If anyone happens to be watching this in late 2018, I can say that I've owned two of these for over a year now and they've worked flawlessly. They've survived a winter and a summer with no ill-effects.
such cams are in fact the most cheapest solution to install as security cam at house or in building, such form factor is ideal to install into the front door instead of peephole (outside it will look as standard one), as the ceiling one it can be inserted into plastic dome (the cheapest is the "fake camera ceiling dome") and even can be connected to display by HDMI cable which can be very long - 5 meters and cheap, it's quite thick but HD quality
Rambi Hell yea, I had the same idea while I was watching this, like why am I here? Oh because it's Techmoan! Tho probably I want to have a dashcam when I'll have my car
+alex ale For about the same price (maybe $5-$10 difference), you can get a 4MP professional security dome/turret camera with true night vision and industrial-grade event processing (motion detection, line crossing, left items, removed items and much more), they will happily take a MicroSD card (up to 128Gb) to store it all on, and you can access/control them from a normal web browser or mobile 'phone app. Search AliExpress for Hikvision DS-2CD2145F-IS and DS-2CD2345-I cameras (among others - but stay away from the el-cheapo crap designed for "home" use). Using the right tool for the job doesn't cost any more than using the wrong one.
Just a warning for anyone who bought the GPS version. If you get screen flickers on the dashcam plug the cable into the dashcam instead of the GPS unit. GPS will still work.
As of October '16 they have changed the adhesive color to black (updated from grey). Which is awesome, they seem to listen to everyone's improvement suggestions, and I am definitely willing to support a company that listens to their customers!
+Aleks Ulmer confirmed ! I got my cam today. Th eGPS mount has black 3M pad, the basic non-gps mount has a black 3M pad, the spare 3M pad is black, and they even threw in the standard old grey pad basic mount. :)
Which vendor was providing A119's with the black pad. So many to choose from on ebay and Gearbest has the best deal around if willing to waiting for shipping from China. Thanks and cheers!
+krazyfiend There is a vendor on Amazon I ordered from called "Capture Your Action". They have high reviews and answered all my questions quickly before I bought everything. All the ones they sell are the newest versions with the black pads. They also shipped quickly because they have stock in the USA and their price was one of the lowest I saw at that time ($90 for camera, $10 for GPS mount).
Been considering a dashcam after being witness to some ridiculous on-road behaviour recently that has almost ended up badly. Appreciate the no-nonsense style of your reviews with the comfort of knowing that you've properly tested them, rather than just regurgitating the advertising material and maybe tried them once like some other "review" sites.
Thank you for posting this review. As a result I've bought two of these cameras.. so, I suppose Amazon really owes you a thank you as well. :) My favourite feature so far is that I can easily slide them on and off of the base. This makes them much easier to bring inside to check the footage and that they are operating correctly. Much easier than my previous DVRs that is. So, thank you again. Please keep up the good work. :)
I have been watching your dash cam videos for quite a while now and love them all. Finally got enough saved up and the right deal came along and I just Got one of these A119 Cams and love it so far. Even Started putting up my own videos with it! Thanks!
I bought 2 of these. 1 died after 6 months. The other is still working. I live in Vegas which can get pretty hot but I always pulled the unit out when parking for long periods. Even still the unit runs really hot. Literally a few minutes after turning on it will get very hot. I've been happy with the picture quality but sometimes it's hard to see license plates when moving.
I bought the A118 off the back of your review! It's been in my car about a year now, no problems at all. Thankfully never really needed to grab much footage off it, but when I have it's always been pretty damn good. If that's anything to go by, this should be a good purchase for those worried about the reliability of cheap Chinese cameras.
I bought this A119 about year ago. With GPS. GPS died at June because of hot weather. Few months later at autumn I tried GPS again and it work. Not a single problems with camera. It still working fine even in -30C temperature. Cameras I have used before included back up battery and did worked only few months. So it seems camera with capacitor is the right choice.
i have the A118/B40 capacitor and it's great. The emergency button is round and all the other buttons are rectangular, so i don't know why they did away with that, but it's a great camera
I am impressed by the night vision on such a small device. I don't drive, but I can think of a few uses for this lil thing. Some great imagery from such a small package. A tad too expensive from my perspective, but for its intended purpose I'd say it's a fair price and not out of the way for most. I agree with you on the pins, verdigris could indeed be a problem over time, if not fastidiously catered for. The mic sounded a bit muffled. They are the only major flaws I would consider if I was in the market for a device like this for its intended use. Your truncated review was good. Thanks Mr Moan.
I lived in Standish when I was younger (near Pepper Lane) so recognised all the bloody roads your video showed! In Preston now mind - but bought this dashcam this week - seems pretty decent.
+Adam Pierce 2560x1440 (this camera's maximum resolution) is already what TV manufacturers market as "4K" (remember, "marketing" is a euphemism for "bullshit").
Yorick, a little higher according to Wikipedia: _UHD-1, or ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV), is the 4K standard for television and computer monitors. UHD-1 is also called 2160p since it has twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of 1080p. It has a resolution of 3840 × 2160 (16:9, or approximately a 1.78:1 aspect ratio). UHD-1 is used in consumer television and other media, e.g. video games._
Stan A. Thanks for the elaboration. I do know what the _truth_ is, but since when has truth mattered to marketers and salespeople? These are the same people who were pushing 720p as being equivalent to 1080p only a few years ago.
Techmoan, thank you for this review. I've been looking for a dash cam for over a month now. The choice on the market is huge to the point beyond I got seriously lost. After watching your reviews I just purchased this one due to its night recording capabilities, GPS, CP filter and so on. Again, thanks for doing a good job and keep going!
