Mobius Varifocal Zoom IR

Should be able to order a cam and lens this weekend. I could do it now but I prefer to keep a financial buffer for business purposes which I've just gotten back to minimal, and the project can wait ;) I can also get the Mobius from BG when I get the lens along with a cheap IR light and couple other things I can use here which will save me a few $$$. Ain't broke but I ain't rich either :p

Thinking aloud- I wonder if using the Mobius in web-cam mode with a portable LCD display and IR illuminator could work as a 'poor man's night vision' device. One could perhaps adapt this for scope use on a 22 rifle by adding an IR laser as the targeting indicator, though powering it all without excessive weight might be problematic. Fitting just the cam in my van, I could also use this for better night security here by powering an IR light from the house. Many possibilities here and at the level where I can work comfortably at since I have zero skills and knowledge about cameras in general- all I know about is dashcams and how to press a shutter button :whistle:

Phil
 
Should be able to order a cam and lens this weekend. I could do it now but I prefer to keep a financial buffer for business purposes which I've just gotten back to minimal, and the project can wait ;) I can also get the Mobius from BG when I get the lens along with a cheap IR light and couple other things I can use here which will save me a few $$$. Ain't broke but I ain't rich either :p

Thinking aloud- I wonder if using the Mobius in web-cam mode with a portable LCD display and IR illuminator could work as a 'poor man's night vision' device. One could perhaps adapt this for scope use on a 22 rifle by adding an IR laser as the targeting indicator, though powering it all without excessive weight might be problematic. Fitting just the cam in my van, I could also use this for better night security here by powering an IR light from the house. Many possibilities here and at the level where I can work comfortably at since I have zero skills and knowledge about cameras in general- all I know about is dashcams and how to press a shutter button :whistle:

Phil

Always check Eletoponline365 on eBay before purchasing from Banggood. For example they have the Mobius 1 PCB for sale for $38 dollars whereas Banggood sells it for $43.05. The last time I purchased a lens module from Eletoponline it was cheaper than Banggood as well. Other times Banggood has the better price.

Anyway, I'm still not sure if an IR illumination will work well enough with this lens for general CCTV surveillance camera work (with a Mobius). Needs further exploration.

As far as using an LCD monitor for display with a Mobius you don't need and probably wouldn't be able to use web cam mode without a computer. All you need is the supplied AV breakout cable and an RCA component video input to an appropriate LCD monitor or TV. If you take another look at the photo in my OP of the camera on the tripod with the monitor attached you'll see that I use a 7 inch LCD TV with AV inputs and have the camera directly plugged into the analogue AV ports on the TV. Just set the camera to PAL or NTSC - 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio in mSetup.
 
Gotcha on the web-cam mode. You get my idea on the way I'd like to try using it ;) I'm planning to get a reasonably high-powered IR flashlight someday anyway, so as they don't cost much this would be a good time to do that, and I've got some BG points saved to use to help with costs. I'll check Eletop of course, but I have a distinct and intense dislike of what Ebay has become and I tend to shop there only as a last resort now :mad:

There;s a DIY Night Vision forum I'm a member of but I am not active there. What I have seen from them seems to indicate there are possibilities with the Mobius as some folks there have used other cams with the same sensor/chip combo. Their problem was what you seem to have solved- the color and intensity issues. With all this for a base I can probably accomplish something worthwhile here and it is now in the realm of my limited skill-set so I might as well go for it now :p

Phil
 
I guess if you put away a little money each week you'll have what you Nemoed to put this together. It's funny timing but just yesterday I counted up all the pocket change I've been stashing away for I don't know how we long and discovered that I have over a hundred bucks of "mad money" for my next purchase. Another option is to just buy the components. You can buy a Mobius PCB from eletoponline365 for just over 38 dollars and slowly add the other components. Two of my Mobius cams were built from parts I've amassed. Also, if you buy a lens from eletoponline365 they'll send you a case for free along with the module.

I forgot to answer your question last night about night shooting. I've done a little bit of experimentation so far but not much. The camera does seem to function with external IR illumination much like a surveillance camera. I'm still testing this.

As far as general night performance I need to do some actual testing in average conditions. Living in a rural area where there are no street lights everything is pitch black driving around the roads here except my headlights or oncoming cars so it doesn't tell me much. One day soon when I'm out and about in town for the evening I'll be able to get a better feel for what results I get at night. I would need to drive ten miles to get to a place with street lights and average conditions most people think of a "night driving".

I also have this lens, but found it a pain in the you know what to get the lens focused. Any zoom action needs a refocus action, very tiresome because you need to hook it up to a pc every time you need new zoom/focus action.....

I've done some Mobius tests without the ir filter, and posted somd some samples here somewhere, but forgot where exactly, so on YouTube, search for dirkzelf, you'll find them there.
 
I also have this lens, but found it a pain in the you know what to get the lens focused. Any zoom action needs a refocus action, very tiresome because you need to hook it up to a pc every time you need new zoom/focus action.....

I've done some Mobius tests without the ir filter, and posted somd some samples here somewhere, but forgot where exactly, so on YouTube, search for dirkzelf, you'll find them there.

I bought the lens mostly for its telephoto functionality and once I determined how I want to use it and once focused it is doing what I want it to. No need for constant zooming for me when used as a dash cam.

On the other hand I also am starting to use the lens for wildlife observation using the set-up shown above with the 7 inch monitor on a tripod. It's no big deal to zoom and refocus when I have the screen right there in front of me.
 
