Review: Viofo A129 PLUS Duo dash cam front/rear, parking mode, 1440p60 f/1.6, features & problems
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- In-depth overview of Viofo's A129 Plus Duo car camera, another front & rear system using Sony sensors behind f/1.6 lenses, the front cam capturing 1440p60, proper hard-wired parking mode functionality, and wi-fi connectivity. Like the other Viofo cameras, power is via USB or a hardwire box, the included GPS mount records speed and location data, and they have optional polarizing filters.
The front camera is "quad HD" (2560 x 1440 px) at 60 FPS; the rear is the same-old 1080p30.
The camera is good value but this review unit with version 1.0 firmware has problems. Watch to find out.
Review of the original A129 Duo: • Review: Viofo A129 Duo...
Hardwire install video: • How to: Hardwire insta...
Thanks to BlackBoxMyCar for supplying the review unit. If you buy anything using these links, you get 5% off and so do I...
BlackBoxMyCar ~ US: blackboxmycar.com?ref:craig | Canada: blackboxmycar.ca?ref:craigs
A129 Plus Duo & accessories ~ US: bit.ly/2IrJKYx | Canada: bit.ly/2It2GpQ
Other countries, use code CRAIG5 at checkout.
Amazon UK ~
A129 Plus Duo: amzn.to/3nnBvMd
Hardwire/parking kit: amzn.to/2YUeEeH
Viofo store: amzn.to/2KnQ8OU
Using the links above helps support my channel and is appreciated!
5% discount via BlackBoxMyCar links...
US: blackboxmycar.com?ref:craig | Canada: blackboxmycar.ca?ref:craigs
A129 Plus Duo & accessories ~ US: bit.ly/2IrJKYx | Canada: bit.ly/2It2GpQ
Other countries, use code CRAIG5 at checkout.
Amazon UK:
amzn.to/3nnBvMd
I wonder why the Viofo V3 has sharper images than even the 4K when it comes to capturing license plates night? Despite it doesn't have rear dashcam and it's missing lots of important features like wifi, cloud, etc
What if I install Viofo V3 front and rear? Any suggestions?
Great review and thanks for the time to do it. I’m wondering if it’s possible (or capable) of just having a G Sensor in parking mode? That’s what I used in my last dashcam which I have to replace. I prefer a G sensor on medium and motion sensing either on low or off.
You all probably dont give a damn but does any of you know of a method to get back into an instagram account??
I was dumb lost the password. I would love any help you can offer me.
@Makai Kalel Instablaster =)
Your review about parking mode is the best explanation i got from these type of videos. I was bummed about the night time performance on the Duo Plus versus the Duo. Maybe the Pro will be my choice, since here the difference is about 20 bucks. Thank You for making this for us.
Nope the Pro is also BS material ! whatever firmware you put on , it is not to be trusted , I had 4 Viofo's, 3 a119 V3 and one 129 Pro, only one a119 V3 was somewhat ok and kept a good picture after a year, switched to the Nextbase 622 gw and it is a whole lot better !
First class review, really in depth and informative, thanks for all the hard work you put in Craig.
Thank you so much for doing this video. I installed the VIOFO A129 Plus Duo in my 2014 RAM Express and your explanations of the various settings was terrific. I especially appreciated the explanation of the various parking settings. I know I would have had a really hard time understanding the nuances from the manual, if they even had them. Thanks again. Great job!!
The latest firmware update adds UWHD (2560 x 1080, 21:9 aspect ratio) in both 60fps and 30fps.
This cuts out some of the top and bottom of the picture which not only helps bring down file size (as less is recorded) but also helps with contrast and lighting since you're no longer recording your dashboard or a bunch of clouds.
I've also noticed 30fps reduces the noise quite substantially (with WDR off and using the highest bitrate).
Thanks for mentioning this! It's yet another plus for this product that has led me to decide to go ahead and purchase it.
@@gordon9821 You won't regret it. If you have the money to spare then I'd suggest the new A229 as it now comes with a 2k rear cam as well as a few feature updates.
Hey Craig! I just want to let you know that your videos inspired me to wrench on my 09 Focus 1.8si Duratec through lockdown here in Cape Town 🇿🇦. Thank you for all your amazing precise content on the Mondeo. It really has been a life saver. My only goal now is to do all the maintenance you did on you Ford on my own car. I saved your playlist and watch your videos while I work on my car. Thanks again for the awesome content. You are a legend!!
south africa moment
Your channel is way underrated! This video is of very high quality! Love your content
You given a very good detail of the dash cam. Well done
Stupendous review. I wish someone had a comparison of the Plus Duo and Pro Duo.
