VIOFO A119 Mini 2 - Test and Review RCG

How Can You Tell - If Your A119 Mini 2 Has The Updated Lens

I get this question frequently and so far I've not been able to identify a way to see if the A119 Mini 2 has the original lens or the updated lens. I no longer have the two A119 Mini 2 dash cameras with the original lens. VIOFO requested I send those two units back to them for their investigation on the heat defocusing issue. I took a good look at the two A119 Mini 2 dash cameras that now I have installed in my car. I looked very closely at the front lens area and I did in fact find a "difference". I compared the updated lens with the original lens (in my unboxing pics) and there is a noticeable difference. The ring/bezel around the lens glass appears to have a different shape between the original lens and the updated lens. The exposure level of level of my unboxing pic was a bit dark, so I asked @Panzer Platform to take a picture of his A119 Mini 2 with the original lens. His picture and my picture show the same shape to the ring/bezel around the lens glass.

My unboxing picture of the A119 Mini 2 with the original lens:

1696542756434.png

Panzer Platform's picture of his A119 Mini 2 with the original lens:

1696542812866.png
If you look closely at either of those two pictures of the original lens, you'll see a flat spot at the outer edge of the ring/bezel and then there is a very slight taper running down towards the lens glass. If you look at my picture of the A119 Mini 2 with the updated lens, you'll see a very thin outer ring and then the remaining portion of the ring/bezel has a far more angled taper as it goes towards the lens glass.

1696543010228.png

My unofficial way to see of your A119 Mini 2 has the updated lens is:
  • If you purchased/received your A119 Mini 2 before July 2023, then it will not have the updated lens.
    • VIOFO has stated the production change to the A119 Mini 2 lens took place in July 2023.
  • Using the pictures to compare to your A119 Mini 2
    • Unless there was some other reason for VIOFO to vary the ring/bezel around the lens glass:
      • If your A119 Mini 2's lens has the ring/bezel I show in my picture of the unit with the updated lens, your A119 Mini 2 has the updated lens
      • If your A119 Mini 2's lens has the ring/bezel I show in my picture of the original lens, your A119 Mini 2 does not have the updated lens
  • You could also contact VIOFO and submit a support ticket asking them if your A119 Mini 2 has the updated lens.
If you want to know what the ring/bezel around the lens glass of the previous generation A119 Mini (not the Mini 2) looks like, here's a picture of that one. Its ring/bezel is completely flat.

1696543373798.png
 
They say they start making the new lens in July? But not specifically state that they also pulled their existing inventory from stores (amazon etc) replacing stock with the new at that time.
I only took a few pics when i got my cam, the only front image, still has the sticker on the lens, but looks like the ring is that sharp style, like on the "new" cams.
Will be getting 2nd cam tonight, for sure will check.
Thanks for the post an images
 
Just got my 2nd A119 Mini 2 from Amazon (US). Can confirm, the lens looks like the "New lens" pictures that have been posted.

EDIT: Also confirm the 1st cam i purchased on Sept. 26, 2023, is the new lens.
 
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I was reviewing some of my older A119 Mini 2 footage and some footage from last week. The older footage was captured with an A119 Mini 2 with the original lens. Last week's footage was captured with an A119 Mini 2 with the updated lens. I noticed that the field of view is wider with the updated lens. I park my car in a particular parking spot in this parking lot. That allows me to compare the video from different dates with only a small margin of error. The alignment of the lenses seems to be similar since the objects that are in the middle of the line of sight are positioned in almost identical locations.

The screenshot from the A119 Mini 2 with the updated lens shows more on the edges (more of the dashboard, the upper parts of the trees/sky and items on the left/right). The FOV value for the updated lens must larger than the original lens. I was told that the updated lens for the A119 Mini 2 was the lens used in the A129 Plus. Both dash cameras are stated as having a FOV of 140 degrees.

Original Lens / Updated Lens
a119_mini2_original_lens_20230623113633_000694.MP4_snapshot_00.02.jpg a119_mini2_updated_lens_20230929120057_000183.MP4_snapshot_00.02.jpg
 
rcg530 said:
I was reviewing some of my older A119 Mini 2 footage and some footage from last week. The older footage was captured with an A119 Mini 2 with the original lens. Last week's footage was captured with an A119 Mini 2 with the updated lens. I noticed that the field of view is wider with the updated lens. I park my car in a particular parking spot in this parking lot. That allows me to compare the video from different dates with only a small margin of error. The alignment of the lenses seems to be similar since the objects that are in the middle of the line of sight are positioned in almost identical locations.