I bought the lens mostly for its telephoto functionality and once I determined how I want to use it and once focused it is doing what I want it to. No need for constant zooming for me when used as a dash cam.

On the other hand I also am starting to use the lens for wildlife observation using the set-up shown above with the 7 inch monitor on a tripod. It's no big deal to zoom and refocus when I have the screen right there in front of me.

Are you using the TV out function? That's of course easier than using a pc with AmCap....
 
Can you focus the lens using an OTG cable and one of the mobile apps?
 
Are you using the TV out function? That's of course easier than using a pc with AmCap....

Yes, like you can see in the photo of the camera and monitor on a tripod in the third image down in post #1. When on my computer I simply use QuickTime in web cam mode.
 
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So, I've been doing some experiments mounting a polarizer on the 2.8 - 12mm varifocal lens with some interesting results. I just happened to have a 24mm (30mm) CPL which is exactly the proper diameter for this lens. Apparently, a standard CPL completely alters the color balance on an IR lens while having no effect on the color balance of an IR corrected lens. I'm still striving to understand exactly what the polarizer is doing to create this effect but at this point my understanding is that the polarizer is creating a dichroic effect that allows certain wavelengths of the visible and near-infra red spectrum to pass while blocking certain other wavelengths.....or something like that. Still doing research on this but I thought I'd post some examples in the meantime. It's a cool effect, at any rate. Oh, BTW, as a CPL it does what it is supposed to in ameliorating reflections (and making sky, clouds and vegetation look pretty cool!)

Dichroism - "In optics, a dichroic material is either one which causes visible light to be split up into distinct beams of different wavelengths (colors), or one in which light rays having different polarizations are absorbed by different amounts."

IR- No CPL
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IR-With CPL
polarizer2.jpg

IR-With CPL
polarizer_vista_1.jpg
 
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Oddly color coordinated family group of a mother with her two children just before I ran them over! :D (Jeez, this telephoto lens sure does makes you feel like you're right on top of things and way closer that you really are!) :eek:
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How did I miss this thread? Great work - makes me wish I had left off the IR cut filters to my 8mm lens I added. One thing I notice at night is, even with my IR cut filter, I seem to be able to capture license plates much better than a standard dashcam when up close. I think this is becasue the zoomed picture creates an overall brighter picture, reducing the exposure time, making the plate more readable.
 
How did I miss this thread? Great work - makes me wish I had left off the IR cut filters to my 8mm lens I added. One thing I notice at night is, even with my IR cut filter, I seem to be able to capture license plates much better than a standard dashcam when up close. I think this is becasue the zoomed picture creates an overall brighter picture, reducing the exposure time, making the plate more readable.

As I mentioned about and posted an example of just last night the IR sensitive camera often seems able to better capture license plate numbers even when bright headlights are shining directly on the plates. This can be a hit or miss effect and seems to revolve around which particular colors happen to be on the plate, particularly the numerals but I'm pleased to have the extra capability when it works. One of the things that keeps surprising me about the near-IR images sensitive images I've been capturing are the unexpected details that suddenly jump out at you. I purchased this lens with every intention of installing an IR-cut filter but at this point I'm sticking with IR. I'm having way too much fun and it's proving very useful at the same time.
 
How did I miss this thread? Great work - makes me wish I had left off the IR cut filters to my 8mm lens I added. One thing I notice at night is, even with my IR cut filter, I seem to be able to capture license plates much better than a standard dashcam when up close. I think this is becasue the zoomed picture creates an overall brighter picture, reducing the exposure time, making the plate more readable.

BTW, I forget to mention in my last post that you are absolutely right about the telephoto capturing plate numbers with or without an IR-cut filter. Often motion blur is reduced on vehicles coming at you on the road and when the vehicle is directly in front of me in traffic I'm astonished at the detail you can pick up, even tiny lettering. (see some of the above examples.)
 
Here's an example when I first got my 8mm set-up. GC blows out the plate, but the 8mm is able to pick it up.

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Now I want to tinker with IR, think I might try to find a 12mm lens and have a go too.
 
Here's an example when I first got my 8mm set-up. GC blows out the plate, but the 8mm is able to pick it up.


Now I want to tinker with IR, think I might try to find a 12mm lens and have a go too.

Why not buy one of these varifocal lenses? For the money the optical characteristics of this lens are absolutely superb and it's a fast lens at ƒ1.4. It's also nice to be able to experiment with and tweak the focal length.
 
Why not buy one of these varifocal lenses? For the money the optical characteristics of this lens are absolutely superb and it's a fast lens at ƒ1.4. It's also nice to be able to experiment with and tweak the focal length.

Maybe - one thing I noticed with your varifocal lens is how big the camera looks - the fixed lenses are smaller, thus a little more discreet. I'm quite happy with the quality of the 8mm lens I picked up - while I'm sure its far from the best, for the price of $4, was a no-brainer to me.
 
Maybe - one thing I noticed with your varifocal lens is how big the camera looks - the fixed lenses are smaller, thus a little more discreet. I'm quite happy with the quality of the 8mm lens I picked up - while I'm sure its far from the best, for the price of $4, was a no-brainer to me.

It's true, it's big but when mounted in my vehicle it doesn't seem more or less discreet that the regular Mobius and from straight on the lens is still no larger that the width of the camera so it doesn't look like much. Basically, from the front you just see a black circle.
 
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I'm also curious if you experimented with "Lens Type" in mSetup? I just defaulted to "A lens," but have been meaning to experiment with the other lens settings to see if there is any difference.
 
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