Whoaaa... so glad I checked out that page in your website! The Viofo A119 seems remarkable... and I found an e-tailer in my country that sells them. Yay! Thanks for the review! Very well made 👍
Your comment at 15 minutes is correct, have had mine in my wifes Subaru XV for about 5 months and 2 things have been causing it to randomly shut off, the original cigarette lighter to USB plug shipped with it sort off slips out, fixed by chucking it for a Cigarette 3 socket hub with USB port and as the 15 minute predicted the connectors to the GPS unit loosened due to plastic wear though have only removed it 3 times in the 5 months so suspect more to due with normal driving, temp fix is inserting a very thin plastic strip over the barcode side so the contacts on the opposite side make cleanly again.
Thank you again. I will be purchasing this dashcam. The very first dashcam I purchased that you reviewed still works today but has a focus issue. It was the DR32 HD. The other I bought to replace was a Mini0806 but due to having a battery it ended up dying the second summer. This looks to have the quality of the Mini0806 but even more compact and no battery.
I'm going to make a wild guess and say that the 2μm pixel size of the OV4689 by Omnivision helps this A119 and for example the DDPai M6+ you also for it's low light performance. They use the same sensor in case you didn't know. It's great to see dashcam's use sensors with larger pixel sizes like the Omnivision sensor here as they're going to capture much more light per pixel. It's probably also the reason why 60 or 120fps works so well during the night. Segway: for reference these are the sensors HTC used with their original One (M7) and also for the One (M8) "back in the day". Well, kind of, the One shipped with the VD6869 by ST which just happens to be identical to the OV4688 by Omnivision to which HTC later changed on the M7 and subsequently used in the M8. And, obviously, the OV4689 inside the A119 and M6+ is the successor to the OV4688, though from looking at the specs not much has changed.
I've had v2 of this cam since December 2016. v2 is the one reviewed here. It started being sold in summer 2016 - it added a lens that swivels L-R in addition to up down. Mine is branded SpyTec, but they are the same. I have just installed the Viofo firmware update v3.6 dated Jan 22, 2018. It adds a parking mode which, supposedly, when turned on, uses a combination of the G-sensor and motion-detection to determine if the car is parked or driving. Supposedly, you can leave it on like this all the time. When movement of the car is detected, it will switch to normal recording according to the settings you chose, and when the G-sensor detects that you are no longer moving, it will switch to parking mode. Nice. I say supposedly because I have not tested this out yet, as I have just installed the firmware today. I have set mine to 5fps parking mode. If I remember, I will let you know if it works. There is a decent demonstration of this mode posted here: ua-cam.com/video/G9vRHZ3cAjc/v-deo.htmlm44s
I'm thinking that you must either; a) have a dirty great box of dash board cameras b) an impressive number of cars (to rival the likes of AVIS) & a massive shed to put them in c) must cycle through dash cameras at a high rate
Actually what can help the night sort is buying a polarised lenses adaptor that Viofo gave for the cam. Not a magical cure all, but reduces the glare quite alot.
As for microSD card, it is very highly recommended to use one of those "High Endurance" versions of the card. Transcend High Endurance & Sandisk High Endurance cards are recommended.
Nice review, I have been looking at the A119 for a while now, the old one is on its way out, also cool to see ones name in the credits, keep the vids coming, love the retro tech stuff too :)
14:00 Looks like it is "formed" but the springy bit is stuck. Happens very easy with a bit of dirt or just misalignment. You can try to press it in a bit more, shake / blow to remove possible dirt and/or try to push and release it a couple of times.
By the way. For your 60fps 1080. It's clearly slowing down the shutter speed/frame rate to allow more light to fall on the sensor (it must have a low light priority mode) You can tell by how it's jittery and skipping frames during your 60fps night time recording.
LONGISH TERM REPORT on the A119: I've had one of these exact ones sitting on my windshield since shortly after this video came out- two years in the sun in southern california. The main failure so far- in the last 3 months, it's had an intermittent problem where I start the car, the cam comes on but the screen says CARD ERROR in a blue box and stops recording. Turning it off and on once or twice generally fixes it, and the times I ignored it and kept driving, it was working next time I started the car. Tried it with new sd cards and tried reformatting the original card, didn't change anything. After it does this for a day or two, it usually doesn't do it again for weeks, and I haven't seen it happen again for a whole month. Otherwise works the same now as it did in 2016. It's wasn't a super expensive investment grade dashcam, anyway, but it's lasted pretty well, especially with the desert baking, 2 trips to Death Valley at 115+ heat, two weekends in Vegas at similar heat, bumpy abandoned roads, general neglect, etc etc.
"Guessed Potential Questions" :) Mat is always a step ahead... Did I miss the improved spinning intro bicycle/tape real LED upgrade link? Must have been three vids ago. Another great video produced in an undisclosed location near...Manchester. Keep em coming! I need another martini. Olives. Gin and plenty of vermouth - No James Bond version. Not that there's anything wrong with...
Nicely done review, and great info! You've made my dashcam search and decision much easier! I've placed my order from your link. When will you be here to install it? :-)
I don't think you ever reviewed it, but the Thinkware F750 is a very nice dashcam. I have one in my Volvo. Wired in the CEM so it automatically turns on the motion sensing park mode and turns itself off once the car battery reaches lower than 11.4 volts. I would recommend it. maybe a nice one for a future video?