The screenshot from the A119 Mini 2 with the updated lens shows more on the edges (more of the dashboard, the upper parts of the trees/sky and items on the left/right). The FOV value for the updated lens must larger than the original lens. I was told that the updated lens for the A119 Mini 2 was the lens used in the A129 Plus. Both dash cameras are stated as having a FOV of 140 degrees.

Original Lens / Updated Lens
View attachment 68212 View attachment 68213
Click to expand...
In both cases, u had the cam set to capture in 1920 x 1080 16:9? As opposed to 2K (2560 x 1440 16:9).

For sure, the new lens is wider angle. But if both models mentioned are advertised to be the same, 140, then, something is up.
Either original lens was less than 140, or the new lens is more than 140.
Anyway to measure it? Maybe compare it in this same way to the A129 Plus see if they match?

Slightly somewhat related topic....resolution/aspect ratio
I notice, when using 2560 x 1440 16:9, it has a tad wider angle, with a bit of a "fisheye" look.
When changing to 2560 x 1080 2.40:1 (ultrawide), it crops it, but also is not as fisheye looking.
Maybe? what yall think?
(this is from my newly installed rear cam. Rear window has 50% Tint film installed. No CPL on cam)

Below is 2560 x 1440 16:9
2560x1440.png


Below is 2560 x 1080 2.40:1 (ultrawide)

2560x1080.png
 
speedingcheetah said:
In both cases, u had the cam set to capture in 1920 x 1080 16:9? As opposed to 2K (2560 x 1440 16:9).

For sure, the new lens is wider angle. But if both models mentioned are advertised to be the same, 140, then, something is up.
Either original lens was less than 140, or the new lens is more than 140.
Anyway to measure it? Maybe compare it in this same way to the A129 Plus see if they match?

Slightly somewhat related topic....resolution/aspect ratio
I notice, when using 2560 x 1440 16:9, it has a tad wider angle, with a bit of a "fisheye" look.
When changing to 2560 x 1080 2.40:1 (ultrawide), it crops it, but also is not as fisheye looking.
Maybe? what yall think?

Below is 2560 x 1440 16:9
View attachment 68214


Below is 2560 x 1080 2.40:1 (ultrawide)

View attachment 68215
Click to expand...
No, both A119 Mini 2 dash cameras were set to 2560x1440 30fps resolution. Screenshots larger than 1920x1080 get auto downsized to 1920x1080 by the DCT website software (at least for my user account). My screenshots are at the full 2560x1440 video resolution.

The 140 degree FOV value for the A119 Mini and Mini 2 have always been a bit off of the actual value.
 
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rcg530 said:
The FOV value for the updated lens must larger than the original lens.
Click to expand...
Well that’s just great. Lol
I just happen to have (2) A129 Plus’.
Maybe I’ll will do an FOV check with my 1st batch (May 2022) A119 Mini 2 & A129 Plus.
I need to come up with a way to accurate measure horizontal FOV.
I’ve seen the examples from our Russian friend by putting the camera about a foot away from a wall with a tape measure taped to the wall.
And deciphering a calculation.
But I like your method of parking in the same spot so you can actually see what your missing compared with a different camera.
 
rcg530 said:
No, both A119 Mini 2 dash cameras were set to 2560x1440 30fps resolution. Screenshots larger than 1920x1080 get auto downside to 1920x1080 by the DCT website software (at least for my user account). My screenshots are at the full 2560x1440 video resolution.
Click to expand...
Oh. Didn't realize that... quite annoying Forum board software must be a bit old then. Have not had that happen on other forms i frequent, they use Discourse though.

That messes up things a bit if it resizes image.
Just downloaded my images from the form.

