam) for about 5 seconds or so. Disable it the same way.
I'll add some video files below now so that you can have a look at the quality on YouTube.
This is a look at the front and rear edited together:
I started off with WDR turned on - but I didn't like it much...
So once I had seen that, WDR was turned off, and here is 18 minutes of driving at night (2 lots joined together) so try not to get too bored by it all - it is there to show you the lighting on the roads in my area to give you an idea of how the camera performs in darker and more urban & well lit places...
Here is a fun one from the city centre at night....
Here are more typical daytime videos, but not on split screens so you can see the full view:
Front & Rear cameras down a side street:
Front & Rear cameras through Preston:
Well there you have it - my first impressions of the new Viofo A129 Duo, and I have to say I'm really pleased with things - once again, Viofo have released a very decent piece of kit for you motorists to stick in the car!
With updates to the firmware in the pipeline, I expect some decent tweaks over time. Overall, a dashcam I would happily recommend. Just turn off WDR...
Paul.
Thank you to @viofo for the dashcam, much appreciated.
So lets start of with a few images from the day it arrived:
My friend @c4rc4m has already uploaded an unboxing video that you can watch on this link >>> Unboxing <<<
And now my thoughts
First opinion is very impressive. The form factor is better than the A119 Pro and others from Viofo - but the first thing I noticed is how thick the cable is that runs to the rear camera - it really is very very thick! Tucking it out of sight wasn't any problem though.
There are the usual settings - video resolution, video length, G-Sensor, parking mode etc - all that you would expect. The video quality does exactly as expected, and the audio is very good (almost too good!). Reading of license plates is certainly good enough.
It all came nicely packaged up as you can see, and installation from start to finish was quick and easy - though I have done a few now so no surprise there.
The two cameras are both 1080p front and back - the front camera wedge shaped, the rear a little more discreet. I like what I see here and it is on sale at a great price point from Viofo direct or retailers online (such as Amazon and Ebay).
The video has of course got two files, and the audio is embedded in both but plays back singularly (I half thought there would be two tracks getting in each others way, if you know what I mean.
The cameras use the Novatek NT96663 and IMX291 (front and rear) and there's an optional bluetooth incident button for the dash (available soon) and the unit has WiFi (get the app from the usual places) which will come in useful for changing settings on your mobile phone instead of the unit and for watching and downloading captured files. It will take a 128Gb card, so I'm informed, though I have only tested with a 64Gb card.
One problem I found (not new) was interference with my Bluetooth DAB radio - apparently not uncommon where the signal kept dropping off - in the end, I had to reposition the DAB antenna (it's not a posh built in one, and the antenna sticks to your car). Now I have done that, things are better (I can listen to the footy on TalkSport!)
Video wise, no surprises - both front and rear perform as expected - clarity is fine, but the reflections on the glass of the windscreen and the rear window are evident. There will be a forthcoming CPL from Viofo (certainly for the front, not sure about the rear though). This will no doubt improve vision, so a performance increase to come then. The screen offers 4 different options for viewing - front, rear, front with rear PIP and rear with front PIP.
Freeze frame in the main, gives clear enough detail if you need to capture license plates (during the daytime is obviously giving a better hit rate) but at night, as you would expect, you would need to be driving slower or stopped to get the best chance. However - as for recording any incidents, the A129 will do admirably well.
The forthcoming bluetooth button will be a great addition - you can stick this anywhere you choose which will mean if you do need to grab some read-only captures, the need to reach the top of your dashcam will be gone and you'll be able to tap your dongle (you could stick it on the middle of your steering wheel or close by on the dashboard).
All the usual suspects appear via the simple menu interface and these too are available by connecting the A129 to the app on your smart phone, making things much easier to read because of the screen on your mobile will be bigger and clearer. Access to this is gained by holding the the PIP button (right hand side button on the dashcam) for about 5 seconds or so. Disable it the same way.
I'll add some video files below now so that you can have a look at the quality on YouTube.
This is a look at the front and rear edited together:
I started off with WDR turned on - but I didn't like it much...
So once I had seen that, WDR was turned off, and here is 18 minutes of driving at night (2 lots joined together) so try not to get too bored by it all - it is there to show you the lighting on the roads in my area to give you an idea of how the camera performs in darker and more urban & well lit places...
Here is a fun one from the city centre at night....
Here are more typical daytime videos, but not on split screens so you can see the full view:
Front & Rear cameras down a side street:
Front & Rear cameras through Preston:
Well there you have it - my first impressions of the new Viofo A129 Duo, and I have to say I'm really pleased with things - once again, Viofo have released a very decent piece of kit for you motorists to stick in the car!
With updates to the firmware in the pipeline, I expect some decent tweaks over time. Overall, a dashcam I would happily recommend. Just turn off WDR...
Paul.
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