A129 - Wide Angle Lens Modification

[TonyM]

I am using an A129 Duo for side-facing cameras in the fixed rear side windows of my car. I decided to try a lens upgrade to increase the field of view for wider coverage, especially when parked alongside other cars.

I removed the original F1.6 lens, and replaced it with a F2.0 C2 lens for a Mobius 1. The lens itself does not produce any vignetting on the IMX291 sensor. However the C2 lens is shorter than the A129 lens, so I had to make substantial alterations to the lens housing to avoid vignetting.

This comparison shows the difference in FOV between the standard A129 lens (on the left) and the C2 lens (on the right).

At night with very little lighting, looking at the same scene in the car park, the C2 lens produces a slightly darker image but it's not a big difference.

 

[TonyM]

My wide-angle side-facing A129 is good for keeping watch on cars parking alongside mine, even one space behind.

 

[Dashmellow]

One of the things I really like about using lateral facing cameras aside from monitoring the sides of your car is that usually you'll capture the license plate numbers of vehicles enter and leaving the parking spaces next to you. Often a rear facing camera will not capture these plate numbers.