You should probably try the 120fps mode during the day, since a frame-by-frame of the 120fps video sample is really only showing about 30fps with any other frames being redundant. It probably ramps up the exposure at night to keep the image bright.
Love the reviews! I'm still using the DDpai m6+ but it does shut down in hot weather (I live in South US). I've taken to removing it (a simple task) when I'll be parked for a long time. As Winter is approaching, this will become less of an issue. Still, the DDPai m6+ is the best! Built-in GPS, constant updates and an odd Chinese assistant. :)
default frequency 50hz (firmware update) great idea, 50hz reduces or eliminates street light artifacts in coutries with 50hz power (most 220-240v coutries)- videos from australian youtube channels like eevblog, use 1080p50 (as opposed to 1080p60) for this reason
*i have the 118 and one of the features i liked about it is that it has a really good microphone on it for recording inside the car. this one seems they have paid more attention to the resolution and neglected the one thing that caused me to purchase my A118 in the first place. which was image clarity day and night @ at least 1080P and good audio thinking i may have to find another option now or just keep hunting for the 118's for my other vehicles because i do like the quality of this but if you're going to start ignoring one of the good features that it did well previously it's not worth upgrading. sad too, i like the new image and the add on GPS as well*
Is there a Weather Proof Housing for Externally Mounted Dash Cam ?? I hear it over and over, in the boating and RV community... people say "I wish we had footage of that". There must be a way to mount a Dashcam, and put it in a clear waterproof housing and then you will have round the clock footage (strap it to your roof or Bimini) Dual cam (front and back would be even better). It records over and over in a loop and if something really cool happens, you hit the button and it saves the preceding 15 minute segment in a separate file. Cheaper than a full blown security camera system I think.
Specifically regarding Betamax: how about a video that actually shows the difference. I've heard many say "technically betamax was higher quality than VHS." But almost none of us actually had both to compare side by side. I'd love to see a visual (4k video) so that I can see the subtle and/or huge difference. And get your take on that possibly once-key difference.
Fun. But for those who don't get the joke: it's not that Betamax supported 4k. It was not even HD (it is 240p or 290p IIRC.) It's that a 4k youtube video need not worry about pixel output to camera input alignment when filming the screen output of a NTSC monitor.
If I remember correctly the even lesser-used Philips designed format V2000 was the best quality. (AND you could flip them over like an audio cassette!!)
Exactly, it kind of ruined Forza Horizon 3 for me... Why would anyone do something like that? Why go through all the hassle, it feels so much more relaxed driving on the right side of the road.
That's how we drive in Australia. It's frustrating for us Australians to have to drive on the right hand side of the road in left hand drive vehicles in most racing games. Our gear shift is used with the left hand, and our pedals are the same layout. I wish Forza Horizon 3 had more Australian right hand drive cars.
I got an idea: Developers should include a mirror mode in Racing games, which mirrors everything apart from text and numbers (and they should let you decide the side of gear shift and so on). Then everybody would be happy and world peace would be achieved. :)
I've never seen video footage of a US highway in which there aren't left lane hoggers and other frustrated motorists passing them on the right side. It's so bad in the US, some states are asking patrol cars to hand out fines for such driving. So why this is so shocking to you is a mystery. Don't get me wrong, in the UK there are the equivalent right lane hoggers and it gets on many peoples nerves. But overall I'd say the driving standard is much higher.
Nothing I can't look up, but I was curious if it had impact sensors to automatically preserve a recording after an accident. That's a feature worth having, at least for me. Thanks for the great work!
Thanks for the review - notably lacking in the usual detail you go into (most of it not missed at all, though I was expecting you to show the resulting files on the memory card - i.e., file naming, layout, etc. - and the viewing software it comes with, if any). Given that I still can't justify the price of the K1S, I've decided to order an A119 after seeing your review (in worst case, if I decide I absolutely need front & rear, I can use two A119s and still save over $100 off the price of the K1S). Murky bowcups! :-)
I've got two of these cameras, one in each car. No problems at all with them. I've had several others which all were either crap, or died within a year.
Great review. Had one of these running for about 6 weeks now. Got it off fleabay - shipped from China. Came with the updated August firmware. So far so good. It also came with black adhesive 3M tape instead of grey. Mine has a Samsung 128GB running nicely without issue so far if that helps. Had two failure of Sandisk Ultra cards previously over the last year in my old A118. Apparently the Sandisk Ultra cards don't like constant writes apparently (learnt the hard way) so I've switch to hopefully a more reliable card brand. Another channel recommends the Lexar 633x (or something) for these dashcams but maybe next time. There's is also a polarising filter coming out for this apparently (option on the box) that reduces dashboard glare. Haven't seen this for sale yet though I'd don't really have this issue myself.
I know you have a ton of dash cam reviews, but what system would be your top pick for being able to see number plate detail clearly, even at night? Thanks, TM!
Thanks for the review, I must look into a dashcam. I imagine you'd have to remove the dashcam from the car in the summer because of the high temperature? Sometimes on a hot day when you return to a locked car the temperature inside is unbearable... must be around 50 or 60 degrees C!
I've got this camera, its quite good compared to ones I have tried before. Just a warning though, for those of you who bought the GPS version you might get a flickering screen if you plug the USB mini into the GPS, I got a small buzz sound out of it through the recordings too. I think this is due to not enough power or bad contacts for the GPS mount. To rectify this you can plug the USB mini directly to the camera and the GPS will still work.
Ah cheers. I actually bought a hardwire kit from Amazon today so that might do the job. On dashcamtalk there have been others getting the same problem so I don't know. But as I said I have no problems when I connect straight to the dashcam and the GPS still works. I have tried different USB cables and power supplies for it but still got the same thing.
