Mobius Super Low Light (SLL1)

[TonyM]

I've been testing pre-release versions of the Mobius SLL1 (super low light) camera. Mobius don't make dashcams per se, but their products are sometimes appealing to dashcam users, if you don't mind being creative and making your own screen mount etc...

https://mobiusactioncam.com/mobius-sll1-camera

So why would you consider using this as a dashcam. In short, it captures more light than any other small camera I've used. I even used it to record 'real-time' video of the aurora last year.

It has a high-sensitivity 2MP sensor
It has a fast F1.0 M16 lens
It has a Low Frame Rate (LFR) option which works a bit like Viofo's SNV parking mode, except it records audio and the frame rate remains constant at 30fps. It adjusts the exposure time from 1/30s to as slow as 1.0s, and duplicates as many frames as needed to keep the 30fps output going.
At dusk in low light where HDR is not yet effective, it uses a shorter exposure than any camera I've seen, meaning less motion blur and better number plate capture.

Low Frame Rate Example
Here's an example I shot this week, parked in a virtually unlit church car park.

First up, the Vantrue E1 Pro with its IMX678 STARVIS 2 sensor, HDR enabled, PlatePix disabled. Almost complete darkness.

Next, the SLL1 with LFR turned off, so full 30fps. We can see the tree outline against the sky, but not much more. However this is slightly brighter than I could see by eye.

And last, here's the SLL1 with LFR enabled, running at it's lowest effective frame rate of 1fps (30 duplicate frames per second).
Yes, I did stand still for more than a second. At normal walking pace I was just a blur.

 

[TonyM]

Night Driving Example

Driving away from the church, using only the side-lights on my car, the SLL1 with WDR enabled captures much more of the surrounding environment at full 30fps than the E1 Pro. Of course most people don't drive with such low power lighting, but it might be relevant for cyclists or some other situation?

Even after turning on the normal headlights, the SLL1 has so much more peripheral illumination of roadside features. It is better at showing things like animals, pedestrians or cyclists that are outside the central headlight zone but might affect your driving behaviour. The main downside is that the SLL1 does not have HDR.

 

[Augustus]

I've been testing pre-release versions of the Mobius SLL1 (super low light) camera for about 18 months. Mobius don't make dashcams per se, but their products are sometimes appealing to dashcam users, if you don't mind being creative and making your own screen mount etc...

https://mobiusactioncam.com/mobius-sll1-camera

So why would you consider using this as a dashcam. In short, it captures more light than any other small camera I've used. I even used it to record 'real-time' video of the aurora last year.

It has a high-sensitivity 2MP sensor
It has a fast F1.0 M16 lens
It has a Low Frame Rate (LFR) option which works a bit like Viofo's SNV parking mode, except it records audio and the frame rate remains constant at 30fps. It adjusts the exposure time from 1/30s to as slow as 1.0s, and duplicates as many frames as needed to keep the 30fps output going.
At dusk in low light where HDR is not yet effective, it uses a shorter exposure than any camera I've seen, meaning less motion blur and better number plate capture.

Low Frame Rate Example
Here's an example I shot this week, parked in a virtually unlit church car park.

First up, the Vantrue E1 Pro with its IMX678 STARVIS 2 sensor, HDR enabled, PlatePix disabled. Almost complete darkness.
View attachment 79550

Next, the SLL1 with LFR turned off, so full 30fps. We can see the tree outline against the sky, but not much more. However this is slightly brighter than I could see by eye.
View attachment 79551

And last, here's the SLL1 with LFR enabled, running at it's lowest effective frame rate of 1fps (30 duplicate frames per second).
Yes, I did stand still for more than a second. At normal walking pace I was just a blur.
View attachment 79552

Quite interesting findings there Tony, looks like it does quite a decent job and I wonder how it would stack up directly against something like Viofo's or 70mai's super night vision modes

 

[TonyM]

Quite interesting findings there Tony, looks like it does quite a decent job and I wonder how it would stack up directly against something like Viofo's or 70mai's super night vision modes

I've been wondering that too. Sadly I don't have access to either to do any testing. I might treat myself to an A329T over the summer 😎

 

[Matt_V939]

just thinking, being waterproof, could be suitable for a motorbike dashcam (those are few and quite pricey)

 

[TonyM]

just thinking, being waterproof, could be suitable for a motorbike dashcam (those are few and quite pricey)

Perhaps, for short rides up to 75 minutes.

There is no waterproof connection to provide constant external power. The USB-C port is rated to IP67.

