Another Mobius - or something else?

[murcod]

I'm potentially looking for another dash cam and (of course) it's confusing with so many options. So I was wondering if any other Mobius users had found something they consider is better that the Mobius (ie. better video quality) or if they'd just buy a Mobius again?

One of the cameras that has caught my eye is the Street Guardian SG9665GC V2 - it would work well in my new vehicle as a front camera and not be too obvious. However, focus issues have been mentioned elsewhere on the forum and it's significantly more money than the Mobius, but obviously more suited to car use. The availability of a polarising lens that doesn't adversely affect night performance is also a strong positive factor for me.

PS: I'm not getting rid of my Mobius- it would just be used as a rear facing camera.

 

[Bungus]

Street Guardian SG9665GC V2. That's my choice too. With Jokiin, Pier 28 and Niko's great aftersales service behind it, you cannot go wrong.
I've been waiting for the Mobius 2. Now after seeing the sample from RCgroup I've having some doubts.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Street Guardian SG9665GC V2. That's my choice too. With Jokiin, Pier 28 and Niko's great aftersales service behind it, you cannot go wrong.
I've been waiting for the Mobius 2. Now after seeing the sample from RCgroup I've having some doubts.

+1

 

[murcod]

Street Guardian SG9665GC V2. That's my choice too. With Jokiin, Pier 28 and Niko's great aftersales service behind it, you cannot go wrong.
I've been waiting for the Mobius 2. Now after seeing the sample from RCgroup I've having some doubts.

I wasn't even aware a Mobius 2 was so close to being "released"- I found that thread and it's .... ummmmm.... interesting.....

Seeing other cameras mentioned liked the RunCam2 and Foxeer Legend 1 has got me wondering how adaptable other model aircraft targeted cameras could be to dash cam use?

 

[JooVuu]

I wasn't even aware a Mobius 2 was so close to being "released"- I found that thread and it's .... ummmmm.... interesting.....

Seeing other cameras mentioned liked the RunCam2 and Foxeer Legend 1 has got me wondering how adaptable other model aircraft targeted cameras could be to dash cam use?

They dont really have the auto-record features and some other dash cam features enabled or they're a bit patchy. These cameras are really geared towards the FPV market (not even action) and as such these features which we need in the car camera market aren't highly ranked for them. That's completely fine as these companies make no pretense to do so, and have not engaged with this market at all.

Whatever you chose make sure you have the support behind it. If you're going for a car camera i'd recommend going for a car camera that is actually made for a car camera.

Whatever you choose I'm sure you'll love!

 

[murcod]

Thanks JooVuu, I sort of figured as much. A bit like earlier on in the Mobius development when the firmware was less vehicle friendly.

 

[Isoprop]

Thanks JooVuu, I sort of figured as much. A bit like earlier on in the Mobius development when the firmware was less vehicle friendly.

The M2 has been designed with dashcam use in mind - one parameter is still missing though, and I'm not aware if the developer has found a suitable supercap yet.

Despite the negative posts in RCG from people who haven't even seen the camera yet, I find it a great camera incorporating the latest technology which no other camera in this price segment can offer. I only use H265 with 1080p@60 fps now, and have no intention of going back to H264. I love this camera for this alone. The DSP easily handles 1080p@60 fps and I've never seen a dropped frame. The H265 files are only a tiny bit larger than the Mobius H264 files, but the frame rate of the M2 is doubled. This means existing cards will hold almost the same total length of video for the M2 as the Mobius. If your PC can't handle H265 you can obviously also use H264 but the files will be almost twice as large. FWIW, 200GB cards also work flawlessly. It's a pity there's no webcam mode, but that's the way it is.

The metal base with 4 screw holes visible gets hot, too hot to comfortably touch. I guess this indicates there's good contact between the DSP and the heatsink. The 10-pin USB plug also makes better contact than the 5-pin plug used in the Mobius. The plug is backwards compatible with standard 5-pin USB cables meaning if you already have a USB power cable powering a Mobius then you can use the same cable to power the M2. AV-out (tv-out) uses a different pin, however.

The M2 already has far more parameters than the Mobius when it was first released, but the advanced settings are not yet available. Since the OS is linux-based, the possibility of adding features in future releases is basically endless.

 

[mr_milo]

I'm not aware if the developer has found a suitable supercap yet.

The metal base with 4 screw holes visible gets hot, too hot to comfortably touch. I guess this indicates there's good contact between the DSP and the heatsink.

The two items above have me a little worried.
I will definitely need a supercap but I am honestly OK making my own, even if it turns out to be external. I would just need the immediate shutdown option in the firmware.
The heat mentioned is concerning as well, however it seems it also would allow for an easy way to mount a heatsink.

Still can't wait to get one!

 

[Isoprop]

The two items above have me a little worried.
I will definitely need a supercap but I am honestly OK making my own, even if it turns out to be external. I would just need the immediate shutdown option in the firmware.
The heat mentioned is concerning as well, however it seems it also would allow for an easy way to mount a heatsink.