Actually before I had to move the camera a bit for it to work normally. But of course later while driving it would go back to the flickering and buzzing from the ride. So it is probably to do with the contacts rather than power.
Great video, might want to let the manufacturer know that they could word things better... point 6 in the firmware release notes. "Added: Turkey Language"
Very imformative video as always! I'll be looking into getting one of these after frying my A118c. I hard wired it straight into a fuse splice completely forgetting it was only rated for 5v DC and not 12v DC..... Doh! Lesson learned. You dont happen to know of anything internal that could easily be replaced to get it running after such an overload do you? Longshot I know but always worth asking! Anyway, keep up the good work! Always enjoy watching your reviews to keep me in the loop.
I'm hearing that the latest A119 do ship with exposed black mounting tape. I think it's a hit or miss with new orders as it will just depend on how long the camera was sitting in a warehouse.
Best Dash camera ever! For more details follow the A119 Forums!You can change the adhesive to black, nobody else reported pin problems, the camera is so hidden and cheap that you don't have to remove it.... and with 7h of recording...who needs to press any emergency button.
As always very clear and detailed review. I was about to buy this when I noticed on Amazon site thet they show a model Boblov Viofo A119 V2 - is this the same model? The Boblov preceeding model Number is confusing me, Regards Tomias
I'm torn between this and the DDPai M6+. Also 13:30 you mention about not being able to find the Emergency button... perhaps you could stick one of those silicon kitchen cupboard door buffers on it, then it would stand out better.
I got the ddpai recently for my new car on the strength of Techmoan's recommendation. Its the first time I have had a dashcam, so I cant give a definitive verdict, but I love the footage, functionality, even the cheesy welcome message lets me know everything is working. I like how the mount/unmount system is the best i've seen, footage is right up there among the best, and the sound is really good too which is not hugely useful but a nice bonus. Plus, I intend to hardwire it and use the parking mode, which is a huge plus.
Look at the list of additional features on the update sheet he showed. I noticed one of them was "Turkey Language"! Rather than Turkish language, priceless!
With that angle and video quality (sharpness) and especially low light performance for that price I would definitely use it as a cheaper action cam. Knowing it takes 5V 1A via mini USB, would it be possible to simply hook it to something like a 10,000 mAh power bank?
Whoa, they even put you in the product description, near the review's score of Car Cam Central and PCWorld Huh, didnt even know it had a capacitor... battery? when I ordered that Anyway, love ANY reason to watch a Techmoan video!
What a pleasure it is to listen to a commentary that does not have any 'ummms' or 'aaaaahs'. Very professional.
My compliments.
If anyone happens to be watching this in late 2018, I can say that I've owned two of these for over a year now and they've worked flawlessly. They've survived a winter and a summer with no ill-effects.
I don't have a dash cam, don't plan to buy one and don't even have a car so these videos must be great any way because I sitll watch them.
such cams are in fact the most cheapest solution to install as security cam at house or in building, such form factor is ideal to install into the front door instead of peephole (outside it will look as standard one), as the ceiling one it can be inserted into plastic dome (the cheapest is the "fake camera ceiling dome") and even can be connected to display by HDMI cable which can be very long - 5 meters and cheap, it's quite thick but HD quality
Rambi Hell yea, I had the same idea while I was watching this, like why am I here? Oh because it's Techmoan! Tho probably I want to have a dashcam when I'll have my car
+alex ale For about the same price (maybe $5-$10 difference), you can get a 4MP professional security dome/turret camera with true night vision and industrial-grade event processing (motion detection, line crossing, left items, removed items and much more), they will happily take a MicroSD card (up to 128Gb) to store it all on, and you can access/control them from a normal web browser or mobile 'phone app. Search AliExpress for Hikvision DS-2CD2145F-IS and DS-2CD2345-I cameras (among others - but stay away from the el-cheapo crap designed for "home" use). Using the right tool for the job doesn't cost any more than using the wrong one.
Just a warning for anyone who bought the GPS version. If you get screen flickers on the dashcam plug the cable into the dashcam instead of the GPS unit. GPS will still work.
I literally just read about this model dash cam yesterday. My current one is a few years old and getting dates. What great timing for this review!!!
As of October '16 they have changed the adhesive color to black (updated from grey). Which is awesome, they seem to listen to everyone's improvement suggestions, and I am definitely willing to support a company that listens to their customers!
+Aleks Ulmer confirmed ! I got my cam today. Th eGPS mount has black 3M pad, the basic non-gps mount has a black 3M pad, the spare 3M pad is black, and they even threw in the standard old grey pad basic mount. :)
Right! I've loved mine for the month or so I've had it. Really impressive features and usability for the price.
Which vendor was providing A119's with the black pad. So many to choose from on ebay and Gearbest has the best deal around if willing to waiting for shipping from China. Thanks and cheers!
+krazyfiend There is a vendor on Amazon I ordered from called "Capture Your Action". They have high reviews and answered all my questions quickly before I bought everything. All the ones they sell are the newest versions with the black pads. They also shipped quickly because they have stock in the USA and their price was one of the lowest I saw at that time ($90 for camera, $10 for GPS mount).
Been considering a dashcam after being witness to some ridiculous on-road behaviour recently that has almost ended up badly. Appreciate the no-nonsense style of your reviews with the comfort of knowing that you've properly tested them, rather than just regurgitating the advertising material and maybe tried them once like some other "review" sites.
