VIOFO is an innovative brand of dash cams, committed to providing users with better products, exceptional customer service, and more demand options. The A229 Pro, our latest flagship dashcam, has garnered significant attention and praise from users, and earned high acclaim from tech experts. It has been recommended as the best dash cam of 2024 by renowned tech media such as Wirecutter and TechRadar.
We are now proud to introduce VIOFO's first telephoto camera RTC300, compatible with the A229 Pro and A229 Plus series. This telephoto camera is a groundbreaking innovation, optimized for capturing fine details and freeze-frame shots. The RTC300 employs advanced Sony STARVIS 2 technology, boasting 2K Quad HD resolution and excellent HDR functionality, making it a perfect match for our flagship models.
This article will explore the applications of the RTC300 telephoto camera and introduce its technical features.
Telephoto Lens vs. Wide Angle Lens: What's the Difference?
The difference between wide-angle and telephoto lenses primarily stems from their distinct imaging principles, which leads to varying performance and usage scenarios.
Field of View
The field of view is the noticeable difference when comparing a wide-angle lens to a telephoto lens.
A wide-angle lens offers a larger field of view; for example, the front camera of the A229 PRO has a 140-degree viewing angle. This lens captures a wider scene, making it suitable for recording the full panorama in front of the vehicle and the surroundings, providing more environmental information.
In contrast, a telephoto lens provides a narrower field of view; for instance, the RTC300 telephoto camera has a 30-degree viewing angle. This lens can capture objects at a greater distance and magnify them, making it ideal for recording distant details.
Focal Length
A wide-angle lens has a short focal length with a large depth of field, keeping both foreground and background in focus. It is suitable for capturing wide scenes and dynamic footage.
A telephoto lens has a long focal length with a narrow depth of field, highlighting specific distant objects, which is ideal for capturing specific targets and distant details.
Why We Designed a Telephoto Camera?
Equipping the dashcam with a telephoto camera brings multiple benefits and addresses specific needs that traditional dashcams may not fully meet. Here are the main reasons why we designed a telephoto camera.
1. Enhanced Details Faraway
The telephoto camera can capture more details of objects that are farther away. This is particularly useful for capturing license plates, road signs, and other important details that may be crucial in the event of an accident. You may find there is less relative motion across the frame with a telephoto camera compared to the wide-angle lens, allowing for precise magnification and clear capture of distant details.
2. Improved Evidence Collection
The telephoto camera can record incidents occurring farther away, providing video footage that serves as evidence for police and insurance companies to aid in accident investigations. This capability is particularly valuable in hit-and-run scenarios where the telephoto camera can still capture license plates and vehicle characteristics even at a distance. However, there are some situations where the wide-angle lens can't do that so the telephoto lens is going to give you a second shot at capturing this.
The telephoto camera can also make it easier to capture the driver behaviors in other cars. It is crucial to prove whether the driver was using a phone or engaging in other distractions at the time of the accident.
3. Complementary to Wide-Angle Lens
The telephoto camera can complement existing wide-angle dashcams by providing additional perspectives. This combination can offer a comprehensive view of the road, with the wide-angle lens covering the surroundings and the telephoto lens focusing on distant objects.
For example, sometimes windshield reflections can be an issue especially if you're not running a CPL and so the telephoto camera can help as an additional camera angle as well to capture any important details that the wide angle may not be able to see.
4. Capture Interesting Moments
In addition to capturing important footage like accidents, it can also be useful when something interesting happens on the road. For example, when one plane is coming in from landing, flying super close to the ground while landing at the airport that was cool to see. So overall having a telephoto camera can be pretty cool, it can be pretty useful in practice for a variety of reasons.
What You Need to Know About RTC300?
Compatible Model
The RTC300 telephoto camera is compatible with VIOFO A229 Pro and A229 Plus series.
Get Closer to Details
The RTC300 telephoto camera is designed to record in a magnified way to capture objects that are farther away, which is very useful for recording accurate and clear details like license plates or car models at a distance, ensuring you never miss any important information.
2K Resolution
The RTC300 telephoto camera records in upgraded 2K Quad HD resolution with Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 image sensor, capturing essential details such as road signs and license plates. The image sensor provides an impressive 2.5 times wider dynamic range in a single exposure than the STARVIS pixel of the same size, capturing exceptionally clear and sharp videos during day and night rear recording.
HDR Capability
The RTC300 telephoto camera features HDR technology, which balances extremely dark and bright areas to accurately capture 2K details in low light conditions. It perfectly solves overexposure issues, capturing clear and vivid scenes.
Easy Installation
The installation of the telephoto camera is very easy. Connect the RTC300 to the front camera via the connecting cable, then position the telephoto camera near the front camera using the 3M adhesive sticker provided.
Conclusion
Although wide-angle and telephoto lenses differ in imaging, they each offer unique benefits for various driving recording scenarios. To meet specific customer needs, VIOFO has integrated these two lenses with the launch of the innovative RTC300 telephoto camera. The A229 PRO and A229 PLUS feature front-facing wide-angle cameras with 4K and 2K resolution, which can capture a wide field of view while clearly capturing license plates. The RTC300 telephoto camera allows for zooming in to obtain farther and finer details. The perfect matching of these two cameras will seamlessly capture every detail on the road.
Ready to capture more details? VIOFO RTC300 is your ultimate choice!
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