Also 12:06; dang, save some tail for the rest of us
Your commentary is very clear and detailed. Professional quality. Thank you.
I imagine the 1600p mode simply comes from them giving you access to the more of the image sensor since it's available, if you want that extra vertical space. Your idea for trucks and busses sounds very plausible. The image sensor is a 4:3 image sensor, so you're still missing out on several hundred horizontal lines at 1600p. lol Great review! Thanks!
I'm was trying to decide between the duo model and plus duo model. I think the duo is the one for me. Thanks for another great video
Until the Plus is proven more reliable or has firmware updates that's a reasonable choice.
@@CraigsDIY im between the a119 v3 and this one, i see more pros in the v3 but i dont like doesn't have wifi what do you think craig?
@@diablostang1927 I'm wondering this myself too.
@@Purgatory-is5zj i ended buying the a129 plus 😅, i have a yi dashcam with wifi and that is one of the best options in this cams, when a police officer stop you is more easy to show the video in direct than telling him just wait until i download the video 🤣.
@@CraigsDIY still true today?
Another great in-depth review. Very informative, clear and well-presented!
This video is incredible and pretty far in depth, definitely more than your competition, you deserve much more than 36,000 views and 28,000 subs. Great job, keep it up, wishing you the best.
this is how review channels work, low but steady and reliable amounts of views
Great review. It seems yours was the best parking mode expiation out there. Left a Like ;)
BEst video explanation and review of this product I have seen. The only thing left out of this video is the GPS functions and interface.
Craig, I enjoyed your review. Near the end where you discussed missing frames, I was impressed with the clarity of the oncoming vehicles and being able to clearly read the registration numbers. keep up the good work.
Excellent review, and perfectly explained. Personally, I think you are one of the best reviewers on CZcams . Excellent speaking quality. Other than on CZcams, are you professionally employed utilizing your abilities? If not, you should be. Now, in regards to the issues you mentioned nearing the end of your video, we’re they eventually rectified by firmware updates? I’m eyeing this as a soon to be purchase, and would like to know what to expect in regards to these issues you noticed. Thank you.
I too, would like to know if any firmware patches have been released regarding the issues mentioned in this video
Craig you're absolute brilliant. Very detailed, informative and straight to the point. Bravo!
Found online.
Note that the H.265 encoding is a hidden mode in the A129 Plus Duo. To enable it, you will need to stop recording and then hold the MIC button; you will then see the SD card icon on the left side of the screen.
Best review of most factors I have seen online of this model. Great details and analysis.
Fantastic review. Such detail and so clearly presented.
Thanks for a review which answers a lot of my questions. The discussion of the various parking modes (and their utility) was especially helpful.
thank you for taking the time to review this cam i have been looking for a nice front and rear dash cam i will be using your links as a thank you for the work you put into this video
Great review. I laughed out loud.... your footage is just around the corner from us in Remuera
Best review i've seen of this cam. Good work
I thought the footage looked like NZ, then I saw the National party billboard. :D
Nice review. thanks.
Thank you for this. I had to like, comment and subscribe. It def took time to record and edit this video. Thorough. Well done!
Excellent explanations my man, top notch. Exactly what I was looking for. And the accent doesn’t hurt either!
@20:26 I just finished installing mine for a second time. The first time it did the double beep, start and stop recording for 5 seconds on a loop. Long story short I re-did the cable routing to the rear camera while having it on and having the rear camera view on. I was trying to avoid getting a kink(bend) in the cable which I think is what produced this issue. I completed the install without having an issue with the rear camera. Let's hope it stays that way. Cheers
Best review for this cam I saw
just got this dashcam for Christmas :) thank god they got me the Plus lol i will be ordering the filters for both back and front. hope it goes well :)
Thanks for the review.
Thank you for your very valuable input on this dash camera. 👍🏾
parking mode is the best explanation. thank you
Excellent, thorough review, thanks 👍
Also worth noting:
The 4K Units are not good as they have an unusable low frame rate (30fps) -- dash cameras require frame rates of 60-120fps due to the vehicle moving at high speeds.
Therefore, a 2k (1440 / 60 ) dash camera will perform much better than a 4k (2160 / 30).
Also, as the resolution increases the night video recordings quality decreases so, 1440 is better than 4k and 1080 is better than 2k.
One can determine the best dash camera by identifying which image sensor it uses as the sensor dictates its performance.
