Vico Marcus 4 By VICOVATION – Good or Bad?

Vico Marcus 4 by VICOVATION– Our Review

Vico Marcus 4 dash cam by Vicovation (a Taiwanese company) was released in Early 2014 and soon became quite popular; one of the reasons for its popularity is its awesome build & video quality.

Marcus 4 feels sturdy while holding and is certainly made of some really high quality materials (both inside & outside).

The Marcus 4 is not a very discreet dashboard camera; it’s square form factor and big size (72mm x 53mm x 33mm) makes it really hard to hide. Reducing the stealth more is the bright white and orange color branding and ring around the lens.

Coming to the technical side of Vico Marcus 4, it uses the hugely popular Ambarella A7LA55 CPU along with the Omnivision OV4689 sensor and that too with a lens that’s 7 layered; hmm, that pretty much explains the awesome day & night time video quality of Marcus 4 (see sample videos).

The Vico Marcus 4 is locked & loaded with some really interesting features that we can’t resist discussing.

Here’re those:

1. Several Video Resolutions:
   1. 1920X1080p(Full HD): This is the standard mode with HDR (for better night time video quality)
   2. 2304X1296p (Super HD): That’s the resolution that very few car cams can record; although not many video viewing devices will be able to support Super HD.
   3. 2560X1080 (21:9 Wide Screen Mode): This is the resolution that you need to turn on if you want the dashboard cam to record more of the sides and less of the top and bottom; for example, if you want the Marcus 4 to capture more of right & left and less of sky & hood of the car then turn this mode on.

2. CPL Filter: The CPL filter support is another cool feature; the CPL filter will reduce the glare of sun while driving on a bright sunny day (do remember to take the CPL off during night time else it’ll lead to dark videos). Fitting the CPL on Vico Marcus 4 is a breeze via the quick release mount. Also, do remember that a CPL will increase the size of dash camera considerably.

3. Buffered Parking Mode: The Vico Marcus 4 comes with the buffered parking mode feature. With the buffered parking mode the dash cam (provided it’s got power) will record seamlessly (even when the car is parked) and once it senses an impact it’ll mark & save the footage. The footage after the impact and 4 seconds before the impact is saved.

4. The Emergency Button: There’s an orange colored button which you can hit anytime to mark and save the current video footage; this feature really comes in handy if, while driving, you spot an event worthy of keeping with you. Pressing the orange button saves and moves the current video into a separate folder in the memory card.

5. Capacitor Based: The Vico Marcus 4 is a capacitor based dash cam; as we all know that capacitor based cameras perform way better than batter based ones in extreme climate, hence, Marcus 4 is a good choice for those who want a sturdy companion.

All other features like loop recording, G-sensor, auto on/off, date and time stamp in video etc. are standard with Vico Marcus 4. However, a GPS isn’t. Hence, if you want to have a GPS too, then you need to buy a separate GPS mouse. If you’re using GPS, then you get speed stamp in videos too.

Vico Marcus 4 has 160° of viewing angle which is quite wide by the way and not many dash cams out there have that wide viewing angle. Furthermore, Marcus 4 supports 128GB memory cards. Just make that you use class 10 at least as lower class memory cards aren’t supported by Marcus 4.

The menu is really easy to use & very intuitive; also the 2” display screen is very good quality too!

Unlike most other dash cams out there, the user manual of Marcus 4 is in pretty good English and can be easily understood.

Do remember to check out day and night time sample videos that we’ve included on our website.

Here’s a list of things that you get in the package:

1. Vicovation Vico Marcus 4 dash camera
2. Instruction Manual
3. Warranty Leaflet
4. Suction Cup Mount
5. Power cable (4 Meters long)

Vico Marcus 4 – Pros & Cons

Pros:

1. Very good day & night time video quality
2. Buffered Parking Mode
3. Excellent reliability (capacitor based)
4. Multiple video resolutions
5. CPL filter

Cons:

1. No Wi-Fi
2. A bit expensive
3. Bright orange & white branding and ring reduces stealth (use black tape to cover them)
4. Loop recording stopped working/ dash cam shuts down by itself: As a workaround, just format the SD card (within the camera, not on a PC) using the dash cam’s menu.

Vico Marcus 4 – Video Samples

We request you to view the video in full screen and choose the maximum resolution; this will give you a better understanding of video quality captured by the dashboard camera.

 Day Time Video Sample:

As you can see, the Marcus 4 is simply awesome during day light conditions. The video is very clear and all the details can be seen easily.

 Night Time Video Sample:

Even the night time video quality of Marcus 4 is superb. Everything is clearly visible and there’s no distortion whatsoever at the edges.

Vico Marcus 4 – User Manual

You can download Vico Marcus 4 English user manual here.

Vico Marcus 4 – Firmware

Marcus 4’s Firmware can be downloaded here

Vico Marcus 4– Vico Viewer

You can download Vico viewer for Windows here.

Vico Marcus 4 Dash Cam – Our Verdict

All in all, the Vico Marcus 4 is really an awesome dash cam that you can rely upon. It’s been in the market for quite some time and is a very healthy dashboard camera.

Yes, it’s an expensive dash cam (around $250, at the time of writing, check latest price) but it’s worth the price.

Where To Buy?

Check latest price and buy Vico Marcus 4 from following vendors.

Amazon US

Amazon CA