Thank you for posting this review. As a result I've bought two of these cameras.. so, I suppose Amazon really owes you a thank you as well. :)
My favourite feature so far is that I can easily slide them on and off of the base. This makes them much easier to bring inside to check the footage and that they are operating correctly. Much easier than my previous DVRs that is.
So, thank you again. Please keep up the good work. :)
I have had a few Dash Cams since i started using them about 10 years ago. The A11 was one that stuck with me and the best one in terms of reliability.
I have been watching your dash cam videos for quite a while now and love them all. Finally got enough saved up and the right deal came along and I just Got one of these A119 Cams and love it so far. Even Started putting up my own videos with it! Thanks!
Your videos on dash cams are second to none. Enjoy your website as well. Thanks for another great video
I bought 2 of these. 1 died after 6 months. The other is still working. I live in Vegas which can get pretty hot but I always pulled the unit out when parking for long periods. Even still the unit runs really hot. Literally a few minutes after turning on it will get very hot. I've been happy with the picture quality but sometimes it's hard to see license plates when moving.
I love your channel, and Mobiletechreviews... one of the very few genuinely unbiased channels that wasn't bought out by different companies.
Ah fantastic, actually already have an A119 and so far its the best dashcam I have purchased and used.
I bought the A118 off the back of your review! It's been in my car about a year now, no problems at all. Thankfully never really needed to grab much footage off it, but when I have it's always been pretty damn good. If that's anything to go by, this should be a good purchase for those worried about the reliability of cheap Chinese cameras.
I bought this A119 about year ago. With GPS. GPS died at June because of hot weather. Few months later at autumn I tried GPS again and it work. Not a single problems with camera. It still working fine even in -30C temperature. Cameras I have used before included back up battery and did worked only few months. So it seems camera with capacitor is the right choice.
i have the A118/B40 capacitor and it's great. The emergency button is round and all the other buttons are rectangular, so i don't know why they did away with that, but it's a great camera
the video mounting is really stable I can watch this for hours if you drive on the most Dangerous Roads in the world
I am impressed by the night vision on such a small device. I don't drive, but I can think of a few uses for this lil thing. Some great imagery from such a small package. A tad too expensive from my perspective, but for its intended purpose I'd say it's a fair price and not out of the way for most. I agree with you on the pins, verdigris could indeed be a problem over time, if not fastidiously catered for. The mic sounded a bit muffled. They are the only major flaws I would consider if I was in the market for a device like this for its intended use. Your truncated review was good. Thanks Mr Moan.
I lived in Standish when I was younger (near Pepper Lane) so recognised all the bloody roads your video showed! In Preston now mind - but bought this dashcam this week - seems pretty decent.
Looking forward to a review of a 4K dashcam.
Yes plz :)
Yeah, 4K, 7.1 surround, 120 FPS, 3D holographic dash cam!
+Adam Pierce 2560x1440 (this camera's maximum resolution) is already what TV manufacturers market as "4K" (remember, "marketing" is a euphemism for "bullshit").
Yorick, a little higher according to Wikipedia: _UHD-1, or ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV), is the 4K standard for television and computer monitors. UHD-1 is also called 2160p since it has twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of 1080p. It has a resolution of 3840 × 2160 (16:9, or approximately a 1.78:1 aspect ratio). UHD-1 is used in consumer television and other media, e.g. video games._
Stan A. Thanks for the elaboration. I do know what the _truth_ is, but since when has truth mattered to marketers and salespeople? These are the same people who were pushing 720p as being equivalent to 1080p only a few years ago.
Techmoan, thank you for this review. I've been looking for a dash cam for over a month now. The choice on the market is huge to the point beyond I got seriously lost. After watching your reviews I just purchased this one due to its night recording capabilities, GPS, CP filter and so on. Again, thanks for doing a good job and keep going!
if it's night recording maybe you wanted the Viofo A119S with it's 7G lens and Sony IMX291 Sensor ?
You are one of the very best reviewers i have see in youtube.
As always, thanks for reviewing.
Whoaaa... so glad I checked out that page in your website! The Viofo A119 seems remarkable... and I found an e-tailer in my country that sells them. Yay!
Thanks for the review! Very well made 👍
Your comment at 15 minutes is correct, have had mine in my wifes Subaru XV for about 5 months and 2 things have been causing it to randomly shut off, the original cigarette lighter to USB plug shipped with it sort off slips out, fixed by chucking it for a Cigarette 3 socket hub with USB port and as the 15 minute predicted the connectors to the GPS unit loosened due to plastic wear though have only removed it 3 times in the 5 months so suspect more to due with normal driving, temp fix is inserting a very thin plastic strip over the barcode side so the contacts on the opposite side make cleanly again.
Thank you again. I will be purchasing this dashcam. The very first dashcam I purchased that you reviewed still works today but has a focus issue. It was the DR32 HD. The other I bought to replace was a Mini0806 but due to having a battery it ended up dying the second summer. This looks to have the quality of the Mini0806 but even more compact and no battery.
The 4K upload looks MUCH better. Good show TM!
I own this dashcam and I love it! Even if you plug the power lead into the camera directly you still get the GPS info at least with my A119.
Looks like a decent cam, been looking for an inexpensive basic camera like this, and the price point is good as well.
I'm going to make a wild guess and say that the 2μm pixel size of the OV4689 by Omnivision helps this A119 and for example the DDPai M6+ you also for it's low light performance.
They use the same sensor in case you didn't know.
It's great to see dashcam's use sensors with larger pixel sizes like the Omnivision sensor here as they're going to capture much more light per pixel.