The best dash camera will incorporate a Sony IMX226 sensor as this chip is one of the highest performance 4k / 120fps / 60fps with incredible low-light (nighttime) performance. With quality comes expense, therefore, the dash camera will cost anywhere from $350-$450. The Sony IMX226 is the same professional image sensor used in the DJI Mavic 2 (Professional Drone).
How does that sensor compare to the IMX317?
Very good review. Thanks for your time!
I have installed this yesterday, I'm gonna switch to low bitrate recording in parking vs timelapse, to get audio. Also found that in parking mode at night the rear camera picked up the street quite well but the front camera is all black! I suspect this is because the front camera is set to 60fps. I'll try again with it set to 30fps. It would be nice if you could choose different settings for regular and and parking modes... oh well. Anyway thanks for the great video :)
I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed that 2K nonsense. It seems like lots of people confuses 2K with 2.5K.
Craig, is there any chance you'll be doing an A129 Pro 4K review? Your excellent assessments are very much appreciated.
The 4K Units are not good as they have an unusable low frame rate (30fps) -- dash cameras require frame rates of 60-120fps due to the vehicle moving at high speeds.
Therefore, a 2k (1440 / 60 ) dash camera will perform much better than a 4k (2160 / 30).
Also, as the resolution increases the night video recordings quality decreases so, 1440 is better than 4k and 1080 is better than 2k.
One can determine the best dash camera by identifying which image sensor it uses as the sensor dictates it's performance.
The best dash camera will incorporate a Sony IMX226 sensor as this chip is one of the highest performance 4k / 120fps / 60fps with incredible low-light (nighttime) performance. With quality comes expense, therefore, the dash camera will cost anywhere from $350-$450. The Sony IMX226 is the same professional image sensor used in the DJI Mavic 2 (Professional Drone).
@@bobstringer9809 .. Thanks for the info. I haven't seen a dashcam offering 120 fps as yet. And are there any offering 4k 60 fps with the rear camera active ? I think they usually drop the fps back to 30 if the rear camera is running. At least from what I have seen from usual Thinkware, Blackvue, and Viofo offerings. Not sure about DOD, and the other vendors.
Fantastic video, thank you! Looking at getting the plus now!
Thank you; terrific information and demonstrations!
Great review! Might I suggest using the chapter feature to help viewers find specific topics in the video?
Excellent review. Very thorough and objective. Thank you.
Great video, thanks for going into all the details!
Thank you for this constructive review !
Absolutely useful info. Very detailed. Thanks.
Great review! Not many on the plus version available
Excellent review. Thank you
Thank you I was considering this drive cam but I decided to go with the Thinkware U1000
Massive price difference
How do u find the thinkware camera ?
Although the Duo Plus has a better front camera, would you still choose the original Duo for the sake of reliability?
Yes would also like to know as a new buyer
Craig :) if you’re reading this, please give us your thoughts on which camera you’d choose (duo vs. duo plus). Holding off on a purchase here.
Craig did say that until the Plus has proven more reliable or has firmware updates, buying the original duo would be very reasonable. I’m also curious to know if the Plus has proven to be as reliable as the original duo since 10 months ago!
@@robertwhitekar5514 yeah exactly I wanna know if the problems with the plus have disappeared and any problems to expect with the original duo. But Craig is understandably busy, I’ll just buy the original duo??? But it’s like a year older than the plus?? I trust Craig’s advice
Went for the plus model after extensive research. Since non plus is getting discontinued. So plus will be supported for much longer
This is probably one of the best videos I've seen on the subject. I was curious if you had any updates after a year? I ordered a $20 dash cam to experiment with and gave it a driving test. I was wondering how long the $20 cameras last compared to the $160 ones over a year's time... If I go through 3 of the %20 cams in a year, is it cheaper than the $160? Albeit with lower quality video of course.
It's going fine, as you would expect from the video. It's not perfect but good for the money. You get what you pay for.
that is a very good review!
Amazing review. Thank you very much for putting so much effort in this video!
I would say you need to adjust (lower) the iso level one step for the newer model for night shots too get rid of the artifacts, but i'm afraid it may make it too dark.
I’ve got the 4k one coming tomorrow from the Amazon sale £25 off and 0% finance for 12 months, so £25 p/m.
I can’t wait to put it into my Toyota RAV4, I will not be hardwiring for parking mode. Apparently battery drain to the car is a problem and I don’t use my car every day so I’ll be staying away from parking mode.
Thanks! from across the pond my friend.
one of my worries with the older version was how the power cord and rear camera cord kinda collided because they were both on the same side of the front camera
Thanks for the great camera review! I just received mine and I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Off the bat, I find that the buttons are not intuitive, I haven't installed it yet, but for example when I powered it on, it goes straight to recording and when I press another button, like I want to see the settings, it says I have to stop the recording first, not sure how to do that intuitively, I press the record button, but that doesn't stop it, stuff like that.
