VicoVation Vico-MF2 GPS dashcam review

Last month I reviewed the VicoVation OPIA2, a high end, 2K “Extreme” HD, Ultra High Dynamic Range (UHDR) dashcam with a more than solid feature set. The Vico-MF2 is VicoVation’s more moderately priced, mid-range dashcam with the same stellar resolution and more built-in features out of the box for approximately half the price. Let’s see how it does against its more expensive sibling and the competition. 

Package Contents:

• Vico-MF2
• Suction bracket
• 3M sticker bracket
• 4 Meter car charger power cable
• USB cable
• GPS module
• User manual
• Warranty card

Specifications:

Image Processor	Ambarella A7
Sensor	4 Megapixels CMOS Image Sensors
Lens	f/1.8, 6G Lens
View Angle	150º Diagonal Viewing Angle
Resolution	2304 x 1296 @ 30fps (Extreme HD 1296p) 2560 x 1080 @ 30fps (Movie Mode) 1920 x 1080 HDR @ 30fps (1080p @ 30fps) 1280 x 720 @ 60fps 1280 x 720 @ 30fps
LCD Display	3.0 Inches
G-Sensor	3-Axis Sensors
U-HDR	High Dynamic Range / 3-Dimensional Noise Reduction
Output interface	HD-Out / USB 2.0
Audio	Record / Mute
Certificate	CE / FCC / BSMI (D33i02) / RoHS
Video	H.264 ＠ .MOV file
Storage	micro SDXC / SDHC (Class 10 only, up to 64GB)
Language	English / Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese
Power	USB Cigar Charger (Input: 12V~24V, Output: 5V/1A)
Operation Temp.	0°C ~ 75°C
Storage Temp.	-20°C ~ 85°C
Dimension	100mm(L) x 62mm(W) x 30mm(H)
Human Tech.	Loop/Seamless Recording Screen Saver (1/3/5 Mins) Emergency Recording Automatically & Manually Time/Date/Custom User Text Stamp

The Vico-MF2 is made from hard black plastic and looks like an old point and shoot digital camera from back in the day. It is equipped with the AMBARELLA A7 processor and includes a GPS module. The MF2 has a 4 mega-pixel sensor and is capable of recording in “Extreme HD” resolution (2304 x 1296 @ 30fps) with Ultra High Dynamic Range just like the OPIA2.

The back of the dashcam has a built-in 3 inch TFT LCD color display for viewing video and accessing the device’s user interface. There are 2 buttons on each side of the device for navigating the device’s menus, muting sound and activating the emergency recording function when/if needed.

The right side of the dashcam has ports for connecting HDMI and USB for video output or file transfer, respectively. The right side of the window mount has the miniUSB power port.

The Vico-MF2 is the only VicoVation dashcam with power and GPS input integrated into the mounting system. The miniUSB power cord plugs into the permanently attached mounting hardware. And instead of the Vico-GPS “mouse”, the MF2 has a dedicated full-sized USB port for the GPS dongle/module.

The left side of the MF2 has the power button, plus LED indicators for power, recording, and GPS. The left side also has the GPS/WiFi port built into the mount.

The base of the MF2 has the microSD card slot, reset button and serial number tag. The MF2 is compatible with up to 64gb class 10 microSD cards.

The suction cup windshield mount installed easily in less than a minute. The mounting bracket is well made and holds the Vico-MF2 solidly in place. There is little to no movement or shaking/vibration in the video when driving on a smooth roadway. Configuring the Vico-MF2 dashcam takes a bit of getting used to but did not take 5 minutes to get all the settings dialed in.

The MF2 records video in H.264 / .mp4 format in 1, 3, 0r 5 minute segments. When the microSD card is full, the MF2 continuously overwrites the oldest video with new. Each 3-minute video recorded in 1296p weighs in at a hefty 500mb per segment. Though you can tweak the video resolution and frame rate via the MF2’s firmware/user interface.

Daytime Video:

Like the OPIA2, the Vico-MF2’s “Ultra-HD” 2K HDR video is very clear with more detail than the standard 1080p that a majority of dashcam record at. The MF2’s 150-degree viewing angle does not have as much of a fish-eye effect towards the edges that the OPIA2 did. MF2 is equipped with “double exposure merging technology” that merges 60 fps into clearer more defined 30 fps video.

Nighttime Video:

The video taken during nighttime conditions is clear and detailed as well.

The 3 axis G-sensor detects when the car hard brakes or there is an impact and begins emergency record mode automatically. The included GPS module gives you location, speed, lane departure warning, lead car departing notification, forward collision warning, driver fatigue alert, over speed alert, headlight on reminder, and speed camera warning in Taiwan.

As mentioned above, the Vico-MF2 uses VicoVation’s A7 processor vs the A12 they typically put in their flagship dashcams. Having used both, I found little functional difference between the two.

A disturbance in the Force worth mentioning… The video viewer is on the microSD card when you access it directly or plug the MF2 into the computer. The .7z files is immediately seen as a virus by my virus protection software. I attempted this on two different Windows computers running different virus protection programs and received the same warning notification. But the MP4 video files are still viewable independent of the VicoVation viewer. There is no Mac/OSX version of the viewer.

That said, for the money the VicoVation Vico-MF2 GPS has more features and better resolution than many dashcams at twice the cost. The MF2 has a 4 mega-pixel sensor and is capable of recording in “Extreme HD” resolution (2304 x 1296 @ 30fps) UHDR and includes GPS which greatly increasing its feature set out of the box.

Source:  The sample for this review was provided by VicoVation. Please visit their site for more information and Amazon to order.