VIOFO A139 Pro - Testing / Review Info

[Dimson75]

Отредактированная прошивка v1.1_0615.На свой страх и риск.
Проверенный рабочий вариант.
Изменение гаммы,резкости.
(Осветление темных участков)

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View attachment 66733

Что то через чур высветлено
Something is too bright

 

[Dashmellow]

Something is too bright

Have you tried lowering the EV setting?
Many find -1/3 to be effective.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Aiming the lens slightly lower may help.

 

[naruhodo]

Aiming the lens slightly lower may help.

Hmmm.... I would have thought that perhaps aiming the lens higher might be the way to go. The exposure is being determined by averaging the light hitting the sensor and adjusting to a target value for the recording. In the environment captured in the test images, there is quite a bit of dark (car, road, trees), which would tend to cause the adjustment to target value to cause some brightening. If the lens is aimed higher, thus including more bright sky, the firmware should make the exposure darker to hit the target value. Am I thinking this through incorrectly?

I'd also suggest testing in an environment where the ambient brightness is more evenly spread across the photo. Comparing that to the posted test photo might yield some insight into whether it's the camera or the environment affecting the unwanted overexposure.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Hmmm.... I would have thought that perhaps aiming the lens higher might be the way to go. The exposure is being determined by averaging the light hitting the sensor and adjusting to a target value for the recording. In the environment captured in the test images, there is quite a bit of dark (car, road, trees), which would tend to cause the adjustment to target value to cause some brightening. If the lens is aimed higher, thus including more bright sky, the firmware should make the exposure darker to hit the target value. Am I thinking this through incorrectly?

I'd also suggest testing in an environment where the ambient brightness is more evenly spread across the photo. Comparing that to the posted test photo might yield some insight into whether it's the camera or the environment affecting the unwanted overexposure.

The still photo is a little tough to judge lens positioning due to the way he captured the image (large white section at bottom). Looking at it again, he does seem close to 50%/50%, which is likely where the exposure has been optimized. I'd still try a click down and see how it looks.

 

[Nigel]

The exposure is being determined by averaging the light hitting the sensor and adjusting to a target value for the recording.

It only looks at the light from the road when adjusting the exposure, not the average from the whole sensor. So it is important to get the road in the right place on the sensor, which is why we say to put the horizon at 50% height, but your's looks close enough to me, no need to adjust.

 

[JardaB]

I haven't read anywhere how dashcam measures exposure. I'd rather point the lens at the main subject of the image, which is below, and not at the extremely bright sky - also for the "nasty annoyance" of seeing the front of the car and the dashboard at the bottom. There is no relevant information for me in the sky.

It's certainly worth trying both settings, focusing not on the beauty of the landscape, but the correct exposure of the road and surroundings at the bottom of the image

 

[Dashmellow]

I haven't read anywhere how dashcam measures exposure. I'd rather point the lens at the main subject of the image, which is below, and not at the extremely bright sky - also for the "nasty annoyance" of seeing the front of the car and the dashboard at the bottom. There is no relevant information for me in the sky.

It's certainly worth trying both settings, focusing not on the beauty of the landscape, but the correct exposure of the road and surroundings at the bottom of the image

There have been some dash cams on the market that allow the user to select what type of metering the cameras uses, such as Spot, Multi-Spot, Center weighted, Upper, Lower, Full frame, etc. I would love to see that option is more cameras, especially a high end model like the A139 Pro.

This question of having sky in your image as well as you car's hood and fenders has come up for discussion before here on the forum.

I believe that the "sky" portion of the frame is important to include because there can be important information up there. A good example is when you go through an intersection with overhead traffic lights. Recording that the lights were green when you go through the intersection might prove very valuable for example.

I also don't consider having the front of my vehicle in the frame to be a "nasty annoyance" either. I consider it to be something that provides important information. If I were involved in an accident I would want to capture the point of impact, including if the other vehicle comes in at an angle from the side and hits my front fender. Having the front of your vehicle also establishes the distance between your vehicle and other vehicles or objects.

 

[JardaB]

"nasty annoyance" was meant ironically .

For an optical field as specific as dashcam, which has the sole purpose of meeting the requirement in arbitrarily extreme lighting conditions, I would leave the exposure metering to the default of a reputable manufacturer. He does professional testing and firmware debugging and his cameras take the top spots in tests and comparisons in their price range. It is not a camera for vacation or for the informed user.

Leave some of the "playing" with the way method exposure is measured to the user ? I don't think that would lead to optimal results. My Google Pixel 4a mobile phone has no such settings and I am happy.
====
I will be test HDR on moving objects to select HDR off/on/auto for myself. I'll select max resolution and bitrate and then hopefully I won't have to notice the camera.
I'll try to tilt both cameras so that the horizon line separates in about the top third of the frame (as long as it doesn't conflict with the traffic light capture)

I was not familiar with the Viofo brand. I used a Truecam A6 duo for several years. It didn't take me too long to make a choice in the price range and front/rear requirement. I'm glad I chose a top of the line product. I don't know how that happened ...

Mio, Navitel, Lamax, 70mai, Truecam, Alum, Apeman, Cel-tec. DDpai, Denvwer, eltrinex. Garmin, GGV. HikVision, M-style, Navitel, Nextbase, Niceboy, Osram, Pioneer, Scosche, Sencor, Thinkware Trancend,,

... because I didn't know the Viofo brand and it's not very common here in my country.