It's probably also the reason why 60 or 120fps works so well during the night.
Segway: for reference these are the sensors HTC used with their original One (M7) and also for the One (M8) "back in the day".
Well, kind of, the One shipped with the VD6869 by ST which just happens to be identical to the OV4688 by Omnivision to which HTC later changed on the M7 and subsequently used in the M8.
And, obviously, the OV4689 inside the A119 and M6+ is the successor to the OV4688, though from looking at the specs not much has changed.
I've had v2 of this cam since December 2016. v2 is the one reviewed here. It started being sold in summer 2016 - it added a lens that swivels L-R in addition to up down. Mine is branded SpyTec, but they are the same.
I have just installed the Viofo firmware update v3.6 dated Jan 22, 2018. It adds a parking mode which, supposedly, when turned on, uses a combination of the G-sensor and motion-detection to determine if the car is parked or driving. Supposedly, you can leave it on like this all the time. When movement of the car is detected, it will switch to normal recording according to the settings you chose, and when the G-sensor detects that you are no longer moving, it will switch to parking mode. Nice.
I say supposedly because I have not tested this out yet, as I have just installed the firmware today. I have set mine to 5fps parking mode. If I remember, I will let you know if it works.
There is a decent demonstration of this mode posted here: ua-cam.com/video/G9vRHZ3cAjc/v-deo.htmlm44s
Really liked the footage. Beautiful country Techmoan. Great review as well.
Adis - Ad Country, yes. What's wrong with the word? Would you prefer nation?
I have a 132gb SD card in it, and it's working fine. Had this A119 for 1 month to replace the Mini 0805
I'm thinking that you must either;
a) have a dirty great box of dash board cameras
b) an impressive number of cars (to rival the likes of AVIS) & a massive shed to put them in
c) must cycle through dash cameras at a high rate
Or...
d) review things as a hobby or for a living.
Actually what can help the night sort is buying a polarised lenses adaptor that Viofo gave for the cam. Not a magical cure all, but reduces the glare quite alot.
I just saw you on 8bitguy. Good one m8. I was quite happy when I saw you there because I enjoy you a bit more than him.
As for microSD card, it is very highly recommended to use one of those "High Endurance" versions of the card.
Transcend High Endurance & Sandisk High Endurance cards are recommended.
I bought the mobius based upon your review, now I am buying the Viofo too.
Put the Mobius in the rear window!
great idea! Would that be too much strain on my car's charging system?
Jason Barre no, very low power consumption.
And you wouldn't necessarily need to power it up, just to keep tailgaters off your ass!
Best dash cam video I've seen (quality wise)
Nice review, I have been looking at the A119 for a while now, the old one is on its way out, also cool to see ones name in the credits, keep the vids coming, love the retro tech stuff too :)
review the floppy disk camera please!!! it sounds awesome!!!
At this point I have/know the perfect dashcam for myself and only watch these videos for some nice UK-road videos :p
Looks pretty good. Would be better if it had a polarizing lens to reduce that glare.
They do sell a CLP kit for it on eBay.
what's a clp kit?
onjoFilms Polarizing lens
Excellent review and video - as usual. I bought dashcams for myself and my family based on your recommendations - thanks.
14:00 Looks like it is "formed" but the springy bit is stuck. Happens very easy with a bit of dirt or just misalignment. You can try to press it in a bit more, shake / blow to remove possible dirt and/or try to push and release it a couple of times.
By the way. For your 60fps 1080. It's clearly slowing down the shutter speed/frame rate to allow more light to fall on the sensor (it must have a low light priority mode)
You can tell by how it's jittery and skipping frames during your 60fps night time recording.
WHY DOES IT LOOK SO GOOD OMG
awww yeah! finally a dashcam review!
Great review! Those night (and day) shots are very nice.
One thing you forgot in your GPQ
How did your day go today?
Mine went fairly well .
Thanks for having a good sense of humor
LONGISH TERM REPORT on the A119:
I've had one of these exact ones sitting on my windshield since shortly after this video came out- two years in the sun in southern california.
The main failure so far- in the last 3 months, it's had an intermittent problem where I start the car, the cam comes on but the screen says CARD ERROR in a blue box and stops recording. Turning it off and on once or twice generally fixes it, and the times I ignored it and kept driving, it was working next time I started the car. Tried it with new sd cards and tried reformatting the original card, didn't change anything. After it does this for a day or two, it usually doesn't do it again for weeks, and I haven't seen it happen again for a whole month.
Otherwise works the same now as it did in 2016.
It's wasn't a super expensive investment grade dashcam, anyway, but it's lasted pretty well, especially with the desert baking, 2 trips to Death Valley at 115+ heat, two weekends in Vegas at similar heat, bumpy abandoned roads, general neglect, etc etc.
THANKS for the update on M6+ in Comments. I went with the M6+ and love it!! Great review, but I do prefer features on M6
"Guessed Potential Questions" :) Mat is always a step ahead...
Did I miss the improved spinning intro bicycle/tape real LED upgrade link?
Must have been three vids ago. Another great video produced in an undisclosed location near...Manchester. Keep em coming!
I need another martini. Olives. Gin and plenty of vermouth - No James Bond version. Not that there's anything wrong with...
Nicely done review, and great info! You've made my dashcam search and decision much easier! I've placed my order from your link. When will you be here to install it? :-)
Thanks for the review on the A 119 , thinking of getting one for My trip to Florida .....