Yes, the record button does stop it. Mine does.
I like the buttons. Middle one for OK, left of middle for up menu, right of middle for down menu, and far left for back. Couldn't be easier.
@@paulraymond1804 I got it installed right from my rear view mirror and frankly, I am never using it. I did buy the optional button to keep a record, when I see something I want to keep, I just press that button. Other than that, I am quite happy with the camera.
very good review ...Thank you
Great video!
Great review, thanks👍🏽
Great review. The rear camera bipping problem is not yet resolved
I’m thinking of purchasing... what’s the bipping problem??
@@OMAR.CORTEZ i fixed it. It must have been an error of the main camera. It has a safety feature that makes the main unit to beep if one of them isn't recording. I gave it a total reset and it is solved. It works great.
Can I use my first generation A129 rear camera (and it’s cable that already set) with the A129 plus front camera?
The rear camera for the A129 cannot be used with the A129Plus.
I watched a recent review by the YT channel; *_Techmoan_* where he said this was a solid dash cam that his wife was using the past year.
My thoughts about it are mixed, but my *new* car was build in 1996 & I'm finding reversing to be difficult to judge where the car ends.
So, with the in-built display screen I was thinking about using the A129 Plus Duo not only as a Dash Cam, but as a Reversing camera - just to assist me when parking...
It's a perfectly fine dashcam, but it's not a reversing camera. It would be hard to watch the screen while reversing, and it's too small to see small or obscure things, but more to the point a dashcam must be mounted high and pointed back to get a full view - a reversing camera should be lower and at the rear extremity of the car, and pointing downward so you can see low things you might hit. If you want a reversing camera buy a proper one.
Great video, does it good at picking up licenses plate at night? Because I had a hit and run during the night and my blackvue dr900s didn't pick up the license plate well because it was too blurry.
Craig, just asking. But doesnt the Viofo offer a wireless connection to your phone. To see the drive videos and such. Instead of going to view on your computer, even on newer models? Lastly, what dual cameras do you like best today, that are budget friendly? Thanks, very good review. Glen
5:19 Huge difference in color, not just resolution and framerate
Please help.
I'm on my first camcorder, a Viofo A129 Pro only front camera. Your excellent review helped me a lot to understand how to do the editing and dashcam settings (the instructions that come with the camera are very thin). However, I have some problems and I don't know how to solve them.
Parking with low FPS. I set the G sensor to maximum and in the parking mode also to the maximum and when I stop the car in the parking lot the recording starts at a low FPS (5 frames / sec) but after a while it starts and continues to record as if I were moving.
Protected files. Although the G sensor is set to maximum even if I "swing" the car is not registered in protected mode, neither in motion nor in the parking mode.
Is the camera defective?
I use a 128 Gb SanDisk Extreme Pro card, Firmware 2.5 from the Viofo website and I supply it with a powerbank because the car is under warranty and Toyota does not agree with the installation of the HK3 kit. I tried 4K resolution at 30 FPS and a lower resolution at 60 FPS
Thanks.
thanks for great review . the night shots was deal breaker for me . which dual dash cam will bring good night shots with the same price?
I used to have similar problems with my Aukey dashcam. I kept getting memory errors and the rear camera went out from time to time. I got this fixed by changing to a higher quality power supply.
Great vid
Great video
I'm wondering about the manual emergency recording. The product manual says that it "will lock the current file being recorded." However, what if a new file starts recording right before you press the button? In that case you'll miss the event you want to save. I'm hoping that the description isn't exactly as it says because the better way to do it is to have an independent video file generated that saves back a few seconds before the button press and a few seconds after regardless of how the continuous recorded segments are saved.
It's really annoying that the front to rear USB cables aren't interchangeable as they're a pain to wire through to the rear, especially on an F56 mini. The mere idea of having to do it again detracts from wanting to upgrade anytime soon.
Edit: seems the rear cable is only different if using the Plus duo, but if you directly upgrade to the pro duo (4k version) it's fine. Phew.
Interesting thanks.
Nice. Thanks. Very well explained parking modes, which had me rather confused till now.
I park at night in my garage, so is it possible to 'easily' switch off the parking mode? Say, a single button press.
You would just turn off the whole camera once parked, which yes is a single button push.
lol new this was filmed in New Zealand the moment the footage rolled
Thanks for such a quality review, very informative and eloquent. Quite a good value proposition for my son's first car @ 280AUD with HW kit and CPL.