 

[DT MI]

I would leave the exposure metering to the default of a reputable manufacturer...Leave some of the "playing" with the way method exposure is measured to the user ? I don't think that would lead to optimal results...

One thing I've found from experience is the color of and amount of hood/bonnet in the frame has a great deal to do with proper image exposure. Moving a camera from a white vehicle to a dark red caused a significant change in image brightness and quality - adjusting the EV was needed to correct it.

 

[Dashmellow]

For an optical field as specific as dashcam, which has the sole purpose of meeting the requirement in arbitrarily extreme lighting conditions, I would leave the exposure metering to the default of a reputable manufacturer. He does professional testing and firmware debugging and his cameras take the top spots in tests and comparisons in their price range. It is not a camera for vacation or for the informed user.

Leave some of the "playing" with the way method exposure is measured to the user ? I don't think that would lead to optimal results. My Google Pixel 4a mobile phone has no such settings and I am happy.

I would disagree that dash cams are not intended for "the informed user". Every photographic situation is different and challenging and this is especially so in the environments that dash cams must perform in. It can be vital to be able to make adjustments to your dash cam both via the menu settings and aiming the lens in order to achieve optimal image quality. No default setting can work well in all situations for all users. It behooves the user to become informed just like with any other piece of modern technology. And indeed most smartphone cameras include all kinds of advanced imaging controls for those who understand (or bother to learn) how to use them. Learning all about the finer points of how to use your dash cam is the reason many people come to this web site.

 

[JardaB]

I don't mind. But I can't imagine for what situations you'd need it, you'd be changing camera settings during the day if you're driving against or after the sun, with the change of season, and before entering a tunnel or covered parking lot. The EV setup is enough for me ... we are all different

 

[serginho]

Thank you for using our camera.
Enabling this off option may bring the risk of not locking some important videos, while we have forwarded your suggestion to our team, we shall let you know if it is possible.

The risk of not locking some videos is only if you intentionally put the Parking Motion Detection to OFF which is exactly what I want.
Most home parking spaces (including mine) is full of children and if I let the parking mode ON and event motion detection low, it will drain the battery very fast and not capture an eventual incident.
That is why I think you should have the option of turning the parking motion detection to off.

 

[VIOFO-Support]

The risk of not locking some videos is only if you intentionally put the Parking Motion Detection to OFF which is exactly what I want.
Most home parking spaces (including mine) is full of children and if I let the parking mode ON and event motion detection low, it will drain the battery very fast and not capture an eventual incident.
That is why I think you should have the option of turning the parking motion detection to off.

Thanks for your explanation. Parking Motion Detection is the sensitivity for the Auto Event Parking Mode. There are three choices: Low, Medium, and High. If you choose low sensitivity, it will decrease video recording. If you just do not want the camera to record, it is better to turn off the parking mode when your car is parked in a safe place. Hope you will understand.

 

[serginho]

Thanks for your explanation. Parking Motion Detection is the sensitivity for the Auto Event Parking Mode. There are three choices: Low, Medium, and High. If you choose low sensitivity, it will decrease video recording. If you just do not want the camera to record, it is better to turn off the parking mode when your car is parked in a safe place. Hope you will understand.

Imagine connecting to dashcam via wi-fi, every time you park at home and when leaving to switch the parking mode on and off (sometimes for me this means 3 or 4 times a day)...vs the possibility to customize your dashcam as it suits you.
At least if the dashcam had an fast button switch for the parking mode on and off. I don't get why it is not possible to only have G sensor parking mode..

 

[mentadent]

The Geofence parking mode that appeared in a firmware then disappeared seemed a good idea for all this.

 

[VIOFO-Support]

Imagine connecting to dashcam via wi-fi, every time you park at home and when leaving to switch the parking mode on and off (sometimes for me this means 3 or 4 times a day)...vs the possibility to customize your dashcam as it suits you.
At least if the dashcam had an fast button switch for the parking mode on and off. I don't get why it is not possible to only have G sensor parking mode..

Our new products A229Plus/A229Pro that will be released soon can support turning on/off the parking mode by pressing and holding the MIC button for seconds.

 

[Superturisto]

What are you talking about?

Here is the answer.
Меншовартість

 

[Steve23918]

I raised my concerns with VIOFO. I was told an updated HK3-C will be released in the near future that addresses this concern.

There appears to be no change to anything visible with the "optimized" for stability HK3-C. The box graphics, UPC code and the labeling on the HK3-C are the exact same. I mentioned to VIOFO it should have something different to let the buyer know which one is which, but as we can see there isn't any external identifiable difference.

8:08
How can a consumer tell the difference between the older HK3-C hardwire kit, and the new “updated / optimized” HK3-C hardwire kit? Is there a different UPC on the box? Or, is there a different amperage specification on the product label?

That's interesting... it's now the end of September 2023, I just bought an HK3-C hardwire kit from Viofo and it lists 5V/2A max output in the specs on both the box and the HK3-C unit itself. Surely they would have at least changed the specs on the unit???

 

[Panzer Platform]

Surely they would have at least changed the specs on the unit???

A139 Pro Test & Review PP

That explains it. 1 Minute video will be 437 MB. Yes but further down in your post you said the A139 Pro is making 1.3gb files on 3 min loop. Mine is doing 300mb less for some reason

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