Viofo A129 Pro Duo: 4K dash camera with high-quality features at a reasonable price
Viofo A129 Pro Duo is more powerful than its counterpart, Viofo A129 Duo, which costs nearly $100 less, but the story doesn’t just end there. Pro version is superior in that it supports 4K, unlike its 1080p variant. Let’s review this device to know whether it deserves $250 or not.
Viofo A129 Pro Duo: Unboxing
Your eyes catch the sight of the front and rear module when you open the box. The cables provided are thick and give a feeling of excellent quality. A129 Pro Duo made me think about changing my current favorite dashcam, BlackVue DR900S.
Viofo did an outstanding job by providing a dual-USB charger which provides an intriguing total of 3.1a while charging.
Here is the rear module, and if you observe its angle of placement, which is south and you are supposed to install it inside the car’s window. This dashcam is unlike other dashcams that you place outside the car’s window.
This placement makes it ineffective for trucks but profitable for SUVs, hatchbacks, and even sedan and limousine vehicles. In addition, you don’t have to be worried about weather conditions or your cam getting blurry or muddy due to sudden temperature changes.
Viofo A129 Pro Duo: Specifications
A129 Pro Duo’s main unit comes with Sony’s Exmor IMX317 sensor, 130-degree optics, and an aperture of f/1.8, which can record at 4K. The more powerful version of NovaTek CPU processes the data.
The rear module has a Sony Starvis sensor which is capable of performing in low-light conditions.
4K dashcams require ample light to reach individual pixel behind these lenses embedded inside the modules, and a greater number of pixels require more light to achieve good results.
In A129 Pro Duo, the results are promising in 4K footage and don’t reveal too many weaknesses when you are comparing to some of the good 1080p cameras.
A129 Pro Duo includes dual-band Wi-Fi support, a supercapacitor replacing the battery, and an optional GPS module that acts as the mount. In addition, the chip has been modified, which allows it to support h265 encoding, which means it can store files at a reasonable size.
Viofo A129 Pro Duo: Features
While browsing the menus, you will find that it supports 1440p at 60fps and 1080p/Full HD at 120fps, which is quite convenient, and many dashcams don’t provide such options.
The parking mode is configurable, which means you can either select 24/7 recording at 1 or 2 frames per second, which indicates that it will use timelapse or motion detection and both options have their fair share of pros and cons.
An interesting feature here is that you can alter the GPS stamp in your video with the option to make visible whatever you want, such as speed only, the coordinates, or nothing but note that GPS metadata will be stored in the file. Of course, you can review that on a computer with dedicated software.
You are provided with modes to rotate the rear module for your convenience, and as for firmware upgrades, you can count on Viofo as they are known for the good maintenance of their released devices.
Viofo A129 Pro Duo: Installation
You will first need to find a good spot for the windshield, and you should keep in mind that Viofo’s body is not that small; you should place it so that it doesn’t irritate you while you are driving. I would suggest the area behind the rearview mirror.
After positioning the module, please find the best way to connect its cable to the cigarette lighter so that it is not a hindrance. Viofo also offers a hardware kit which when connected with a constant power source such as a fuse box, maintains 24/7 recording.
The recording with the dash camera goes on and off with the power of the car’s engine and doesn’t maintain a 24/7 recording for parking surveillance.
The rear module is easy to install, but you need to do something about its thick cable to make sure it is well hidden. If you are paranoid about the robbers, you can easily unmount the front module and take it.
If you are positioning it appropriately, you can take advantage of the live feed of the rear camera on display for parking assistance.
Performance
The daytime footage captured looks superb, and it doesn’t matter what the amount of light is available or what the weather conditions are; Rainy, Sunny, Foggy, or Smoggy.
The only time when you will see quality degradation is when the sunlight directly reaches the lens, but even with that, A129 Pro Duo performs well.
With a 4K resolution, the number of details is much higher, and with a higher bitrate, you will need an SD Card with maximum storage you can afford. In addition, the narrow optics allow A129 Pro Duo to have fewer distortions, which is annoying on cheap dashcams.
Summary
Viofo A129 Pro Duo’s low light footage seemed a little overexposed to me, but that is also the case with my primary dashcam, BlackVue DR900S and reviewing the files on my PC comforts me. Despite the poor lighting and 4K sensor, the camera maintains many details even in complete darkness.
All of the videos I have included in my YouTube (video link) are in h.265 at their maximum resolution of 4K for the main module and 1080p for the rear module.
What is your opinion about this device? Did you like it? Is it worth paying extra cash over the non-pro model? Let me know in the comments section below. If you would like to buy this device, click this (link) and save some cash yourself, and I will get paid some as well.
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