INTRODUCTION

   Night vision has always been one of my favourite technological achievements (what i didn't know however was that the first NV devices made their debut during the 2nd half of WWII) mainly because it makes it a lot easier to record video even at pitch black conditions regardless of where you're at. Still night vision has many usages and so aside cameras (this includes handheld cameras, professional cameras, car dash cameras, trail/wildlife cameras and even IP cameras) it's also widely used in goggles, binoculars, monoculars and yes even weapon scopes and sights. Car manufacturers however took things a step further at the turn of the century by adding basic night vision functionality to some premium/luxury cars to further improve safety conditions while driving at night. For people however who just can't afford such luxury vehicles (or who are just unwilling to spend much on one) and would like to have night vision in their cars a rather new player in the market called Lanmodo claims to have the solution with their recently released Vast Full HD Color Night Vision System.

   Lanmodo, since founded in 2015, have attracted people's attention because of its ingenious products. In 2017, Lanmodo launched world's 1st all-in-one automatic car tent that can not only provides four-season protection, but also be used as outdoor umbrella and camping tent; In 2018, Lanmodo released 1080P full-color night vision system, which helps keep safe driving. And then Lanmodo Barra multifunctional beach blanket bag that brings more joy to outdoor activities.

   For the Vast Full HD Color Night Vision System Lanmodo paired a Sony MCCD photosensitive sensor (can register video with a minimum illumination of 0.0001 Lux - probably one of their starlight models) with 28mm 7G full glass HD optical lens (36 degrees viewing angle) and a tiny rear HD camera (170 degrees/720p/IP67 waterproof – applicable only to the version which includes the rear camera). However, unlike the "regular" black and white night vision systems mounted in cars the Vast system features full-color HWDR processing technology allowing it to display whatever it sees both in color and in black and white. So, is this the “gadget” to get if you’re driving on roads and/or places in general at night with insufficient lighting or even no lighting at all? Time to find out just that.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Lanmodo ships the Vast inside a white box that has a product image at the front right beneath the company name and above the main product features.

At the base of the box you can see the included version (our sample came without a rear camera).

Inside the box we can see that the main unit is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed in a piece of foam (the rest of the bundle - minus the mat - is placed in a cardboard box).

The bundle is very rich and contains the main unit with its base, non-slip mat, power cable, cigarette lighter power and OBD power adapters, suction cup mount, compact screwdriver and the instruction manual.

THE LANMODO VAST

The plastic enclosure of the Vast system measures 224mm in length, 103mm in height (base included) and roughly 67mm in width.

With an 8.2 inch wide IPS screen you should have no problem noticing everything down to the tiniest detail.

At the top of the enclosure we find the switch signals (between the front and rear camera - if the rear camera is installed), menu (can adjust brightness and contrast levels), screen rotation (useful if you use the suction cap mount), power on/off, scroll up/down, color/BW and cable input buttons.

The 28mm 7G full glass HD optical lens of the Vast can output video at Full HD (1080p @ 30fps) with a viewing angle of 36 degrees and a maximum night vision range of 300m.

You can rotate the lens and move them left, right, up and down to achieve the best possible view.

Two perforated sections are placed at the front of the enclosure.

Lanmodo gives you two ways to mount the Vast system in your car, either by using the bundled base or by using the suction mount (either way you will need to use the mounting hole located at the base of the enclosure).

For this review we used both the suction cup mount and the base which alone is not very large as you can all see.

Adding the non-slip mat changes that and is basically what keeps the Vast system from falling off your dashboard.

USING THE VAST 1080P FULL COLOR NIGHT VIEW SYSTEM

Installing the Vast system is not hard but in order to properly route the main power cable from your dashboard and all the way to either the cigarette lighter or the OBD we recommend going to a professional.

The cigarette light power adapter has a very convenient illuminated on/off power button on top (on the other hand by using the OBD adapter in many vehicles means the Vast will stay on at all times).

I was able to find a small pitch black road near the lab (there's a halogen street light roughly 40 meters away but even so things are quite dark) so I did a quick test there with surprisingly good results (only pictures however since driving with the lights off in the big city is a big no go).

Here you can see how the Vast system behaves both with my Xenon lights turned on and off (unfortunately since the lens of the Vast system bring everything closer you can only see part of those 40 meters - also the street light seems to "blind" the vast so this is indeed a system designed for places without any lights around).

Seems however that my Nikon DSLR didn’t grab pictures properly so I got them again with my smartphone (did a better job I think) and this time using the base.

Coming across long pitch-black roads inside the big city is not easy so to that end first chance I get I’ll be heading to my village where there are plenty such locations. For now however you can check the above video provided to us by Lanmodo and their support team (we may not be the ones recording it but it's accurate).

CONCLUSION

   As many of you will have noticed the Lanmodo Vast Full HD Color Night Vision System is not based on exactly the same technology as a pair of night vision goggles which is why its Sony MCCD photosensitive sensor needs a higher amount of ambient light in order to illuminate objects (there’s also quite a bit of grain at times because of that). However even though it may not be quite as effective as a pair of night vision goggles it does work as advertised so even at near pitch black conditions (and in certain rainy scenarios) you can see quite clearly through it both with in full color and in black and white. On the other hand however we can't say the same thing when it comes to build quality since the plastic enclosure of the Vast Night Vision System feels flimsy and certainly has room for improvement. This is something we've already pointed out to Lanmodo and their reply was that this was done in order to reduce the weight of the Vast so the suction cup mount could hold it in place (sounds legit but regardless of the why build quality could be better). For us however the largest drawback of the Vast system is the where you can mount/place it since simply put driving while at the same time looking over the center of the dashboard (or the windshield over the dashboard if you choose to use the suction mount instead of the base) isn't very convenient (certainly not for the driver). This is also why car manufacturers place their night vision systems found in some premium/luxury cars either at the center of the instrument panel or on the dashboard just in front of the steering wheel. We do realize that the cost of designing and manufacturing one such system either with HUD capabilities or with a 2-part/piece design (front camera – instrument panel screen) would sky rocket the price but we do hope Lanmodo looks into that possibility along with several others we pointed out to them.

   Currently the Vast 1080p Full Color Night Vision System by Lanmodo retails for USD499 without the rear 720p HD camera and for USD599 with it (Lanmodo.com) so it may not be exactly affordable for many people (use this code for a USD50 discount at checkout: LMDNVS_NIK). On top of that the new Vast Pro model (features a recording function and the rear camera this time over is also 1080p - more info here) will be launching soon at Indiegogo for an early bird price of just USD199 (non rear camera model - USD599 retail price) so it does make sense for you to be on the lookout for that instead. At the end of the day the concept behind the Vast may not be something new but it’s very interesting and can certainly come in handy in certain low-light and even rainy situations. Still because of its current price tag (especially with the new and improved model coming out soon for less than half that price) and issues mentioned in this review we can only recommend the Vast to people who are in dire need of something like that and who just can’t wait to get their hands on the upcoming Pro version.

PROS

- Great at Illuminating Pitch Black Areas
- Full HD 1080p Resolution
- 8.2 Inch IPS Screen
- Color & BW Picture
- Adjustable Lens
- Base & Suction Mount Installation
- Cigarette Lighter & OBD Power Adapters
- Available Model With 720p Waterproof Rear Camera

CONS

- Upcoming Vast Pro Model Early Bird Price (Indiegogo)
- Mounting Locations (Hard to Drive & Look at The Vast)
- Overall Enclosure Quality (For The Price)