2560 x 1440 becomes 1920 by 1080 (16 : 9)

2560 x 1080 becomes 1920 by 810 (64 : 27)
 
rcg530 said:
The screenshot from the A119 Mini 2 with the updated lens shows more on the edges (more of the dashboard, the upper parts of the trees/sky and items on the left/right). The FOV value for the updated lens must larger than the original lens. I was told that the updated lens for the A119 Mini 2 was the lens used in the A129 Plus. Both dash cameras are stated as having a FOV of 140 degrees.
Click to expand...
A129 Plus ≈ 112°(horizontal)
Mini 2_Original Lens ≈ 100°(horizontal)
 
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Change In Parking Mode Video Resolution:

I was trying to finish up my A119 Mini 2 review video for my YouTube channel when I noticed something regarding the parking mode video files that was not the same as it was when I tested firmware v1.0_20230423. With firmware v1.0_20230912, the A119 Mini 2 now creates 1920x1080 parking mode video files instead of 2560x1440 video files. The test was performed with the firmware resolution setting set to 2560x1440 30fps. All three parking modes now generate the lower resolution parking mode video files.

Has anyone else noticed this change in behavior?

1697241887050.png 1697241907758.png

Possible AED Parking Mode Recording Bug:

I found what appears to be an AED parking mode video creation bug. To track the power consumption in AED parking mode, I let the camera's field of view be void of any motion for well over five minutes. This let's me capture the power consumption while there's no motion. I then wave my rocket shaped photography lens air cleaner in front of the dash camera lens (about 6 inches away). I see the <REC> LED go from blinking (no motion) to staying on (motion detected). The 15 seconds before the motion started are put into the recorded file, plus the 30 seconds after the start of the motion.

The motion is continuous for 90 seconds, so at the end of the first AED video file, the second should continue on from where file one left off, but it doesn't. There's a 15 second gap in what is recorded between file one and file two.
  • At the top of the minute, I start moving an object about 6 inches from the front lens.
    • Motion is continuous from 16:07:00 to 16:08:30 (90 seconds total)
    • The <REC> LED goes from blinking to solid
    • File 00003 is created.
      • This file contains video content from 16:06:46 to 16:07:30
        • 16:06:46 to 16:07:00 is the buffered content - this is before any motion is detected.
        • 16:07:00 to 16:07:30 is 30 seconds after the triggering motion was detected.
    • File 00004 is created.
      • This file contains video content from 16:07:45 to 16:08:30
        • 16:07:45 to 16:08:00 appears to be "buffered" content, but it's actually just part of the continuous motion being recorded
        • 16:08:00 to 16:08:30 appears to be the "after" the triggering was detected.
    • The <REC> LED goes from solid to blinking immediately at 16:08:30
The time between 16:07:30 and 16:07:45 is not recorded. The A119 Mini 2 should have continued to record since there was active/continuous motion in front of the camera during the “missing 15 seconds”.

1697241506527.png

Other VIOFO dash cameras will overlap their AED video file content during a AED continuous motion test, but the A119 Mini 2 is recording sequentially leaving motion unrecorded between video files.

I've sent my findings to VIOFO to see what they have to say about those two issues.
 

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Panzer Platform said:
Confirmed.
Click to expand...
Thanks for checking. I'm wondering if there was a change log entry stating this change in behavior.

Looking back through my video file archive on my NAS disk, I found the following video resolutions for parking mode using these various firmware versions:

v1.0_20230423: 2560x1440
v1.0_20230509: 2560x1440
v1.0_20230605: 2560x1440
v1.0_20230804: Unknown - No parking mode files on my backup server
v1.0_20230912: 1920x1080
v1.0_20230926 (test): 1920x1080
 
@rcg530 @Panzer Platform

If the low quality bitrate parking mode is selected, recording at a lower resolution was a solution I suggested for the a129 pro @viofo @VIOFO-Support
This is because 4k parking mode means unnecessary extra heat, data and energy since the bitrate is already quite low. Since lower resolution would be more efficient, FHD was tried first and then it was decided to use 2k. because FHD recording on a 4k sensor caused bad images.

a119 mini 2 FHD image recording is sufficient. In my opinion, having FHD parking mode instead of 2k is better in terms of functionality.