Nice illustration of the camera. So good that I noticed you need to polish your hood (bonnet)
Techmoan ? Why did I always read it as techno man :D ?
its the mandela effect!!!
yellowbe2003 don't you start! 😂
hehe
it's a typo, something Brits use, for some reason
come on, I'm austrian and read it "tech moan" from the first vid on which I watched long time ago...
I don't think you ever reviewed it, but the Thinkware F750 is a very nice dashcam. I have one in my Volvo. Wired in the CEM so it automatically turns on the motion sensing park mode and turns itself off once the car battery reaches lower than 11.4 volts. I would recommend it. maybe a nice one for a future video?
Just bought this for the missus but haven't installed it yet. For the £60 I paid i'm very happy with it
Thanks ... I have been hoping for a recent review ... these things are just getting traction here in my part of the USA
You should probably try the 120fps mode during the day, since a frame-by-frame of the 120fps video sample is really only showing about 30fps with any other frames being redundant. It probably ramps up the exposure at night to keep the image bright.
Thanks again for all the reviews, always enjoyable!
Love the reviews! I'm still using the DDpai m6+ but it does shut down in hot weather (I live in South US).
I've taken to removing it (a simple task) when I'll be parked for a long time.
As Winter is approaching, this will become less of an issue.
Still, the DDPai m6+ is the best! Built-in GPS, constant updates and an odd Chinese assistant. :)
default frequency 50hz (firmware update) great idea, 50hz reduces or eliminates street light artifacts in coutries with 50hz power (most 220-240v coutries)-
videos from australian youtube channels like eevblog, use 1080p50 (as opposed to 1080p60) for this reason
*i have the 118 and one of the features i liked about it is that it has a really good microphone on it for recording inside the car. this one seems they have paid more attention to the resolution and neglected the one thing that caused me to purchase my A118 in the first place. which was image clarity day and night @ at least 1080P and good audio thinking i may have to find another option now or just keep hunting for the 118's for my other vehicles because i do like the quality of this but if you're going to start ignoring one of the good features that it did well previously it's not worth upgrading. sad too, i like the new image and the add on GPS as well*
Is there a Weather Proof Housing for Externally Mounted Dash Cam ?? I hear it over and over, in the boating and RV community... people say "I wish we had footage of that". There must be a way to mount a Dashcam, and put it in a clear waterproof housing and then you will have round the clock footage (strap it to your roof or Bimini) Dual cam (front and back would be even better). It records over and over in a loop and if something really cool happens, you hit the button and it saves the preceding 15 minute segment in a separate file. Cheaper than a full blown security camera system I think.
I love all your videos, but make more failed formats related videos like Betamax
Specifically regarding Betamax: how about a video that actually shows the difference. I've heard many say "technically betamax was higher quality than VHS." But almost none of us actually had both to compare side by side. I'd love to see a visual (4k video) so that I can see the subtle and/or huge difference. And get your take on that possibly once-key difference.
I don't recall any of those two supporting 4k...
Fun. But for those who don't get the joke: it's not that Betamax supported 4k. It was not even HD (it is 240p or 290p IIRC.) It's that a 4k youtube video need not worry about pixel output to camera input alignment when filming the screen output of a NTSC monitor.
If I remember correctly the even lesser-used Philips designed format V2000 was the best quality. (AND you could flip them over like an audio cassette!!)
Watching vehicles driving on the left hand side of the road and passing on the right hand side of the road is like riding in a roller coaster.
Exactly, it kind of ruined Forza Horizon 3 for me...
Why would anyone do something like that? Why go through all the hassle, it feels so much more relaxed driving on the right side of the road.
That's how we drive in Australia. It's frustrating for us Australians to have to drive on the right hand side of the road in left hand drive vehicles in most racing games. Our gear shift is used with the left hand, and our pedals are the same layout. I wish Forza Horizon 3 had more Australian right hand drive cars.
I got an idea: Developers should include a mirror mode in Racing games, which mirrors everything apart from text and numbers (and they should let you decide the side of gear shift and so on). Then everybody would be happy and world peace would be achieved. :)
I've never seen video footage of a US highway in which there aren't left lane hoggers and other frustrated motorists passing them on the right side. It's so bad in the US, some states are asking patrol cars to hand out fines for such driving. So why this is so shocking to you is a mystery.
Don't get me wrong, in the UK there are the equivalent right lane hoggers and it gets on many peoples nerves. But overall I'd say the driving standard is much higher.
John Gotts it's the opposite for us looking at the US
VERY detailed rview. I just ordered one. Would you suggest it's okay yo initially set up in 1080p60 video mode?
thats so smart, upscale to 4k30 then you get the higher bitrate allowance so when your watching in 1080p it doesent go blocky
I have the A119, it's an excellent dash cam.
Have you tried gently pushing the middle of the faulty pin down with something like a ball pen to see if it'll pop up?
Or a bit of spring metal soldered into it
I am curious as to how you ran your wire. The photos of the interior of the Mini looked as though you did a terrific job in hiding the wire. Thanks.
Nothing I can't look up, but I was curious if it had impact sensors to automatically preserve a recording after an accident. That's a feature worth having, at least for me. Thanks for the great work!
yes it has
I now find myself looking at the end to see if Pedant is there. Probably not what the author wants to hear :D
I use the Xiaomi Yi Dashcam it is a brilliant dash cam, very simple to use.