 

[TonyM]

just thinking, being waterproof, could be suitable for a motorbike dashcam

I have used a pair of SLL cameras as front and rear dashcams on my bicycle.

 

[TonyM]

Mobius SLL1 at Dusk
Despite recent advances with STARVIS 2 sensors and HDR at night, many dashcams struggle in poor lighting when it is not dark enough for HDR to be effective.

I recorded this sample footage about half an hour before sunset. Some drivers were using their headlights, myself included, but this was mostly to be seen. I have my Vantrue E1 Pro set to PlatePix on and HDR off during the day, so these were the settings at the time of this recording.

With its sensitive sensor and fast lens, the SLL1 proved itself to be capable of faster/shorter exposure times for each frame than the E1 Pro, resulting in less blur and more detail despite the lower resolution of 1080p compared to 4K.

Driving on a straight road at 50mph, the best results on the E1 Pro came when the subject was further away, whereas the SLL1 performed better at close range.

At slower speeds through a village, there was less difference between the cameras in terms of blur and detail.

 

[TonyM]

Mobius SLL1 vs Mobius Maxi - 60fps Bike Camera (1 hour after sunset)

A short comparison of the SLL1 vs the Maxi 4K, on a bike ride an hour after sunset.

Both cameras set to 1080p 60fps.

SLL1 - WDR enabled
MM4K - WDR and Auto Low Light enabled (effectively running at 30fps)

 

[jaro]

It does seem that the SLL1 is a good dashcam.

Does the battery replacement is as easy as the Mobius 1?

 

[mentadent]

The difference is striking on the bicycle video

 

[TonyM]

It does seem that the SLL1 is a good dashcam.

Does the battery replacement is as easy as the Mobius 1?

Replacing a battery in the SLL1 is very similar to any other Mobius camera. The metal case has 4 screws rather than 2, and it's more fiddly to take apart and reconnect the two halves, however the battery connection to the circuit board is the same as any other Mobius.

 

[fatpanda]

Replacing a battery in the SLL1 is very similar to any other Mobius camera. The metal case has 4 screws rather than 2, and it's more fiddly to take apart and reconnect the two halves, however the battery connection to the circuit board is the same as any other Mobius.

Mobius SLL1 vs Mobius Maxi - 60fps Bike Camera (1 hour after sunset)

A short comparison of the SLL1 vs the Maxi 4K, on a bike ride an hour after sunset.

Both cameras set to 1080p 60fps.

SLL1 - WDR enabled
MM4K - WDR and Auto Low Light enabled (effectively running at 30fps)

Would you have any day vision comparisons TonyM.

 

[TonyM]

Would you have any day vision comparisons TonyM.

I will. I've focused on the night performance mostly during testing. But I have recorded daytime video too.

 

[TonyM]

Mobius SLL1 - Daytime Video

3No daytime video samples.
1080p 30fps, 32Mbps. WDR off.

Link to Original File - 700MB

The white balance is better than some of the recent Mobius cameras (the Maxi and 1S had a slight green bias). Sky highlights are occasionally overexposed, but the overall exposure seems OK.

I used the maximum bitrate of 32Mbps rather than the default (12Mbps). The IQ holds up very well, even when driving at 60mph past the trees.

 

[TonyM]

Mini Camera Testing
3No Mobius SLL1 and a Vantrue E1 Pro

I'm using different 3x SLL1 for side-by-side comparison of various settings. Night time parking video comparisons to come soon.

 

[Julian23]

Mini Camera Testing
3No Mobius SLL1 and a Vantrue E1 Pro

View attachment 79716

I'm using different 3x SLL1 for side-by-side comparison of various settings. Night time parking video comparisons to come soon.

Other drivers must hate having you with this army of cameras behind them haha

 

[Augustus]

Other drivers must hate having you with this army of cameras behind them haha

It's one thing having e.g. four or five different dashcams on the windscreen of different brands.

Then it's another with Tony looking like he's running a police operation with three of the same rugged brutal looking Mobius cameras haha. He may as well get the police decals for the sides of his car bwahaha

 

[Julian23]

It's one thing having e.g. four or five different dashcams on the windscreen of different brands.

Then it's another with Tony looking like he's running a police operation with three of the same rugged brutal looking Mobius cameras haha. He may as well get the police decals for the sides of his car bwahaha

Slap some roof bars on top with some ANPR, and the setup is complete.

 

[Augustus]

Slap some roof bars on top with some ANPR, and the setup is complete.