Since it has not reached me yet, I ask you to try it for a229 pro and plus as well. If the resolution of the front camera drops in parking mode, this means that the recommendation continues.
 
ogzogz said:
@rcg530 @Panzer Platform

If the low quality bitrate parking mode is selected, recording at a lower resolution was a solution I suggested for the a129 pro @viofo @VIOFO-Support
This is because 4k parking mode means unnecessary extra heat, data and energy since the bitrate is already quite low. Since lower resolution would be more efficient, FHD was tried first and then it was decided to use 2k. because FHD recording on a 4k sensor caused bad images.

a119 mini 2 FHD image recording is sufficient. In my opinion, having FHD parking mode instead of 2k is better in terms of functionality.

Since it has not reached me yet, I ask you to try it for a229 pro and plus as well. If the resolution of the front camera drops in parking mode, this means that the recommendation continues.
Click to expand...
I'm just questioning why it wasn't listed as a change log entry (unless I missed that change log).

I've already posted my power consumption tests for the A229 Pro which contains the parking mode video resolutions in the "Notes" column.

The A229 Pro parking mode resolutions are:
  • Front 2560x1440
  • Rear 2560x1440
  • Interior 1920x1080
The rear QHD camera remains at QHD resolution in parking mode, while the front UHD camera drops to QHD in parking mode. I'm guessing the rear camera stays at QHD resolution because it's being handled by the rear camera processor and not the front camera processor (?).

My A229 Pro power consumption tests are located in this post: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/viofo-a229-pro-testing-review-rcg.49777/post-602898

In the past couple of days, I received a firmware for the A229 Plus that might have resolved the parking mode file rotation slipping and video/audio corruption. I'll try to run my power consumption tests in the next few days. It takes 6 to 8 hours to run the full test suite for all of the 1ch/2ch/3ch configurations.
 
rcg530 said:
QHD kamera park modunda QHD çözünürlükte kalırken, ön UHD kamera park modunda QHD'ye düşüyor. Arka kameranın QHD çözünürlükte kaldığını tahmin ediyorum çünkü ön kamera işlemcisi tarafından değil arka kamera işlemcisi tarafından işleniyor (?).
Click to expand...
Models with different rear camera processors require extra processing and this is overlooked.

For example, in driving mode, the previous model A129 plus rear camera also has its own processor. If you select the front camera as HD in the resolution settings, the rear camera will still record in FHD. In fact, if you wanted to record the front camera in HD, the rear camera should also record in HD. but hd+fhd appears in the options. I think this can be done with a software change.
 
I finally uploaded and made public my A119 Mini 2 review video on my YouTube channel. I created a thread in the reviews forum for that video.

VIOFO A119 Mini 2 - Review Video - October 2023

This is my review of the VIOFO A119 Mini 2 QHD dash camera. I delayed this review until October 2023 to present the resolution to a heat related lens focus problem that I encountered while reviewing this dash camera.
dashcamtalk.com dashcamtalk.com
 
rcg530 said:
I finally uploaded and made public my A119 Mini 2 review video on my YouTube channel. I created a thread in the reviews forum for that video.

VIOFO A119 Mini 2 - Review Video - October 2023

This is my review of the VIOFO A119 Mini 2 QHD dash camera. I delayed this review until October 2023 to present the resolution to a heat related lens focus problem that I encountered while reviewing this dash camera.
dashcamtalk.com dashcamtalk.com
Click to expand...

Would it be possible, if u still have the 2x A119 Mini2's setup, to do a direct compare of 16:9 vs 21:9 (ultra Wide).
That is one cam set to 2560x1440 60fps and the other 2560x1080 60fps.

Seen some posts on this form, saying that Ultra wide is "better" for overall picture quality.
Less sky means better exposure for the part if the image that matters most, the road and such. Especially on very bright days.
I also notice, that the cam uses a bit higher bitrate with the Ultrawide resolution.

Some cons maybe, that it can cut off street lights in certain angles or intersections, or that it cuts off too much, if the cam lens is not positioned just right.

I use Ultrawide for my rear cam, cause it just suits the rear window better, too much trim shows in 16:9.
See this post: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/viofo-a119-mini-2-test-and-review-rcg.48950/post-604240
I also can just press Shift + W in MPV Player on my PC, and in increments, it "Zoom to Fill" my 16:9 monitor, so i can easy "zoom" the footage to get a more focused view of the center of the footage.

The full resolution of the camera u can set, to use the full sensor, i think is a 4:3 image, which, shows way too much dash and sky.
 
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