Best Rear Facing cam for Hatchbacks?

[Kazy]

I have a Mini Cooper (2009), and my back window is vertical, making the suction cup mounts pretty much impossible. I'm looking for a discreet, low-profile option.

I was thinking the A118

https://www.ebay.com/itm/151327318745
Or maybe the mobious.

Thoughts? Budget is probably $70~80. Also any tips on mounting?

 

[Hilts]

I am using a Mobius with a B lens (wide angle) and capacitor in the rear of my VW Golf Hatchback and have an A118 in the front of my my wife's car. Personally I think the Mobius would be a much more discreet option for rear window mounting as it would block less of your window when looking in the rearview mirror.

@russ331 is using the same in the back of his Mini Cooper and he kindly posted some photos of it here....

Further to Post #16 ( http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/mobius-mounting-solutions.2654/#post-31371 ), I installed my second Mobius B today in the back of the car...
View attachment 5088 View attachment 5090
I used clear double-sided 3M Mounting Tape to attach the Mobius mount to the headlining. See http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/3m-mounting-tape-£2-49-at-lidl-uk-supermarket.5264/ for further details. My car has a second power socket in the rear, so no problems with power supply.
You can see from the following video frame grab that the mounting location isn't ideal for the optimum rear view, however, it's good enough for my purposes.
Mobius is in the best location to benefit from the rear wiper keeping the glass clean, & it doesn't interfere with my rear view.
View attachment 5094

and here....

Photo as requested...
View attachment 5163
I'm currently using the 'Narrow' setting (HFOV 102° instead of 'Wide' HFOV 116°)...
View attachment 5166

 

[russ331]

I'm very happy with the rear mounted Mobius B, apart from the high level rear brake light obscuring the top of the field of view...



I should adjust the mounting so I get the 'full picture', but indolence prevents me from taking action.

ps ... you have excellent taste in terms of car choice. This one I saw at the Goodwood Festival of Speed a few days ago is not entirely to my taste...

 

[Kazy]

Thanks! Looks like the Mobius might be the best choice for me.

Here's a picture of my car after getting her stripes installed:

Poor stripes are over 5 years old now and need to be replaced, but I moved a few years back and have yet to find a good place to install.

 

[extraoneya]

Nice car...post some pics over at the Off Topic section on what cars we drive...

Here's a couple ways I came up w/ for mounting the DC on my Van's & a 1966 Station Wagon's vertical rear window

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/possible-to-hook-up-front-dash-cam-to-rear.6094/#post-72524

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/2-finevu-dcs-p-car-4-cars-big-headache.4205/

 

[Kazy]

@Hilts: Does the A118 point far enough forward to mount it on the roof and point it back?

 

[jokiin]

has about an 85 degree range of motion to the lens adjustment, it could mount horizontally if that's what you mean?

 

[Kazy]

Yes, I was wondering if I could mount it to the roof and point it straight out the back.

 

[jokiin]

if the mount is horizontal you would have a very slight downward pitch to the lens, a little more might be ideal though so it depends how close to level your mounting surface would be I guess

 

[Kazy]

A downward pitch is fine, it looked like it may not have pointed down enough in the pictures. Thanks for the info!

 

[jokiin]

it needs to point slightly down for best results

 

[Kazy]

It's pretty level, see the pictures linked in the second post of this thread. Does the lens not articulate downwards enough to be mounted horizontally on a level surface?

 

[jokiin]

if the camera were absolutely level there is a very slight downward pitch to the lens, personally I feel down a little more would be ideal, YMMV, you want something like 60% below the horizon, 40% above for best results

 

[Street Guardian USA]

I agree, aimed slightly down is best. Too much bright sky = crazy wonky auto exposure correction behavior/results.

 

[Hilts]

@Hilts: Does the A118 point far enough forward to mount it on the roof and point it back?

I'm pretty sure it could be used like that, but I'll have to double check on the lens movement of the A118 in my wife's car when she gets back this evening.

It's pretty level, see the pictures linked in the second post of this thread. Does the lens not articulate downwards enough to be mounted horizontally on a level surface?

Not sure if this question is aimed at the A118 or Mobius. If it's the Mobius then the following post might answer your query... The Mobius wide angle B lens in Narrow FOV setting gives more than enough coverage out of the rear window without capturing too much of the car interior:-

@Padwanjoe - As requested, please find below a link to some video footage of my Mobius B in its new rear facing installation.
It's quite large (235MB) & I'm trying mega.co.nz for the first time, so here's hoping this link works:-
https://mega.co.nz/#!E5gnxTZT!eJ2K2-FBUXWArZBh0v-IsvYEL8pZjRBbvJbSaye5ie0
It's been taken through the dark tinted rear window of my car using a Mobius B (wide angle lens) ActionCam using the following settings:-
FW 1.20
1080P Narrow FOV 30fps
Movie Quality - Super
WDR - On
White Balance - Auto
Colour Effect - Standard
Exposure - 0
Contrast - 0
Saturation - 0
Sharpness - 0

BTW I'm still experimenting with the Exposure Value (EV) settings at the moment to find the best 'all-round' setting for it's new use. I suspect that I may have to set EV to +1 and sacrifice some clarity on sunny days, in order to get better video footage on overcast/rainy days (as we get plenty of those in Wales!).
At the moment EV +1 tends to provide a slightly overexposed image but, hopefully, this will be improved in a future FW release.

Anyhow, I hope video this gives you a good idea of it's potential as a rear facing DVR.

I was originally running the Mobius as a front facing Dash Cam and I preferred the footage of the Narrow FOV compared to the Wide FOV. I found that the Wide FOV gave too much of a 'fisheye' effect. I hope you understand what I mean by that.

Due to the shallow height of the rear window I doubt there is any point using the Wide FOV setting, as all it will do is capture even more of the interior.

Reviewing the footage this morning - I do need to lower the camera angle very slightly and run with EV at +1 for a while in different light conditions to see how it copes.

 

[dino]

I have a Mobius B in my hatchback. Despite sitting against a white interior, when the hatch is closed it's virtually impossible to spot the camera from the outside.

The view is excellent, looking out through a tinted window doesn't seem to affect the camera much. It could be pointed slightly more down, I know.

From the drivers seat I can see the red flashing LED in the rear view mirror if I hunker down a bit.

 

[Kazy]

Just ordered the A118 from estore! I'll post up some pictures once I get it in.

 

[Hilts]

Checked my wife's A118 last night. There should be enough movement in the rotating lens for you to mount as you want to.
The A118 gives a nice clear recording, good choice.

 

[BlackBoxed.ca]

I've installed a Mini 0803 in a Ford Fiesta (also a hatchback) and hid it right behind the middle seat's headrest, so it's out of sight. It's working quite well for my customer.

The mount rotates so that it points out of the rear window.

Kelvin

 

[Kazy]

Just got it in today! Fits perfectly, and the field of view is great. I don't have a screenshot yet, but I will probably get one tomorrow.

And it's pretty much invisible from the outside.