M2 footage dash and action

[jokiin]

still needs some further work but it's probably now where it should have been when released, a much better starting point

 

[kamkar]

Yeah, i do have high hopes for the little M2.

Still about getting one.

 

[TonyM]

I'm, not seeing a clear winner in terms of clarity, sharpness or the ability to read number plates or signs further out. For me to want to buy a cam such as the Mobius M2 or any other brand new cam for that reason, I want to see something way above the quality of what I might already have. Otherwise what is the point?

There's more to a dashcam than just image quality. Three of the advantages that the original Mobius still has over some other cameras are: 1) small size & many mounting options, 2) extensive options to customise the recording modes, and 3) very good reliability. If the M2 can deliver those attributes in addition to offering image quality on par with class leading cameras, then I'll be happy to keep it in my car.

 

[TonyM]

The M2 is now the best performing camera in my car when it come down to brightness of footage at night.

It might be interesting to compare the M2 to the A119S for night time brightness. The first A119S samples looked rather good.

Of course, brightness is no good if the image is ruined by noise and blurring.

I've recorded a load of 1080p30 WDR and 1080p60 WDR footage today in bright low sun, and also at dusk and at night. I'm hoping the 1080p60 will be workable in all light conditions so I don't need to think about switching modes as the light changes.

 

[kamkar]

Indeed, and brightness is not worth much if what you can see more in the footage is blurred anyway.

And thats the predicament i see with cameras for a while, sure more sensitive sensors mean you can see more of the surroundings, but as you drive the more you can see will also still be blurred, just like current cameras.

So catch 22 ?

its not that i wont take what i can get with new sensors, its just i cant see us getting past current issues in regard to night time recording anytime soon.
But i do think newer sensors will be good for daytime with faster exposure, and that should last longer into the afternoon before things start to blur.

Thank god i am not too bothered with night recordings and plate capture, if you where i have a feeling you will have a sinking feeling in the stomach now and for years to come.

So night time for me is camera can document i hold my lane, and it can document the intersections i enter i do so under green light, and what else the cameras capture with more or less blur i will take too.
This is also why i have always been interested in embedding OBD information in the footage too, these are other factors related to the driving that can prove things in case of a dispute, and that information is not influenced by weather or light.

 

[kamkar]

https://mega.nz/#!f4YHlCrD!g_XuRYjAwPNM3RSP8nDvOSuYcA5nLSi80gT43osfMro

https://mega.nz/#!roZFmZZS!xagBh3RaCE77yDT4Cf-eFSPMc_JQ5yzUd2RRig6-0oc

 

[TonyM]

I've recorded a load of 1080p30 WDR and 1080p60 WDR footage today in bright low sun, and also at dusk and at night. I'm hoping the 1080p60 will be workable in all light conditions so I don't need to think about switching modes as the light changes.

Viewing today's video I found that the WDR is still very noisy at night, in both 1080p30 and 1080p60. Better than the dual exposure WDR though. Daytime WDR is ok with some good results, but generally it feels like the camera is trying too hard to capture a very wide dynamic range.

Too busy to edit and post stills and video comparison tonight - can do it tomorrow.

I did notice a strange flicker/strobe effect under artificial light with 1080p30 WDR. Has anyone else seen this? Again, I'll post tomorrow.

 

[jokiin]

There was a very bad flicker at night with the 50hz settings in the earlier firmwares, haven't had a chance to see if that has been resolved yet, overall it's much better than previous though already

 

[TonyM]

M2 1080p60 WDR at night
Centre-weighted metering. Bright light exposure priority. High bitrate (32Mbps)

Comparison to SG GC 1080p30 WDR (15Mpbs):

 

[TonyM]

M2 1080p60 WDR


M2 1080p30 WDR


SG GC 1080p30 WDR

 

[kamkar]

Yeah WDR is still a no go in the low light at least.

We was on a cold beach yesterday with a range of cameras and telescopes, the m2 minded itself on a USB powerbank capturing this.
Photo time lapse, one pic every 60 seconds.

 

[TonyM]

Yeah WDR is still a no go in the low light at least.

Having seen your non WDR videos I'm inclined to agree. I'll upload some of the daytime WDR later where the M2 actually does a very good job with high contrast.

 

[TonyM]

There was a very bad flicker at night with the 50hz settings in the earlier firmwares, haven't had a chance to see if that has been resolved yet, overall it's much better than previous though already

Strange flicker/strobe at 50Hz setting (UK) recording at 1080p30 with WDR on FW2.02. Is this similar to the flicker you saw in the earlier firmware?

 

[kamkar]

Look what i got filming my TV in a dark living room, its sort of like the camera change between 2 settings and cant decide.

I do think i had WDR turned off when i made that recording.

 

[jokiin]

Strange flicker/strobe at 50Hz setting (UK) recording at 1080p30 with WDR on FW2.02. Is this similar to the flicker you saw in the earlier firmware?

no, that's new, try setting WDR off maybe and see if you get the same results

 

[kamkar]

I dont think that flashing have anything to do with the artificial light frequency setting ?
But i was using 50 Hz as thats what we got here.

 

[jokiin]

I dont think that flashing have anything to do with the artificial light frequency setting ?
But i was using 50 Hz as thats what we got here.

there was an issue with 50Hz when using the previous version of WDR they had in the release and some of the earlier beta versions, it messed with the picture badly but wasn't pulsing like that, that's something new, shame as the daylight results I got were pretty good, looks like it still needs work before it will be a suitable M1 replacement

 

[kamkar]

O yeah the mobius minions have their work cut out for them, and thats alright, mean i with my purchase keep some ppl working

 

[dirkzelf]

no I meant for any camera, if you have a camera that performs well now there's no change in technology that gives a compelling reason to upgrade as there are only incremental differences, if you are in the market for a camera then it is another model to consider, it is certainly working a lot better now than it was on release firmware, it needs more evaluation to see how it measures up but the initial results are very promising

Right, well thanks for the honest info.

Euhm, seeing the results here with the M2 it still is nowhere near where I am with my JooVuu X cam then. So that's not the direction I want to go. Maybe A119..... that seems promising. SG's are a bit out of my budget I'm affraid. Sorry @jokiin .....

 

[jokiin]

Right, well thanks for the honest info.

Euhm, seeing the results here with the M2 it still is nowhere near where I am with my JooVuu X cam then. So that's not the direction I want to go. Maybe A119..... that seems promising. SG's are a bit out of my budget I'm affraid. Sorry @jokiin .....

I don't have a Joovuu X but the results I've seen from them are better than what the M2 is doing right now, maybe that will change with further development, time will tell

the A119 is good performer and very cheap for what it delivers