Hoping the purchased item comes with the firmware mentioned by #GOD (2560 21:9)
Nice review. I was thinking about buying this one. Do you think I would be sorry if I did?
I got my Plus unit installed about 2 weeks ago. My unit does offer H.265 so that may have been added to the later units.
How is H265 implemented?
@@CraigsDIY To set up h.265 compression: First stop recording. Hold down MIC button until you see the SD card icon on the left side of the screen with the down arrow. That means that the device is now in h.265 compression mode.
First of all, thank you so much for your video.
My question is: How do you update the firmware on the rear camera of the A129 Plus Duo, since the front and rear have to be updated separate?? Thank you.
It's handled in the same update on the Plus.
Is it possible to connect to the cigarette lighter plug-in as a power source, as opposed to installing a hard wire for any of these units?
It’s only because I drive a Toyota Prius and the manufacturer recommends I do NOT mess around with the electrical system. It is a hybrid motor.
What units would you recommend for a dual camera set up? Thanks!
Yes but parking mode won't work 'properly' and you have the hassle of the cable. There shouldn't be a problem fuse-tapping the 12V circuits on any car, just stay away from splicing any big cables and you'll be fine :)
You had to deactivate WDR at night, on A129Plus.
Hi Craig. PR agency here. Can you advise how we can get in touch to see if any other dash cams may be of interest for review?
I got a Viofo A129 Plus, is the Samsung Pro Endurance with 128 GB a good SD card
Yes it's probably the best atm.
Would liketo see a honest review for Tiesfong m10 max. 4 channel dashcam
Whenever i feel like i want to shoot Video of both the Front doors these cameras have Option to Shoot outside at any time like a Vlogger and do not want to shoot video of (Front and inside the Rear Room) , then the SKYBLUESEA B2W & CAMSONIC ULTRA Z 2 & 3 Dash Cam Benefits if a person want to shoot a video outside the front doors sides Left & Right. Option like Rear View Mirror , would be easy to change the direction to record Multiple Angles like a Pro Photographer of both the Cams accordingly , option to Rotate , as they Rotates 180 degrees , like Rear view Mirror Angle . I love those Dash Cams .
My suggestion to the Dash Cam Manufacturers .
The problems mentioned in this video can be fixed with latest firmware update, don't forget to upgrade rear cam firmware also.
There's no newer firmware yet.
Will time lapse mode work for say 8 hours/ overnight surveillance? Meaning, roughly have much storage and battery life would it need?
Between the A129 ans A129 Plus, are the functions (Parking mode, Wi-Fi access) the same aside from the front dashcam resolution?
You sound incredibly similar to Steve Mould. Are you from the same city?
Just bought the cam. Firmware 1.5. I try to switch on the parking mode. But it still records in normal mode. I don't have a hard wire kit. I want to enable parkingmode manually within the menu.
thanks for the great video! do you know where I could find an installation video?
czcams.com/video/bAE4gbzCXJE/video.html
I cleaned my windows really good with alcohol. I let it sit for a couple hours and then I put the cameras on by the next morning they’re laying on my dash so I don’t know if the sticky stuff was just old or is everybody having this problem?
WISH YOU MENTIONED SETTINGS & SET UPs for newbies!
I have bought a hardware kit to make the camera work while the car is off and make it a recording while in motion only, but I want to make it work like a normal dash cam while the vehicle is moving. How do I switch between the two modes?
Can you advise how we can get in touch to see if any other dash cams may be of interest for review? just help please!!!
This thing is a peice of sheet. I installed it with a hardwire kit. It used to work fine. Parking Mode worked fine. Live viewing worked fine. Recording worked fine. In fact, I downloaded some interesting (yet useless) videos from my travels when I first got it.
Fastfoward a few months and THE ONE TIME, I needed it to work, it didn't. Someone ran red light and hit us. Cops showed up and we tried to pull the video but it wasn't recording for over 2 weeks. EVEN THOUGH ALL THE RED LIGHTS ARE ON. There is literally NO indication when it's not working. We looked at all the files on the SD Chip and it records for part of a day then stops recording for 10-14 days, the records a bit and then stops.
Customer Service sent me a application to reformat the SD chip, it crashed and now the chip is useless.
Thanks for the feedback. Doesn't sound good. I suppose in your case the red lights themselves have dash cams if you're lucky. Hope nobody was hurt.
After 1 year is the firmware Any better now?! Great review btw
I haven't used it, but I see that the firmware is still receiving updates as of 2022 which is a good sign.
@@sc-mh3jj ah nice cheers