VIOFO A119 V3 2560 x 1600P Quad HD+ Dash Camera with GPS Logger and CPL 2022 Edition

So Far, after 8 months of use, it's worked well, recording our travels. I have it set for continuous recording to overwrite the oldest when the card is full. This seems to work well as long as you don't forget to turn it off or you'll have hours of the inside of your garage at night on the card. It almost works as a trip catalog as well, for instance, if you're traveling through scenic mountain ranges or forests, you can force a save and review the video later. Yes, it will mostly be the road and what's directly in front of the vehicle but it still keeps a record of what you've been staring at. I wish the screen were brighter, it's a little difficult to see the screen with in sunlight at the front of the camera. I haven't had to count on this in an accident so I can't comment on the ability to automatically save the last recording before an accident. I have the microphone turned off, because I don't need to hear what I was talking about again when I see the video...

I purchased this for myself about six months ago ago, then again just recently for my sister to put in her car. The initial purchase was to replace an older Viofo, the original A119s (I think) when it failed after four years of use. This A119v3 is functionally quite similar to that one - it just has a higher picture quality due to improvements in technology. I wanted one that was 4k/60fps or 2k/120fps but the tech isn't quite there yet, at least not at a reasonable price.I also purchased a pair of 128GB Samsung high-endurance microSD cards (primary and backup) and a hardware kit. I did not purchase a GPS unit, as I didn't see the need. Finally, I purchased a USB-C microSD reader so I could easily transfer a video to my phone for backup, in the case I ended up in an accident and needed to retain evidence.Install was dead-simple - I mounted the camera in a location which as already blocked by my rear-view mirror, so I can't even see it while driving and it isn't conspicuous from the outside. I ran the wire up along under the lip where my car's internal ceiling meets the windshield, then down the a-pillar on the drivers-side, where it connects to the ACC and door-locks on the car. This is because I am using the hardware kit and wanted the camera to continue recording while parked, at least for a little while - if you are using the default wiring kit, you can run it own the passenger side and plug it into an car outlet or USB, as the unit comes with a cigarette-lighter-to-USB adapter and a very long USB cable. My sister used this latter option and was able to completely hide the cable without issue. After install, everything just stays put more or less permanently.Functionally, the unit is straightforward. There are some settings should should configure, but not many. The menu is pretty tricky to navigate at first, it isn't clear what buttons do what, but you learn fairly quickly. Just read the manual to see what is available - all the basic features are there, file formats, date codes on the video, when to overwrite, what resolution and FPS you prefer, etc.Daytime video quality is very good, close to exceptional. FOV (field of view) is wide enough to cover the entire windshield if you place the camera in the center. Resolution at 2K is good enough to resolve most license plates within two car lengths at rest, as well as with maybe 5mph difference, though it gets tricky quick. This will capture everything else pretty reliably.Nighttime video quality is passable. Glare reduction is good, it comes with a polarizing filter to aid in that. You probably aren't resolving any license plates except under ideal conditions. It is more than enough for the average motorist, but if you do most of your driving at night, you might want to consider a dashcam specifically designed with the IR lamps for that purpose.So far the camera has been very reliable. It chimes on startup to let me know it is on, and the record button has a soft red glow to confirm it is recording. The display is not normally lit while driving. I have already saved a couple videos of things I've seen on the road, quite successfully. I am much more comfortable having this dashcam in the car than not.Overall, I think I'd recommend it to most people as their first camera, with the only alternative being the A129 Duo, which also has a rear-view camera to catch people behind you, in the case of a rear-end. That goes for about $170.

I was recommended this camera by a friend who had purchased it years ago and was really impressed by it and stayed with the brand ... I managed to wire it up to a switch to leave it running while the engine is off in parking situations, or to only record while the engine is running and then off when ignition is off as to not harm car battery ... I love this setup because it offers 100% insurance that the camera is always running when the car is in drive and I don’t have to think about it. This isn’t a stock feature of the camera and took a bit of work and figuring out tapping out of my vehicle’s fuse box, otherwise you may have to constantly plug the camera in and out depending how your vehicle works as to not kill the battery which I would find annoying (there are 12V USB hubs with switches built in, as a cheap/easy option) — however I read that leaving the camera on 24/7 wouldn’t really harm a battery on a daily driver ... except possibly shorten the overall lifespan of the battery by maybe a few months.As for the camera the picture quality is excellent and tons options available to set it up how you like. Be sure to upgrade the firmware to get the latest features like higher video quality. I like how by stock it is set up to automatically record and save power by shutting off display and showing a small red indicator to show that it’s rolling. I only slightly regret not getting a 2 way camera that faces both directions, however I wired in a second USB port if I do want to add a second.Having said all that, I know people that have received good settlements in accident claims because of dash cameras, so definitely get one ... and I can recommend this one in particular based on my review and a friend who has also done a lot of research on dash cameras over the years. The next generation of dash cameras will feature cloud recording and at that point I would like to go all out and get a 2 way camera on cloud to check in on the video with higher video quality & longer record times ... probably 3-4 more years until this would be available at a decent price.

Can't beat the price point, and no buggy apps or wireless connections. microSD card and power, that's all you need... if you get the hardwire kit, just be warned a lot of modern cars will get fussy when it detects battery drain after the engine is off.You may not be able to set up parking mode (with the hardwire kit) and be error-free on the car side of things. I gave up on my BMW and just used the cigarette lighter in the passenger footwell; it's switched, and so turns off when the car does.

Image quality is vastly superior to the two previous, cheap (~$50) dash cams that turned out to be a waste of money. With the A119 there is no problem reading highway signs at highway speed, and the image quality of licence plates on approaching vehicles (closing speed well in excess of 200 km/hr) is not perfect, but usable.I had resisted giving up the portability of a suction-cup attachment but am now very glad to use the more permanent adhesive mount. It makes for a much tidier and discrete installation. It also makes it possible to install the camera on a nearly vertical RV windshield. Once the adhesive mounts are installed in our various vehicles it is a bit fiddly to move the camera between them, but tolerable since each is used seasonally.I had read some reports that using a card larger than 128 GB was a problem, but I've put a 256 into the second unit and it works as well as the 128 does in the first.I recommend taking the time to work your way through all of the menu options as there are lots of settings that can be tweaked to suit your preferences.The free software that can be downloaded from Viofo is also excellent. I'm a happy user.