Viofo "Fixed" A119V3 HDR Issue with FW 2.3

Dan S

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Just up updated A119V3 fw to 2.3:

A119V3: V2.3
Build: 20210125

I noticed that with HDR on, A119V3 automatically switches to 30fps from 60fps. I remembered Viofo mentioned before that HDR is only compatible with 30fps. With their latest fw 2.3, you only can use HDR with 30fps, not 60fps. Therefore, no more strips with HDR on.
 
I've tested both 30fps and 60fps and for me 60fps gives a more pleasing smoother rendition.

I've got day and night footage, both perfectly acceptable to me so no HDR for me.

Just waiting for a comparison screenshot of the new resolution before installing.
 
Viofo does not mention any changes to 1440p 60fps. I only found out that Viofo removed HDR with 60fps. Viofo removed WDR already in their previous fw. I would like to have WDR on for better night vision, even though some people do not like WDR.
 
IMX335 supports HDR and not WDR. This is why the WDR was never working OK on cameras with IMX335. The chipset is capable of WDR but the CMOS, not.
 
In v. 1.03 WDR seems to work even flawlessly. I would be happy to have on A129+ such of quality, but unfortunately "WDR" is awful on it, in v. 1.4. Even the much cheaper 70mai Pro has a better implementation of "WDR".
Now, let's see how this HDR evolves...
 
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Both A119V3 and A129 Plus (front cam) use the same sensor the same chipset. Since A129 Plus also needs to handle its rear cam (plus Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), A119V3 supposes to give better video than A129 Plus.
 
@Mtz
Correct, when V3 had WDR, its use made the image extremely bad.

In the A119s, for example, WDR works exceptionally well .
 
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I don't think WDR made the image bad (not watchable), but not adding any real improvement to the image, maybe just some brightness. Vortex Radar commented in his review how is working WDR on A119 V3. Of course was done only by the chipset, CMOS could not help.
People are comparing the great WDR of A119S which was a complete WDR made by the chipset and the Sony CMOS, with the WDR of A119 V3 which is made only by the chipset.
The HDR is working great on static images because there is (almost) no movement between two frames, on videos will never work so good especially on dashcams where the cars are moving between two frames.
 
That's right. When I tried WDR on V3 ( I tried several times ), I only noticed an increase in exposure, which could not be remedied from the settings so that the image would become at least as good as when it was disabled.

However, I am very satisfied with the image of the camera without HDR. The only "small" problem is the short flickering ( few seconds ) at startup, only in very low light conditions, and only when using 60FPS. When I use 30FPS all is OK.
 
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I don't think WDR made the image bad (not watchable), but not adding any real improvement to the image, maybe just some brightness. Vortex Radar commented in his review how is working WDR on A119 V3. Of course was done only by the chipset, CMOS could not help.
People are comparing the great WDR of A119S which was a complete WDR made by the chipset and the Sony CMOS, with the WDR of A119 V3 which is made only by the chipset.
The HDR is working great on static images because there is (almost) no movement between two frames, on videos will never work so good especially on dashcams where the cars are moving between two frames.
It looks like that HDR on dashcams might not be a good idea. For better night vision, WDR might be an alternative choice. WDR supposes to disproportionally increase exposure of dark objects vs bright objects. My personal opinion on better night vision is to go with WDR.
 
That's right. When I tried WDR on V3 ( I tried several times ), I only noticed an increase in exposure, which could not be remedied from the settings so that the image would become at least as good as when it was disabled.

However, I am very satisfied with the image of the camera without HDR. The only "small" problem is the short flickering ( few seconds ) at startup, only in very low light conditions, and only when using 60FPS. When I use 30FPS all is OK.
Based on my experience on film camera, 30fps is better than 60fps during night. The 60fps only gets half exposure than 30fps. On the other hand, 30fps produces blur image for fast moving objects. The solution is to increase the lens aperture.
 
It looks like that HDR on dashcams might not be a good idea. For better night vision, WDR might be an alternative choice. WDR supposes to disproportionally increase exposure of dark objects vs bright objects. My personal opinion on better night vision is to go with WDR.
Viofo is already a good dashcam in low light, so WDR was not a very important feature. Most of the people are not using it. If it was a fantastic feature then be sure Viofo could enable it by default in firmware.
People want to read car license numbers also during night. For them it is not important if the name of the feature is WDR or HDR. If only HDR can do this, they will be interested about HDR and not WDR.
 
Viofo is already a good dashcam in low light, so WDR was not a very important feature. Most of the people are not using it. If it was a fantastic feature then be sure Viofo could enable it by default in firmware.
People want to read car license numbers also during night. For them it is not important if the name of the feature is WDR or HDR. If only HDR can do this, they will be interested about HDR and not WDR.
A good night vision depends on good exposure. Decreasing shutter speed would result blur image of fast-moving object. On the other hand, A119 V3 has its aperture of F1.6. It is already very big (bigger than my 1st SLR 35mm lens of F2). To double its size from F1.6, it would be F1.1. It is easy for me to “say” by the keyboard.
If HDR of this cam would work as people expecting, it would be great. I do not think that anybody would reject it.
To my understanding, WDR is just like adjusting “brightness” and “contrast” on a TV or on a computer using Photo Shop. WDR supposes to be a mature tech.
 
WDR improves both highlights and shadows, by increasing brightness in shadows and avoiding clipping on highlights. Colors are also improved in low light. It's a hardware feature. HDR is more like a software feature, though new sensors have this feature embedded, but basically it is a "software" feature. HDR makes the same but using at least 2 frames at the time: one exposed for shadows, the other for highlights, then stacking them to get that increased dynamic range. The advantage of WDR is the fact that it keeps the framerate (for example 60 fps). On the other hand, by using two frames at the time, HDR halves the framerate (for example from maximum 60fps to 30).
 
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It looks like that A119 V3 sensor compatible lens with F1.0 is already available there. This lens provides double amount of light exposure comparing to current A119 V3 lens. It would give more room for sensor and processor to produce much better images, especially during the night. A prototype for A119 V4?
 
It looks like that A119 V3 sensor compatible lens with F1.0 is already available there. This lens provides double amount of light exposure comparing to current A119 V3 lens. It would give more room for sensor and processor to produce much better images, especially during the night. A prototype for A119 V4?
can u post a link (English) to get one of these new lenses?
 
It looks like that A119 V3 sensor compatible lens with F1.0 is already available there. This lens provides double amount of light exposure comparing to current A119 V3 lens. It would give more room for sensor and processor to produce much better images, especially during the night. A prototype for A119 V4?
Do you think a $10 lens (including shipping) is better than original Viofo lens?
 
Do you think a $10 lens (including shipping) is better than original Viofo lens?
Personally, I think that the lens itself only costs few US$. If the production scale is very large, the cost could be below US$1.00. It seems to me that the original Viofo lens could come from the same/similar factory. This "new lens" would pass double amount of light to the senor. My only concern would be during very bright sun light. The sensor + software are configured to handle the light exposure from the original lens. The double amount of light might flood the sensor under very bright light. A new fw might be needed for the new lens under very bright light. I just do not know.
 
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