I'm glad I found you late. A lot of videos to watch LOL
Thanks for the review - notably lacking in the usual detail you go into (most of it not missed at all, though I was expecting you to show the resulting files on the memory card - i.e., file naming, layout, etc. - and the viewing software it comes with, if any). Given that I still can't justify the price of the K1S, I've decided to order an A119 after seeing your review (in worst case, if I decide I absolutely need front & rear, I can use two A119s and still save over $100 off the price of the K1S). Murky bowcups! :-)
It would be amazing to see you review a cheap 3D printer
I've got two of these cameras, one in each car. No problems at all with them. I've had several others which all were either crap, or died within a year.
Great review.
Had one of these running for about 6 weeks now. Got it off fleabay - shipped from China. Came with the updated August firmware. So far so good. It also came with black adhesive 3M tape instead of grey.
Mine has a Samsung 128GB running nicely without issue so far if that helps. Had two failure of Sandisk Ultra cards previously over the last year in my old A118. Apparently the Sandisk Ultra cards don't like constant writes apparently (learnt the hard way) so I've switch to hopefully a more reliable card brand. Another channel recommends the Lexar 633x (or something) for these dashcams but maybe next time.
There's is also a polarising filter coming out for this apparently (option on the box) that reduces dashboard glare. Haven't seen this for sale yet though I'd don't really have this issue myself.
I know you have a ton of dash cam reviews, but what system would be your top pick for being able to see number plate detail clearly, even at night? Thanks, TM!
Thanks for the review, I must look into a dashcam. I imagine you'd have to remove the dashcam from the car in the summer because of the high temperature? Sometimes on a hot day when you return to a locked car the temperature inside is unbearable... must be around 50 or 60 degrees C!
I've got this camera, its quite good compared to ones I have tried before.
Just a warning though, for those of you who bought the GPS version you might get a flickering screen if you plug the USB mini into the GPS, I got a small buzz sound out of it through the recordings too. I think this is due to not enough power or bad contacts for the GPS mount.
To rectify this you can plug the USB mini directly to the camera and the GPS will still work.
It sounds like your USB power supply isn't providing 2amps...perhaps it's only 1 amp or 500ma. If I were you I'd try a different USB power supply.
Ah cheers. I actually bought a hardwire kit from Amazon today so that might do the job. On dashcamtalk there have been others getting the same problem so I don't know. But as I said I have no problems when I connect straight to the dashcam and the GPS still works. I have tried different USB cables and power supplies for it but still got the same thing.
Actually before I had to move the camera a bit for it to work normally. But of course later while driving it would go back to the flickering and buzzing from the ride. So it is probably to do with the contacts rather than power.
Great video, might want to let the manufacturer know that they could word things better... point 6 in the firmware release notes. "Added: Turkey Language"
Great content. Would like to understand the installation process to get power to the device. Is there a link to such a video for basic dashcams?
Very imformative video as always!
I'll be looking into getting one of these after frying my A118c.
I hard wired it straight into a fuse splice completely forgetting it was only rated for 5v DC and not 12v DC..... Doh! Lesson learned.
You dont happen to know of anything internal that could easily be replaced to get it running after such an overload do you? Longshot I know but always worth asking!
Anyway, keep up the good work! Always enjoy watching your reviews to keep me in the loop.
I'm hearing that the latest A119 do ship with exposed black mounting tape. I think it's a hit or miss with new orders as it will just depend on how long the camera was sitting in a warehouse.
well I've got a119 from gearbest and it has black mounting tape
Noted. :)
The video seems to stutter allot at 10:00 is that youtube?
Keep creating!
Its a great cam! Also, u sound just like James May from Top Gear.
Best Dash camera ever! For more details follow the A119 Forums!You can change the adhesive to black, nobody else reported pin problems, the camera is so hidden and cheap that you don't have to remove it.... and with 7h of recording...who needs to press any emergency button.
That's a really...really good video quality.
I bought some adhesive Velcro straps a while ago. my thought is that it might be better to use that rather than disconnecting the pins on the mount.
Wait, did the firmware update webpage says that the update adds Turkey Language? Turkeys can drive?
They ain't no chickens either once they get behind the wheel.
Please, get out.
As always very clear and detailed review. I was about to buy this when I noticed on Amazon site thet they show a model Boblov Viofo A119 V2 - is this the same model? The Boblov preceeding model Number is confusing me,
Regards Tomias
I'm torn between this and the DDPai M6+.
Also 13:30 you mention about not being able to find the Emergency button... perhaps you could stick one of those silicon kitchen cupboard door buffers on it, then it would stand out better.
Paul Smith a little hot glue makes a good .....nipple.
I have had a DDpai in my car for almost a year, however, it stopped working last week and I have just taken delivery of the replacement A119.
I got the ddpai recently for my new car on the strength of Techmoan's recommendation. Its the first time I have had a dashcam, so I cant give a definitive verdict, but I love the footage, functionality, even the cheesy welcome message lets me know everything is working. I like how the mount/unmount system is the best i've seen, footage is right up there among the best, and the sound is really good too which is not hugely useful but a nice bonus. Plus, I intend to hardwire it and use the parking mode, which is a huge plus.
Look at the list of additional features on the update sheet he showed. I noticed one of them was "Turkey Language"! Rather than Turkish language, priceless!
does 1080p60 improve number plate readability when cars are moving at different speed compared with 2k30?
With that angle and video quality (sharpness) and especially low light performance for that price I would definitely use it as a cheaper action cam. Knowing it takes 5V 1A via mini USB, would it be possible to simply hook it to something like a 10,000 mAh power bank?
Whoa, they even put you in the product description, near the review's score of Car Cam Central and PCWorld
Huh, didnt even know it had a capacitor... battery? when I ordered that
Anyway, love ANY reason to watch a Techmoan video!
I mean, official store on Alie xpress did that