Still can't wait to get one!

Yes, adding a heatsink should be pretty simple or just attach the copper tripod mount using the 4 screws provided. All of these 60fps DSP's become very hot so it's important the heat is kept away from the CMOS image sensor and battery. The design of the M2 seems to do a good job, but only real-life use will tell.

I'm sure a supercap will be available in the future. The developer may have already found one but just not informed us yet.

 

[Nigel]

...All of these 60fps DSP's become very hot...

Isn't it the H265 that gets very hot?
The Gitup Git2 hardly gets warm running at 60fps!

Does switching to H264 let it run cool?

 

[jokiin]

Isn't it the H265 that gets very hot?
The Gitup Git2 hardly gets warm running at 60fps!

Does switching to H264 let it run cool?

different chipset though for the GitUp, may be a factor

not sure if the information presented was correct but I've seen mention of it being 42mbit H.265 and 21mbit H.264, if that's the case then half the bitrate would likely have more impact on how much heat was generated rather than encoding type

the numbers seem at odds with what had been stated so far though as I kept hearing about H.265 offering this great saving of space, the 3.5gb 12 minute unboxing video Tom Frank posted seems to contradict that space saving advantage

 

[Nigel]

different chipset though for the GitUp, may be a factor

not sure if the information presented was correct but I've seen mention of it being 42mbit H.265 and 21mbit H.264, if that's the case then half the bitrate would likely have more impact on how much heat was generated rather than encoding type

the numbers seem at odds with what had been stated so far though as I kept hearing about H.265 offering this great saving of space, the 3.5gb 12 minute unboxing video Tom Frank posted seems to contradict that space saving advantage

It appears to me that H265 can give a big advantage when there is not much happening in the video, I'm not expecting a huge saving when used as a dashcam. Of course your 42mbit H265 is going to use twice the space that 21mbit H264 will, not half the space as normally advertised! It does appear to take significantly more processing effort to encode H265.

 

[jokiin]

It appears to me that H265 can give a big advantage when there is not much happening in the video, I'm not expecting a huge saving when used as a dashcam. Of course your 42mbit H265 is going to use twice the space that 21mbit H264 will, not half the space as normally advertised! It does appear to take significantly more processing effort to encode H265.

sounds like it would be great for security cameras where not much happens a lot of the time

 

[Itwasntme]

Something else. Mobius cameras are a piece of crap.

 

[russ331]

Something else. Mobius cameras are a piece of crap.

Your 'rattling' Mobius, & your dealings with Eletoponline are unfortunate. Doesn't change the fact that for the vast majority of owners Mobius remains a great dashcam. Tiny, discreet, reliable, durable, repairable, good performance, customisable, so many mounting options, comprehensive user manual, excellent GUI, regular firmware updates, etc.

 

[Itwasntme]

If it goes well, it goes well.

If there's a problem, they'll try to fool you it is your fault, and after spending money returning a defective item, you still get the same crap.

Eletoponline is the manufacturer, not a middle-man. I'd hope more responsability from them.

They do state "money back or exchange for another unit". I got neither and it could and will happen to more people.

It is a great camera, small, discreet, it has great video, but if there's a manufacturing problem they won't assume it.

I did send them videos of the problem. I told them the motherboard rattled. They didn't care.

 

[russ331]

If there's a problem, they'll try to fool you ...

I've read many positive reviews of after-sales service by Eletoponline, with evidence of them going further to satisfy the customer than required by any consumer protection laws.

I tried but failed to buy from them, due to what I wanted being out of stock, & 'Chinglish' communication issues.

In hindsight, I'm glad I bought from Mobius-approved EU based sellers. The higher price is worth it if post-sales issues arise.

If you bought through eBay &/or PayPal, you can raise a claim through them.

 

[Itwasntme]

I've read many positive reviews of after-sales service by Eletoponline, with evidence of them going further to satisfy the customer than required by any consumer protection laws.

I don't doubt that, but to me they said: "Sorry, car has vibrations. We tested your camera recording on the hand and stationary and there's no problem. We will return the unit"

If you bought through eBay &/or PayPal, you can raise a claim through them.

Well, it works on paper, but i'll have to pay again registered signed for international postage to take the risk they will not exchange the unit or keep saying that the camera doesn't rattle when stationary or that the package gets lost in the chinese post offices.
If the packages gets refused or undelivered, then i'll have to pay again the return postage and risk paying customs fees. If i ever get it back.


I'm not saying the camera isn't great, it is. I'm annoyed at how persistent they were in making excuses for an obvious problem that i sent them videos of and just re-sending me the same crappy unit. There were some recent posts of a user complaining about the same thing. Among others, there's a video of a mobius on a bycicle that has the same severe crackling. I'm not hearing noises in my head and i don't drive with my windows rolled down in 10ºc weather.

 

[susobarral]

I think too much expectations have been created around the new mobius